2010: The Soups That Were and More to Come!

Happy New Year! - Image Credit: brainz.org

2010 was an exciting time for soup! I made some simple recipes like ribollita that I never created before and interesting soups like Russian beef and cabbage soup using stock from Brooklyn Bouillon that I never thought I would make. There were also a lot of interesting opportunities - getting to interview Rachel Ray, making a soup video with Amy Cao of Amy Blogs Chow, writing for A Child Grows in Brooklyn, Mom Trends, Young Urban Moms, What's The Soup, Food2 and Top Ten Dishes and having a soup party where I was finally able to have people test out my soup other than Mr. Soupy and my fam. I participated in the FoodBuzz Project Food Blog Challenge, the Foodie Link's Fall Recipe Event, the Iron Foodie Challenge, the First Annual Souperama and the Prospect Park Farm Soup Cook-Off. With all of these exciting prospects, 2011 is already looking like it is going to be an exciting and unexpected new year - starting off by teaching a soup class at the Brooklyn Cookery on January 9th and sponsoring a soup contest with FoodieLink at Jimmy's No. 43. Talks of selling the soup are in the works as well as a soup tour of NYC!

Of course, 2010 would be nothing without the recipes from my amazing soupy contributors. Thanks to the delicious contributions from Jessica Hulett of Blind Cavefish; Emily Mak of Eating with EMak; Brenda Abdelall of Eau de Spice; Kathleen of Deja Vu Cook; Sanura Weathers of My Life Runs on Food; Dari Litchman of Papi's Mami and Joan Gioe of The Panini Press Blog, the recipes on Soupy included more variety and added a diverse perspective to the site. For that, I am eternally grateful and hope they could be a part of Soupy 2011 as well as other fans of soup that have recipes they would love to share. 

As we start this new year, I also wanted to take the time to reflect on some of my favorite soup recipes from 2010 and share with you a list of my soupy resolutions for 2011. Happy New Year!

Soup Recipes from 2010:

Roasted Root Vegetable and Turkey Soup

1. Roasted Root Vegetable and Turkey Soup - I originally created this soup for my one-year anniversary party in October. This sweet and savory soup used a combination of seasonal vegetables (leeks, turnips, spaghetti squash, carrots, sweet potatoes, etc) that are marinated in olive oil, salt and pepper. This easy recipe also uses fresh herbs and organic turkey that turned out as a healthy variation to a standard chili.

Hummus Soup

2. Hummus Soup - An unlikely favorite, hummus soup is not only a water-down version of hummus but a delicious garbanzo bean soup that can also be varied. Later in the year, I made a turkey and chickpea soup and a roasted red pepper and hummus soup in the post hummus, three ways. It is also interesting making three different versions of a soup - how many new flavors develop after only altering a few ingredients. 

Borscht

3. Borscht Recipe - A classic soup that I actually never tried before. I learned that it can be served hot or cold and is a traditional soup from Central and Eastern Europe. I combined elements of two soup recipes that resulted in a delicious and sweet beet soup.

Tomato Basil and Carrot Soup

4. Tomato Basil and Carrot Soup with Gnocchi - I'm a big fan of tomato soup but I was looking to vary the classic recipe. I used some simple ingredients that I had at home (carrots, gnocchi, basil) to switch up the flavors that resulted in a chunky and filing new tomato soup.

Malaysian Mutton Soup

5. Malaysian Mutton Soup - The first lamb soup that I ever made on Soupy, this mutton soup was created for Project Food Blog's second challenge. We were asked to create a recipe out of our comfort zone as well as from another country. I decided on using lamb and found an amazing recipe that also used spices I have never used (cardamon pods and fenugreek) and methods of preparation (not in a traditional pot) that made the challenge even more interesting. Part of 2010 was about trying something new and this unfamiliar soup certainly lived up to that mantra.

Vegetable Wonton Soup

6. Vegetable Wonton Soup - One of my favorite soups to eat out, I made my own wonton soup using mushrooms, carrots, spinach, bok choy and bamboo shoots, wonton wrappers, and a base of cabbage. After some fumbling - and some broken wontons - I finally ended up with a hearty bowl of soup.

7. Russian Beef and Cabbage Soup - As I mentioned above, I created this soup recipe using Brooklyn Bouillon, a cage-free, locally-sourced and produced bouillon created by Rachael Mamane. I had the pleasure to meet Rachael after she won a soup contest on the site. Using her recipe, I also created this recipe for the anniversary soup party that also ended up being the second favorite recipe of the night. Using grass-fed beef, cabbage, tomatoes, demi-glace and various vegetables, this rich soup was also enhanced thanks to the vibrant flavors from the bouillon. To learn more about Rachael, please visit Brooklyn Bouillon. 

Chestnut, Celery and Apple Soup

8. Chestnut, Celery and Apple Soup - Emily of Brooklyn Cookery shared this Daniel Boulud soup recipe with me, which I also decided to make for Thanksgiving. Using celery instead of celeriac root, Fiji apples, crushed chestnuts and cream, this velvety and luxurious soup is definitely one to try out this winter.

Roasted Eggplant and White Bean Soup

9. Roasted Eggplant and White Bean Soup - Created for the 'First Annual Souperama' at Jimmy's No. 43, this low-fat and healthy soup is essentially eggplant and white beans with basil, mint, broth and some onions. Other than the cooking time involved to roast the eggplants, this soup is also an easy recipe to try out. 

Green Tea-Infused Melon Soup

10.  Green Tea-Infused Melon Soup - Prior to starting Soupy, I was never a fan of chilled soup, or really, I never really gave it a try. I liked gazpacho but other than that I would stick to eating traditional soups. Since I create soups every week throughout the year, I'm not always excited about making a hot soup when it's 100 degrees outside. This year I made the traditional chilled favorite - gazpacho - but also experimented with fruit soups like the watermelon and lime soup and using a cantaloupe and making three different soups from it. An unexpected favorite was the green-tea infused melon soup that infused apricots, green tea, honey, lemon and ginger with the cantaloupe. A simple way to enhance cantaloupe and mix-up the smoothie/salad routine of the summer.

10 Soups to Try in 2011:

Some people are shocked that I can have a blog that is dedicated solely to soup making. I've heard comments like "Are there really enough soups to cover a soup a week." Well, with books dedicated to soup recipes like 500 soups and blogs like Soup Chick that solely focus on soup making, I think I have only just begun. Not only are there so many variations of a given recipe but there are regional soups, seasonal soups, International soups and new creations to make up. To get me started or at least a little focused, I devised New Years Resolutions soup list that I want to try this year - hopefully they will make their way on the site sooner rather than later.


1. Goulash, traditional Hungarian soup
2. Clam Chowder - both Manhattan and New England
3. Pho Bang, national soup of Vietnam
4. Avgolemono
5. Pickle Soup
6. Bisque - Lobster and/or Shrimp
7. Pappa al Pomodoro Soup (Bread and Tomato Soup)
8. Coconut and Shrimp Curry Soup
9. Stocks - Beef, Fish, Mushroom
10. Pork and Mushroom Noodle Soup
11. Potage
12. Moroccan Lamb and Couscous Soup
13. Gumbo
14. Beer and Cheese Soup
15. Beef and Barley Soup
16. Czarnina, Polish Duck Soup
17. Chilled Pea Soup
18. Crab Soup
19. Caldo Verde, a Portugeuse soup
20. Kimchi stew

What soups do you want to try in the new year?

Happy New Year!

Seriously Soupy Serena