300 Sensational Soups
by Carla Snyder and Meredith Deeds
Paperback, 384 pages
Yesterday was rainy and cold. Today was rainy and cold. Tomorrow is forecasted to be rainy and cold. There may not be snow here yet, but BBQing is out. All I want to do is curl up with a nice hot bowl of soup. And bread (which goes without saying).
Sure, you might get the odd craving for the chicken and stars from your childhood. But how about something a little more fun - like Cream of Roasted Tomato Soup with Grilled Cheese Croutons? Broccoli, Bacon and Cheddar Chowder? Or how about Provencal Vegetable Soup with Pistou?
With
300 Sensational Soups you can make all different kinds of soup from exotic and far away recipes to homey and deliciously familiar. You will never run out of great soup ideas and never go back to that can!
Contents include:
Soup Stocks
Chilled Soups
Fresh from the Garden Vegetable Soups
Beans, Beans and More Beans Soups
Cheese Please Soups
Hearty Soups for Meat Lovers
Chicken and Turkey Soups to Comfort the Soul
Go Fish: Fish and Shellfish Soups
Chow Down Chowders
A World of Soups
Just Dessert Soups
Gilding the Lily: Toppings and Garnishes
Here are a couple of sample recipes to help warm you up!
Vegetarian Soups – page 88
Cream of Roasted Turnip Soup
with Baby Bok Choy and Five SpicesWhen turnips are roasted, they become so sweet and flavorful that we don’t want to eat them any other way. We love the cute and tender baby bok choy lightly sautéed with Chinese five-spice powder.TipFive-spice powder is a blend of ground cloves, fennel seeds, cinnamon, star anise and Szechwan peppercorns. Most large grocery stores stock it, but if you can’t find it, just use a mixture of the individual spices. It will still taste delicious.
Serves 6
• Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C)
• Rimmed baking sheet
11⁄2 lbs turnips, peeled and diced 750 g
1⁄4 cup olive oil, divided 50 mL
3⁄4 tsp salt, divided 3 mL
Freshly ground black pepper
1 large onion, finely chopped 1
5 heads baby bok choy, sliced 5
2 cloves garlic, minced 2
1⁄4 tsp five-spice powder (see tip) 1 mL
6 cups chicken or vegetable stock 1.5 L
1⁄2 cup half-and-half (10%) cream 125 mL
2 tsp freshly squeezed lemon juice 10 mL
Pinch ground nutmeg Pinch
Pinch cayenne pepper Pinch
2 tbsp minced fresh chives 25 mL
1. On baking sheet, combine turnips, 2 tbsp (25 mL) of the oil, 1⁄2 tsp (2 mL) of the salt and black pepper to taste; toss to coat evenly and spread in a single layer. Roast in preheated oven until turnips are tender and begin to color, about 20 minutes.
2. In a large pot, heat the remaining oil over medium-high heat. Add onion and sauté until softened, about 3 minutes. Add bok choy, garlic, five-spice powder and the remaining salt; sauté until bok choy is tender, about 5 minutes. Transfer bok choy to a plate and keep warm.
3. Add stock to the pot and bring to a boil. Add turnips, reduce heat and simmer until turnips have flavored the liquid, about 10 minutes.
4. Using an immersion blender, or in a food processor or blender in batches, purée soup until smooth. Return to the pot, if necessary. Stir in cream, lemon juice, nutmeg and cayenne; reheat over medium heat, stirring often, until steaming. Do not let boil. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and black pepper, if necessary.
5. Ladle into heated bowls and garnish with bok choy and chives.
Chow Down Chowders / Seafood Soups – page 278
Rich Lobster and Roasted Corn Chowder“Decadent” is the best word to describe this luxurious chowder. Fresh lobster is paired with sweet and toasty roasted corn for a unique and memorable taste sensation.TipsYou can use either fresh or thawed frozen corn kernels.
If you prefer, you can replace the chicken stock and clam juice with 5 cups (1.25 L) fish or shellfish stock.
Serves 6
• Preheat oven to 425°F (220°C)
• Large rimmed baking sheet
3 cups corn kernels 750 mL
11⁄2 tbsp olive oil 22 mL
1 tsp salt, divided 5 mL
1⁄2 tsp freshly ground black pepper, divided 2 mL
4 slices bacon, chopped 4
2 cups chopped onions 500 mL
Pinch cayenne pepper Pinch
1 lb boiling potatoes, peeled and diced 500 g
3 cups chicken stock 750 mL
2 cups clam juice 500 mL
11⁄2 cups whipping (35%) cream 375 mL
2 tbsp unsalted butter 25 mL
3 cooked lobster tails (each about 10 oz/300 g), 3
meat removed and cut into bite-sized chunks
3 tbsp chopped fresh chives 45 mL
1. On baking sheet, combine corn, oil, 1⁄2 tsp (2 mL) of the salt and 1⁄4 tsp (1 mL) of the black pepper; toss to coat evenly and spread in a single layer. Roast in preheated oven for 10 minutes. Stir and redistribute into an even layer. Roast
until corn is lightly but evenly browned, 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside.
2. In a large pot, sauté bacon over medium heat until browned and crispy, about 5 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon to a plate lined with paper towels. Set aside.
3. Pour off all but 2 tbsp (25 mL) of the fat in the pot. Add onions and sauté until lightly browned, about 10 minutes. Add cayenne and sauté for 1 minute. Add potatoes, stock, clam juice and the remaining salt and pepper; bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Stir in roasted corn and cream; return to a simmer, stirring often. Simmer, stirring often, until potatoes are tender, about 5 minutes. Do not let boil.
4. In a large, heavy skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Add lobster meat and sauté until heated through, about 1 minute.
5. Ladle chowder into heated bowls and top with lobster. Garnish with reserved bacon and chives.
Excerpted from 300 Sensational Soupsby Carla Snyder and Meredith Deeds © 2012 Robert Rose Inc. www.robertrose.ca All rights reserved: May not be reprinted without publisher permission. Hearty Soup for Meat Lovers – page 114
Wild Mushroom and Orzo Soup with Italian Meatballs
Wild mushrooms have a big, beefy flavor that partners well with meatballs. This soup’s gutsy Italian flavors are sure to make it one of your favorites.
Tip
Grocery stores sometimes carry uncooked meatballs, packaged in the meat case, that they have made up themselves. We think it makes good sense to take advantage of this step-saving bonus, especially when the meatballs are of good quality. One caveat, though, is that store-bought meatballs are usually on the large side. We cut them in half and then reroll them into a ball. It only takes a minute, and they are a more “attackable” size in your soup bowl.
Serves 6 to 8
2 tbsp unsalted butter 25 mL
2 tbsp olive oil 25 mL
1 large onion, minced 1
11⁄2 lbs wild (exotic) mushrooms, sliced 750 g
1 stalk celery, chopped 1
1 tsp salt 5 mL
1 tsp dried basil 5 mL
1 tsp dried oregano 5 mL
6 cups beef or chicken stock 1.5 L
Italian Meatballs (Store bought)
1 cup orzo 250 mL
1⁄4 cup minced fresh flat-leaf (Italian) parsley 50 mL
2 tsp freshly squeezed lemon juice 10 mL
1⁄4 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano 50 mL
cheese
Freshly ground black pepper
Additional freshly grated
Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
1. In a large pot, heat butter and oil over medium-high heat. Add onion and sauté until starting to soften, about 2 minutes. Add mushrooms, celery, salt, basil and oregano; sauté until vegetables begin to soften and mushrooms have released their liquid, about 5 minutes.
2. Add stock and bring to a boil. Carefully add meatballs and bring back to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until meatballs are cooked through and vegetables are tender, about 25 minutes. Increase heat to medium-high and bring soup to a boil. Stir in orzo and boil until tender, about 8 minutes. Add parsley, lemon juice, cheese and salt and pepper to taste.
3. Ladle into heated bowls and pass additional cheese at the table.
They sent me a one day cleanse to try, which consisted of eight glass jars of juice, tea, and soup. The juices are delicious, just as good as the other juiceries. The lime and cayenne master cleanse is sweeter and less spicy than the one I've had at Kreation before, this cleanse starts with a lemon lime juice, and instead of either lemon or aloe water, they gave me chamomile mint tea and watermelon juice. Warm chamomile tea would be my preference over water any time.
The soup I got is the zucchini basil soup. It's healthy and not that creamy, but it still curbed my cravings for savory things during the cleanse. The soup is seasonal and the newest selection is celery root sage soup. The new tea is rosemary nettle, which sounds pretty exciting to try.
