simple squash soup with lots of fresh herbs

I usually make curry squash soup, but sometimes I want a light and simple squash soup that tastes only of delicious buttery squash and aromatic fresh herbs that's not too thick. This soup makes me feel amazing when my energy levels are low and my tummy is upset. For some reason, thyme and squash have a friendship made in heaven.

2 tablespoons butter
3 stalks of celery, chopped
3 carrots, chopped
2 onions, chopped
few leafs of fresh sage
about 4 or five fresh thyme sprigs, stalks removed
2 bay leaves
one big butternut squash, or a small butternut mixed with a small acorn squash, or any buttery orange squash, about 2-3 cups of pulp after its roasted
6 cups vegetable stock, or more if you want it more soupy
salt and pepper to taste
fresh lemon juice to taste
about 100ml of cream (optional)
1/2 of a nutmeg pod, grated

Cut the squash in wedges, then toss it with half the thyme, olive oil, and salt and pepper. Roast it in the oven for about 30 minutes, until the flesh is soft, scoop the flesh out from the peel (you can peel the squash before if you want).

In a large soup pot, melt the butter, add the onions, cook on medium until translucent but don't let them brown. Add the carrots and celery, cook until soft, then add the nutmeg, thyme, sage, and fry it gently for a few minutes. Then add the stock, the squash, the bay leaves, and the salt and pepper. Simmer the soup covered partially for about 30 minutes until the carrots are tender. Puree the soup with a hand blender then add the cream if you're using it. Add the lemon juice and season to taste with more nutmeg, salt and pepper. You can also add more stock if you want the soup to be thinner. Beautiful!

Vegetable split pea soup

I don't know what to call this soup, because there's lentils in here, lots of vegetables, and barley...you never hear of barley in a pea soup. Plus its quite soupy, not as thick as a pea soup. So I guess its more of a winter vegetable soup with lots of split peas. The chunks of bacon (purely optional) give that smoky flavour that is best buds with the split peas. Or if you want to make it pure veg a spoonful of chipotle puree or adobo sauce is so smokily good as well. I feel like this soup would be good in a slow cooker or a pressure cooker, but as I do not own either of these things, I will never be able to test this hypotheses.

Ingredients:

1 cup dried split yellow peas
1 cup dried split green peas
1/2 cup red lentils
2 carrots, cubed
2 parsnips, peeled and cubed
3 stalks of celery, chopped
1 large onion, chopped
3-4 cloves of garlic, crushed
8 cups vegetable stock
1 can of diced tomatoes, drained
2 bay leaves
a dozen peppercorns
few sprigs of thyme
1/2 cup barley
one spoonful chipotle sauce
Salt to taste

Heat olive oil in a pan on medium heat and fry the onions until transluscent, then add the rest of the vegetables. Add a bit of salt. Cook a few minutes, then add the garlic. Then add the peas, lentils, tomatoes, stock, and herbs. Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer for about 2 hours, until the peas are almost mushy. Add the barley and simmer about 30 minutes more until barley is tender. Serve with bread and your favorite cheese.

If you like bacon, cut it into pieces and fry it to render out the fat. Drain it then add it to the soup as its cooking. I bought a chunk of artisanal bacon at one of those fancy meat places. If you don't add the bacon, its a very good vegan soup.

Carrot-Ginger Soup

This one is nice and easy.

1 onion (chopped)
3-4 cloves of garlic (sliced)
2 inches of ginger (grated)
4 large carrots (sliced or chopped)
3 cups of veggie stock or water
1 cup of coconut milk
1 lemon (juice)
1 orange (juice)
1 tsp cumin
salt

Sautee the onion, garlic, ginger and cumin until onions are translucent.
Add carrots and sautee for about 10 minutes.
Add water/veggie stock and the juice of the orange and lemon, bring all the ingredients to a boil. Lower heat to medium-high and cook until carrots are tender. (It took about 20-25 minutes)

Add cup of coconut milk and salt to taste.
Then using either a hand blender or blender puree.

Serve with chopped cilantro and Siracha hot sauce.

SO GOOD!

Tom Kha-Thai Coconut Milk Soup with Shrimp

When I was in Thailand many many years ago I took a cooking class in Chang Mai. This is one of my favorite recipes that I learned from that class. I used to eat this all the time in Thailand and by the end of my trip I was so used to chiles that I would tell the waitress-"I want it very spicy, as spicy as you would serve to a thai person". One night, that soup was served to me and it was bubbling red with all the chiles they had added to it. I enjoyed it thoroughly sitting on a pillow by the ocean, and the soup was chock full with wonderfully fresh seafood. Unfortunately, my stomach did not share my enthusiasm and it punished me with a vengeance later on that night.

Anyway, you don't need to add that many chiles to this soup, when it's almost done you can adjust for spiciness, sourness, sweetness, and saltiness with the different ingredients. If you follow this recipe with the right ingredients (found in every asian grocery store) it will taste just like you've been transported to Thailand.

2 cans coconut milk
2 cups veggie stock
1 piece of galangal cut into 5 thick slices (substitute ginger if you want)
5 kaffir lime leaves (tear out the stem)
2-3 stalks fresh lemon grass (remove the outer shell and cut off the tough stems, then cut the stalks in half and bruise them-yeah baby!)
raw shrimp (about 20 to 30 shrimp)
Juice of one and a half limes (to taste for sour)
2 tbsp fish sauce (to taste for salty)
2 tbsp brown sugar (to taste)
A bunch of mushrooms chopped (button or oyster)
a bunch of coriander, chopped
a handful of baby tomatoes, halved
1 tsp or more if you like it hot of sambal oelek (a thai chili sauce)

Simmer 1 cup of the coconut milk on medium high heat, wait till it's bubbling, then add the lime leaves, galangal, and lemongrass. Let it simmer for about 20 minutes, this will make the stock. Add the shrimp and cook until the shrimp is pink. Add the veggie stock, the coconut milk, the mushrooms, and the sugar and let simmer for another 10 minutes. Then add the fish sauce, lime juice, and chili sauce tasting as you add and adjust the flavors if necessary. Then, just before serving, add the chopped coriander and tomatoes. Serve with jasmine rice and a mango salad.

My sister always asks me to make this for her.

Dhal

I posted this recipe four years ago but I wanted to repost it because it is SO good and is such comfort food for me. My dad has been making it for us since we were kids and its so warm and protein rich from the lentils. I love making it on a cold winter night such as this one. You can find the hing in indian grocery stores but it is an acquired taste so you can omit it if you want. Another name for hing is asafoetida or "devil's dung" and it adds a nutty burnt sort of flavor to the dhal which I love.

1 & 1/2 cup red lentils
H2O
5 cloves of garlic
1 onion
2 zucchinis
1 can of tomatoes
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp salt
8-10 peppercorns
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
2 tsp dried red chilies
1/2 tsp black mustard seeds
Few shakes of Hing (Asafoetida), found in indian grocery stores

Remove any stones from the lentils and rinse them. Put the lentils in a pot and cover them with water, about 2 inches above it. Add the cumin, salt, peppercorns, 3 cloves of mashed garlic, chopped zucchini, onion, and the tomato. Simmer until lentils are fully cooked and you can't see the individual lentils.
When this happens, heat oil in a pan on high and add the mustard seeds. Fry them and shake them around until they start popping then add two cloves of finely chopped garlic. When garlic is brownish, add two shakes of "hing". Then add this mixture to the pot. It will sizzle in a wonderful sort of way. You can even add some of the soupy mixture to the pan to make sure you got it all. Then simmer for a few more minutes, and eat with rice and lemon pickle.

zucchini soup

Olivia calls this "Shrek Soup" because it's green.

5-6 small zucchini or 3 or 4 bigger ones.
1 white onion
Olive oil
fresh rosemary (1 sprig)
salt
pepper

Chop up the onion and zucchini. Sautee on medium heat in olive oil and salt, until onions are transparent. Add a sprig of fresh rosemary (I added it whole and fished it out before I puree the soup) Bring it all to a boil and let it cook on medium heat for about 20 minutes. Let it cool a bit and blend with a hand blender.

Garnish with fresh rosemary.

Serves 4-5 people

potato leek and mushroom soup

This is a really easy soup for the cold days ahead.

3 or 4 medium size potatoes-peeled and cubed.
3-4 leeks chopped (use the white part until it turns green, discard of the dark green)
2 cups of mushrooms chopped (I used white button and shitake but you could use whatever you like/have)
1/2 white onion
3 tablespoons miso (or more depending on your taste)
soya sauce
salt
pepper

Sautee the mushrooms and onion in olive oil for about 5 minutes, then add leeks and potatoes and sautee for about 10 minutes. Add miso, soya sauce, salt and pepper.
Stir until miso melts and then add enough water or veggie/chicken stock to cover the ingredients by an inch of liquid.

Bring it to a boil and then turn down to medium heat for 20 minutes.

Give it a chance to cool and then puree either with a hand blender or in a blender.

garnish with fresh rosemary or lemon juice.

Make this soup for someone you love

When I made this soup I thought, oh wow this is so healthy, exotic and delicately flavorful that it's perfect to serve to someone you love.

2 firm white fish filets (i used basa)
3 table spoons of twoeng jang (a korean miso, but japanese miso will do)
bunch of oyster mushrooms
one or two baked yams (peeled and cubed)
big bunch of spinach (washed, of course)
3 cups veggie broth
!/3 block of silken tofu, cubed
1 tsp sambal oelek (or any chili paste)

Heat veggie broth in a soup-pan until simmering, add mushrooms and tofu and cook a few minutes, add your fish until its white and firm, then add your yams. Cook until hot, then add your diced green onions and spinach until its wilted. Serve with brown rice.

Simple right? So delicious.

Curried Butternut Squash Soup

1 butternut squash, cut in half and baked on a sheet face down in a bit of water
2 celery stalks
1 onion
1 Tbsp ginger
2 Tbsp Pataks curry paste
oil
4-6 cups stock (chicken or veggie)
1/4 cup chopped fresh coriander
A chili if you like spice
1/4 cup coconut milk or yogurt (optional)
1-3 bay leaf
juice from one lime

Scoop the seeds out of the squash and throw it away, then scoop out the squash and set aside. Fry onions, celery and ginger in a bit of oil until golden. Then add the curry paste and fry for a few minutes. Add the squash and the stock and the bay leaf and simmer for 20-30 minutes. Puree half of the soup in a blender and put it back in the soup with the yogurt or coconut milk and the lime juice. Heat it up and enjoy.

Shitake and crimini mushroom soup

400 g crimini or any brown mushroom (cept the poisonous ones)
200g fresh shitakes
4 cups chicken broth
1 large onion
2 large carrots
some basil or rosemary
salt and pepper
2-3 tbsp butter
150 ml cream
3 tbsp flour
few shakes of worchestershire sauce
salt and pepper to taste

Fry onions and carrots in butter until soft (5-10 min), then add the chopped mushrooms, fry for another 5 min, then add flour. stir it around. Then add the stock and the herbs. let it cook in there for a good 20-30 min. Then cool it a little, put half in blender then put it back in to make it more soupy. then you can add the cream, and im constantly monitoring for salt and pepper. At the end dump in a few dashes of wooster (worchesetire.. dont know how to spell it). Delicious if I do say so myself.

Chorizo sweet potato soup

2- 3chorizo sausages (the smoked kind)
1 onion
2 bay leafs
4 sweet potatoes and 1 white potatoes peeled and chopped
6 cups of chicken stock
4 leafs of swiss chard, with stem removed and torn up
salt and pepper to taste
2 tsp chili flakes

Fry the sausage until browned, take out and pat extra oil away with a paper towel. In the sausage grease, fry the onions until golden, add potatoes and fry for a few minutes. Then add the stock and the bay leaves, simmering until the potatoes are very soft. Take a potato masher to mash some of the potatoes. Add the sausage and the swiss chard and simmer for 10 more minutes. This is really good, especially the next day. Sorry for the vegetarians, the chorizo gives this soup a really yummy flavour.

Carrot Cumin Soup

2 large onions, chopped
3 garlic cloves, diced
5 or 6 cups chopped carrots
1 large potato, chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped
6 cups vegetable stock (or water)
3 tsp cumin
salt
2-3 tbsp olive oil
fresh ginger

1) Saute onions and garlic in olive oil on medium heat until onions are soft and translucent.

2) Add carrots, celery, cumin, and salt and stir for about a minute.

3) Add stock and potato and bring to a boil, then simmer for about 25 minutes.

4) Remove from heat and puree.

5) Grate fresh ginger over each serving to taste

The great thing about this recipe, besides the fact that it's pretty tasty, is that it's cheap! And vegan too (in keeping with the vegan theme...)

South Indian Dahl

My nana's recipe

1 & 1/2 cup red lentils
H2O
5 cloves of garlic
1 onion
2 zucchinis
1 large tomato
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp salt
8-10 peppercorns
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
2 tsp dried red chilies
1/2 tsp black mustard seeds
Few shakes of Hing (Asafoetida), found in indian grocery stores

Remove any stones from the lentils and rinse them. Put the lentils in a pot and cover them with water, about 2 inches above it. Add the cumin, salt, peppercorns, 3 cloves of mashed garlic, chopped zucchini, onion, and chopped tomato. Simmer until lentils are fully cooked and you can't see the individual lentils.
When this happens, heat oil in a pan on high and add the mustard seeds. Fry them and shake them around until they start popping then add two cloves of finely chopped garlic. When garlic is almost burnt, add two shakes of "hing". Then add this mixture to the pot. You can even add some of the soupy mixture to the pan to make sure you got it all. Then simmer for a few more minutes, and eat with rice and lemon pickle.

Pumpkins, sweet potatoes and thailand oh my?

I know I'm such a nerd. But this soup is delicious to the MAX people!

1 large onion, coarsely chopped
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
1 tablespoon chopped peeled fresh ginger
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
3 cups pumpkin, baked and pureed
1 sweet potato, baked
1 cup dry white wine
4 cups chicken stock
3 lemongrass stalks (bottom 5 inches only), coarsely chopped
1 (1-inch) piece galangal (thawed if frozen), peeled and coarsely chopped
3 to 5 fresh (1 1/2-inch) Thai chiles or 2 fresh jalapeño chiles, trimmed and coarsely chopped (seed chiles if a milder flavor is desired)
4 kaffir lime leaves (fresh or frozen)
1/3 cup fresh lime juice
1/4 cup Asian fish sauce
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 cup coconut milk

Method:
Cook onion, garlic, and ginger in 1 tablespoon oil in a 5-quart heavy pot over moderate heat, covered, stirring occasionally, until onion is softened, about 4 minutes. Add pumpkin and wine. Boil, uncovered, until wine is reduced by about half, about 5 minutes. Stir in stock and simmer, add sweet potato in chunks, covered, until pumpkinand potato is tender, about 20 minutes.

Heat remaining tablespoon oil in a 10-inch heavy skillet over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then sauté lemongrass, galangal, and chiles to taste, stirring, until lightly browned, about 1 minute. Remove from heat.

Stir in lemongrass mixture, lime leaves, lime juice, fish sauce, and sugar. Simmer, uncovered, 20 minutes. Season well with salt and pepper. Add 1/2 cup of coconut milk if you want.

Let your tastebuds take control!!!

French Onion Soup

Julia requested that I post this one, but it actually comes from the Joy of Cooking so I can't take credit for it:

1 1/2 cups sliced onions
3 T butter
6 C Beef of Chicken bouillion (I just used the cubes and water)
fresh ground pepper
dash of cognac or sherry (i think this is optional, I've never had a bottle of one of these in my life!)
6 slices toasted french bread
1 cup mixed grated swiss and whatever other cheese you want to use, I used some cheddar.
sprinkle of parmesan

Saute the onions in the butter until they're very brown but not burnt. Add the broth and a dash of fresh pepper. Simmer for 30 minutes. Put the soup into a casserole dish and you can add the sherry now if you have it Cover it with the bread (I just used store bought croutons which was Yazmin's idea), and then the cheese. Sprinkle some parmesan cheese on top. Heat it in the oven at 275 degrees until the cheese on top is bubbly.

It's not very original I know, but I get cravings for this sometimes!