A while back, I learned an interesting social service provided in Canada. To help the homeless, warm baked potatoes are given away inside a new tube sock in the evening. It serves many purposes including warmth for the night, food the next day, and a new sock. What an awesome idea!!! Cost efficient, humanitarian...what's not to love. Thus, I quickly adopted this idea for my own use. Several years ago, I started with two white potatoes baked in a camp fire. One for my feet and one for my trunk to stay warm in my sleeping bag and the next morning for yummy, warming campfire hashbrowns. This weekend during a family camping trip, we tried it, but with a new twist. We didn't actually need the warmth (ironic, given the weather shift that has me huddled under a blanket right now). This time I used sweet potatoes with the intent of soup. Although I must confess I have never made this type of soup, I love a challenge and tend to prefer cooking without recipes. Because measuring spoons do not get packed for camping, I am estimating the amounts based on sight, so feel free to season to taste.
By the way, one compliment I received is "I just want to bathe in it." It was yummy and soothing and as I savored its warmth it blanketed my mouth and stomach in every important way. I am adding this to my winter repertoire...black bean, chili, minestrone, squash, Provincial White Bean Soup, Kidney Bean and Kale Soup, Black Eyed Pea and Greens, etc. I make a very large batch of each and deep freeze, typically only making each 1-2 times per year.
So without further ado, here is my new Sweet Potato Soup, which serves 10 adults a good sized serving. Cut in half if this is too much for you. I will probably double this the next time I make it.
Bake in either your oven (great way to decrease potentially wasted energy when preheating for baking bread) or a campfire or your fire pit out back when you have friends over, 6 pounds of sweet potatoes.
Peel potatoes, waiting until a little cooled if you like your fingertips to remain in place.
Chop 1 lb of onions and cook in oil in a large soup pot
When beginning to brown add 2 prunes (next time I will likely try 8 prunes)...this adds depth of flavor and natural sweetness, much like my homemade BBQ sauce.
Then add 1 Tablespoon of each of the following sweet curry powder, Chinese 5 spice powder, garlic powder, and ground ginger (the kind in the jar). Also add 1/2 Tablespoon black pepper. Stir and cook for one minute. Then deglaze pan with 1/2 cup of orange juice.
Add all the potatoes and 1 quart of vegetarian stock.
When warm, puree with an immersion blender (small and easy to take camping if you have electricity at your cite)
Then add, one more quart of vegetarian stock and 1 cup of cream or half and half (we used the latter since we had it already for camp coffee.
Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Enjoy either alone as we did or with a dollop of creme fraiche or candied orange peel.
Sorry there are no pictures, it was a busy weekend...3 families, 2 dogs, 1 playground, 1 festival, 2 loaves of homemade bread...yum, loud neighbors, 2 hours drive each way, 1 stroller strapped to the roof of a car, 1 pack n play (seriously recommended when camping with a little one), and 1 visit to medical professionals ;) yep, that's how we roll.
Are you my Mommy?
Are you my Mommy?
Showing posts with label soup. Show all posts
Showing posts with label soup. Show all posts
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
Monday, September 26, 2011
Kidney Bean Kale Soup
This may sound redundant, but I am getting sick of all the sickness in our house, so I am trying to cure it with food, specifically soup. I have been making soups (including Provencial White Bean Soup already posted and a simple white bean, spinach, onion ones and defrosting previous ones, such as last winter's chili from my deep freeze. Last year I realized how limited my time was with an infant, so I made two stock pots of chili at the same time. Voila chili for an entire winter with one afternoon's worth of work!!!
I have been creating new soups to add to our normal reptoire and documenting my method and recipes as best I can to share with others. Since I had already decided my bean for this week would be kidney beans, it made sense to center a soup around this. I also noticed that my kale was ready to harvest again, so in it went in my imagination (that's where I concoct new recipes before actually cooking). This soup is warming thanks to the bit of paprika and so comforting with a silky broth thanks to the fire roasted tomatoes (you should try them).
1 lb dried Red Kidney Beans
4 Bay leaves borken in half
1 1/2 teaspoons whole fennel seeds
1 teaspoon dried whole thyme
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 1/2 large onions chopped
4 cloves of garlic thinnly sliced
2 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 teaspoons freshly ground pepper (I used a pepper medley mix)
1 teaspoon dried whole thyme
1-2 teaspoons paprika (I used Hungarian. Some have a bit of a kick to them so add to your taste preference)
6 oz. can tomato paste
2 cans fire roasted tomatoes
8 cups of liquid (drain beans and reserve cooking liquid and add enough water to get total amount)
1/2 of cooked beans (reserve in either refrigerator or freezer for later use or add them all for a more hearty soup)
large bunch of kale chopped (I stack leaves on cutting board and due a few slices every 3 inches goign same direction as stem, then slice 1/4 inch thick)
If you don't like kale, spinach would be yummy
Soak beans overnight, rinse and add fresh water covering by 2 inches. Add the next four ingredients. Bring to a boil (Note: you must boil any red beans for a few minutes and then either finish on the stove about 2 hours on simmer or in the crock pot for 8-10 hours).
When beans are almost done, heat enough oil to cover bottom of stock pot and when it looks shimmery add onions and saute until translucent. Add garlic and saute for 30 seconds longer.
Add next 4 ingredients and saute for one minute. Add tomato paste, stirring well, and cook for 2 minutes.
Add Fire roasted tomatoes with their liquid and add the 8 cups of liquid.
Bring to a low boil and add beans and kale. It will look like more kale than you can imagine, but it really cooks down. It amazes me every time.
Cook until the Kale is tender but still a vibrant green as the picture below shows. It took about 5 minutes for mine to get tender.
We enjoyed a big bowl of this soup topped with grated parmesean along with homemade sourdough cornbread on the side (still tweaking that recipe, so you have to be patient for that one). It would be fabulous with pasta in it as well, just make sure that you add the pasta each time you eat it, otherwise the pasta swells and gets soggy as it soaks up all the liquid. Everyone loved it including Mr. B although he prefers broth and chunky stuff seperate when eating soup. Yep, he's already forming strong opinions.
I have been creating new soups to add to our normal reptoire and documenting my method and recipes as best I can to share with others. Since I had already decided my bean for this week would be kidney beans, it made sense to center a soup around this. I also noticed that my kale was ready to harvest again, so in it went in my imagination (that's where I concoct new recipes before actually cooking). This soup is warming thanks to the bit of paprika and so comforting with a silky broth thanks to the fire roasted tomatoes (you should try them).
1 lb dried Red Kidney Beans
4 Bay leaves borken in half
1 1/2 teaspoons whole fennel seeds
1 teaspoon dried whole thyme
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 1/2 large onions chopped
4 cloves of garlic thinnly sliced
2 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 teaspoons freshly ground pepper (I used a pepper medley mix)
1 teaspoon dried whole thyme
1-2 teaspoons paprika (I used Hungarian. Some have a bit of a kick to them so add to your taste preference)
6 oz. can tomato paste
2 cans fire roasted tomatoes
8 cups of liquid (drain beans and reserve cooking liquid and add enough water to get total amount)
1/2 of cooked beans (reserve in either refrigerator or freezer for later use or add them all for a more hearty soup)
large bunch of kale chopped (I stack leaves on cutting board and due a few slices every 3 inches goign same direction as stem, then slice 1/4 inch thick)
If you don't like kale, spinach would be yummy
Soak beans overnight, rinse and add fresh water covering by 2 inches. Add the next four ingredients. Bring to a boil (Note: you must boil any red beans for a few minutes and then either finish on the stove about 2 hours on simmer or in the crock pot for 8-10 hours).
When beans are almost done, heat enough oil to cover bottom of stock pot and when it looks shimmery add onions and saute until translucent. Add garlic and saute for 30 seconds longer.
Add next 4 ingredients and saute for one minute. Add tomato paste, stirring well, and cook for 2 minutes.
Add Fire roasted tomatoes with their liquid and add the 8 cups of liquid.
Bring to a low boil and add beans and kale. It will look like more kale than you can imagine, but it really cooks down. It amazes me every time.
I love this picture...Mmmm...come to mama!!!
We enjoyed a big bowl of this soup topped with grated parmesean along with homemade sourdough cornbread on the side (still tweaking that recipe, so you have to be patient for that one). It would be fabulous with pasta in it as well, just make sure that you add the pasta each time you eat it, otherwise the pasta swells and gets soggy as it soaks up all the liquid. Everyone loved it including Mr. B although he prefers broth and chunky stuff seperate when eating soup. Yep, he's already forming strong opinions.
Friday, September 9, 2011
This week's bean and an actual recipe
My husband D likes to call my food one-offers since I do not use recipes unless cooking very unusual food. Some would say I can do this because I am a good cook, but the truth is that recipes make me terribly anxious. I go back and forth between the recipe and my bowl or pan, double and triple checking. Makes me nervous just to think about it. So, coming up with recipes for what I do is a big stretch, but probably good for me. You know doing things in a new way develops neurons and staves off Alzheimer's Disease. So here we go. Drum roll please......the bean of the week is Great Northern Beans.........a bean with "great" in the title deserves a drum roll don't you think. I have enjoyed this bean since I was a kid. This is the bean of beans. Cook it a little longer and gets just a bit softer releasing some starchiness to the dish, yet still holding its integrity. It is truly Grace Under Fire. In continuing my bean resolution, I got out the crock and 2 pounds of this glorious bean without a plan for what I wanted to make with it. Then, the weather cooled down and we are in week 2 of the family illness with ongoing lack of sleep. The answer of course to all the questions and problems is soothing soup. I made a re-do of a soup that I made for a family gathering/game night last winter, but this time wrote down how I did it....yes, I can be a bit of procrastinator. So, I soaked the beans in crock for 8 hours (actually in a bowl because I was making yogurt in my large crock; more on that later) and then cooked the beans in crock over night. Then, I began my soup about 1.5 hours before I wanted to eat it.
4 Tablespoons butter
4 medium or 5 large carrots diced
4 ribs of celery diced
1 1/2 large onions diced
all celery leaves from the bunch chopped (trust me these are good)
6 cloves of garlic minced
3 shallots diced
4 Tablespoons flour
2 teaspoons thyme
2 teaspoons white pepper
2 Tablespoons Herbs De Provence
2 teaspoons garlic powder (not a typo, two types of garlic early adds depth of overall flavor and adds more garlic yumm without overpowering which would happen if using only one type)
salt and pepper to taste
2 pounds of Great Northern Beans cooked with cooking liquid
Melt butter in large soup pot over medium heat. Once you see the white foamy stuff called butter solids it is ready to cook. Add carrots, celery, and onion and do whats called sweating, which means cooking until they get tender, but not soft and onion begins to get translucent. Add celery leaves, garlic, and shallot. Saute for one minute more and then add the flour and all herbs, cooking until the flour becomes golden. At this point you could deglaze the pan with 1/2 cup of white wine you like. With Mr. B, I'd rather not cook with wine at this point, so I omitted it. Now add beans and all cooking liquid. If you want it less beany, add 3/4 of beans which would be 1 1/2 pounds and all cooking liquid. The remainder is about 4 cups and perfect amount to freeze for incorporation in a later meal (I freeze food staples like beans, rice, pilaf, risotto ahead to make easy meals, but never freeze pasta). You have a choice to make now regarding soup thickness. Left alone it is a thick stew type soup. If you want it more soupy simply add ready to go vegetarian stock until you reach consistency that you like. Cook on a low simmer for 45 minutes to one hour. Enjoy!!! We had it with homemade sourdough bread and butter (of course butter, my mama taught me well), and a salad. Mr. B LOVED it first and second time he had it.
Sorry no pictures of this one, the camera batteries were completely dead...but trust me a creamy tan bean soup with flecks of light green and orange is very appealing...Soups on!!!
Comfortingly yours,
Tracy
4 Tablespoons butter
4 medium or 5 large carrots diced
4 ribs of celery diced
1 1/2 large onions diced
all celery leaves from the bunch chopped (trust me these are good)
6 cloves of garlic minced
3 shallots diced
4 Tablespoons flour
2 teaspoons thyme
2 teaspoons white pepper
2 Tablespoons Herbs De Provence
2 teaspoons garlic powder (not a typo, two types of garlic early adds depth of overall flavor and adds more garlic yumm without overpowering which would happen if using only one type)
salt and pepper to taste
2 pounds of Great Northern Beans cooked with cooking liquid
Melt butter in large soup pot over medium heat. Once you see the white foamy stuff called butter solids it is ready to cook. Add carrots, celery, and onion and do whats called sweating, which means cooking until they get tender, but not soft and onion begins to get translucent. Add celery leaves, garlic, and shallot. Saute for one minute more and then add the flour and all herbs, cooking until the flour becomes golden. At this point you could deglaze the pan with 1/2 cup of white wine you like. With Mr. B, I'd rather not cook with wine at this point, so I omitted it. Now add beans and all cooking liquid. If you want it less beany, add 3/4 of beans which would be 1 1/2 pounds and all cooking liquid. The remainder is about 4 cups and perfect amount to freeze for incorporation in a later meal (I freeze food staples like beans, rice, pilaf, risotto ahead to make easy meals, but never freeze pasta). You have a choice to make now regarding soup thickness. Left alone it is a thick stew type soup. If you want it more soupy simply add ready to go vegetarian stock until you reach consistency that you like. Cook on a low simmer for 45 minutes to one hour. Enjoy!!! We had it with homemade sourdough bread and butter (of course butter, my mama taught me well), and a salad. Mr. B LOVED it first and second time he had it.
Sorry no pictures of this one, the camera batteries were completely dead...but trust me a creamy tan bean soup with flecks of light green and orange is very appealing...Soups on!!!
Comfortingly yours,
Tracy
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)