soups : Big Woods Farm CSA

Category : soups

Black Bean and Roasted Tomatillo soup

Posted September 6th 2011 under: recipes, soups
0 Comments | Tags: tomatillos

Adapted from “Chez Panisse Vegetables” by Alice Waters.

2 cups dried black beans, or 2 15 ounce cans of black beans
4 tomatillos
olive oil
salt and pepper
1/2 bunch cilantro
1/2 jalapeno pepper
2 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
1 medium onion

1. Soak beans overnight (if using uncooked beans). When you are ready to prepare the soup, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

2. Peel the husk from the tomatillos, cut them into fourths, and then toss lightly with olive oil, salt and pepper. Place the quartered tomatillos into an oven-proof dish that is heavy-bottomed and is just big enough to hold them in a single layer. Roast them in the oven at 350 for 15 minutes, until they are soft.

3. Saute the onions, thinly sliced, and garlic and jalapeno in in a soup pot with the olive oil, salt, and pepper until they are translucent. If you are cooking raw beans, add the drained beans, 3 quarts of water, and simmer beans until they are very tender (2-3 hours). Otherwise, add canned beans to the onions and garlic, and heat on stove.

4. Pass the soup through a food mill or purée in batches in a blender or food processor until smooth. Alternatively (this is our favorite method), use a hand held blender to purée the soup in the pot. Add more water, if needed, to make a good soup consistency.

5. When the tomatillos are roasted, puree them in a blender or food processor until smooth. Reheat soup and serve garnished with chopped cilantro leaves.

Gazpacho (cold tomato soup)

Posted September 6th 2011 under: recipes, soups, vegetarian
0 Comments | Tags: cucumbers, tomatoes

This recipe is modified from the cookbook “A Midwest Gardener’s Cookbook” by Marian Towne. The recipe can be altered to suite your taste or depending on what vegetables you actually have on hand.

1 large cucumber (peeled and seeded if very mature)
1 medium sweet onion
1-2 cloves garlic, chopped (optional)
1 hot pepper, such as jalapeño, with seeds removed
6 large ripe tomatoes
1 TBS olive oil
1/2 tsp salt

Blend together all ingredients for 2 or 3 minutes, making sure that the garlic and pepper, especially, are well blended. Chill in refrigerator. Serve over several ice cubes (optional) in a bowl and garnish with crisp, seasoned croutons (also optional).

Serves 6

Potato Leek Soup

Posted September 24th 2010 under: recipes, soups, vegetarian
0 Comments | Tags: Leeks, potatoes

This recipe can be easily modified (no bacon and vegetable stock instead of chicken) for a vegetarian version.

Serves 4- 6

Ingredients

3 large leeks (about 2 cups chopped), cut lengthwise, cleaned and chopped in 1/4″ slices (horizontally). Use only white and pale green parts.
2 Tbsp butter
2 cups water
2 cups chicken or vegetable broth
2 lbs potatoes, peeled and diced into 1/2 inch pieces
1/4 cup fresh Italian parsley, chopped
2 tsp fresh thyme, chopped (or 1/2 t dried)
1/2 tsp fresh majoram, chopped (or a dash dried)
1/2 tsp (or to taste) red chili sauce — like Valentina (optional)
2-3 strips bacon, sauteed until crisp (optional)
Salt and Pepper to taste

Cook leeks in butter with salt and pepper in a medium sized sauce pan. Cover and cook on low heat for about 10 minutes. Do not brown!

Add water, broth and potatoes. Bring to simmer and cook for 20 minutes. Transfer about half of mixture to a blender; puree and return to pan. Add spices, bacon and chile sauce to taste. Season with salt (1-2 tsp) and pepper to taste.

Radish or Turnip Soup

Posted June 28th 2010 under: recipes, soups, vegetarian
0 Comments | Tags: beets, turnips

makes 6 cups

This is modified from a Chinese recipe that calls for pork, but you can make it using tofu (instead of pork) and vegetable stock (instead of water). The recipe does not call for the greens on the radishes and turnips, but I think they make a tasty and nutritious addition to the soup. The soup can be made hours or a day in advance. The original recipe is from David’s favorite Chinese cookbook “The Key to Chinese Cooking” by Irene Kuo ( Knopf, 1977). The book is out of print, but available from used-book sellers online – David got his for $10.

½ to 1 lb of pork shoulder or butt, cubed, or meaty spareribs, chopped. OR 1 lb firm tofu, cut into ½” cubes.
½ lb radishes or white turnips, including greens, all sliced
4 cups water OR 4 cups vegetable stock
4 quarter-size slices of peeled ginger
salt to taste

Bring the 4 cups of water or vegetable stock to a boil with the ginger. Add the meat or tofu, and when the water boils again, turn the heat low, skimming the surface until clear. Bring to a boil again and then adjust the heat to maintain a weak simmer. Cover and simmer for 1½ hours for pork (30 minutes for tofu), stirring once in a while. Season with salt to taste.

Add the radishes or turnips and simmer for another 30 minutes, covered. Remove the excess fat (if present) by spooning off the transparent layer; scoop out the ginger and discard. Adjust the salt to taste.

Zucchini-Rice Soup with Basil and Parmesan

Posted June 24th 2010 under: recipes, soups, vegetarian
0 Comments | Tags: summer squash, zucchini

This recipe is from “The Flexitarian Table” by Peter Berley (2007, Houghton-Mifflin).

¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
1 large onion (or the equivalent of green onions or young spring onions)
Salt
1 to 1½ lbs summer squash (i.e., zucchini), cut into ½-inch cubes
¼ cup thinly sliced garlic or several garlic scapes
4 cups water
⅓ cup basmati rice
½ cup loosely packed fresh basil leaves, thinly sliced, plus additional sliced leaves for garnish
⅓ cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus extra
Freshly-ground black pepper

In a 4- to 5-quart Dutch oven or other heavy pot, heat 2 TBS of oil over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add the onion and 1 tsp salt and toss well. Cover and cook for 5 minutes. Add the summer squash and garlic and cook, stirring, until softened, about 2 minutes. Pour in the water, raise the heat to high, and bring to a boil. Add the rice and basil, return to a boil, and simmer, covered, over low heat for 30 minutes, until the rice is tender. Stir in the cheese and the remaining 2 TBS olive oil and season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve warm or at room temperature, garnished with sliced basil leaves. Pass additional grated Parmesan at the table.

Potato, Greens and Bread Soup

Posted June 24th 2010 under: basics, recipes, soups, vegetarian
0 Comments | Tags: greens, potatoes, spinach

serves 4

This recipe is recommended by MPLS member Barbara Conti – her family likes it a lot and it’s fairly simple to make. She uses a mix of greens that she has on hand and does not peel the potatoes. The recipe is adapted from The Complete Italian Vegetarian Cookbook, by Jack Bishop (Houghton Mifflin, 1997).

4 cups packed spinach leaves or other greens
1½ pounds new potatoes, cut into ½-inch dice
4½ cups vegetable stock
salt and pepper
2 cups cubed (½-inch) stale country bread
2 TBS good quality olive oil, or to taste

Place potatoes and stock in medium pot. Bring to a boil and cook briskly for 15 minutes. While the potatoes cook, prepare the greens. Remove stems, wash leaves and shake off excess water. Cut into ¾-inch wide strips. After the potatoes have cooked for 15 minutes, add the greens to the pot and salt and pepper to taste. Cover the pot. Continue coking until potatoes are falling apart and the greens are tender, about 10 minutes. Remove the pot from heat. Stir in the bread and cover the pot. Let sit for 5 minutes or until bread is very soft. Adjust seasonings and add hot water to thin the texture if desired. Ladle the soup into bowls and drizzle each with olive oil.

Big Woods Farm CSA