Tag Archives: soup

How to Make Vegetarian Phở Without a Recipe from food52

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1Phở is a soup you stick your face in before you eat. You can’t help but smell it: mellow onion, all those spices, zesty lime, and hits from just-relaxed herbs all steaming up together. It simultaneo usly nestles you underneath your blankets and ships you to the street markets of Hanoi.

Having so many flavors at work in one soup means you have a lot to tinker with. First, there’s the broth: Classically, it’s beef- or chicken-based, but you can get an equally robust (and vegan) broth by taking some traditional broth ingredients, which you likely already have in your pantry, to the oven or stove beforehand. Plus, by using your nose, you can adjust the spice components of your broth before it gets to simmering, so you know you’ll like the final flavor. And we hope you really like it, because this broth is something to have on hand for the week, to carry whatever miscellaneous vegetables need using up.

In addition to the wide array of vegetables that fit into this soup, there are noodles, proteins, and umpteen garnishes to dabble in. Stir in as many or as few as you want, or let each person choose their own (a phở bar!). A few slurps, with all the textures of the mix-ins and that anchor of abroth, and you’ll feel good, fortified. Here’s how to do it:

1. Scorch. Cut an onion and 2 pieces of ginger in half; the peel can stay on. Using tongs, place the pieces of onion and ginger directly over the flame of your gas stove, one by one. Hold them there for 3 to 4 minutes, turning every so often so all the sides get black. It might look as if you’re making onion s’mores (which sound horrible) — but there’s a good reason you’re going there: Charring the aromatics gives them a smokiness and a nice, mellow sweetness.

If this indoor campfire sounds treacherous, you could also broil the onion and ginger in the oven for 3 to 4 minutes on each side. You could also skip the charring step entirely and proceed to step two using chopped raw onion and ginger, though the broth won’t end up quite as sweet and soothing.

2. Make the broth. Put the onion and ginger in a soup pot with 6 or so cups of water. Next come the spices. Measure a cupped palmful (or a tablespoon) each of fennel seeds, coriander seeds, and peppercorns, and add them to a little bowl. Throw in a few cardamom pods, star anise, cloves, and cinnamon sticks. Smell the mixture: Do you like how it smells? Do you want to eat a soup that tastes like that? Into the soup pot they go. Are you not getting enough fennel, or do you want more of another spice? Add a bit more, smell to make sure it smells like what you want, then add the spices to the pot. Throw in a pinch of salt.

3. Simmer. Bring the mixture to a boil, and let it simmer, covered, for an hour.

4. While you wait, prep your mix-ins. They may be a combination of:

  • Noodles: cooked rice noodles or soba (cook your noodles beforehand — cooking them in the broth will make the broth murky and starchy)
  • Chopped raw vegetables: bok choy, kale, spinach, broccoli, asparagus, mung bean sprouts, mushrooms, snap peas, or whatever you have lying around
  • Protein: tofu, shelled edamame, or — for the non-vegetarian route — cooked chicken or turkey or very thinly sliced raw beef
  • Garnish: lime, cilantro, basil, mint, Sriracha, soy sauce, hoisin sauce, green onions, or crispy fried shallots

As you bide the time while your soup cooks, entertain yourself with some phonomenal puns: Pho is a phobulous, unphogettable Vietnamese soup — pho real, it should be a phonomenon. Pho pho the win. Pho phoever. It’s pho sho what’s pho dinner. (Except really it’s pronounced “fah,” not “fo,” so you can phoget about this phonny business.)

5. Get ready to slurp. Your broth will be ready when you taste it and you like it. If the flavor isn’t intense enough, let it simmer for a little longer. If the spices are overwhelming, add a bit more water. Then, strain the broth and discard the solids. Ladle into and add as many or as few of your mix-ins as you’d like. Let the raw ones (everything but the noodles) soften a bit from the heat of the broth. Take a whiff. It’s good, right?2

DASHI (JAPANESE SEA STOCK)

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  • download6 cups cold water
  • 1 oz (30 grams) kombu (dried kelp), about 20 square inches
  • 2 (5-gram) packages katsuo bushi (dried bonito flakes), about 1 cup

Bring cold water and kombu just to a boil in a large saucepan over high heat. Remove from heat and remove kombu (saving it for pickled Napa cabbage ). Sprinkle katsuo bushi over liquid; let stand 3 minutes and, if necessary, stir to make katsuo bushi sink. Pour through a cheesecloth-lined sieve or a coffee filter into a bowl. Reserve katsuo bushi for rice with soy-glazed bonito flakes and sesame seeds .

cooks’ notes:• If making stock for miso soup it is not necessary to save the kombu or katsuo bushi. • Stock keeps 4 days. Cool, uncovered, before chilling, covered.

Jane Grigson’s Celery Soup from food52

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  • 12308928433_46006b141a_b1/2 pound celery, chopped (4 large stalks about 2 cups)
  • 1/2 onion chopped 
  • 1-2 diced small potatos
  • 4 tablespoons butter
  • 4 cups veggie stock
  • 1/2 c. cream, half and half or milk
  • About 1 teaspoons dill weed * (2 teaspoons for fresh dill)
  1. Stew celery, onion, and potato gently in the butter in a covered pan for 10 minutes. Don’t let the vegetables brown. Add stock or water, s & p to taste and 1/2 teaspoon of dill weed. Simmer for 20 minutes.
  2. Blend or purée the soup.  Add cream. Bring slowly to just under the boil, and more dill weed if required.
  3.  Serves 4, 6 if the rest of the meal is fairly copious

Notes:  * I only used 1/2 tsp dill as I thought more would be overpowering.  I used an immersion blender.

 

Pancotto (Tuscan Bread Soup)

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  • 1/2 pound (250 grams) stale white bread (Italian style loaf), crusts on
  • 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus more for serving
  • 1/2 onion, finely chopped
  • 1 small carrot, finely chopped
  • 1 celery stick, finely chopped
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 1/2 tsp marjoram
  • 1/2 tsp oregano
  • 1 pinch salt
  • pinch chili flakes
  • 1 teaspoon dried chile (or chopped fresh chile)
  • 4 cups (1 liter) water or veggie stock 
  • 3/4 cup (80 grams) finely grated Pecorino Romano or Parmesan cheese, divided
  • Handful of fresh parsley
  1. Roughly chop the bread into chunks, pass under some cold running water quickly to soften (but not soak), and crumble into pieces. Set aside.
  2. Add the olive oil to a large casserole or soup pot, and gently saute the onion, carrot, celery, and garlic with a pinch of salt until softened but not browned, about 10 minutes. Add the chile and water and bring to a boil. Add herbsLet simmer gently until the vegetables (in particular the carrot) are cooked through and the broth is fragrant, about 10 minutes.
  3. Add the bread and cook until the soup has become thick and creamy with the appearance of oatmeal, about 10 minutes. Stir through half the cheese and remove from the heat. Let sit a further 5 to 10 minutes, covered, before serving in shallow bowls with the rest of the cheese sprinkled on top, some herbs, and a drizzle of olive oil.  Serves 4

 

Alma’s Cooked Water Soup, Lidia

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2 pounds Swiss chaalma's_cooked_water_soup_851_frd
1 onion, chopped
2 stalks celery , trimmed, peeled and cut in chunks
⅓ cup Italian parsley
8 fresh basil leaves
⅓ cup extra-virgin olive oil
½ teaspoon peperoncino
1 tablespoon tomato paste
9 cups water
2 teaspoons salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
eggs, (1 for each serving of soup)
day-old country bread, (1/2 a slice)
pecorino, freshly grated

Wash and drain the chard and tear out the long stems from the leafy parts. Stack the leaves and slice crosswise into 1-inch strips. Cut off the tough base of each stem and discard. Chop the trimmed stems into 1/2-inch pieces.

Using a food processor, mince the onion, celery, parsley, and basil into a fine textured paste (pestata). Heat the oil in the saucepan over medium heat, scrape in the pestata and stir it all around the pan as it starts to steam and sizzle. Sprinkle in the peperoncino and cook, stirring, until the pestata has dried and starts to stick, 4 minutes or so. Drop in the tomato paste, and stir to toast it for a minute.

Pour in the water, raise the heat to high, and stir up all the cooked seasonings, while adding 2 teaspoons of salt and freshly ground pepper to taste.

Bring the water to the boil and dump in all of the cut chard leaves and chopped stems. Return to the boil, cover partially and cook at a steady simmer for about 40 minutes, until the chard is very tender and the broth is quite flavorful. Turn off the heat until you’re ready to serve.

For each portion, ladle about 1 1/3 cups of soup into the skillet. Heat to a simmer; crack and carefully slip into the soup one egg for each serving. Turn the heat down very low, cover the skillet tightly, and poach the eggs for 2 minutes or longer. Put a bread slice or croutons in each warm soup bowl, and when the eggs are done as you like them, lift them out, one at a time, with a slotted spoon or spatula, taking some cooked greens too. Lay the egg and greens on the bread and ladle in hot broth to cover. Sprinkle pecorino over the egg and broth, and serve immediately, passing more cheese at the table.

– See more at: http://www.lidiasitaly.com/recipes/detail/851#sthash.F17C3DBN.dpuf

Easy Asian Noodle Soup (a.k.a. Homemade Ramen)

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  • ½ tablespoon vegetable oil
  • 2 green onions, sliced thin with greens separated from whites
  • ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1 garlic clove, minced (I use my garlic press)
  • 3½ cups veggie broth
  • 1 tablespoon soy sauce, plus extra as needed (a commenter mentioned that soy sauce can be high in sodium, so if you really want to cut back, try using low-sodium soy sauce or reducing the amount used)
  • 1 3-ounce package ramen noodles, flavor packet discarded
  • 1½ cups shredded coleslaw mix (I used a coleslaw mix made only with green cabbage)
  • 1½ cups fresh baby spinach, roughly chopped
  • ½ tablespoon sesame oil, plus extra as needed
  • salt and pepper
  1. Heat vegetable oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add chopped white green onions (reserving the greens for later), ginger and garlic and cook for about 1 minute. Stir in veggie broth and soy sauce and bring to a simmer (you’ll want to turn the heat up to get it boiling gently, then reduce the heat to medium or so to maintain the simmer). Stir in ramen noodles and coleslaw and cook for 4 minutes. Add spinach and cook for 1 minute. Stir in the rest of the green onions and sesame oil. Mix together, taste, then add salt, pepper, soy sauce and sesame oil to taste. Serve immediately. Serves ~4.

Julia Child soup base

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Onion/Rice Soup Base

2 cups onions; sliced
2 tablespoon butter
4 cups stock
1/2 cup rice
salt and pepper

Sautée the onions in the butter until tender. Add the rice and the 4 cups of stock with salt and pepper to taste. Simmer for 20 minutes then cool, puree, and freeze for later use. A blender is FAR superior in this endeavor. A food processor leaves it too chunky.

Another 4 cups of another liquid, milk, stock, cooking liquid, etc. will be needed to properly reconstitute the base to a soup consistency.

Add whatever turns you on to flavor it. …mushrooms, ham, cooked greens, etc. and even brussle sprouts.
NOTE: Blake made the Brussels sprout soup as reported but discovered something else along the way. I.e, the soup base is some pretty darned good stuff all by itself. It tastes suspiciously like a good risotto but far simpler to make.

Blake used the onion/rice soup base….about two cups, sautéed 18-20 sprouts till they got some good color. I cooled and quartered them and put them back in the pot with about two slices of crumbled bacon. I thinned it with as much milk as necessary and adjusted the salt and pepper. It is definitely a winner.

One-pan coconut shrimp noodle bowls

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What it took for 2 HUGE bowls. Or 4 smaller ones. Or whatever:

* 1 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil
* 1 tsp sesame oil
* 1 pound extra-large shrimp; thawed, peeled and deveined
* 3 cloves garlic, minced
* 1 Tbs. freshly minced ginger
* 1 yellow bell pepper, diced
* 1 (13.5 oz) can coconut milk
* 2 cups fish stock (or seafood, or chicken, whatevs)
* 7 oz (half a box) pad Thai noodles
* 1 tsp fish sauce
* 2 tsp sriracha sauce
* 1 cup cilantro leaves (plus more for garnish)
* 2 scallions, diced
* 1 lime (or more!)

Heat the oils in a large straight-sided pan over medium-high. Add the shrimp, season with salt and pepper and sear on both sides until you get a nice sear, about 5 minutes total. Remove from pan and set aside.

Back in the pan, add more oil if needed and toss in the garlic, ginger and bell pepper. Sauté for one minute, then add the coconut milk, stock, noodles, fish sauce, sriracha sauce, cilantro and scallions. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and let simmer until noodles cook through, about 5 minutes.

Take off the heat and add a few big squeezes of lime juice. Now taste that. UGH. Need anything? Add a little salt if you want. More lime juice? Yes.

Stir the shrimp back in and toss to combine. Serve with more cilantro on top!

http://www.feastie.com/

Pati Jinich’s Tortilla Soup

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For the Tortilla Soup:
3 Guajillo Chiles (stemmed; seeded and toasted)
1 pound ripe Tomatoes
1 Garlic clove
1/2 cup Onion (roughly chopped)
1/2 teaspoon Kosher Salt
2 tablespoons Vegetable Oil
6 cups Chicken Broth use veggie broth
1 sprig fresh Parsley
1/2 cup Mexican Crema (creme fraiche or sour cream)
8 ounces Queso Fresco (diced)
1 ripe Avocado (diced)

For the Tortilla Crisps:
Vegetable Oil (for frying) try baking
6 5-6 inch Corn Tortillas (cut into wedges)
1/4 teaspoon Kosher Salt
Guajillo chiles (stemmed; seeded and broken into pieces)

For the Tortilla Soup: In a medium sauce pan, place the toasted Guajillo chiles, tomatoes, and garlic. Add enough water just to cover ingredients. Place over medium high heat and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and simmer 12 to 15 minutes, until tomatoes are fully cooked and mushy and the Guajillos have re-hydrated and plumped up.

Place the Guajillos, tomatoes, garlic and onion in a blender along with 1 cup of the simmering liquid and salt. Puree until completely smooth.

In a large soup pot, heat 2 tablespoons oil over medium-high heat. Once hot but not smoking, pour in the tomato puree. It will sizzle and make noise and smoke. Let the puree cook and thicken, changing from a bright red to a darker red and thicker consistency, for about 12 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the chicken broth and the parsley sprig and return to a boil, and then reduce to a simmer and season, cooking another 10 minutes. Remove parsley sprig before serving.

Serve into soup bowls, adding a handful of tortilla crisps, a few chile crisps, and crema, cheese and avocado to taste. Alternatively you can place all the garnishes on the soup plates, and pour the hot soup into the bowls at the table. You may add other more hefty garnishes, such as cooked shredded chicken on top.

For the Tortilla Crisps: To fry: in a deep 12-inch skillet, heat 1⁄2 inch of oil over medium-high heat until hot but not smoking—a tortilla piece dipped in the oil should bubble around the edges. Add the tortilla pieces in small batches and fry, turning once, until they are a rich golden brown and nicely crisped. For crisps and chips, cook for 20 to 30 seconds per side; cook tostadas one at a time for 1 1/2 to 2 minutes per side. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Sprinkle immediately with salt so it will stick to the surface.

To prepare Chile Crisps, flash fry the chile pieces in the vegetable oil for 2 seconds, then quickly remove to a paper-towel lined plate.

To bake: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a baking sheet. Place the tortilla pieces (or whole tortillas) on the baking sheet. Gently brush the tops with oil and sprinkle with salt. Bake for about 20 minutes, stirring and flipping them occasionally, until golden brown and crispy. Let cool.

Helpful Tips:
1. Guajillo chilis aren’t as spicy as other peppers, so it’s a crowd pleasing base. You could also use ancho or Serrano chilis. It’s important to rehydrate the ancho chili so it creates a paste.

2. To cut fat out of your diet, you can bake the tortillas into chips instead of frying them.

3. Save tortillas crisps in a plastic bag and use them at breakfast, lunch, or dinner. For breakfast: If you scramble eggs with cooked onions, jalapeno and tomato, just when the eggs are starting to fluff and firm up, you add the tortilla crisps and makes them like “migas” (a traditional Spanish dish with eggs using leftover bread). For lunch: use them as a garnish for a salad. For dinner: top any soup, stew, chili with crumbled tortilla. You can also add them to any cooked beans for a delicious side!

4. How to store soft tortillas: If homemade, store wrapped in a cloth and inside of a sealed plastic bag. If store bought, keep in the refrigerator

Cheeseburger Soup — allrecipes.com

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1/2 pound fake ground beef
3/4 cup chopped onion
3/4 cup shredded carrots
3/4 cup chopped celery
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried parsley
4 tablespoons butter
3 cups veggie broth
4 cups cubed potatoes
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups cubed Cheddar cheese
1 1/2 cups milk
1/4 c sour cream

In a large pot, melt 1 tablespoon butter or margarine over medium heat: cook and stir vegetables and fake meat, sautee until veggies are soft.

Stir in basil and parsley. Add broth and potatoes. Bring to a boil, then simmer until potatoes are tender, about 10-12 minutes.

Melt the remainder of butter and stir in flour. Add the milk, stirring until smooth.
Gradually add milk mixture to the soup, stirring constantly. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to simmer. Stir in cheese. When cheese is melted, add sour cream and heat through. Do not boil.