Part 2: Soup Swap Recipes

Warming up the soups

Soups - ready for eating

  
Since there were 7 soups at the soup swap I decided to pace out the recipes and pictures among 3 posts so that these delicious recipes wouldn't get lost in one post. For part two, we have a delicious Mushroom and Barley with Greens Soup by Naomi of Cantaloupe Alone, a Spinach, Roasted Cauliflower and Ginger Soup topped with Fried Shallots by Dave Miss and a traditional Potato and Bacon Soup created by Aaron Levine (that is a recipe from Martha, a family friend). Sorry for the lack of pictures for each soup - it was difficult to stuff my face with soup, bread and cheese and take pictures - but I think you can get an idea of how delicious each soup is by these delicious recipes. Please let me know if you have any questions about any of the recipes or if you would like to be included on the email list for future swaps. (I can be reached at seriouslysoupy@gmail.com).

Mushroom and Barley with Greens Soup by Naomi of Cantaloupe Alone

Soup #1

Mushroom and Barley with Greens Soup by Naomi of Cantaloupe Alone
Makes 2 quarts
Ingredients:
1.5 lbs mushrooms (I used oyster and white)
2 tblsp oil, divided
2 medium leeks, white and light green part only, cut in half and sliced
3 cloves garlic sliced thin
(Remember the movie Goodfellas, when they're cooking in jail during, slicing garlic with a razor blade? Channel that scene while slicing the garlic)
2 quarts chicken or vegetable stock
2 tsp white wine
1/2 cup barley
1 tsp dark miso paste (Naomi used barley miso)
1 tblsp soy sauce
pinch of cayenne pepper
1 big handful italian parsley, stems removed, chopped
2 big handfuls of baby spinach, chopped
salt to taste

Directions:
Slice half the mushrooms 1/8 inch thick and saute in a large stock pot with 1 tblsp oil and a pinch of salt. Cook until browned well. Remove from pot and set aside. Quarter the remaining mushrooms and add to the pot with leeks, garlic remaining 1 tblsp oil and pinch of salt. Cook until mushrooms are browned. Add stock, wine, barley, miso paste, and soy sauce, stir. Bring to a boil and reduce to a low simmer. Cook for 40-50 minutes or until barley is tender. Add reserved sliced mushrooms, cayenne pepper, spinach and parsley to the soup. Stir and turn off heat. Adjust flavor by adding more salt, white wine, or oil as needed.
 
Stock Recipes from Naomi of Cantaloupe Alone:
Vegetable broth 
Beef/lamb bone stock 

Soup Tip: Naomi make stock with stock. When she makes new stock she starts with a container from the last batch, which she then keeps frozen.

Spinach, Roasted Cauliflower and Ginger Soup topped with Fried Shallots by Dave Miss

Soup #2

Spinach, Roasted Cauliflower and Ginger Soup topped with Fried Shallots by Dave Miss
Makes 5 quarts of soup, or enough for a large dinner party with enough to be frozen for another day.
Ingredients:
4 quarts of chicken stock
1 head of cauliflower
10-15 cloves garlic
4-5 small bunches of fresh spinach (about 1lb per bunch)
1 lb of frozen chopped spinach
6 large shallots
10-16 oz of frying oil (safflower, canola, peanut, grape seed)
6 red onions
1 large ginger root (6oz)
1 stick of butter
1 chipotle pepper (la Morena)
punch of Tony Chachere's Seasoning
sea salt
olive oil

Directions:
Pre-heat oven to 550º.

Put chicken stock in large 8 quart pot and bring up to boil.

Chop up head of cauliflower, getting rid of all green leafy parts and cut up florets into small wedges. Basically cutting small florets so that they have at least one flat side.  Take main stem and chop into chunks.  Add 5-7 garlic cloves. Put into large bowl. In large bowl, drizzle olive oil over cauliflower/garlic and toss until it's all covered.  Liberally sprinkle sea salt over and toss again.

On a parchment lined, or non stick baking sheet, put cauliflower/garlic spreading out and turning cauliflower so flat side is on the sheet. On the top rack in the oven, roast for 25 min or until edges are brown on cauliflower.  Alternatively for the garlic, you can also take one whole head of garlic, cut the top off, put in small piece of aluminum foil, drizzle with olive oil, wrap up and roast for an hour at 450º.  Pop those suckers out when they're done, or just eat them straight or on toast.

While oven is roasting the cauliflower your chicken stock will be boiling. Turn down slightly to med high heat.

In large 12" non reactive pan add 2 tbls salted butter.  When it's stopped bubbling add chopped red onions that have been cut in half and then into pinky thick slivers.  Saute on med-high heat for 10 min or so.  While the red onions are cooking down, using a spoon, peel ginger and mince. Take 1/2 and add to onions, stirring in so to coat. Cook for another 5 min or so and watch that onions don't burn.  Add pat of butter if necessary.

Roasted veggies should be ready at this point so remove from oven.  They are crazy hot so be careful where you put them.  Due to lack of counter and stove space, I used my fire escape.  Yea Winter!  While that's cooling, wash and de-stem the spinach.
 
Now it all gets thrown together!

First up, it's the onions and ginger.  Chuck it into the chicken broth and turn up the heat. Next it's the roasted cauliflower/garlic. Chuck it into the broth.  Give it a good stir and cover to get the whole shebang back to a boil.

While it's coming back up to a boil, saute in a small pan the rest of your ginger and garlic, either with butter or olive oil.  This only needs a few minutes to get the ginger soft and garlic soft.  We still want the bite of the rawness of both.

Now, it's time for the spinach.


With a big wooden spoon, push handfuls of spinach into boiling broth.  After last of spinach is submerged and wilted, about 2 min, turn down heat.  Using a hand blender (the best thing ever! Get one if you don't have one, but if you're reading a soup blog, you have two, so lend one to the uninitiated), get to blending.  You can also do this in a blender, which will make the whole thing very very smooth.  I like this soup with tiny chunks and then blend.

While blending add remaining ginger and garlic.  This addition is to brighten and sharpen the taste so you can add little bits and taste as you're going to see how much bite you like.  Add chopped up chipotle pepper.  Blend and blend some more.  Keep tasting.

Now we used salted butter, so we are going to be judicious to season with the Tony Chachere's (New Orleans spicy salt) to taste.  If you like it less spicy, sea salt and white pepper will do.

You'll notice that the soup is pretty smooth and that the amazing green color of the spinach is getting grayer.  This is where the frozen spinach comes in.  The blending part, after the spinach goes in, should be pretty quick, so if you add the frozen spinach, it will halt the cooking of the fresh spinach, so as close to the addition of the regular spinach you can add it, the brighter green the soup will be.  Lightly blend in the chopped spinach.  Turn the heat way down.

Using 1" of oil in a pan, get the temp up to 350º. Use a thermometer for god's sakes!  Don't burn down your house.  Turn heat down if you need another few min to chop shallots into rounds about 1/8" thick.  Drop in shallots so that only one layer is across the top of the oil.  They will fry better if not crowded, but at this point we're ready to eat, so do your best. The temp will drop when you put the shallots in, so turn the heat back up.  Pull them out and drain them on a brown paper bag.  Put them all in a big bowl when they are done and toss lightly with sea salt.

As Dave stated throughout the swap; this soup is merely a conveyance for fried shallots. They are worth eating on everything.  So make more than you need, because who wants to bust out some grease when all you want is a salty, sweet onion. (FYI: This soup is also great on sandwiches.)

Soup should be warm, dish it up and plunk down more fried shallots than you think you want.  Enjoy!

Aaron Levine, Rachael Mamane and friend at the swap

Creamy Potato and Bacon Soup by Aaron Levine

Soup #3
Creamy Potato and Bacon Soup by Aaron Levine
Ingredients:
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 slices thick slab bacon, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1 clove garlic, smashed
2 medium onions, thinly sliced
2 1/2 cups chicken stock
1 medium yukon gold potato, cut into 1 inch chunks and peeled
1 tsp fresh thyme (or 1 1/2 tsp dried thyme)
4 oz low fat plain Greek yogurt
salt/pepper to taste 

Directions:
Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in 4 qt pot over medium heat.  Add bacon, cook until fat renders but before bacon is crispy, 3-5 minutes.  Add thyme, garlic and sliced onions, cook 5-7 minutes.  Reduce heat to low-medium, cook additional 15-20 minutes until onions are soft and golden-brown.  Add potatoes, chicken stock, bring to boil cover and simmer for 20-25 minutes.  Off the heat, add yogurt.  Run through food processor or food mill.  Add salt pepper to taste.