Soupruary 16th: Potato, Kale & Sausage

I didn't have a case of the Mondays, I had a case of the Ridiculous-Weekends. This homey, homely soup made me feel at least restored enough to watch television on the couch for two hours, and that was all that was required.


Location:
Adam's house, Ft. Mitchell, Kentucky

Attendees:
Adam, Nick, Me

Menu:
Soup, bread, exhaustion

Entertainment:
Chuck and Dollhouse: Quite satisfactory indeed. Although every time I watch Chuck and he gets stuck in some predicament I get scared that Fulcrum's going to catch him and take my boy away. So, satisfactory yet panic-inducing.

The Soup:
Two indications of how tired I was:
1) I accepted help from Adam, who peeled and diced potatoes, and

2) I couldn't even be bothered to figure out what recipe I was planning to use, and just winged it.

Luckily, I wasn't trying to do anything complicated, so it turned out alright. It was comforting, satisfying, unassuming, not even slightly fancy. I'll bounce out of this funk and get back to more exciting soups; but, for now, this served its purpose precisely. On top of that, it took only about 30 minutes from prep to bowl (exactly my speed on a Monday). Fast, hot, and edible: That's how I roll (?).

No recipe, but I'll tell you what I did.

1 splash extra virgin olive oil

3 links mild Italian sausage, casings removed

3 cloves garlic

1 small yellow onion

1/4 t crushed red pepper flakes

3 small Idaho potatoes

4 c low-salt chicken broth

1 small bunch kale

Splash a little bit of olive oil in your soup pot over medium heat and add the sausage. Cook the sausage till it starts to brown, breaking apart with the back of a spoon. Add garlic, onion, and red pepper flakes, and cook a few more minutes, then add potatoes. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until sausage is fully browned, onions are soft and potatoes are beginning to have some translucence. Add chicken broth and kale, bring to a boil, then simmer covered until the potatoes are soft. Add salt and pepper to taste, and serve with a sprinkling of parmesan.

Big whoop.

Soupruary 15th: Potato & Peanut

Ever rhapsodized about the possibilities inherent in a bowl full of lightly spiced peanut butter? No? Me neither, really.


Location:
The penthouse, Northside, Cincinnati, Ohio

Attendees (more like experiment subjects):
Brent, Josh, Lauren, Sebastien, me

Menu:
Soup, bread

Entertainment:
I know something was on the television, but I was too focused on staying awake to remember what it was. I was quite amused by trying to figure out what the soup tasted like though.

Amendment: Oh, I remember; it was White Men Can't Jump. Weird.

The Soup:
This was a last-minute replacement recipe we found this afternoon. Apparently peanuts are commonly used in South America as a thickening agent in soups. The result: Very peanuty. I wouldn't make this again, but as an experiment it was ... not the worst thing ever? Lauren compared it to peanut sauce in Asian cuisines, which I can see. It might have been better over some noodles, or if it had just stayed like this:

I'm not saying to try this, unless you really like your peanut butter sandwiches runny, spiced and deconstructed. But here's the recipe anyway.

Adapted from the Ultimate Soup Bible

4 T peanut oil
1 onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 red bell pepper, chpped
1 lb potatoes, peeled & diced
2 fresh red chiles, seeded and chopped
1 14 oz can fire-roasted diced tomatoes
1 1/4 c unsalted peanuts
4 c vegetable stock
cilantro, to garnish

Heat the peanut oil in your soup pot and cook the onion until soft. Add garlic, pepper, potatoes, chiles and tomatoes, cover and cook 5 minutes.

In a dry frying pan, toast peanuts on medium heat until golden. Set aside 2 T as a garnish, and grind the rest in a food processor until you have a fine powder. Add peanut powder to soup pot, add stock, and blend with an immersion blender. Heat to a boil, simmer 10 minutes, then serve garnished with cilantro and peanuts.

Or don't.

Soupruary 14th: Wild Mushroom

This soup shall henceforth be known as Miracle Soup; not only because it was almost supernaturally delicious, but also because I'm still not sure how I managed to make it after working for 12 hours and then being an extra in a music video for another 3 hours. But I got it done, and before midnight to boot. This one took a whole lot of extra love. Happy Soupentine's Day, y'all!


Location:
Taylor's house, Covington, Kentucky

Attendees:
Adam, Jacob, Josh, Kat, Kris, Taylor, Me

Menu:
No menu, just soup.

Entertainment:
Impromptu dance party
A few hours of CatchPhrase


The Soup:
I cannot tell a lie: This soup was serious business. This soup does not mess around. There are two things this soup is about: 1) Mushrooms, and 2) Being awesome. If you asked this soup how much it could benchpress, it would say "I don't know; how much does the roof weigh?" (© D. Rex).

Once again, Jamie Oliver comes through with a delicious and straight-forward recipe that just makes sense. Man, it's a good thing he's married, because otherwise I might have to move to England and stalk him. He's never failed me.

That photo looks disgusting, right? But my memories of this soup make it look downright appetizing. A face only a (soup)mother could love.

This soup: Make it.

Adapted from Jamie Oliver's Jamie's Dinners

small handful of dried porcini

olive oil

1 1/3 lb mixed fresh mushrooms (I used crimini, shiitake and oyster), cleaned and sliced

2 cloves of garlic, peeled and finely sliced

1 red onion, peeled and finely chopped

knob of butter

a handful of fresh thyme, leaves picked

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

4 c vegetable stock

a handful of fresh flat-leaf parsley, leaves picked and roughly chopped

2 tablespoons mascarpone cheese

for topping:
1 T butter
1 package of enoki mushrooms, bottom trimmed and stalks pulled apart
2 cloves of garlic, peeled and finely sliced
1 T flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped

Place the porcini in a small dish, add boiling water just to cover, and leave to soak. Place your soup pot on medium high heat, then add about 3 T olive oil and the fresh mushrooms. Stir very quickly for a minute, then add garlic, onion, butter and thyme and some salt and pepper. Strain the soaking liquid from the porcini and add it to the pot. Chop half the porcini and leave the rest whole, then add to the pot. Cook the mushrooms for about 20 minutes or until most of the moisture disappears.

Season to taste, and add the vegetable stock. Bring to the boil and simmer for about 20 minutes. Remove half the soup, puree it, and add it back to the pot. Add the parsley and mascarpone, and season to taste.

Fry the enoki mustrooms in the butter with the garlic and parsley until they turn a bit golden. Top each bowl of soup with a small pile of fried enoki.

Soupruary 13th: Poblano Corn Chowder with Shrimp

Soupruary: The Champaignt edition! It's a portmanteau extravaganza! Laura's white walls were in need of a little enlivening, so some friends got together for an evening of soup, champagne and painting. Can't think of a more pleasant way to spend a Friday night!

Location:
Laura's new apartment, Hyde Park, Cincinnati, Ohio

Attendees:
Brent, Josh, Laura, Matt, me


Menu:
Poblano Corn Chowder with Shrimp
Arugula with Almonds, Green Pepper and Prunes (provided by the hostess)
Champagne (obvs)
Double-Stuffed Oreos (because Laura read everyone's minds)


Entertainment:
Brent using his old-timey voice
Brent confusing paint with champagne


Brent breaking thingsBrent in general, baaaaziguhlly

The Soup:
Every time I use poblano peppers, I'm near joy about the result. They have such a pleasant, warming, lingering heat that is a little bit challenging in a different way from less subtle peppers. The creaminess of this soup and the sweetness of the corn balanced the heat well, so I think even people who don't like spicy foods can deal with this one. And how pretty is this base? From the start this was already festive enough for Champaignt!

I regret that I left my limes at home; it was recommended that a little lime juice be squeezed on each serving, and I imagine that would be a nice tang to cut the creaminess. There will be a next time though! I'd love to make this next fall with some beautiful fresh local corn.

Adapted from Bon Apetit, September 2002

4 T butter
2 T all purpose flour
1 red onion, chopped
3 celery stalks, chopped
2 large poblano chilies, seeded, chopped

2 yukon gold potatoes, peeeled, diced

1 red bell pepper, seeded, chopped
1 14.5 oz can cream-style corn
1 16-ounce package frozen corn kernels
1 qt vegetable broth
2 teaspoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 cup whipping cream

1 pound uncooked shrimp, peeled, deveined, coarsely chopped
6 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

Melt 2 T butter in your soup pot over medium-high heat. Add onions, celery, chilies, red pepper ane potatoes; sauté until soft, about 6 minutes. Add creamed corn, frozen corn, vegetable broth, sugar and cayenne pepper; bring to boil. Reduce heat.

In a small saucepan melt the remaining butter and whisk in the flour to make a roux. Add this to your soup pot and simmer for about 20 minutes (checking to be sure potatoes are cooked through). Add cream, shrimp and cilantro; simmer until shrimp are cooked through, about 5 minutes longer. Season with salt and pepper.

Soupruary 12th: Carrot, Fennel & Orange

I managed to brilliantly not buy carrots when I went to the store tonight, so thanks to Josh for the reinforcement carrots that allowed this unusual but tasty soupicnic to go down.


Location:
My apartment, Cincinnati, Ohio


Attendees:
Josh, Kat, Kris, Taylor, me

Menu:
Carrot, Fennel & Orange Soup
Mushroom, Brown Rice & Quinoa Casserole
Mixed Greens with Dried Cherries & Goat Cheese
Delicious Sourdough (which went incredibly well with the soup, so I thought I'd mention it)

Entertainment:

Finding creative surfaces upon which to rest food (see above, Josh's use of the good ol' W3)

And...Who needs entertainment when you have such good company?

The Soup:

I can imagine this soup being really excellent in the summertime. I can also imagine it being quite delicious in the winter (because it was).

The unexpected flavors worked together really well. Everyone remarked that the soup was indeed different, and that it was different in a good way.

If I'm not mistaken, this was both the first time I've cooked with fennel and the first time I've had a carrot soup. I'm happy with both. I followed the recipe pretty closely, except that I added a little fresh ginger, orange zest and cayenne pepper for a little zing and substituted vegetable broth for part of the water that the recipe prescribed.

Adapted from Gourmet, April 1996

1 medium fennel bulb, stalks trimmed flush with bulb, and bulb sliced thin crosswise
2 T unsalted butter
1 1/2 lbss carrots, sliced thin (about 4 cups)
1 garlic clove, sliced thin

1/4 t fresh ginger, grated

dash of ground cayenne pepper
4 c vegetable broth

2 c water
1 t salt, or to taste

rind of one orange
1/2 c fresh orange juice
1/4 c sour cream

In your soup pot cook fennel bulb in butter over moderate heat, stirring, until softened and turning golden. Add carrots, garlic and cayenne and cook, stirring, 1 minute. Add vegetable broth, water and salt and simmer, covered, 20 minutes, or until carrots are very tender.

Add ginger, orange rind, orange juice, sour cream, and salt and pepper to taste and blend with an immersion blender until smooth. Heat soup, stirring, just until heated through (do not let boil).

Serve soup garnished with fennel fronds.

Soupruary 11th: Vegetarian Tortilla

Tornado Sirens and Tortilla Soup: Not for the faint of heart/palate.



Location:
My apartment, Cincinnati, Ohio

Attendees:
Casey (and her BFF Andre), Julie, me


Menu:
Vegetarian Tortilla Soup
Chips & Salsa
Mixed Greens
Maker's Mark Milkshakes & Milano Cookies (the grown-up after-school snack of choice)

Entertainment:
See below.

The Soup:
Was spicy. Even with a big mound of tortilla strips to soak up the ooo-ooo-ooo ahh-ahh-ahh AY-YI-YI ouch.

Even with sweet little roasted grape tomatoes.


Even with lovely, neutralizing, pan-fried tofu.


I should have consulted Kevin on what this soup needed; I'm sure he'd've recommended some gauca-MO-lay.

It was SPICY. I finished my whole bowl, but there was a lot of panting and exclaiming going on. I'm afraid I started a fire in Julie's esophagus. So here's the disclaimer: Don't make this unless you like spicy food. Not vaguely spicy, actually spicy. Or, at the very least, white-girl spicy.

And here's the endorsement: The flavor was spot on for what I want in a tortilla soup.

Adapted from 101cookbooks.com

Extra virgin olive oil
1 yellow onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
8 corn tortillas, halved and then cut into matchsticks
20 grape tomatoes, halved lengthwise
1 14.5-oz can crushed tomatoes
1 tsp cayenne pepper
2 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp ground cumin
4 c vegetable stock
2 c water
1 green bell pepper, diced
1 c frozen corn
1 14.5-oz can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 package extra firm tofu, cut into bite-sized pieces
goat cheese and sour cream, as garnish

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Toss the tortilla strips with a splash of olive oil and some sea salt, and spread them on a baking sheet. Bake for 10 or 15 minutes, until golden and crisp. Set aside.

In another baking dish, toss the grape tomatoes with a splash of olive oil and some sea salt and pepper, then bake at 350 for 30 minutes or until the edges of the split tomatoes start to brown.

In your soup pot, heat a splash of olive oil and add the garlic and onion. Cook over medium heat until soft (5 to 7 minutes). Add crushed tomatoes, cayenne, coriander, and cumin, and cook down for another 5 minutes (the mixture should thicken slightly). Remove from heat and use an immersion blender to blend the mixture until smooth.

Return the pot to heat and add stock, water, green bell pepper, corn, and black beans. Simmer until heated through.

In a frying pan over medium-high heat, heat a bit of olive oil and add the tofu. Season with a dash of cayenne and cumin and some salt. Move and shake the pan to avoid sticking. Brown the tofu on at least two sides. Set aside.

To serve, ladle soup base into bowls, top with grape tomatoes, a portion of tofu, a generous pile of tortilla strips, and some goat cheese or sour cream.

Soupruary 10th: Sweet Potato & Apple

Fruit soup! Woooo!

Location:
The world famous Shiv's apartment, Florence Y'all!, Kentucky

Attendees:
Adam, Shiv, me

Menu:
Sweet Potato & Apple Soup
Lemon, Leek, & Rosemary Roasted Chicken
Sautéed Kale with Bacon & Garlic

Entertainment:
The Legend of the Hova and the Grinch, as told by Shiv
The creation of new blogs in our minds (imacutyou,what.blogspot.com, anyone?)
Coming up with new ways to describe how good the chicken was (we talked about it a lot)

The Soup:
Sweet and kicky, Shiv remarked this soup would also be quite tasty cold. On my first bite I said the soup was "weird" (which was rebuffed with the inarguable "Weirdly awesome!"), but it grew on me and I really enjoyed it by the end of the meal. The texture was thinner than I expected; if I make it again I'll likely up the sweet potato poundage. This soup is fun and unexpected side dish material, and the fresh green apples diced on top give it a satisfying crunch. The whole thing made me feel a little adventurous in an easy-peasy, familiar way.

Also, I love Italian parsley. Remember that for later.

Adapted from Food & Wine, by Mory Thomas

1 3/4 lbs sweet potatoes, peeled and diced
1 small parsnip, peeled and diced
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 T olive oil
4 c vegetable broth
1 c apple cider
1 t green Tabasco
1 diced Granny Smith apple and minced Italian parsley, for garnish

Toss the sweet potatoes with the parsnip, garlic, and olive oil in a baking dish. Roast at 375 degrees for 45 minutes, or until vegetables are soft. Pour your vegetables into a soup pot, add broth, cider and Tabasco, and blend with an immersion blender, then bring to the desired temperature on the stove.

Alternately, you can blend your vegetables and liquides in two batches in a standard blender.

Serve garnished with apple and parsley.

Special bonus embarrassing picture! There was a little pile of green apples and parsley left, and it's so good together that I decided it should all be in my mouth at once. I'm kind of regretting that decision based on this: