soup

Simple Lentil Soup

- Elspeth Leave a comment

The unexpected chill that has ripped through the Bay Area has left me wanting to curl up with Harry Potter and find solace at the bottom of a cocoa mug. I may be acting slightly dramatic, especially considering the state of the rest of the nation, but I simply will not tolerate such bull….malarchy. Not on my watch, sonny.

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To ease the pain of the high-60s, I of course turned to food. After my gluttonous (but totally worth it) weekend in Louisiana, where I consumed beignets upon gumbo upon crawfish upon creole upon…..everything in sight, I tended towards a slightly lighter tone. For those unfamiliar with the little lentil legume, it is an impressive beast in the food pyramid. One serving (a cup, cooked) has a whopping 18 grams of protein, 16 grams of fiber, and only 220 calories. Pretty darn impressive, in my humble opinion.

Lentils don’t need a lot of dressing up in order to be delicious, but if you want to add some flair I would recommend adding a teaspoon of paprika or cumin.

Lentil Soup

adapted slightly from Mark Bittman

1 T coconut oil
1 medium onion, diced fine
2 carrots, diced fine
1 c red lentils, rinsed and picked over for stones
1 bay leaf
6 c stock, hot
S & P
1/4 c greek yogurt
1/2 t cayenne pepper

Heat a large, heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat. Add the oil and, when smoking, add the onion and cook a few minutes. Add the carrot and cook for a couple of minutes, until brightened. Add the lentils, bay leaf, and stock. Bring to a boil, add plenty of pepper, and turn the heat down to low. Simmer until the lentils are soft– Mark calls for 30 minutes, but mine took only 20. They will start to fall apart and break down. Turn off the heat, remove the bay leaf, and puree with an immersion blender until smooth. Add salt to taste, a dab of yogurt, and a sprinkling of cayenne. Serve hot.

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Miso-Glazed Butternut Squash Soup

- Elspeth Leave a comment

Hello friends. Here in California, we like to think that we have seasons just like the rest of the country. It’s not true, but we enjoy our dreams. With November in full swing and Thanksgiving a mere stone’s throw away, it’s time to start prepping our innards for the onslaught of starches and festive holiday foods. We may not have snow and colorful foliage, but we can cook with the best of them.

And what’s better than a delicious twist on a classic? Not a whole lot.

Butternut Miso Soup with Fried Leeks. 

Not only was this dish as fabulous as a bedazzled belt buckle, it was consumed under the glow of twinkly lights on a delightfully warm evening. The miso gives it a great salty-sweetness that goes very well with the delicate butternut flavor. I’m a big fan of squash, but I get very bored with simple butternut soup. I discovered the fantabulousness of miso last year and tried to use it in just about everything, with this dish as the knockout.

It’s a very simple recipe and takes very little time, with even less effort. The addition of the fried leeks (which were amazing and great as a pre-dinner-I’m-starving-and-won’t-wait-any-longer snack) came from Cook’s Illustrated. Thank you, Lauren!

You will need:

1 3lb butternut squash
4 small russet potatoes
3 T miso paste (found in the refrigerated section with other Asian items)
2 T olive oil
1 T sesame oil
3 T rice vinegar
1 leek
3/4 c creme fraiche*

*Dairy is tricky when warmed. It tends to curdle and then your guests look at you like you’ve got some sort of incurable disease that you’ve spread into their food. Cook’s Illustrated, those tricksy folks, have done us all a favor and researched this issue extensively. They found that creme fraiche, unlike sour cream, milk, and yogurt, does not curdle when hot. I highly recommend it!

Preheat your oven to 400 and start on your squash. Peel and chop it down to about 1-2in cubes:

In a large bowl, mix together the miso paste, oils, and vinegar.

It should be very thick, but thin enough to spread easily. Throw your butternut cubes into the bowl and toss to coat evenly.

Spread them evenly on a greased baking sheet and bake until tender, about 20-25 minutes. Stir about half-way through. Meanwhile, chop your potatoes and but them into a large pot with cold water. There should be about 2 quarts of liquid. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer, cooking until the potatoes are done. Add your roasted butternut and puree:

Add the creme fraiche and stir to ensure even distribution. Salt, if desired.

For the leeks, slice them into about 1/4 rounds or smaller.

Rinse thoroughly and pat dry. Heat a deep pan on medium-high with about 1/4 oil and dredge the leeks in flour, salt, and pepper.

When the oil is nice and hot, shake any excess flour off and fry the leeks until they are brown and crunchy.

Ladle yourself some soup, toss the leeks on top with a spot of grated parmesan, and grab a hunk of bread. It’s nomming time!

Sausage, Bean, and Kale Soup

- Elspeth 1 Comment

I am totally kidding, of course you can have some soup. But sadly the internet has not come far enough to have me send it via the world wide web, so you’ll have to get off your couch and make it yourself. Tear yourself away from “Dancing with the Stars” and get crackin’ on our latest endeavor:

Sausage, Bean, and Kale Soup with a side of Beer Bread. Ta-Da!!

Lauren and I frantically threw this masterpiece after a long, hard day at the office and it took us a mere 30 minutes! So if you’re ready to belt out another excuse about how you’re just too darn tired to make dinner for your starving children, then you are talking to the wrong lady.

Soup is the perfect dinner for many reasons. It is a fast and easy way to get yourself a lot of nutrients with not that many calories, which is important for those of us who plan on being on the cover of Victoria’s Secret. You can make soup with almost anything, as long as you have an iota of creativity inside your thick skull.

Here are the ingredients we settled on in the car on the way to the grocery store:
1 lb spicy Italian sausage
2 T minced garlic
1/2 onion, diced
1 small head cauliflower, cut into smaller florets
1/3 c your favorite beer (drink the rest)
4-6 c chicken stock (enough to cover the ingredients by 1 inch)
1 small bunch kale
1 can garbanzo beans
1 can cannellini beans
S + P to taste
Parmesan cheese

Heat a large pot over medium high heat and add the sausage in little bits. We got ours in a “log” instead of links, but if you have the latter just remove the casing and crumble it into the pan.

Once it is browned and mostly cooked, about 5 minutes, remove from pan with slotted spoon onto paper towels to drain.

You should leave the delicious fat in the pan on medium heat.

Add your onion and saute for a few minutes, until translucent.

Add the garlic and saute until fragrant. Add the cauliflower.

Saute for about 5 minutes. While that is cooking, rip the kale off the ribs and into bite-size pieces; rinse thoroughly.

Once the cauliflower starts to “sweat” add the beer to deglaze the pan. Scrape the bottom to loosen any tasty bits off the pan.

Once the beer cooks off a bit, add the stock so you cover the cauliflower by about 1 inch.

Bring to a simmer and let cook until the cauliflower is tender, about 10 minutes. While I was soup-ing away, Lauren was hard at work on the beer breads:

She made three different kinds (what a trooper!): Pyramid Apricot Ale, some weird alcoholic “Cola” from the South (don’t ask, we felt inspired while standing in the beer aisle at Safeway), and Modelo. All were amazing and divine, but I particularly liked the Modelo. It went very well with the soup!

Speaking of soup…

Once the cauliflower is tender you’re ready to rock out. Rinse the beans and add about half of each can to the pot.

Grab your immersion blender and go to town:

Depending on your preference you can go smooth as honey or chunky like cottage cheese thighs. Ew.


Turn the heat back on, add the kale and rest of the beans, and let it cook for a few more minutes. Once the kale has softened a bit and the beans are heated through you can add the sausage and turn off the heat.

Grab your warm bread and slather with some butter while your associate dusts some grated Parmesan on top of your soup. Voila!

Easy, breezy, beautiful… soup!

Original combination:
Sausage, kale, cauliflower, white/garbanzo beans

Variations:
Pancetta, spinach, sweet potato, white beans
Sweet sausage, collard greens, butternut squash/carrot, orzo

Talk to your stomach and find out what it wants!
Nomminess.