Category Archives: Soup

Roasted Potato Leek Soup

April 3, 2012 – 6:00 am

When you think of spring, which ingredients are you excited to cook or bake with? Leeks and lemons immediately pop into my mind for some reason. I love the traditional vichychoisse. Such a simple soup of potato and leeks yet it so so beautiful and fun to dress up with croutons or sour cream.

I am kind of a Food Network junkie and a couple of my favorites to watch are Ina Garten and Giada. It seems like no matter what they make, I am printing out the recipes 5 minutes later and adding as many of the recipes as I can to my weekly menu. Ina made this soup a couple of weeks ago and she really turned up the flavors on the traditional potato leek soup.

It’s amazing how roasting vegetables low and slow in the oven really brings out a depth of flavor you never even knew was possible. The preparation for this soup begins by roasting yukon gold potatoes, lovely spring leeks and peppery arugula until they are tender and caramelized and I finished it with rich, tangy sour cream. Serve the soup with a crusty baguette so you can sop up all of the goodness.

Roasted Potato Leek Soup

by Mercedes Porter

Keywords: roast appetizer entree soup/stew vegetables spring

Ingredients (4 servings)

2 pounds yukon gold potatoes, peeled and chopped
3 large leeks, rinsed and only white and light green parts chopped
1/4 cup olive oil
salt and pepper
2 cups arugula
1/2 cup white wine
4 cups chicken stock
3/4 cup light sour cream, plus more for garnish
3/4 cup fat-free half and half
Croutons, for garnish (optional)
1/4 cup chopped chives, for garnish (optional)

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Line a large baking sheet with foil. Place chopped potatoes and leeks onto lined sheet. Pour oil over vegetables and toss to coat. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Roast vegetables for about 45 minutes, tossing a couple of times until potatoes are tender and onions are caramelized.

Remove sheet from oven, sprinkle arugula over roasted vegetables and return to the oven for about 5 minutes or until arugula is wilted.

Remove roasted vegetables and place them into a medium-large stock pot. Pour chicken broth over vegetables.and puree using an immersion blender. (If you do not have an immersion blender, place half of roasted vegetables and half of chicken broth into food processor and blend until smooth, then repeat with remaining vegetables and broth and place pureed mixture into stock pot.)

Place pot over medium heat and whisk in wine and half and half. Finally mix in sour cream. Salt and pepper to taste.

Serve soup with an additional dollop of sour cream, croutons and/or chives.

Recipe adapted from Ina Garten

place chopped potatoes and leeks onto a baking sheet, sprinkle with salt and pepper and roast for 45 minutes, or until tender

place arugula on top of roasted vegetables and return to the oven for 5 minutes or until arugula is wilted

place roasted vegetables into stock pot

pour in chicken broth and use immersion blender to blend until smooth

stir in half and half

then sour cream and salt and pepper to taste

serve with warm, crusty bread

Which flavors or ingredients make you think of spring?

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Lightened up Cream of Mushroom Soup

November 19, 2011 – 8:00 am

By now you probably know how much I love soup. One of my favorite soups that my mom made growing up is Cream of Mushroom. This soup can be made quickly and usually without an extra trip to the grocery store. I love that it is creamy and satisfying and yet there is no heavy cream or whole milk!

The meatiness of the mushrooms is even enough to keep those carnivores happy. To me, the flavor of this soup is as comforting as chicken noodle, but more sophisticated due to the richness that the half-and-half and sherry add. With the ingredients listed in this recipe, the portion is perfect for feeding two. I recommend serving it with warm, soft bread.

Come join SoupaPalooza at TidyMom and Dine and Dish sponsored byKitchenAid, Red Star Yeast and Le Creuset

Lightened Up Cream of Mushroom Soup

by Mercedes Porter

Keywords: soup/stew entree vegetables

Ingredients

2 Tbsp unsalted butter
1 cup diced onion
1 cup diced celery
8 oz. crimini (baby bella) mushrooms, sliced
1 tsp rosemary
1/2 cup chopped or grated carrots
2 1/4 cups chicken stock, divided
1/4 cup cooking sherry or marsala wine
1 cup fat-free half-and-half, divided
2 Tbsp flour
1/2 tsp salt (more to taste)
1 tsp pepper

Instructions

In a large pan or dutch oven, melt butter over medium heat. Add onions, celery and carrots and sautee for 4 minutes. Add mushrooms and cook until softened.

Add 1 cup chicken stock and sherry.

In a small bowl, whisk the flour, 1/4 cup of stock and 1/2 cup half-and-half to make a thickener. Add to soup and whisk to combine. Add remaining chicken stock. half-and-half, rosemary and salt and pepper. Continue to heat and stir occasionally until soup is thickened.

sautée onions and celery until tender, then add mushrooms

add chicken stock and sherry

whisk flour, chicken stock and half-and-half

whisk this thickener into the soup until combined then add remaining ingredients

serve with warm, soft bread

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Comfort food: Grilled cheese and Tomato soup

September 14, 2011 – 8:00 am

Come join SoupaPalooza at TidyMom and Dine and Dish sponsored byKitchenAid, Red Star Yeast and Le Creuset

Grilled cheese and tomato soup is still one of my favorite comfort foods. Yesterday, after a great first full day back at work for the fall, all I wanted when I got home for the night was a big bowl of comfort and some couch time. While my craving is still the same as when I was a little girl, my version of this dish has grown up. My tomato soup is a recipe from my aunt that is creamy and full of dill and dumplings. The grilled cheese sandwiches have transformed into buttery, crispy, cheesy ooziness on hearty artisanal bread. When my mom used to make my grilled cheeses, I loved the good old processed American cheese. But now, I want a cheese that is made from real ingredients and doesn’t get completely lost in the bread. Sargento offers real cheeses that are easily accessible in any grocery store. Compared to processed cheeses, Sargento cheese has much more complex flavor and texture. When it melts into my sandwich, it is soft and chewy but never rubbery like some processed cheeses can be. And I feel good knowing that I am putting real dairy product into my body and contributing to my daily calcium intake.

As part of the Foodbuzz Tastemaker Program, I was given the opportunity to sample some Sargento products and I chose the sliced Muenster for these sandwiches. Before I knew it, I was full and content.

Dilly Tomato Soup with Dumplings

by Mercedes Porter

Keywords: soup/stew entree vegetables

Ingredients

5-6 tomatoes peeled, seeded and roughly chopped (or 28-32 oz.canned diced tomatoes)
1 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp butter
1/2 cup fresh chopped dill (or 1/4 cup dried dill)
4 cups chicken stock
4 cups milk
4 Tbsp flour, plus 1 cup for dumplings
1 cup sour cream, plus 4 Tbsp for dumplings
2 eggs
salt and pepper

Instructions

Heat oil and butter in large pot. Add tomatoes and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cover pot and cook on medium heat for 10 minutes.

Add chicken stock and dill and simmer for 30 minutes. Blend ingredients until smooth using an immersion blender.

Whisk milk and 4 Tbsp flour together and whisk this mixture into the soup slowly.

For the dumplings, in a small bowl, combine 1 cup flour, 2 eggs, 4 Tbsp sour cream, salt and pepper and mix until well combined. Drop dumpling mixture by small teaspoonful into simmering soup. Boil gently until dumplings rise to the top.

To serve, place teaspoon of sour cream into each bowl and top with soup. Salt and pepper to taste.

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Coconut Curry Soup

June 14, 2011 – 8:00 am

I love soup. All kinds of soup, I don’t discriminate. In the fall, I like to make creamy, puréed vegetable soups. Asparagus cooked and blended with leeks with a dollop of goat cheese and croutons for garnish is one of our staple fall meals. One of my husband’s favorite soups that I like to make in the winter is Baked Potato Soup. Now that summer is here (finally!), I still can’t resist making soups. And thanks to Minnesota weather, we still have some cooler days ahead and that means more days for me to enjoy soup!

With some soups, it can be difficult to cultivate a complex flavor profile without having all day to allow the soup to simmer. This is not one of those soups. Thanks to fresh, flavorful ingredients, you get instant flavor, making this soup a perfect weeknight meal: simple, healthy and satisfying.

Coconut Curry Soup

by Mercedes Porter

Keywords: soup/stew entree seafood vegetables Thai

Ingredients

1 1/2 Tbsp ginger, peeled and minced
5 cloves garlic, crushed
4 large carrots, thinly sliced (matchstick-length)
1 red pepper, thinly sliced
4 cups chicken broth
1 (14.5 oz.) can light coconut milk
2 tsp red curry paste (more or less to taste)
1 tsp kosher salt
2 Tbsp cornstarch
1/2 cup water
1/2 pound whole wheat spaghetti
1/2 pound medium to large raw shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 jalepeño, thinly sliced
3 green onions, thinly sliced
1 lime
cilantro

Instructions

In large pot or enamel roaster, heat 1/4 cup chicken stock over medium heat.

Add ginger and garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.

Add 1/4 cup more chicken broth, carrots, peppers and any other raw vegetables you care to add to the soup (broccoli and snap peas work well). Cook vegetables 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally.

In a small bowl, stir cornstarch into water until dissolved.

Add remaining chicken broth, coconut milk, curry paste (more or less depending how spicy you like your soup) and cornstarch/water mixture to pot and stir. Bring to a boil.

Add pasta noodles and cook until al denté, 4-5 minutes. Reduce heat to medium.

Add raw shrimp and cook until opaque, about 2 minutes.

Add juice of 1 lime

Serve garnished with jalepeño, lime wedges, cilantro and green onions

(inspired by Martha Stewart Everyday Food Great Food Fast)