View Full Version : Soup of the Month
I want to learn to make some different soups so I have designated 2012 as the Year of Soup. Each month I will make a different soup. I’m sure we’ll like some better than others but we shall try them all:
January-- Chickpea Soup a la Provencal
February-- Bouillabaise
March--St. Patrick's Irish Cheddar
April-- Italian White Bean & Spinach
May-- Chicken Soup with Rice
June-- Pasta e Fagioli
July-- Shrimp & Corn Chowder
August-- Gazpacho
September-- Swiss Chard & Lentil Soup
October-- Veggie Soup
November-- Potato Leek Soup
December--Yellow Pea Soup
I'll post results and recipes.
I started subscribing to Eating Healthy (I think is the name of it). The first issue I got had about 6 green soup recipes. I want to try at least one of those this winter. Not sure anyone in the fam will like it, but I think I will and it have loads of antioxidants!!! Good luck - sounds like a fun and tasty project!
Well today's soup is leek and potato as we harvested the leeks yesterday. I was looking for a suitable recipe and checked out Larousse Gastronomique, the French cooking bible. Simmer leeks in some butter, add a veloute or bechamel sauce thinned with broth of choice. I added some peeled potatoes, a packet of chicken bouillon and let them simmer. We add salt and pepper to taste once the soup is blended with a hand held blender.
flowerseverywhere
11-3-11, 10:10pm
links to my favorite soups that everyone loves
http://allrecipes.com/recipe/italian-sausage-soup/detail.aspx
http://allrecipes.com/recipe/jamies-minestrone/detail.aspx
http://allrecipes.com/recipe/delicious-ham-and-potato-soup/detail.aspx
http://allrecipes.com/recipe/tuscan-soup/detail.aspx
I made this soup yesterday and I am absolutely floored: http://onerecipedaily.com/beatrixs-red-kuri-squash-soup-from-dorie-greenspans-around-my-french-table-more-than-300-recipes-from-my-home-to-yours/
Florence, it's such a coincidence that when I saw the title of your thread I was going to say "Potato and Leek" soup, and there it is for November!
We are harvesting leeks for potato/leek soup now. I made leek/noddle soup the other day, but it's not as good.
P.S. I never made you lemon cake, I just couldn't put that much buter into something and have ti flop. I was afraid of flopping. Not a cake baker here.
Looks like a delicious year of soups. I like how you are also highlighting the fresh seasonal ingredients of each month. If anyone lives where it is too hot for soup in the summer, you might like a cold fruit soup or a cold cucumber soup. The advantage of these is that you can make them when it is cooler in the morning and then have them chilled for dinner.
Soupsters of the World Unite!! ;)
hey here is the soup recipe of the month group. Some of these look good.
http://www.delish.com/recipes/cooking-recipes/soup-month-recipes-3
Totally awesome idea, Florence! Can't wait to follow.
Simplicity
11-5-11, 1:58pm
DH made me this simple soup last week and it was Delicious!!!
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 onion, finely chopped
1 carrot, thinly sliced
1 stalk celery, thinly sliced
6 cups hot water and 2 pots "Knorr Homestyle Stock Chicken" (or 6 cups of rich chicken broth)
1 lb chicken breast, cut into bite-sized pieces
1 package tri-color cheese tortellini
Heat oil in large pot over medium heat and cook onion, carrot and celery, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes or until tender. Stir in hot water and pots of stock concentrate (or broth). Bring to a boil over high heat, stirring to melt stock. reduce heat to low and stir in chicken. Simmer uncovered for 10 minutes. Stir in tortellini noodles and simmer an additional 5 minutes or until noodles and chicken are thoroughly cooked.
This soup was AMAZING!
frugal-one
11-5-11, 4:17pm
WOW..... awesome recipes! Thanks for all the links!
Thank you for the recipes you guys!
I made a slight variation on this last night for dinner:
http://www.closetcooking.com/2011/10/creamy-mushroom-and-roasted-cauliflower.html
I had tons of leeks and mushrooms, so added more of those. Didn't have any veggie broth so just used water with salt and pepper. I didn't add the cream because it was already pretty creamy with the cauliflower, especially after I immersion blendered it (still left it pretty chunky, though). My original intention was to make enough so that I could eat the leftovers for lunch most of the week I ended up with just two small servings left because both DH and I loved it. I'm going to make another batch later this week. Almost made up for not being able to make clam chowder like I had originally planned (haven't managed to find canned clams yet, though I have leads on a couple of places that might have them).
I had my last salad for lunch today. Funny how my daily salad became totally unappetizing once the weather turned. It'll be soups for lunch from now until March or April, I think. Easier in a way as I can make a huge pot of soup in my big dutch oven and have lunch all week. Looking forward to exploring everyone's recipes.
lhamo
We love this recipe, its from a restaurant in Australia. I've yet to make the laksa paste at home, but it would be pretty easy if you have the time. I just use a good commercial version in a tube that you can get on the internet: our grocery store didn't seem to be able to get it. We use regular mint and dried coriander leaves which seem to work just fine. Our family members all love chilies so we usually toss a ghost chili or habanero in the stock and some dried Thai chilies in the soup, but it is wonderful without them if heat isn't your thing.
http://gourmettraveller.com.au/spicy_chicken_laksa.htm?rcid=2483&mode=rcid
hey here is the soup recipe of the month group. Some of these look good.
http://www.delish.com/recipes/cooking-recipes/soup-month-recipes-3
Oh those do look delish!!
First soup report!! It was so easy and so good!!
Potato-Leek Soup
(Crock Pot)
4 cups diced potatoes
3 cups thinly sliced leeks
2 cans chicken broth
8-10 slices bacon cut in ½ inch pieces, cooked and drained
1 cup evaporated milk
salt & pepper to taste
shredded cheese (Optional)
Combine first 4 ingredients in Crock Pot and cook on low for 8- 10 hours. Add evaporated milk and adjust seasonings during last 30 minutes cooking. Puree about 2/3 and add back into the remaining soup stir. Top with cheese if desired.
I used a potato masher to mash up most of the potatoes before serving.
This one is a definite keeper.:)
folkypoet
11-8-11, 12:22pm
Made kale soup last night. Wow! Never thought it would be sooo good! Doesn't sound overly appetizing, does it?
http://allrecipes.com/recipe/vegetarian-kale-soup/detail.aspx
Here's the recipe (I halved it and added a carrot and a zucchini. I also didn't have diced or fresh tomatoes on hand, so substituted a little tomato sauce):
Ingredients
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 yellow onion, chopped
2 tablespoons chopped garlic
1 bunch kale, stems removed and leaves chopped
8 cups water
6 cubes vegetable bouillon (such as Knorr)
1 (15 ounce) can diced tomatoes
6 white potatoes, peeled and cubed
2 (15 ounce) cans cannellini beans (drained if desired)
1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
2 tablespoons dried parsley
salt and pepper to taste
Directions
Heat the olive oil in a large soup pot; cook the onion and garlic until soft. Stir in the kale and cook until wilted, about 2 minutes. Stir in the water, vegetable bouillon, tomatoes, potatoes, beans, Italian seasoning, and parsley. Simmer soup on medium heat for 25 minutes, or until potatoes are cooked through. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
December Soup of the Month
Yes, yes, I'm two weeks late on this but better late than never. The soup for December was Split Pea and Ham soup. I've never made this before so I got the recipe from the Whole Foods website:
Slow Cooker Split Pea Soup
1 (16 oz, package dried green split peas, rinsed
1 meaty ham bone, 2 ham hocks, or 2 cups diced ham (I had frozen leftover ham from Christmas so I used that.)
1 cup sliced carrots
1 cup chopped onions
2 ribs celery plus leaves, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 bay leaf
1/4 cup fresh parsley (I used 1 Tablespoon dried parsley>)
Salt and pepper to taste
6 cups chicken broth or stock
Layer ingredients in slow cooker in the order given, adding broth last. Do not stir ingredients. Cover and cook on high 4- 5 hours or on low 8--10 hours until peas are very soft and ham falls off the bone.
I served this with hot buttered cornbread and it was scrumptious.
IshbelRobertson
1-13-12, 5:24pm
Scotland is the home of many soups:
Co ck a leekie (chicken and leek)
Partan Bree - crab soup
Scotch broth
Lentil soup
Pea&ham
Pea and barley
Leek & Potato
Cullen Skink - a smoked haddock and potato soup
and many,many more!
I make most, and serve with home made granary bread of a soda bread.
OMG, you guys! Mouthwatering recipes!!! Thank you, thank you, thank you!
P.S. Florence. A little dried hot mustard would make for wonderful addition to your slow-cooker pea soup!
OMG, you guys! Mouthwatering recipes!!! Thank you, thank you, thank you!
P.S. Florence. A little dried hot mustard would make for wonderful addition to your slow-cooker pea soup!
What a good idea!! I was trying to think of something that would give it a little more zing!
January's soup is Chickpea Soup a la Provencale from Twelve Months of Monastery Soups:
2 cups dried chickpeas
1/2 cup olive oil
4 leeks, white part only, thinly sliced
10 cups water (I may use vegetable broth)
1/2 cup chopped spinach
4 cloves garlic, minced
4 Tablespoons herbs Provencal (thyme, rosemary, oregano, majoram, bay leaf)
salt and pepper to taste
1 teaspoon butter
croutons
1. Soak chickpeas overnight. Rinse them in cold water.
2. Pour the oil into a soup pot, add the thinly sliced leeks, and saute gently over medium heat for a few minutes. Add the water (or vegetable broth), chickpeas, spinach, garlic, herbs, and seasonings.
3. Bring the soup to a boil, then reduce heat to a low-medium. Cover pot and cook the soup slowly until the chickpeas are tender (50-60 minutes). Simmer for 15 minutes more.
4. When the soup is done, blend in a blender or food mill. Pour soup back into the pot and re-heat. Serve the soup in hot bowls. Add butter and a few croutons to the top of each serving.
Disclaimer: I have not made this soup yet so I don't know how good it is. Sometime this month I plan to make it and will give you all the thumbs up or down.
Question: I wonder if this could be made in a slow cooker and if so, how long should it cook??
I'm lovin' the mix of spices that this soup recipe holds, Florence! So many of my favourites...
these are great recipes; i try to keep my soups simple; when i do split peas, its split peas, water, salt and pepper; its still tastes great to dh and i; we don't have to pay for alot of ingredients that we won't eat up;
good post
To adapt for a slow cooker, you'll still need to soak the chickpeas overnight. I would allow about 6 hours on low for the chickpeas to cook fully. I would add some of the herbs at the beginning and some about an hour before dinner (with the spinach), because herbs lose their flavor after that amount of time in the slow cooker, but adding some at the beginning will help season the chickpeas.
A fun cookbook for people interested in diversifying soups is
The Best Soups in the World by Clifford Wright
Chapters are arranged by the style of the soup as well as by significant ingredients. They are also indexed by location/cuisine and significant ingredients.
Contents and index are on the web.
http://www.amazon.com/Best-Soups-World-Clifford-Wright/dp/0470180528/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1326994229&sr=1-1
I make this fairly often and its sooooo good. Its Tortellini soup.
I cook some diced bacon in olive oil, add onions and garlic. Then I add chicken stock and homemade frozen tomatoes, and Italian herbs. I cook the cheese tortellini separately and add it and tons of spinnach.
I always keep frozen rolls in the freezer and we have the soup and rolls. Its great the second day, and cold too!
I make this fairly often and its sooooo good. Its Tortellini soup.
I cook some diced bacon in olive oil, add onions and garlic. Then I add chicken stock and homemade frozen tomatoes, and Italian herbs. I cook the cheese tortellini separately and add it and tons of spinnach.
I always keep frozen rolls in the freezer and we have the soup and rolls. Its great the second day, and cold too!
I made a basic minestrone this morn, and tossed in a bag of cheese ravioli. Came out nicely.
I want to learn to make some different soups so I have designated 2012 as the Year of Soup. Each month I will make a different soup. I’m sure we’ll like some better than others but we shall try them all:
May-- Chicken Soup with Rice
June-- Pasta e Fagioli
October-- Veggie Soup
November-- Potato Leek Soup
December--Yellow Pea Soup
I'll post results and recipes.
\
I'm impressed. I've only made these ones. Although **** a Leekie sounds like a basic Chicken soup.
IshbelRobertson
1-23-12, 7:24am
Does it?
I don't make many other types of soup that contain prunes and rice!
Yum-my! Can't stay away from this thread.
Babr. Simple is always good! Can never go wrong with simple...
Rosemary. Excellent tips.
Amaranth. Awesome book recommendation!
CathyA. Just Italian herbs? As in bought/prepared?
I found an awesome cookbook full of soup recipes. It is called For the Love of Soup by Jeanelle Mitchell. There are several recipes I'm going to try. I love soup!
Mrs M........you can use the already-combined herbs called "Italian seasoning", or you can use your own separate ones......like oregano, thyme, parsley, etc. in the amounts you like.
If you'd like me to post the recipe for the soup, just let me know. I even like it cold!
Yes please, Cathy! :) I like using separate spices when seasoning. The end result is always better.
Here ya go Mrs. M.:
Tortellini soup
Serves 4 big portions
2 Tbls olive oil
2 oz pancetta or bacon, finely diced
1-2 medium onions, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
Approximately 50 oz chicken broth
2 tsp or more Italian seasoning
9 oz cheese tortellini
28 oz (or more) crushed tomatoes in juice/puree
8 oz fresh spinach rinsed. You can chop it up, but I just put the leaves in whole
Salt and Pepper
1 cup shredded parmesan cheese (optional)
Cook tortellini per package instructions
Cook bacon in olive oil
Add onion until soft
Add garlic and cook 1 minute
Add broth and Italian seasonings. Simmer 5 minutes
Add tortellini and tomatoes and simmer 5 minutes
Add spinach and cook until wilted
Add salt and pepper
Garnish with cheese (I don't add any cheese).
This recipe is very forgiving. I might add more tomatoes, onions and garlic and more spinach. You can play around with the spices. I actually like this better the second day, and the tortellini sponges out. Yum!
Let me know how it turns out for you!
Does it?
I don't make many other types of soup that contain prunes and rice!
That's true. If you google it, though, most aren't including prunes. It seems to have faded out. But the info I read on the history, did include the prunes.
crunchycon
1-24-12, 2:05pm
DH and I are not huge bean eaters, but we've been scarfing this one down this month....
http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/recipes/2451
Thanks a bunch, CathyA, can't wait to try it! :) I for surely will post a follow-up to let you know how it turned out.
I'm making another favorite soup tonight. I buy several big containers of mushrooms, some plain white, some baby bellas and I cut them up and saute them in butter and oil. Then I throw in some flour and stir it around.
Then I add chicken stock and some whole milk (recipe calls for cream, but whole milk does fine). Then I add some freshly grated nutmeg and some parsley and salt and pepper. I serve it with a big loaf of crusty bread and maybe a salad. its really yummy!
Thanks for the recipe link, Crunchycon. Looks tasty!
Mmmm... sounds good, CathyA! Sauteed seasoned mushrooms are the best! Nothing like a pan of sauteed seasoned mushrooms and onions on steak night!
Tonight is creamy corn soup night: I saute a minced onion with some chopped bacon and a couple of small-diced potatoes, then simmer with a quart of creamed corn, sprinkling of parsley, and some milk at the end to get a good creamy consistency. Served with a salad and a loaf of home bread, really delightful winter meal. At least until the corn's gone, which will be tonight :( Oh well. There's always store-bought 'til next fall....
iris lily
1-26-12, 10:50am
This thread is timely. I've got some chicken stock that I must use up soon--Cahty, I may use your mushroom soup as inspiration. I've got fresh Portabella mushrooms, will combine with something.
ReneeIngram
4-9-12, 1:45am
Sounds great. Nice plan of the soup of every month.
Sounds great. Nice plan of the soup of every month.
I have really fallen off the soup wagon. Since joining Weight Watchers, I've been busy learning how many points are in everything. But it is time to get back to soup making!! Thanks for the reminder!~!~
Tonight it's kale and potato soup. Kale because I used Kale to decorate the platter I served the Easter roast on. Seems silly to just toss it because it was part of a "presentation". It's hardy stuff! Into the pot it goes with yukon golds, onions, garlic and a frozen container of homemade chicken broth.
Blackdog Lin
4-10-12, 6:56am
It's wild-asparagus-foraging season here, so Sunday night I tried a new cream of asparagus soup. It wasn't a particularly healthy recipe (sour cream!), but boy!, it turned out incredible. So good that today it's going on a recipe card for the "permanent" file.
Split pea and ham (from easter) here.
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