Pot o' Blood Soup

Aside from looking like actual blood, this soup is very tasty.  Perfect for your next Halloween dinner party!  

1 T vegetable oil

1 small onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, sliced

1 lb raw beets, peeled and grated

398 ml can diced tomatoes

1 T tomato paste

900 ml chicken stock

Black pepper to taste

2 t white vinegar

In a medium saucepan, heat the oil over medium-low heat.  Saute the onion and garlic for five minutes, stirring often.

Add remaining ingredients, excluding vinegar.  Bring to a boil over high heat, cover and reduce to a simmer.  Cook until beets are tender, roughly 20 minutes.

Puree in a blender, and strain through a colander.  Conversely, you can use an immersion blender, but the end result won’t be as silky.

Add the vinegar, stir well and taste to check seasoning.

Serve hot.  Makes four servings.

A Big Pot of Deliciousness: Cabbage Soup

On a recent trip to Cuba, one of the topics we often discussed was food.  Not surprising, seeing that one of our travel companions is a chef, and we're equally obsessed with food.

Oddly enough, it was cold-weather food we talked about most; those hearty, rib-sticking foods that are the equivalent of a warm hug. We both had lists in our minds of foods we wanted to cook once we got back home; this is one which was on both of ours.      

2 t vegetable oil
1 stalk celery, diced
1 carrot, diced
1 onion, diced
1/2 medium cabbage, thinly sliced
3/4 t dried thyme
1 t paprika
1 t caraway seeds
1 large bay leaf
1 t sugar
Salt & freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 398 ml can diced tomatoes*
900 ml low-sodium chicken stock
900 ml low-sodium beef stock
1 T lemon juice

In a Dutch oven over medium-low heat, add oil, celery, carrots & onion.  Saute for a few minutes to soften. Add cabbage and continue to saute until cabbage is wilted.

Add the thyme, paprika, caraway, bay leaf, sugar and salt & pepper.  Stir will to combine.  Add remaining ingredients and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat, and simmer, partially covered, for an hour.

Like most soups & stews, this is best made the day before if time permits.

*If your tomatoes are in juice as opposed to puree, add 2 T tomato paste

Thai Shrimp & Scallop Soup

Every time I taste Thai food, I’m always surprised that it still tastes incredibly exotic to me.  It’s freshness, pungency, heat, and flavour combinations are far removed from the temperate-climate food most Anglo Canadians were raised on.

This restorative soup is a perfect example of how you can create authentic tastes without having to buy specialty products.  Lemon grass and lime leaves are easily replaced by lemon slices and lime zest.  No coconut milk?  Try using evaporated milk; the end results are very similar.  

You can also use 2/3 lb shrimp instead of the shrimp and scallop combination if you wish.

3-1/2 c low-sodium chicken stock

2 thin slices lemon

Zest of half a lime

1 T slivered garlic

1 T slivered ginger

½ t sugar

2 t fish sauce

1/8 to ¼ t hot pepper flakes

1/3 lb cleaned shell-on shrimp

1/3 lb bay scallops

1 green onion, cut in half lengthwise then cut into 1” pieces

Handful grape tomatoes, quartered (optional)

1/2 c coconut milk (or evaporated milk)

Juice of half a lime

Chopped cilantro (optional)

Shell shrimp, reserving shells & tails.  In a medium saucepan, combine chicken stock and shrimp shells.  Cover, bring to a boil, and simmer for five minutes.  Remove shells from stock.  Add the lemon slices, lime zest, garlic, ginger, sugar, fish sauce and pepper flakes to the hot stock.  Cover, and allow to infuse off heat for 30 minutes.  Remove lemon slices.

Bring stock back to the boil; add the shrimp, scallops, green onion and tomatoes (if using).  Return to the boil and immediately remove from heat.  Stir through the coconut milk and lime juice.  Garnish with chopped cilantro, if desired.  Serves two generously.

Asian-Style Chicken Noodle Soup

The clean, fresh flavours of this soup have restorative properties for me.  This is what I crave to counteract the gastronomic over indulgences otherwise know as 'weekends'. 

900 ml low-sodium chicken stock

1 T lime juice

1 t soy sauce

¼ t sesame oil

1 T fish sauce

227 g mushrooms, sliced

6 baby bok choy, or one smallish regular bok choy, rinsed well and diced

2 t sugar

1 T julienned ginger

200 g rice noodles

2 boneless skinless chicken thighs, fully cooked & diced

Cilantro, chopped

Combine the first nine ingredients in a Dutch oven or large pot.  Bring to boil, reduce heat, and simmer, covered for 10 minutes.

Cook the noodles according to directions on package.  Divide the hot noodles between the two bowls and top with the diced chicken.  Ladle the simmering soup over, and top with cilantro.

A Midwinter's Recharge: Split Pea Soup

Let's face it, this winter has absolutely sucked.  Everyone's had enough, and spring can't come soon enough. Until then, here's a comforting hug by way of the kitchen.

This is the soup I make most often.  I usually use the simmering liquid from either a cottage roll or smoked picnic shoulder as the base, but I've also made it using store-bought chicken stock.

This makes a substantial amount, but it freezes very well.

4 litres ham stock or chicken stock
1 stalk celery, diced, plus some leaves, chopped, if you have them
1 carrot, peeled & diced
1 medium onion, diced
1 bay leaf
2 lb green or yellow dried split peas
Diced ham (optional)
Salt & freshly ground black pepper to taste

Bring the stock to a boil.  Add remaining ingredients, excluding salt.  Reduce heat to medium-low, partially covered.  Cook, stirring regularly, for two hours, or until the large majority of the peas have disintegrated. Taste and adjust seasonings; remove bay leaf.  Thin mixture if necessary using additional stock or water.

Makes 8-10 servings.

Turkey Neck Soup

This is wonderful stuff. Good for what ails you, flavoursome, inexpensive and comforting. Much better than turkey soup made with the usual leftover turkey carcass.

2 turkey necks (between 800 & 900g total weight)
2 X 900 ml sodium-reduced chicken stock
1 stalk celery, diced
1 carrot, peeled and diced
1 onion, diced
½ t dried thyme
2 bay leaves
Egg noodles or rice (optional)

In a medium saucepan, add turkey necks and enough water to cover. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer gently for two hours, turning at half time. Remove turkey necks and set aside until cool enough to handle. Strain the resulting broth into a large saucepan. Add the chicken stock, celery, carrot, onion, thyme and bay leaves. Bring to a boil, cover, and simmer gently for an hour. In the meantime, pull the meat off the turkey necks, and chop into smaller pieces if desired; add to the pot at the end of the hour. If egg noodles or rice are desired, add at the same time as the meat. Simmer for another half hour, and serve.

Kale, Bean & Smoked Sausage Soup

Soups can be one of the quickest things to throw together, and this one’s no exception. On top of being quick, it has the added benefit of being a complete meal in a bowl; you really don’t need anything else (other, perhaps, than a lovely piece of crusty bread…or two).

For 2 generous or 3 regular servings:

2-284ml/10 oz cans concentrated low-sodium chicken stock
2 cans water
1 540 ml/19 oz can white kidney beans, drained & rinsed
227g/½ lb smoked sausage of your choice, diced
Half a bunch of kale, washed, de-ribbed and torn into bite-size pieces

No order here, really. Combine everything in a medium sauce pan, bring to a boil and simmer until kale is tender, about 10 minutes.

Fancy it up as you may, with diced onion, minced garlic, bay leaf or what have you, but there’s something to be said for simplicity.