soups Archive

potato leek soup

The blur that was October has come and gone, and suddenly I find myself a week into November. I don’t know how I got here. The Fall has been beautiful thus far. The leaves have turned, the sun has been shining, the air is crisp. There isn’t much better than fall in Portland. I am thankful for so many beautiful days…it has done my heart a lot of good.

And with the fall comes the cold – the scarves, the jackets, the sweaters – and the brisk bike rides to work. And with the fall comes the endless opportunities to make big batches of delicious soup. And, this, my friends, is the best thing about fall: it is officially soup season! (Let it be known that I am strangely insistent in the fact that I will only eat/make/enjoy soup when it is cold outside. I just don’t think that hot soup makes sense in the summer!)

So, soup season is finally here. And what better way to ring in the season than with an old classic? I kicked off soup season with an old standby: Potato Leek Soup. And while this soup is anything but fancy (and I wouldn’t go so far as to call it “healthy”) – it is so very simple, hearty, and delicious. It is the perfect comfort food! And, since the main ingredient in the soup is potatoes (which are usually dirt cheap) – this is a very affordable way to feed a crowd. For all of these reasons, this is one of my absolute favorite soups to make. It is warm, comforting goodness in a bowl.

So, here is to fall! To the changing of seasons, to cold nights and cute jackets, and to big bowls of goodness (aka Potato Leek Soup!).

POTATO LEEK SOUP
Serves 6-8

5-6 Russet potatoes, peeled and cubed
2 large (or 3 small) leeks, washed and sliced thinly (white and light green parts)
2 Tablespoons butter
1/2 cup heavy cream (or milk)
6 cups chicken or vegetable stock (homemade is best!)
2- 3 sprigs fresh thyme
1 bay leaf
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
salt & freshly ground pepper, to taste

Melt the butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add in the leeks, and saute until soft (7-10 minutes). Add in the chopped potatoes, bay leaf, and thyme and cook for 1-2 minutes.

Add in the stock. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until the potatoes are soft (can poke a fork through them). Season with salt, pepper, and cayenne (note: depending on the type of stock you use the amount of salt you need to add will be quite different. Just salt to taste!).

Once the potatoes are fully cooked, remove the bay leaf and thyme sprigs. Puree the soup – using a blender, immersion blender or food processor (if you don’t have any of these – you can just use a potato masher!). After the soup is pureed, stir in the cream. Taste, and adjust seasonings as necessary.

april: a foodie month (and, a recipe for cauliflower gorgonzola soup)

The last couples of weeks have been somewhat of a ‘foodie whirlwind’ for me.

First, there was my trip to Chicago. I ate like a Queen! I had a list of twenty places I wanted to eat, and only four nights (and rather non-existent lunch breaks)in which to try to fit in all the culinary wonders Chicago has to offer.

For those of you who care about such things, this is where I ended up (and what I ate):
Paul Kahan’s Publican – Striped Sea Bass with Pork Belly, Shaved Fennell and Hazelnuts
The Green Zebra (high-end vegetarian) – Roasted Beet Terrine with goat cheese, Cauliflower Pot De Creme with Brioche Toast, Creamed Asparagus Soup, and Sunchoke Ravioli with baby greens and medjool dates.
Rick Bayless’ Frontera Grill – Tamarind Margarita and the special seasonal mole with (local/sustainable) Pork Tenderloin, local fruits and cornbread. (For those of you not familiar with Rick Bayless, he won Top Chef Masters on Bravo last year, and he is a wonderful man with a knack for authentic Mexican cuisine and who is dedicated to championing the rights of the migrant worker, and championing the use of local and sustainable ingredients.)

So, there was all that deliciousness. And then I got home and felt like I hadn’t cooked a meal for myself (or others) in ages! I missed being in the kitchen. So, I promptly started cooking. I invited my friend Kari over for gourmet pizzas (with truffle oil, aged balsalmic and fresh mozzarella. I’ll admit, they didn’t turn out as well as I hoped, so I’m not posting them here). I had my friend Laura over two nights later and made Cauliflower and Gorgonzola soup with a Pear Relish (recipe to follow in this post). I made a cold thai peanut noodle salad for my weekly girls night (for the recipe, click HERE). Taylor and Brittany asked if Nich and I were up for another food challenge (of course we were!) and so we spent a night slaving in the kitchen over four new mystery ingredients.

That being said, after the cooking craziness of the past few weeks, I think I may lay low tonight. Its been a good run these past couple of weeks, but I think I need a night where I don’t end up with a sink full of dishes (and a really full stomach). So, tonight I shall fry up a veggie burger (Trader Joes Potato Masala burger…mmmm…) and it will be easy and tasty. And while I take the night off, maybe some of you are in the mood for culinary adventures. And if you are, this cauliflower soup is quite the palette-pleaser. It is delightfully rich and creamy, without being over-bearing. The pear relish adds a gentle sweetness that really balances the strong flavor of the gorgonzola in the soup.

Cauliflower Soup with Gorgonzola and Pickled Pear Relish
Adapted from Conscious Crumbs who adapted it from from Skye Gyngell’s A Year in My Kitchen.

Ingredients:
1 medium cauliflower, broken into small florets
1-2 tablespoons of unsalted butter
1 medium yellow onion, finely diced
2 bay leaves
4 sprigs thyme, plus extra to garnish
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
1 Liter of vegetable stock (homemade is best, but alas I was all out so I used Trader Joes brand)
1/2 lb Gorgonzola crumbles
1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
chopped parsely or fresh thyme leaves for garnish

Pear Relish
1 Tbl unsalted butter
3 Tbl dried cranberries, soaked for 10 minutes in water to soften
3 ripe pears peeled and chopped into a 1/2 inch dice
1/4 cup of cider vinegar
2 T granulated sugar
1 cinnamon stick
3 sprigs thyme

Melt the butter over medium heat in a large saucepan. Add the onions and sweat for 5 minutes, until translucent. Add cauliflower, thyme, bay leaves, and a pinch of salt. Cook, stirring now and then, for 2 minutes. Add the stock, cover, and simmer for 15-20 minutes, until the cauliflower is soft.

Meanwhile, make the relish. Melt the butter in a pan over medium heat. Add the pears and cook for 3-5 minutes until they soften. Add the other ingredients and cook, uncovered, stirring often, for 15-20 minutes, until thick and glossy. Remove the thyme. Season with sea salt and black pepper.

Fish out the thyme and bay leaves from the pot. Stir in the gorgonzola and cream. Pour into a blender and whiz until smooth. (Or use an immersion blender, which is what I use. The immersion blender is my favorite kitchen tool!) Season with salt and pepper.

Ladle soup into shallow bowls. Spoon a generous tablespoon of relish into the center and sprinkle with thyme or parsely.

black bean chili

If you have known me for any length of time – or more specifically, if you have ever dined in my household – you have probably eaten my black bean chili. This is my go-to recipe, a trusty old standby that never disappoints. I have no idea where this recipe originated, but my friend Catherine made it for me years ago and I’ve been making it ever since. I often wonder how the combination of so few (and simple) ingredients can be SO good, but it never fails. I have never made a batch of this chili that I didn’t like.

The other night, I ended up throwing together a batch of this chili in a hurry. You see, I hadn’t planned on making dinner. Nich’s mom and stepdad were in town for the day, and we had all planned on going out to dinner together once they were done with their Portland errands and appointments (My in-laws – Meri and Jerry – live in Prineville, so we don’t get to see them often). Their errands took longer than expected, and put them a few hours behind schedule. I knew that they’d be eager to eat quickly – as they still had a 3+ hour drive ahead of them. I figured that a home-cooked meal would probably be a lot nicer than a fast food dinner, so I set about making my trusty black bean chili. Its cheap, and hearty, quick, and good.

They arrived at our house sooner than I expected and so I was mildly panicked that the soup wasn’t done to my liking. As with most things, this soup tastes better the longer you cook it. I was very apologetic, but alas they consumed the soup happily. (I need to take more cues from Julia Childs, who made it a point to never apologize for her food mishaps. She says that as a cook or hostess, one should not stumble through life second-guessing every meal you put on the table. Rather, know when you’ve made a mistake – but don’t make a big fuss – and learn from that mistake.)

Admittedly, this wasn’t the best pot of black bean chili I have ever made. It simmered for maybe 20 minutes and I usually like to let it simmer for 45 minutes to an hour. But I will say, there was a secret ingredient that saved the chili: one dried chipotle pepper. I don’t usually put chipotles in this particular chili, but Nich has been on a chipotle kick lately and suggested that we throw a chipotle in for kicks. I figured…why not? It ended up being a great decision – it gave the chili a smokiness and such a depth of flavor (and all credit goes to the husband on that one).

All in all, it was a successful pot of chili. And it was a lovely – but short – visit with my in-laws. And, do you notice anything different about my black bean chili photo? It was properly lit! Meri and Jerry knew that I have been struggling with finding good light in our house for my food photography – so they gave me a tripod and a professional light! I am just giddy about it. That very night, Nich and I set up the light and toyed around with it a bit. I had some extra chili so we managed to take a few pictures (you can also thank Nich for the avocado styling). I’m still new to this ‘real’ photographer stuff, but I am eager to learn. And I can already tell that good lighting is making all the difference. So, thank you to my wonderful and generous in-laws. It means so much that you support my food-blogging endeavors!

Black Bean Chili

4 cans of (organic) black beans (drain 3 cans & reserve the juice of 1 can)
1 can of plain tomato sauce
1 can of fire roasted tomatoes (you can roast your own, but this is much quicker! You could also use fresh tomatoes, but I like the taste of the fire roasted. Specifically, the Muir Glen brand)
1 medium yellow onion – cut into 1/2 inch chunks
1 large red bell pepper, cut into chunks
1 – 2 Tablespoons of Cumin
1 Tsp Cayenne Pepper
1 – 2 Tablespoons of Chili Powder
Salt & Pepper to taste
1 dried Chipotle pepper (*optional)

Heat a small amount of olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add in the chopped onions and 1 Tbl of the cumin and let cook on medium/low for a couple of minutes, until onions are getting soft. Add in the chopped red pepper and sauté for a few more minutes. If you are using the chipotle pepper, you can add it at this time.

After a few minutes, add in the black beans (and juice of one can), fire roasted tomatoes, and tomato sauce. Stir well. Add in cayenne, chili powder and a bit more cumin (I recommend adding a small amount at first, and then tasting every 15 minutes or so to adjust seasonings. I use a LOT of chili powder and cumin in this recipe). Let the chili simmer on low heat for 45 minutes to an hour. Stir occasionally to make sure nothing is sticking to the bottom of the pan.

When serving, ladle into bowls and top with grated cheese, sour cream, and green onions (non-vegan version) or with avocado and cilantro (vegan version). And, of course, this chili is great with cornbread.

miso soup.

I miss the sunshine.

I know it is February in Portland, and that I should not expect anything more than rain. But last week was nothing short of miraculous. The sun shone for a week straight and I loved every minute of it. I went to the beach and took my shoes off and let the sun warm my face. It felt magnificent. I claimed that the week of sunshine – the ‘February Fakeout – would be enough to carry me through the dark and dreary spring. But I lied. I loved every minute of that sunshine and I want more. But what do you do when you want sunshine and the skies give you dark and dreary rain? You do your best to be thankful for the sun that you had, and comfort yourself with a bowl of something warm and delicious.

I got the idea to make miso soup from my new favorite food blog – 101 Cookbooks. I have had a few friends recommend this blog to me over the past few months, but just hadn’t taken much of a look at it until now. It is such a fantastic resource for thoughtful and seasonal cooking! I am so excited to try her recipes. My friend Jesse and I decided to make dinner last night before watching Project Runway. I was wavering between two recipes I had seen on 101 Cookbooks. One was a recipe for a pasta with a Harissa sauce, and the other was for miso soup. I couldn’t find any Harissa sauce at the grocery store, so our fate was decided. Miso soup for dinner. (Mind you, I am on a quest to find Harissa sauce as its been something I’ve read about for awhile and I realllllly want to try it. If you aren’t familiar, it is a North African/Moroccan Chili Sauce.)

This recipe beefs up the traditional miso soup with the addition of soba noodles and uses winter greens instead of seaweed. By adding these things, it is much more of a meal (as opposed to a side or starter). There isn’t much “cooking” that happens with miso soup, it is more of a process of combining elements that you’ve cooked separately. I will note that I did make a few changes from the original recipe. The original did not cook the spinach and onions in the broth, rather it just said to pour the brother over the noodles and add in the fresh spinach and green onions. I tried this, and I found the fresh spinach texture to be odd (and it was still kind of cold). So I threw everything in the pot of miso and let it cook for a few minutes before pouring this mixture over the soba noodles. I think this adaptation of the original worked very nicely and allowed the flavors to combine together well. Also, I did not pre-cook my tofu before I put it in the broth, and I think that a slight sautee would have helped to increase the flavor. I absolutely loved the addition of a little Sriacha sauce to the broth. It gave the soup a little kick of spice – and I am always a proponent of a little spice. If we are being honest, the Sriacha took the soup from good to great. Loved it.

I ate this soup for dinner last night and lunch today (it was even better leftover!) and if I had extras I would gladly eat it for dinner tonight. And since the soup is so light and refreshing, my tummy has been very happy with me for eating it. And that is a good thing.

Miso Soup

Adapted from 101 Cookbooks

3 ounces dried soba noodles

3 – 4 tablespoons miso paste (to taste – I used a full 4 Tablespoons)

2 – 3 ounces firm tofu (2 handfuls), chopped into very small cubes

A handful of spinach, well washed and roughly chopped

2 green onions, thinly sliced

A small handful of cilantro (I didn’t have any cilantro on hand, but it would have been great in the soup)

A dash of Sriacha Hot Sauce (the original recipe called for red chili flakes, but I wanted to use Sriacha and it was a good decision))

Cook the soba noodles in salted water, drain, run cold water over the noodles to stop them from cooking, shake off any excess water and set aside. In a small pan, heat a small amount of peanut or sesame oil and give the tofu a quick pan fry. (I did not cook the tofu at all before I put it in the soup, and I think it would have been better if the tofu was lightly cooked.)

In a medium sauce pan bring 4 cups of water to a boil. Reduce the heat to a gentle simmer and remove from heat. Pour a bit of the hot water into a small bowl and whisk in the miso paste – so it thins out a bit (this step is to avoid clumping). Stir this back into the pot. Taste, and then add more (the same way) a bit at a time until it is to your liking. Also, some miso pastes are less-salty than others, so you may need to add a bit of salt here. (**I added a tiny bit of soy sauce because I felt that it needed salt.)

Add the tofu, green onions, and chopped spinach to the pot of miso mixture. Let cook on low heat for just a couple of minutes – until the spinach gets wilted. Taste and adjust seasonings (and add Sriacha!). Split the noodles between two (or three) bowls, and pour the miso broth and tofu over them. Garnish with cilantro (if using).

potato kale soup

My mom is a funny creature.

This is a woman who raised her three kids on salads and baked potatoes (and no sugar cereals!). And, yet, she has recently decided that she hates vegetables. She likes fruit, grains, meats, etc. But no greens. She wants nothing to do with greens right now, which I find really funny. Perhaps she’s just eaten too many in her lifetime?

In any case, I can’t get enough of them. Its winter in Portland, which means that greens are one of the few produce items we can get that are fresh and local. Kale, Spinach, Chard, Collard greens, etc. I love them all. In the dark and cold of the Portland winter, there is just something so satisfying about eating something crisp, and fresh, and green. Specifically, kale. I have been on a kale kick. I’d been hunting for an interesting recipe for a soup that featured kale, and found this potato and kale recipe and couldn’t wait to try it.

I ended up making a big batch of the soup, and delivered half of the batch to friends of ours whose baby girl had surgery the night before. They had been up all night at the hospital and were completely exhausted. Not being a parent myself, I can only imagine how hard it must be to watch your baby go through something like that. Thankfully, she made it through surgery like a champion – she is such a strong little girl!

In any case, bringing over some soup seemed like the least we could do. (Brief side note: I have been thinking a lot about how to put my cooking to good use. I really want to be able to bless people in the way only way that I know how: with food. So if any of you have any good ideas or people you know that might need a healthy and hot meal – please let me know!)

It may sound silly, I was really worried that the soup had turned out too bland and that I had brought my friends an inferior product. I used store-bought veggie stock (as I made the soup the day before I made my own stock. Bad timing on my part.), which is oftentimes very bland. I also didn’t use as many onions and garlic as the original recipe called for (it asked for 2 onions and 6 cloves of garlic), because I think I have an allergy to both of these things (which is an awful thing to realize…). But, all my fears aside – the soup was scrumptious. I just needed to adjust the seasonings a bit (salt, pepper, cayenne, and cream do a WORLD of good) and it was great! And even better leftover, I must say.

Potato Kale Soup (with Lentils)
2 Tbls butter
1 large onion, finely chopped
3-4 cloves of garlic, peeled and crushed (not chopped)
4 medium potatoes, scrubbed and diced into 1cm cubes (you can leave the skins on)
4-5 cups vegetable stock (can use chicken stock)
2 large handfuls of kale, sliced very thin (about 2 packed cups raw)
1/2 cup cooked lentils (I had extras from the lentil soup I made last week, but they aren’t necessary to the soup. They just add color, texture, and protein.)
2 sprigs of fresh thyme
1 bay leaf
Salt and Pepper to taste
Dash of cayenne pepper (because cayenne makes everything better)
1/4 – 1/2 cup of cream

Melt butter in a large pot or saucepan, on med-low heat. Add onions, garlic, and bay leaf, and let cook, stirring occasionally, for about 10 minutes until the onions are getting golden. Add potatoes, and let cook, stirring every few minutes, until the potatoes get golden bits (about 20 minutes). You may need to add more butter. Cook on med-low until the potatoes just begin to brown. If the potatoes are sticking to the bottom (as they did when I made this), just add in the stock and don’t worry about fully browning them.

After you’ve added the stock add the thyme and cayenne, and let simmer for 20 minutes (until the potatoes are soft). Add kale (and lentils if using), and simmer another 15 minutes. Remove and discard thyme sprigs and bay leaf bits. Blend the soup with an immersion blender (or scoop soup into food processor and blend until pureed, but still has texture). Return the soup to the stove and cook on low heat until the mixture simmers. Stir in the cream, taste, and adjust seasonings.

I honestly can’t remember, but I think I threw a dash of soy sauce into the soup as well. I’m all for a little extra Umami…

Lentil and Sweet Potato Soup with Cilantro and Bacon.

So, the same night that Nich set about making butter, I decided to make another one of Thomas Keller’s recipes: Lentil and Sweet Potato Soup with Bacon and Cilantro. Just take a moment and soak in those words. Lentils. Sweet Potatoes. Bacon. Cilantro. So much goodness in one pot of soup! Of course, I had to make it.

We had invited our friends Beyth and Joe over for dinner, and I warned them ahead of time that they were going to be my guinea pigs for the evening. I felt the need to warn them, as I always get nervous making a brand new recipe for friends. Even though it sounds terribly delicious, what if it turns out awful? (Like this summer, when I decided to make tempura for a few friends. Lets just say, I burned the oil and smoked out our tiny apartment and we had to sit and drink wine on the front porch for a half hour until the smoke cleared. Awesome.)

Thankfully, the soup wasn’t awful. It wasn’t awful at all. In fact, this might be one of the best soups I’ve ever made. It was that good. It had all the right elements – it was hearty, savory, with a touch of sweetness. The bacon adds just the right amount of fatty and salty goodness, and the cilantro adds a delightful freshness. I couldn’t get over it. The soup is great.

I had seen a couple variations of the recipe online and was going back and forth as to which variation I wanted to follow. One recipe (which I think is closer to the original Keller recipe) called for boiling the lentils in one pot, and the sweet potatoes in another pot, and then adding them later to the pot of onions, carrots, and broth (i.e. cooking things separately so you don’t get a pot of mushy soup). The other recipe threw everything into the same pot and let it all cook together until everything was cooked thoroughly.

In the end, I decided to try a combination of both recipes. I cooked the sweet potatoes separately (boiled them in a pot of water with a bay leaf, sprig of time, and some black peppercorns until they were soft) and set them aside until later. I know that lentils take a lot longer than sweet potatoes to cook, and so I didn’t want them breaking down too much. I added the lentils to the carrot, onion, and stock pot and let that simmer for 40 minutes or so. Then, right before I was ready to serve the soup – I added in the sweet potatoes, and took a potato masher to the whole pot and let it simmer for just a couple minutes (so that the soup was nice and thick and the flavors melded together). The recipe I’m posting here is the ‘throw it all in one pot’ variation, as I’m guessing that most people would prefter this method (less work, less dishes, etc), but feel free the recipe any way you like.

Lentil & Sweet Potato Soup with Bacon & Cilantro 
Adapted from Thomas Keller’s Ad Hoc at Home and the Bitchin Camero blog.

6 thick slices applewood smoked bacon, cut into 1/2-inch strips
1 large yellow onion, diced
2 large carrots, diced
3 medium sized sweet potatoes, peeled and diced
2 cups French Lentils (Lentils de Puy)  (I actually used Spanish Lentils, which worked just as well)
8 cups chicken stock
1 – 2 tsp. yellow Curry powder
1 bay leaf
2 Sprigs of Thyme
2 tbsp. red wine vinegar
salt & pepper  to taste
1 large handful of cilantro leaves

Set a very large pot over medium-low heat and cook the bacon until the fat renders and it begins to crisp. Remove with a slotted spoon and reserve the bacon. Add the onions, carrots, and curry powder to the pot and cook in the bacon fat until soft – about 10 minutes.

Add the sweet potatoes, lentils, chicken stock, bay leaf, and thyme sprigs and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to medium-low or low and cook for 30 – 40 minutes, or until the potatoes and lentils are tender. I wanted to thicken my soup up a bit, so I mashed the soup with a potato masher about 15 times. This is optional.

Remove bay leaf and thyme sprigs. Add the sherry vinegar and taste the soup. (*To be honest, I think I was too over-eager to eat the soup and forgot about adding the vinegar. I’m sure it lacked a little bit of that acidic punch that vinegar added, but the soup was still amazing.) Add salt and pepper as needed. Ladle into bowl and sprinkle with bacon bits and fresh cilantro leaves.