Minestrone Soup

A good soup for when the weather is just starting to get cold. Even better when reheated!

Ingredients:

• vegetable oil
• 2 medium onions, diced
• 2 leeks, diced
• 1 carrot, diced
• 1 potato, diced
• 1 can of beans (I used kidney because it was all I could find)
• 1/2 a cup of parsley, chopped
• 1 bag of spinach, chopped
• marinara sauce
• water or vegetable stock
• 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
• 1 cup of cooked pasta

Directions:

1) Heat 4 TBSP oil in a pot.
2) Add the onions and let sweat until they become soft (you may need to add more oil to prevent burning).







3) Add the leeks, carrot, potato, salt and pepper and cook for a few mores minutes, until they begin to soften.








4) Add the beans, parsley and spinach until the spinach wilts.








5) Add the stock or water (to cover), and add half as much marinara sauce.
6) Simmer until the vegetables are soft.
7) Add the Parmesan cheese and pasta and cook until the cheese has mostly dissolved and the pasta is warmed.

 So much soup...

Ramen Noodle Soup

I followed this recipe for the soup, and made a few changes due to liking green onions more than ginger. I thought it would be a bit difficult to find vegetable stock in Korea, so I made some following this recipe, loosely. It seems like you can throw any vegetables into water to make broth.

Ingredients:

• Stock
• water to cover
• vegetables
• carrot
• mushroom
• onion
• leeks
• pepper
• Noodle Soup
• stock
• 2 TBSP soy sauce
• 1 TBSP sesame oil
• 2 TBSP fresh ginger
• 4 green onions
• 3 TBSP vegetable oil
• 1 block of tofu
• 1 package of Ramen noodles
• 2 cups of spinach

Directions:

1) Chop the vegetables for the stock and place them in a pot.
2) Cover with water.
3) Bring to a boil.






4) Add the pepper and stir. Cook for 1 hour.
5) Strain the vegetables out and put the liquid back into the pot.







6) Add the soy sauce, sesame oil, ginger, and green onions and bring back to a boil.
7) While it is boiling, heat the oil in a pan.







8) Add the tofu and cook for about 4-5 minutes on each side, until it is brown.







9) Add the Ramen to the stock and cook for 8-10 minutes, until cooked through.








10) Add the spinach and cook for 2-3 minutes until wilted.









11) Add the tofu and cook for 2-3 minutes until heated.

Grilled Corn and Potato Chowder

 In the final use of the Boston Organics box this week, I used up the corn and some of the onion. The recipe was taken from here (a Boston Organics recipe!) and changed a bit.

Ingredients:

• 1 pound red potatoes, chopped
• 1 TBSP salt
• 3 TBSP butter, softened
• 4 ears corn, shucked
• 3/4 cup chopped onion
• dash of ground red pepper
• 3 cups low-fat milk
• 1/2 cup half-and-half
• 1 TBSP thyme
• 1/2 TBSP black pepper

Directions:

1) Place potatoes and 2 tsp salt in a saucepan and cover the potatoes with water.
2) Bring to a boil.
3) Cook for 2 minutes.
4) Remove from heat and let sit in the water for 5 minutes.
5) Preheat a grill pan to medium and put cooking spray on it.
6) Drain the water out.
7) Melt 1 TBSP butter and spread it over the corn.

8) Place corn and potatoes on the grill pan.











9) Grill for about 15 minutes, turning occasionally.
10) Cool the corn a bit, then cut the kernels from the cobs.











11) Place 1 cup of the kernels in a food processor (or blender) and blend until smooth (it won't get too smooth, at least it didn't for me...).
12) Melt remaining 2 TBSP butter in a saucepan.






13) Add onion and saute for 3 minutes. I used a spatula to stir, so I could scrap the sides.







14) Add 1 tsp salt and red pepper to the pan and cook for 30 seconds.









15) Stir in potatoes, corn kernels, pureed corn, milk, half and half, and thyme and bring to a simmer.







16) Reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes.
17) Add black pepper.

Tomato Soup

Last tomato recipe for awhile....as I have moved and no longer have access to 100,000 tomatoes.

Recipe taken from here with some changes.

Ingredients:

• 3 lb tomatoes
• 1 cup water
• 1/2 cup celery
• 1/2 cup onion
• 1 1/2 TBSP flour
• 6 leaves of basil
• 1/4 cup hot pepper
• 1 cup milk

Directions:

1) Chop the tomatoes and place in 1 cup of water  on a stove top for 30 minutes.
2) Strain the tomatoes into a bowl, so as to reserve the liquid and throw out the mushy chunks, seeds and skin.









3) Place back on the stove and add the celery, onion, flour, basil and pepper.
4) Cook until you reach the desired consistency, which was about 40 minutes for me.






5) Add the milk and let cook for about 10 more minutes.
6) You may put it in a blender at this point to get rid of any chunks. I think my brother did this, as the soup was for him.

Gazpacho

So many tomatoes....

And I can't find the recipe I used again so I have to remember it using the pictures...pretty simple recipe though

Ingredients:

• 6 tomatoes, or what you think would be the equilivent of 6, if some are very very large
• 1 cucumber
• 1 green bell pepper
• 1 piece of bread (and more to eat with if desired)
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• dash of vinegar
• handful of basil
• a few hot peppers (optional)
• salt and pepper to taste

 Directions:

1) Chop all the veg and rip the bread









2) Add the tomatoes, cucumber, bell pepper, bread, oil and vinegar to a food processor (this may need to be done in batches, as mine was)
3)  Add the basil, hot peppers and salt and pepper to taste.

 

Before basil and hot peppers....

 ...After basil and hot peppers

Pasta & Bean Soup with Basil Oil

 

Working my way thought Veggie Feasts (and I'm not sure for how much longer since it got soaking wet today...) and still in the soup section--probably not for much longer either as Tesco is lacking in many of the ingredients. 

Ingredients:

• 2 TBSP extra virgin olive oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 TBSP chopped rosemary
• 2 x 400 g (13oz) cans chopped tomatoes
• 600ml (1 pt) vegetable stock
• 400g (13oz) can borlotti beans, drained (I used Cannellini Beans due to Tescos lack of ingredients)
• 125g (4oz) dried small pasta shapes
• salt and black pepper
• grated Parmesan cheese, to serve
• 25g (1oz) basil leaves
• 150ml (1/4 pint) extra virgin olive oil

Directions:
1) Heat the oil (2 TBSP) in a saucepan.

2) Add the onion, garlic and rosemary and cook over a low heat, stirring frequently, for 5 minutes until the onion is softened.







3) Stir in the tomatoes, stock, beans and salt and pepper.









4) Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat, cover and simmer gently for 20 minutes.








5) Add the pasta and simmer, covered, for a further 10 minutes until the pasta is al dante.
6) Boil water in a sauce pan.






7) Add the basil leaves and boil for 30 seconds.
8) Drain the basil leaves.
9) Refresh the basil leaves under cold water.
10) Dry the basil leaves.






11) Transfer the oil and basil to a blender and blend until really smooth (I don't have a nice blender, so I cut the basil very fine and stirred it together).
12) Ladle the soup into bowls and add the basil oil and Parmesan cheese.

Still don't know if I'll be taking the book with me on Christmas break, but if not I'll be back with it in January.

Chili Bean Soup (and Homemade Tortilla Chips)

 

Here you go Felix F.

I'm on the soup part of the book, and really excited about it!

Ingredients:

• 2 TBSP olive oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• 1 tsp hot chilli powder
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• 400 g (13 oz) can red kidney beans, drained
• 400 g (13 oz) can chopped tomatoes
• 600ml (1 pt) vegetable stock
• 12 tortilla chips (homemade recipe below)
• 50g (2 oz) cheddar cheese, grated
• salt and black pepper
• soured cream, to serve

Directions:
1) Heat the oil in a saucepan

2) Add onion, garlic, chilli powder, coriander and cumin and cook over a medium heat, stirring frequently, for 5 minutes until the onion is softened.








 3) Add the beans, tomatoes and stock and season with salt and pepper.







4) Bring to a boil








5) Reduce the heat, cover and simmer for 15 minutes
6) Transfer to a food processor or blender and process until fairly smooth. Or use a blender in the pot. Or leave it and have chunky soup!
7)Pour into flameproof bowls.





8) Scatter the tortilla chips on top of the soup and sprinkle over the cheddar cheese.






9) Cook under a preheated hot grill for 1-2 minutes until the cheese has melted.








10) Serve with soured cream.













For the chips:

1) Preheat the oven to 350F/176C
2) Put foil down on an oven tray.
3) Spray with oil.
4) Put tortilla wraps down.
5) Spray with oil again.
6) Add seasoning
7) Place in the oven and cook for 2 minutes (check often, just in case!)

8) Flip them over. Re-season if you like
9) Cook for another 2 minutes (check often, just in case!)

10) Remove from the oven and break apart