Soup Recipe Exchange

Here in NYC, we were greeted with yet another blizzard. As the snow continues to fall and schools are closed, the only thing I could think of eating is a nice warm bowl of soup. Luckily, I still have some miso soup to get me through the day, but if those ingredients aren't handy, you can always refer to your cupboard and gather some leftover items to create a new soup. Another option is to test out some selections from this weeks soup recipe exchange-ranging from  coconut chicken curry soup, tortilla soup, and even a seafood soup that will surely warm you up and have you stocked up for the weekend.

1. Tortilla Soup with Pinto Beans- Crafted by Fat Free Vegan Kitchen, this meatless/dairy-free soup is a variation of a recipe from Eating Well magazine that FFVK changed around a bit. She used pinto beans instead of tofu, Mexican oregano instead of epizot, and doubled up the amount of beans in the dish. I also love how the soup includes kale, spinach, or chard and avocado for some added nutritional benefits.
2. Seafood Soup Amalfi-Style- Here at Seriously Soupy I haven't covered a fish soup...at least not as of yet. You see I'm a bit scared about attempting a soup of this nature, due to the vast amount of ingredients that are used and the intricacies of its preparation (at least that is what I always thought). However, after reading the seafood post on Leite's Culinaria I have very little to worry about, except following directions. Posted by Renee Schettler Rossi (of LC) the recipe includes how to make the actual fish broth (most important part) and its subsequent ingredients (fennel, leeks, canned tomatoes, fish bones, assorted fish fillets, white wine, etc). RR also notes that this type of soup can be "varied and used with any kind of shellfish such as mussels and clams."
3. Short Ribs Soup with Vegetables-Another ingredient that Seriously Soupy hasn't tried yet (meat) and its usage is in a short rib soup with veggies. Crafted by In My Kitchen, this soup was created from leftovers that began by removing the bones, adding fresh veggies from her garden, and tamarind soup mix to create an instant, and very filling meal-type of a soup.
4. Coconut Chicken Curry Soup -A guest post by Katie Goodman (goodLife {eats}) on This Week for Dinner, this chicken curry soup recipe features a unique combination of flavors (coconut milk, lime, jalapeño, and curry powder) and basic ingredients (chicken and jasmine rice) to create a healthy soup that is definitely a soup right up by alley. I am also really excited to test this one out as a variation on the same-old chicken dinner that the Seriously Soupy family knows too well.
5. Cream of Fennel Soup- Chef In You nailed it right on the head "Soups are easy to cook." Of course, there are some that require more intricate preparation or hard-to-locate ingredients, but in general this is true. One such simply soup, is her cream of fennel soup. Using a bulb of fennel (another ingredient I haven't tried...yet), curry spices, heavy cream, onion, and some butter-the veggies are pan cooked and then pureed to create-you guested it: a quick and easy soup.
6. Potatge (Winter Vegetable Soup)- An appropriate title, this soupy created by Simple Steps.org utilizes apples and various veggies (leeks, potatoes, carrots, turnips, artichokes, and onions), along with a chunk of cheese. That sounds amazing to me, but SS takes this one step further by boosting its flavors with thyme, bay leaves, pepper, garlic, and salt. The recipe even includes what tools to use such as the proper knife and wine and dessert pairing to complete the meal.

What soups have you tried or created this week?

Stay Warm
Seriously Soupy Serena

Tofu Miso Soup with Thin Noodles

Miso Soup with Thin Noodles-brimming with chunks of goodness

Originally, I wanted to call this soup "miso soup with a whole lotta stuff," since that certainly fit the description, but something about that name did not quite gel with me, and really lotta is not even a word. I decided to title it Miso Soup with Thin Noodles, but even though the name is shorter (and perhaps just a little obvious), it can't deny "the stuff" that's in there. Packed with tofu, shitaki mushrooms, carrots, spinach, and some subtle flavors (red pepper flakes, ginger, chives, and onions) to create a hearty, yet healthy Asian-inspired soupy. For the miso itself, I used a recipe from La Fuji Mama that I mentioned in last weeks soup recipe exchange and from there just started adding the "whole lotta stuff," which is quite the beautiful thing about creating a miso soup. If you wish, it can be left alone or joined by the company of many ingredients. Enjoy this verison or use it as a base to create one all your own!

Ingredients for Miso Soup adapted from the Tofu & Wakame Miso Soup recipe by La Fuji Mama

• Seriously Soupy's note: For my miso I didn't add the tofu, until the rest of the soup ingredients were added, and I couldn't locate the enoki mushrooms, so that was not used.

Makes 3 -4 servings
3 1/2 cups dashi
1 tablespoon dried wakame, soaked in water for 5 minutes then drained
1 package enoki mushrooms (about 3 ounces), trimmed (optional)
3 tablespoons miso (I use 2 tablespoons shiro miso and 1 tablespoon aka miso)
5 – 7 ounces firm tofu, cut into 3/8-inch cubes
1. Bring the dashi to a boil in a saucepan.  Add the wakame and mushrooms (if you are using them), and simmer for 1 minute.
2. Add the miso (using one of the methods detailed above) to the dashi, and then the tofu*, and reheat slightly (but do not boil).  Serve immediately.
* You can also divide the tofu between 3 or 4 bowls and then ladle the soup over the tofu when it is finished.

Ingredients for the Soup:
2 cups of water
bunch of fresh spinach
1/2 of a block of firm tofu
6-8 shitaki mushrooms, cut up lengthwise
2 chives, cut into small squares
1 yellow onion, chopped up
1/2 of a package of Thai Kitchen Thin Rice Noodles
1 ginger
1 parsnip, cut up
5-6 baby carrots, cut up
1 zucchini, cut up
pinch of red pepper flakes-taste as you go to adjust flavors
pinch of ginger powder-taste as you go to adjust flavors

Directions:
After the miso has been prepared, start adding the "stuff" to the soup pot. It can be your preference, but I opted to start with the onions and chives and then added the zucchini, parsnip, carrots, mushrooms and ginger. Cover the pot and let cook on a low flame for 20-30 minutes, tasting as you go. Add the tofu and pasta, allowing the pasta to cook for 8-10 minutes. Taste the soup, adding red pepper and turn off flame when ready. Place spinach on the bottom of your soup bowl. You can also place the spinach directly in the pot, but since it wilts so quickly I usually do it this way.

What do you usually add to your Miso Soup?

Seriously Soupy Serena

Wine Pairing -- Butternut Squash and Carrot Soup

Image from Culinary Covers

http://culinarycovers.com/2009/10/roasted-squash-soup-with-maple-glazed-bananas/

It is often said that the wine completes a meal. I'm not sure exactly where I heard this, but I think this rings some air of truth and it got me wondering about how wine would pair with soup. I also noticed a recent article in Cooking Light magazine entitled: Which wines go best with favorite soups and stews? that listed four soups (Clam Chowder, Chicken Soup, Beef and Bean Chili, and Beef Bourguignon) and three wines that would pair well with it. This was enough incentive for me to get this post started, but I wanted to take this concept a step further and create an on-going series about the soups I covered (and will cover) on Seriously Soupy and what wines go with it. I also would like this to include ideas from readers about what soups they have created and the wines they would recommend (email me at seriouslysoupy@gmail.com) for more details.

This installment of the series begins with the Butternut Squash and Carrot Soup I created way back in October-hearty, rich and slightly creamy. Also, in figuring the pairings, I relied on some help from various websites and blogs, since although I do love wine I am no expert in its intricacies, nor I am proficient enough to make the best recommendations. As I read about their recommendations, I discovered a common theme-butternut squash pairs well with wine wine such as a Riseling or a White Burgundy due to their low acidity and mellow flavors that do not take over this delicate soup. Here are some more recommendations to pair with your next batch of butternut squash soup:

Food and Wine Pairing-From Vino 101, this post list several wine and soup options, including butternut squash.
Vino 101 recommends:

A high-toned wine with modest to low acidity such as:

• Torrontes-White from Argentina
  
• Soave -White from Italy
• Tokay Friulano

Or a wine with high-toned fruit aromas, like honey, honeysuckle, chamomile, and white rose petals; all of which complement the starchy low tones of the squash and accent the spice fragrances, without taking over center stage.

• Riesling (Auslese)-White from Germany 

Impossible Wine and Soup Pairings-Dr. Vino asked his readers "What wine would you pair with a Butternut Squash soup. Here are some recommendations:

• White Burgundy, preferably Meursault-wine from California or Australia
• Verdelho-wine from Australia
• Pinot Gris

WinedIn-Butternut Squash Soup-Quite the user-friendly site, WinedIn allows you to select the soup you are making (or food item) and instantly a listing of wines appears. For butternut squash they recommend:

• Gruner Veltliner-wine from Austria
• Viognier-wine from France
• Dry Muscat-wine comes from various regions (California, Oregon, South Africa, France)
• Pinot Noir-wine from France and California
• Chianti-wine from Italy

Pairing Tips for Thanksgiving-Although the article from the SF Gate is about Thanksgiving and what wines to bring, it also covers the butternut in question. They suggest one with a "spicy character."

• Gewurztraminer-wine from France

All About Butternut-I learned some interesting things about butternut squash on this blog, like how it has been enjoyed since 5500BC!, as well as what wine it should be paired with.

• Pinot Grigio-wine from California
• Chenin Blanc -wine from France

What wines would you suggest to pair with a Butternut Squash Soup?
Seriously Soupy Serena

Soup Recipe Exchange

This week, like most weeks did not fail in the discovery of new and exciting soups. I easily located my standard three favorites, but as I continued to search I couldn't stop linking (and drooling) over the uniquely crafted recipes from some very creative bloggers and chefs out there. This list would actually have a lot more soups, but I had to stop myself and I wanted you to be to take it all in and hopefully test some out yourself. Here's a listing of this weeks fav's.

• Carrot-Coconut Soup with Lime- A non-sweet carrot soup, this carrot-coconut combination provides a soup that is "creamy, spicy, fruity, and slightly sour." Along with the addition of coconut milk, this soup created by Seitan is My Mother features quite the interesting blend of flavors that I can't wait to test out myself.

• Beef Brisket Vegetable Soup-This recipe, created by the W.H.O.L.E Gang features a traditional soupy that actually is casein-free, dairy-free, egg-free, and gluten-free. The soup can also be varied up a bit by using chicken, turkey, or pork instead of beef-making this recipe a simply and easy take on a classic.

• Tuscan Bread Soup-Tomatoes, stale bread, and various spices and presto you have bread soup. Ok, so there is more to this soup that just that, but those are the main components that Martha from Soup and Bread use to create this soupy. It can also be topped with mussels like this one on the kitch or even with smoked pork, prosciutto rind, or of course simply left as is.

• Broccoli Argula Soup- Broccoli with a touch of cirtus and some spices was the inspiration for this broccoli argula soup by Joy the Baker.  No cream was used, just the simplicity of the broccoli enhanced with onions, garlic, cumin, and soup stock-as Joy mentions is also filling.

• Cream of Lentil Soup-One of my fav's, lentil soup never fails, but it's also key to remember that you don't always have to make a traditional lentil soup the same way every time. This creamy variety created by Food for a Hungry Soul uses whipping cream, spinach, and curry that as FFAHS stated  made the soup for her with its "perfect amount, spicy, aromatic, warm but not overpowering."

• 5 ingredients. 10 minutes. 5 meals.Warming Soups-For some people soup is not a meal, its well, a soup. This is of course is true but it can provide enough sustenance to be a meal and with these five meal-soups from Zen Family Habits its hard to doubt its filling potential. Zen family includes a pea and pasta soup with bacon, gently spiced lentil soup, zucchini (courgette) soup, chicken and couscous soup,and a hot prawn (shrimp) soup that certainly seems filling to me.

• Creamy Eggplant Soup- I love eggplant and have actually thinking about ways to turn in into a soup, but low-and-behold The Green Prophet bet me to it. This recipe blends veggie stock with various herbs and cream to create a Middle-Eastern inspired soup that you don't see every day, but one that you should surely try to attempt on your own.

What soups have you tried this week?

Seriously Soupy Serena

Chilled Cucumber Yogurt Soup with Dill

 Chilled Cucumber Soup with Dill - Seriously Soupy

I realize the temperatures are reaching the single digits and dropping and that the idea of eating a cold soup is probably the last thing you would want in this weather. But, this little soupy was a carefully calculated ode to the warmer months that hopefully are not as far away as they seem. I also have never really made a chilled soup, except for testing out this edamame one or trying the standard chilled gazpacho soup once or twice.What I discovered was a quick and easy soup with very little preparation and one that used minimal ingredients- resulting in a refreshing and flavorful soup that could also be used as a dip for veggies or as a light pasta sauce. I hope you enjoy it and perhaps it will help you to conjure up thoughts of the warmer months to come.

Chilled Cucumber Soup with Dill
Ingredients:
3-4 cups of water
4 cucumbers, skin peeled off and cut into squares
bunch of dill
6oz carton of 0% fat Fage yogurt
1 small yellow onion, chopped up into squares
lemon juice or fresh lemons
lime juice or fresh limes
pinch of sea salt

Directions:
Add water and the cut up onions to a medium-sized pot and let boil. Peel the skin of the cucumbers and cut into small squares, along with the dill and let boil until the mixture is soft (approximately 15-20 minutes).When soft turn off the flame and let cool for 10 minutes or so. Add the yogurt, lemon, lime, and salt and adjust based on your preference. Mix the soup together with a hand blender and place in the fridge over night. Serve the next day and enjoy!

What chilled soups do you enjoy?
Seriously Soupy Serena