| Here is Cream of Potato Soup, a comfort food for the cold Minnesota winter, from MFK Fischer, a comforting food writer. |
Archive for Soup
Cream of Potato Soup
Green and Red Lentils
Today, we prepared two lentil dishes — Lentil Sausage Soup with red lentils and French Lentils With Bacon and Vegetables with green lentils (lentilles du Puy).
We started the soup by soaking red lentils in boiling water. Then we sautéed onions, garlic, cumin seeds, fresh thyme, celery and carrots in olive oil. Then, we drained the lentils, added it together with chicken stock and tomato paste to the sautéed vegetables. Finally, we added turkey kielbasa, red wine vinegar, sour cream and a generous amount of Parmigiano Reggiano (parmesan cheese). Here is the Lentil Sausage Soup recipe.
We started the French lentil dish by gently boiling the lentils only until they were cooked but still firm and retaining their form. In another pan, we cooked bacon only until they were cooked, still limp and slightly browned. We removed the cooked bacon, added olive oil and sautéed onions, garlic, summer squash, Chinese broccoli, Swiss chard, fresh cayenne pepper, and kohlrabi green tops. Then we added the cooked lentils and bacon and seasoned the dish with salt, pepper, and lemon juice. Here is the French Lentils With Bacon and Vegetables recipe. Here is a French Lentils With Summer Vegetables recipe that substitutes the bacon with tomatoes and an additional fresh cayenne pepper.
Avgolemono (Greek Lemon Soup With Oysters)
| Today, we prepared a bold lemon soup that was thickened with rice and eggs and punctuated with oysters. We also prepared a milder soup with puréed root vegetables. Here are the recipes for Avgolemono and Root Vegetable Purée Soup. |  |
Chestnut Soup and Fruit Salad
To celebrate the holiday season, we prepared a comforting chestnut soup and a festive fruit salad.
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We cut fruit wedges from a variety of citrus fruits… |
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…and combined them with cherries, kiwi, pomegranate seeds, and slivered almonds into a colorful fruit salad.
Here is the recipe. |
| …Then, with the help of some friends, we embarked on the laborious task of peeling rare American chestnuts grown in the Frame farm nearby… |  |
| … and prepared a hearty chestnut soup.Here is the recipe. |  |
Tomatoes and Okra
Today, we prepared heirloom orange tomatoes into a tomato sorbet. This savory dish is served in fancy meals to clean the palate in between courses.
We also prepared heirloom red tomatoes into a more traditional tomato-potato cream soup.
Our town of Northfield was hit hard by hail a few days ago. Many tomato gardens were damaged and tomatoes had to be harvested. We prepared oven-dried tomatoes to show what could be done with the unexpected harvest. We served the dried tomatoes in a cracker and sour cream canape.
Finally, we prepared stir-fried okra, lightly salted and without the slimy texture that turns many people away.
Here are the recipes.
Cream of Rutabaga Soup
Today, we cooked rutabaga with sautéed onions in homemade vegetable broth, pureed the rutabaga and onions, and then enriched the soup with cream. The soup was flavorful and light, a welcome treat on a rainy day.
Here is the recipe.
Tuscan Cabbage and Bean Soup (Ribollita)
Today, we prepared Ribollita, a hearty Italian soup. We paired Tuscan cabbage (aka lacinato kale, dino kale) with cannellini white kidney beans, supported by onions, celery, carrots, potatoes, and tomatoes. We finished the dish with Italian peasant bread, a splash of olive oil, and a sprinkling of parmesan cheese.
Here is the recipe.
Mulligatawny Soup (Mullagatani)
Today, we featured an Indian soup which has developed western characteristics. Mullagatawny soup involves classical Indian cooking methods like caramelized onions, curry powder, red pepper, and cilantro. It also features western methods in the form of pureed vegetables and heavy cream.
We prepared the soup with a curry powder that we mixed from several whole spices, turmeric powder, and cayenne pepper powder. The soup was served with ciabatta rolls.
Here are the recipes.
Tom Yum Soup and Other Thai Classics
Today, we had a guest cook, Khun Sunee, who is a visiting scholar at St. Olaf College and a culinary teacher in her native Thailand. She was assisted by Tong, a St. Olaf student from Thailand.
In such capable hands, we produced three dishes that can constitute a complete meal. For starters, we served Tom Yum Tofu Soup, a sour and pungent soup with tofu and mushrooms. For the main course, we had Pad Thai, a stir-fry rice noodle dish. Finally, for dessert, we offered Kluay Buat Chee, or banana in a sweet coconut syrup.
Here are the recipes.
Chicken Broth
A great soup begins with simple ingredients — some meat, vegetable or seafood with water and salt. Today we start with a chicken broth and then enhance it to prepare a family of delicious soups. Happy New Year!
Here are the recipes involving chicken broth.
Here is the recipe for a rich vegetable broth that can substitute the chicken broth.
Luigi Cooks 