In February, the shivers of hard winter give way to the winds of early spring. Both, for sure, call for soup to soothe the soul and warm the innards. So I dubbed February 2007 the month of Soup, Glorious Soup. I cooked soup all month and invited soup enthusiasts from all over the world to cook soup too. And so they did, in droves. Just like a good potluck, somehow our collection of soup recipes offers a soup for every taste and circumstance.
The soups that take hours to simmer stove-top, the ones that toss together in minutes. The soups made from pantry staples, the ones with hard-to-find ingredients. Newly discovered soup recipes and the long-time family favorites. Recipes carefully followed and others invented with what was on hand.
I was moved by many of the soup stories, cross-continental stock-making, surviving a first cold winter, falling in love with winter, a first-time soup-maker, the saving grace of soup for a soon-to-be-Mom, a soup passed from one generation to another, an ingredient combination I can't dispel from my brain, the age-old tale of stone soup, and the sweet surprise of a dessert soup!
The lucky winner of Nava Atlas' autographed cookbook, Vegetarian Soups for All Seasons is Tanna from My Kitchen in Half Cups! But the real winners of Soup's On are our families and our friends and all who shared all the delicious soups we made. Many thanks, all, for the grand collection of soup recipes.
Soup, Glorious Soup!
STOCK
My Kitchen in Half Cups (Tanna from Dallas) - Beef Stock Trans-Atlantic stock, in which Tanna discovers the skimmer.
At My Table (Neil from Melbourne, Australia) - Kvas "'Mmmm, beer.' Well not beer in the strictest sense but kvas, a fermented liquid made from rye bread and flavoured with molasses (treacle). What this liquid possesses is a pleasant sourness ... essential to several Eastern European dishes. Fermented soups have a long and proud tradition throughout ... Russia from where this particular soup, botvinya, hails."
SEAFOOD SOUPS
S'kat and the Food (Shelley from Newport News, Virginia) - James River Clam Chowder "Clam chowder makes one fine meal"
Heidi Hot and Sour Soup See comments
Daily Bread Journal (Toni from San Diego, California) - Cioppino, the Italian New Mexican Way "Can we please have something with chilis in it?"
Gastronomic Fight Club (Snekse from Omaha, Nebraska) - Won Ton Soup A photo recipe, how to make won ton soup, as taught by Snekse's mother-in-law
FatFree Vegan Kitchen (Susan from Jackson, Mississippi) - Gumbo z'Herbes with Cajun Tempeh Bacon "Most people outside of my home state have never had this "Greens Gumbo," but it's an authentic Louisiana dish. Traditionally, it was made without meat to serve during Lent, but with Louisianians being the great seafood and meat lovers they are, ham and seafood eventually made their way into this naturally vegetarian soup. Well, now they've made their way out again!"
The Kosher Blog (Elf from Massachusetts) - Vegetable Barley Soup "My contribution is a hearty vegetable barley soup that I learned to make from my grandmother. It’s very simple but quite delicious as well as healthful."
VEGETARIAN SOUPS
Diane Easy Meal-in-a-Bowl Soup See comments
KMDuff Easy Corn Chowder See comments
My Kitchen in Half Cups (Tanna from Dallas) - Minestrone Soup (a family favorite for 30 years)
Pam Mediterranean Chickpea Stew See comments
Bon Vivant (Chelsea from Colorado) - Spicy Winter Squash Soup "Smoky, spicy and intense"
Genuine, Handcrafted Trouble (from Ohio) - Snowed-in Minestrone "The best soup I've ever tasted"
A Fridge Full of Food (Glenna from Springfield, MO) - Carrot, Chickpea & Barley Soup, with or without Tofu ("just reading the recipe made me feel healthier")
Confabulation; Cooking (Abby from North Carolia) - Creamy Tomato Soup (a "be right there" kind of soup!)
The Savory Notebook (Alysha) - Vegetarian Chili (with meat, this time, to stave off the cold winds)
Teczcape (Tigerfish in California) - Cream of Mushroom Soup "Bye bye ... canned soup"
Elaine Vegan Asparagus Soup See comments
Pickled Garlic (Mathew from Vancouver,BC) - Italian Bean Soup with Cheese Gremolata "Subtly spicy, rich from garlic and cheese, with an interesting nose from cumin and cardamon, and cheap!"
Exploring the Silver Spoon (Sara from San Francisco) - Panocotto - Bread Soup "Tasty Factor: A- Ease of Preparation: A+"
Souperior (Fahara from Warwickshire in the United Kingdom) - Spiced Roast Parsnip Soup "A soup to convert anyone who sits on the fence where this wonderful root veg is concerned, and to warm the heart of any soup lover."
Je Mange la Ville (Michele from Portland, Oregon) - Porcini & Barley Soup "It's creamy and glorious!"
Keep Up With Me (Zandria from Alexandria, Virginia) - I Made Soup: Carrot & Bulgur Soup "It’s the first time I have ever made soup in my life!"
Daily Unadventures in Cooking (Katerina from Vancouver, British Columbia) - Roasted Eggplant & Tomato Soup "I actually am drinking some of my soup out of a mug as I write this to help keep me warm."
Küchenlatein (Ulrike from Kronshagen, Germany) - Potatoe, Cheddar & Chive Soup "I tried a soup recipe for my new slow cooker. In Germany slow cookers don't have a great vogue, so I bought a slow cooking book. My sons said the soup was the best soup I've ever cooked. It was really delicious!"
Kate Bowers Herbed Vegetable Soup - See comments "It is so full of veggies that it is almost vegetable stew. It was an attempt to do a more sophisticated-tasting Weight Watchers zero-point soup."
FoodFreak (Petra from Hamburg, Germany) - Sicilian Lentil Soup "... a wonderful light and easy, summerly kind of soup with lots of fresh fennel and a pungent bite of hot pepper, fresh tomato and a drop or two of thick, dark green olive oil ... "
Coffee & Cornbread (Sue from southwest Virginia) - Creamy Sweet Potato and Candied Ginger Soup (start with "one huge ugly sweet potato of undetermined weight" ...)
Appetitive Behavior (Emily from south New Jersey) - Creamy Eggplant, Cannellini Bean and Ricotta Soup ("a homely, humble soup, this will be perfect to cheer your winter nights")
Not Eating Out in New York (Cathy from, uh, New York) - Chickpea Leek Soup ("a vegan soup that could be at once Middle Eastern, Italian, French, and Chinese ...")
Apple & Spice (Katie from Sheffield/Bedford in the United Kingdom) - Carrot, Red Lentil and Thyme Soup with Tortilla Croutons (Katie's third post and her first food blog event: "I love the combination of carrots and thyme ...")
Glorious Food and Wine (Andreea from Brussels, Belgium) - French Onion Soup ("... the French Onion soup stayed in my memory, so I decided the best thing to do is to try recreate it.")
A Spoonful of Sugar (Angela from England) - My carrot and coriander soup (Weight Watchers (UK) zero points - "The ginger brings out the natural sweetness of the carrots and the chilli just kicks it up a notch.")
Ramblings from a Gypsy Soul (Christine from Manila, Philippines) - Sweet Potato Stew ("I was born and raised in a tropical country where the only seasons we have are hot and hotter ... however, I moved to London. In the dead of winter.")
Four Foodies (Carla from Guam) - Cream of Asparagus Soup (A frugal, no-waste soup!)
The mom's Chronicles (Rinku from Valhalla, New York) - Lentil-Rice Soup ("Given how often I make soup for my kids, I thought I would be sending Alanna a soup recipe everyday ...")
Recipe Source (Sushma from Los Angeles, California) - Pumpkin Soup (Garnished with pine nuts)
Recipe Source (Sushma from Los Angeles, California) - Asparagus Soup ("Until I came to United States, I never tasted asparagus and when I did I didn’t like them so much, they tasted so bland for my indian tongue :-) . ... I ... tried making asparagus spicy fry ... and asparagus salad but nothing was so satisfying as the asparagus soup.")
Exploring the Silver Spoon (Sara from San Francisco, California) - Crema Verde - Green Cream Soup What do you make when your guest is a professional chef and culinary artist?
Weekly Dish (Jennifer from Baton Rouge, Louisiana) - Vegetarian Tortilla Soup Soup ... "warms me as I cook it, it warms me when I eat it, and it provides food for us on the nights when I just want to come home, put on my pajamas, and crawl into bed without standing over the stove."
Everybody Likes Sandwiches (Kickpleat from Vancouver, British Columbia) - Curry and Miso Udon Soup "Warning: This soup also has special powers. ... Use wisely."
The Very Important Blog of Elle B (Elle from Santa Barbara, California) - Curried Carrot Soup With Cashew Cream & Curried Zucchini Soup "These silky, creamy and warm-spiced soups will certainly make the last month of winter more bearable."
Lucullian Delights (Ilva from Pistoia, Tuscany, Italy) - GREEN PEA SOUP WITH GINGER or CREMA DI PISELLI CON ZENZERO " I made a green pea soup with fresh ginger in it, the sweetness of the peas goes very well with the peppery-sweet ginger flavour and the soup was as nice warm as cold."
Akshayapaatram (Priya from Cincinnati, Ohio) - Mixed Vegetable & Orzo Soup "This was one of the best soups I've had. The addition of coconut milk gave it a flavor of Thai food which was yumm."
Aroma! (Asha from North Carolina) - Chipotle Corn Chowder "This recipe is from a cookbook called "Hotter than Hell" which I love. I did make changes in the recipe to make it milder to my taste since it's supposed to be very spicy and uses multiple kinds of chillies!"
SmitaServesYouRight (Smita from Rochester, New York) - Moroccan Lentil Soup
"Nothing like a bowl of soup to recharge the batteries after adventures on a cold winter evening!"
FamilyStyle Food (Karen from St. Louis, Missouri) - Tuscan-Style Pasta and Bean Soup (Pasta Fagioli) "I don’t make soup enough, but when I do, the first thing I think of is pasta fagioli, which my mother would often make on meat-free Fridays."
Food Lover's Journey (Anh from Melbourne, Australia) - Chinese-style sweet corn soup with baby corn “croutons” "... my greatest discovery in the recent trip to farmers market is ... lovely baby corns. ... Lying inside the thick layers of husk and silk is the tiny yellow baby (corn), something so fragile and delicate. For me, these baby corns are truly precious treasures."
JugalBandi (Jai & Bee from "back of the beyond") - 13-Bean, 11-Veggie Soup "You can use any combo of veggies. Just make sure they are diced to about the same size. We used frozen peas, carrots, french beans and, lima beans. We also used fresh cauliflower, broccoli, spinach, chard and peppers, plus a potato, tomato and onion. It’s a great way to use up assorted veggies lying around in the pantry and refrigerator."
Four Foodies (Carla from Guam) - Roasted Veggie Soup "I just sort of threw this together as I went with not much of a plan, just a general idea. It hit the spot perfectly, the Hub loved it, so did the kiddos so I'd say a job well done. I will keep this in the back of my mind in the future as it's a perfect way to use random veggies up."
CurryBazaar (Jyothsna from Uniated Arab Emirates) - Hot & Sour Soup "I prefer to cook simple and quick to make food and I'm quite satisfied if the end result is tasty."
Foodful Thinking (Violetta from Budapest, Hungary blogging from Toronto, Canada) - Velvety Carrot Ginger Soup From another 'newborn blogger', another very first post! "A colourful bowl of silky-smooth carrot soup sets the mood for a decadent holiday dinner. It's so rich and velvety you may think it's made with cream. Not at all!"
SuperSpark (Emily from California) - Clear soup with sweet potatoes, silken tofu, and mustard greens "For the tofu lovers among us, this is actually quite a nice little soup and surprisingly filling since it’s loaded with tofu, sweet potatoes, and mustard greens. The bitterness of the mustard greens is balanced out by the ginger and jalapeno flavors ... But the real star of the soup, in my mind, are the sweet potatoes."
Kovai-Samayal (Anisha from Coimbatore, Tamilnadu, India) - Mushroom Noodle Soup "Really soup is a fantastic thing to explore with anything...non-veg, veg, egg, greens, hot, cold, chilled..."
Vegetarian Concoctions (Hema from Florida) - Potato & Leek Soup "This time, it is my chance to say ’Ek pathar se do shikaar‘(two prays with one stone). I mixed and matched ingredients from 4 different recipes in 3 different books (Potato, leek and pea soup, Spinach and orzo soup, spring soup with barley and leak and carrot soup)."
The Maggpie (Maggie from Saint Simons Island, Georgia) - Elise's Friend Claire's Roasted Red Pepper Potato Soup "Should it ever snow here again, I have the remedy for the stranded snowbird whose island has suddenly become very small. [The soup] is warm and comforting and actually quite healthy."
Teczcape: I'm a Foodie (Tigerfish from California) - Beauty Soup - Wakame Soup In which Tigerfish experiments with ingredients unknown.
Foodie Confidential (Vidya from Tsuruoka in Japan where's she's the only vegetarian in town!) - Cream of Pumpkin Soup and the very beautiful Two in One Soup and Roasted Capsicum, Carrot and Squash Soup and Broccoli Soup. I think next year it's Vidya who hosts Soup's On!
Cafe Linnylu (Linnylu) - Tuscan Tomato Soup "The recipe called for fresh tomatoes ... it was definitely a summer soup crying for dead ripe tomatoes and fresh basil. ... why not use the bottled pasta sauce as a substitute?"
Ahaar (Mandira from Buffalo, New York) - Spicy Roasted Sweet Potato & Onion Soup "To celebrate my 100th post, I made this spicy sweet potato and onion soup where the sweetness of the roasted onions and sweet potatoes contrast with spicy green chillies. Added to that is the aroma of ginger and cloves and finally is blended with the tanginess of fresh lemons to make this hearty delicious soup."
Cascading Flavors (Ramya from New Jersay) - Forest Greens Kale Soup "I sought the detailed reading from Wikipedia about Soup.It was very interesting article. Finally I conclude that Soup is a big boss and can be served as single feast. If gone wrong, that will refers to my limited knowledge."
Jennifer Teaches and Knits (Jen from South Korea) - Not Quite Ratatouille Soup "... here is my favorite soup recipe. Okay it's not really a recipe, more a list of ingredients, but it always tastes great. Except for the time I forgot to add onions and garlic, so it was kind of flavor-deficient."
MEAT SOUPS
Waisted in the Wasteland (Suzique from New Orleans) - Vegetable Beef Soup Soup's On's very first entry and only 3 WW points!
Kalyn's Kitchen (Kalyn from Salt Lake City) - Lentil & Sausage Soup with Cabbage "Looked rather ordinary, but tasted wonderful"
I Think I Have a Recipe for That ... (Kazari from Canberra, Australia!) - Black & White Soup "funky to look at (even dinner party standard, if you like a gimmick), very frugal, very healthy and tastes great"
Peanut Butter Étouffe (Doodles from Florida) - Tortilla Soup "What better way to celebrate the victory of the Colts!!!"
La Mia Cucina (Lisa from Cleveland, Ohio) - Italian Sausage Soup with Tortellini "What better a submission than this tasty and filling soup that I simply am in love with"
The Perfect Pantry (Lydia from Rhode Island) - Split Pea, Sausage & Preserved Lemon Soup "This rustic soup, a heartier variation of my vegetarian meat-free split pea, freezes well and is perfect with some crusty bread for lunch on a cold winter day."
What's the recipe today Jim? (Rosie from In Limbo, there must be a story there! in the United Kingdom) - Spiced Chicken, Parsnip & Lentil Soup "Perfect for freezing and a great way to use up small amounts of left over chicken."
Kalyn's Kitchen (Kalyn from Salt Lake City, Utah) - Chicken Soup with Collard Greens, Carrots, and Brown Rice "I loved the way this turned out."
Yumminess Ensues (Willa from South Central Pennsylvania) - Crockpot Posole (Willa's such a new blogger this is her very first post!)
Avenue Food (Sarah from Queens, New York) - Far East Café Seaweed Soup "I grew up eating this savory soup, but I didn’t learn the story behind it until I asked my mom about it for this post. I will resist the temptation to call it “funeral soup” and stay faithful to her recipe, in name and substance."
Feisty Foodie (Yvo from New York City) - French Onion Soup "I plan on continuing making soup until the snow all melts."
Chez Renée (Renée from southwest Ohio) - Chicken Noodle Soup "Season to taste and cook until done."
Mele Cotte (Chris from outside Atlanta, Georgia) - Bomboline di Ricotta in Brodo - Ricotta Dumplings in Broth "... something a little lighter today, but with some substance"
Sour Dough Monkey Wrangler (Dylan from Oakland, California) - Californio Pumpkin Soup When a recipe begins "Feb. 16th, 1863. Dear Uncle Garner," ... you just settle in and enjoy.
Jumbo Empanadas (Brilynn from California) - Potato, Leek and Bacon Soup & Crypto-Jewish Brazilian Yellow Stew When Nigella fails you, twice, make soup, twice!
Kalyn's Kitchen (Kalyn from Salt Lake City, Utah) - White Bean and Ham Soup with Chard "I didn't know was that when I used red chard, it would give the soup a lovely color. This is truly one of my best soup recipes yet."
Cloudberry Quark (Mia from Helsinki, Finland) - Pea Soup "People in warmer climes have their carnivals, but in Finland the onset of Lent is celebrated with tobogganing followed by slow-cooked pea soup and Shrove buns (laskiaspulla/fastlagsbulle in Finland, semla in Sweden)." (Forget the soup. Check out the buns.)
The Perfect Pantry (Lydia from Rhode Island) - Zuni Corn Soup "When I travel, I look for local cookbooks and wooden spoons to bring home as mementos. This recipe is adapted from Southwest Indian Cookbook: Pueblo and Navajo Images, Quotes and Recipes, by Marcia Keegan, a photojournalist ..."
Kate in the Kitchen (Kate from central Minnesota) - Chili Blanco "This recipe ...was stellar with a capitol ‘S’. Mike slurped from his bowl to get every last drop. Twice. I don’t know about you, but to me, that is an enthusiastic two thumbs up!"
Don't Burn Down the Kitchen! (Jesika from South Carolina) - Tortellini Soup aka Sophomore Stew "... an exercise in creativity and foodie adventurism. And because it uses up lots of leftovers, it's a great way to clean out the fridge."
1x umruehren bitte aka kochtopf (Zorra, a Swiss living in Andalucia, Spain) - Carrot-Vanilla-Sherry-Cream-Soup in which Zorra throws aside the tradition of grandmothers and makes her own way
What's for Lunch, Honey? (Meeta from Weimar, Germany) - Goulash Soup in which Meeta exchanges " ... bikini, windsurf, flip flops, sun, sand and sea for woolly underwear, turtle necked sweaters, gloves, mittens, snow, ice and scraping the car each morning with numb fingers" and learns to glory in winter.
s'kat and the food (Shelley from Newport News, Virginia) - Mom's Chicken Soup with Matzo Balls " ... one of those meals that appeals to the child in every adult. A rich broth bubbles with chunks of chicken and vegetables, but the best part are the fluffy balls of matzoh, guaranteed to cure what ails ya."
Once Upon a Feast (Ruth from Toronto, Ontario) - Chicken Soup with Dilled Matzoh Balls "But the soup that always warms my heart and brings instant images of holiday dinners and sick beds is [my mother's] chicken soup with matzo balls. ... now, I share the experience with my older daughter Joanna."
Habeas Brulee (Danielle from Brooklyn, New York) - Chicken and Rice, Curry Banana, Roots and Rhizomes Stew " ... this was a stone soup. Remember that story? The poor couple takes in the traveler for the night ..."
Notes from My Food Diary (Eliza from West Linn, Oregon) - Chicken Barley Soup with Vegetables "The recipe is really simple. You could change the ingredients as you like, for instance, instead of the peas you could use peas and carrots ... You could even eliminate the chicken to make it a vegetarian soups and add more vegetables of your choice. The only thing that’s staying is the barley. Barley adds nuttyness to the soup ... "
Tip of the Iceberg (Sally from Iowa) - Beef and Sausage Stew "I decided to make the "chili" that I entered [in a chili cookoff] last year to share with the world. (Lucky world!)"
Little bouffe (Little bouffe from Austin, Texas) - Vichyssoise "[Tony Bourdain's vichysoisse] is much more heavily balanced towards leeks, with very little potato. Given leeks' natural richness, the extended simmering time, and the cream, this yields the smoothest, most finely textured soup (of any sort) I've made, yet requires no strainers or sieves."
Kalyn's Kitchen (Kalyn's Kitchen from Salt Lake City, Utah) - Chicken and Pinto Bean Soup with Lime and Cilantro "Pinto beans are considered a "good" carb for the South Beach Diet, and soup like this is perfect for any phase of the diet."
Desi-Fusion Corner (Pinki from Minneapolis, Minnesota) - Chicken Corn Chowder "This thick and creamy chowder is packed with chicken and corn (Gosh! I put corn in everything!) The use of cream makes it a New England chowder."
What Did You Eat? (Sher from Davis, California) - Chicken and Cabbage Chowder "... a delicious soup that was perfect for this dreary, wet weather. It's humble looking, but wonderfully rich and satisfying. If you eat it, you will gain strength to shovel snow from your driveway or sandbag your house from flood waters. Or...vacuum the house."
Little Spatula (Katie from Illinois) - Lentil Soup "This soup is a staple in our house. ... Add a little crusty bread and it makes quite a meal. Here I've added prociutto and parmesan cheese rind to the original recipe for a more substantial and rich tasting soup."
COLD SOUPS for SUMMER or DREAMS of SUMMER
Kuchendunst aus Singapur (Brigette from Germany who lives in Singapore) - Watermelon & Cherry Tomato Soup (melon, tomato, cranberry juice, jicama, cucumber, this sounds luscious!)
Lemonpi (Y from Sydney, Australia) - Chilled Green Soybean Soup (edamame no surinagashi) "I wouldn’t dream of cooking up a piping hot pot of soup in this Sydney weather, there’s a whole range of cold soups that shouldn’t be ignored.. vicchysoise, gazpacho, and their ilk."
DESSERT SOUPS
Tartlette (Helen from Charleston, South Carolina) - Sauternes and Honey Poached Peaches Soup (with lemon ice cream AND ricotta beignets! "I can see you ..eyes wide open wondering if I have gone mad...Soup? On a dessert blog..")
Cook (almost) Anything (Haalo from Melbourne, Australia) - Cantaloupe Soup "I've taken this wonderfully sweet and perfectly ripe cantaloupe and blended it with a little lime juice - served it with a fine dice of it's own flesh and a freshening hit of mint in the form of home-made mint ice cream."
Many, many thanks to all who participated!
Posts
0 comments:
Post a comment to: February's Focus: Soup's On!