Quick Mushroom-Barley Soup

I don’t think I have ever cooked with barley before. Barley is….very chewy. Not sure if I love it or not. Anywho, this soup was ok. I didn’t love it. I told Toby it didn’t knock my socks off. I used matchstick carrots instead of rounds, and I used vegetarian “chicken” broth.  With this we had a salad and some bread. Eh.

rating: 5
Quick Mushroom-Barley Soup
(from www.allyou.com)

Ingredients

• 2  tablespoons  vegetable oil
• 1  onion, finely chopped
• 2  carrots, cut into 1/4-inch-thick rounds (I used matchstick carrots)
• 10  ounce  white or cremini mushrooms, sliced
• 1  cup  pearl barley
• 1/2  teaspoon  dried oregano
• 1/2  teaspoon  dried thyme
• 3  cups  low-sodium chicken broth (I used veggie chicken broth)
• Salt and pepper

Preparation

1. Warm oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and carrots and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 8 minutes. Add mushrooms and sauté until they release their liquid, about 5 minutes. Add barley, oregano and thyme and stir 1 minute.

2. Add chicken broth and 3 cups water and bring to a boil. Lower heat, cover and simmer until barley is tender, about 30 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and serve.

 

Marche Wedding Soup

This recipe comes from The Splendid Table from NPR. I get their emails (maybe weekly?) and sometimes the recipes sound really good! I figured I would give this soup a try. We had it last week when it was cold and rainy, and it was really the perfect night for soup. There’s really not much to it. Like, literally. It’s basically broth. I suppose you could jazz it up with some pasta or something. I think it’s a great soup for, say, if you are sick on the couch. This is a good “sipping” soup. It’s really good, but again, there’s not much there. I substituted vegetarian chicken broth for the real stuff. With this we enjoyed some crusty olive bread and a green salad.

rating: 8

Marche Wedding Soup
Stracciosa in Brodo
From The Italian Country Table: Home Cooking from Italy’s Farmhouse Kitchens by Lynne Rossetto Kasper (Scribner, 1999). Copyright 1999 by Lynne Rossetto Kasper

Serves 6 to 8

Lacing hot broth with a blend of Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, egg, lemon zest and spices transforms a pot of good-tasting liquid into an elegant event. The creamy mix firms into threads. The soup is a close relative of Rome’s Stracciatella and a favorite opening to wedding feasts in central Italy’s Marche region. Eggs and meat broth are old symbols of celebration. Begin almost any meal with the soup, as long as cheese and lemon are not important flavorings in any other dish.

• 10 cups canned low-sodium chicken broth (or homemade if you have some) (I used vegetarian chicken broth)
• 1/4 cup dry white wine
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 large eggs, beaten
• 2 tablespoons water
• 1 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
• Shredded zest of 1/2 large lemon
• Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg

1. In a 4-quart saucepan, simmer the broth and wine 5 minutes, partially covered. Season to taste.

2. Meanwhile, in a bowl, blend the eggs, water, cheese, lemon zest, nutmeg, and about 1/8 teaspoon pepper.

3. Take the soup off the heat. With a fork, gently stir in the egg mixture with long slow strokes until it firms into pale shreds floating in the broth. The long strokes lengthen the shreds slightly. This should take 10 to 15 seconds. There will be a moment when the Parmigiano and lemon release their fragrances – enjoy it. Quickly taste the soup for seasoning and serve it while it’s still very hot and fragrant.

French Onion and Wild Mushroom Soup

This soup was….hmmm. I am kind of on the fence with this one. The broth was VERY salty (although not too salty to eat, ’cause I had two bowls full!). But it was a little strong. And then Toby said that some of the mushrooms had a weird texture, almost like “cartilage”. Eww! I do like the whole IDEA of this soup, though, so I think if I made it again I would either add more water or less stock, and then maybe JUST do the onions, or possibly use maybe button mushrooms. With this we enjoyed a salad. Yeah, I think I will give it another chance.

rating: 7.3

French Onion and Wild Mushroom Soup
(from the magazine “Every Day with Rachael Ray”

* 4 tablespoons butter
* 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO)
* 3 large onions, thinly sliced
* 1 bay leaf
* 1 1/2 teaspoons ground thyme
* Salt and pepper
* One 32-ounce container (4 cups) chicken or beef broth (I used vegetarian  Chicken stock)
* One 1-ounce package mixed dried wild mushrooms
* 1/4 to 1/3 cup dry sherry (eyeball it)
* 4 thick slices crusty bread
* 1 large clove garlic, halved
* 1/2 pound gruyère cheese, shredded

1. In a heavy soup pot, melt the butter with the EVOO, 2 turns of the pan, over medium-high heat. Stir in the onions, bay leaf and thyme; season with salt and pepper. Cook until the onions are softened and browned, 25 minutes.
2.Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, bring the chicken broth, mushrooms and 2 cups water to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, remove the mushrooms and slice.
3.Preheat the broiler. Pour the sherry into the onions and cook over medium heat, scraping up any browned bits. Stir in the mushrooms and hot broth.
4.Toast the bread under the broiler, rub with the garlic and top with the cheese. Broil until melted. Ladle the soup into bowls and serve with the toasts.

 

Sherried Tomato Soup

I love tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwiches. I thought, with the weather turning colder and it being kind of rainy, it’s the perfect time for this meal! So, OF COURSE it warms up and the sun is shining and everything, but so what! I am always looking for a great (easy) tomato soup, and this one is a keeper! I wasn’t sure if I liked sherry or not, but turns out I do! At first Toby said “wow, you can really taste the alcohol!” I said, “oh no, is it bad??” And Toby kept eating. I asked him several times if there was anything he would change about it, and he said no way. Liam wanted to add his 2 cents as well. He said “no grass”. I think he was referring to the basil and parsley. I did substitute vegetarian chicken base instead of the real thing. Try this one!

rating: 9.4

http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2008/02/sherried_tomato_soup/

Sherried Tomato Soup

6 tablespoons melted butter
1 medium onion, diced
1 46-ounce bottle or can tomato juice
2 14 ounce cans diced tomatoes
1 to 3 tablespoons chicken base
3 to 6 tablespoons sugar
Pinch of salt
Black Pepper
1 cup cooking sherry
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
chopped fresh parsley
chopped fresh basil

Saute diced onions in butter until transluscent. Add canned tomatoes. Add tomato juice, sugar, pinch of salt, and black pepper and stir. Bring to a near boil, then turn off heat. Add in sherry and cream and stir. Add in parsley and basil to taste, adjust other seasoning, and serve with yummy, crusty bread on a cold, blustery, dreary, depressing, rainy, snowy day. Then close your eyes. And give thanks for soups like this.

Black Bean Soup

I subscribe to a million magazines. Ok, more like 20, but it might as well be a million. It saves me money in the long run, because I am going to buy the magazine regardless, so I might as well subscribe. But- and there is a point here- I don’t subscribe to Paula Deen’s magazine, and I think I might want to. I bought this magazine at the grocery store recently, and it’s really good! There are a lot of great (sounding) recipes in it! This recipe caught my eye, and I’ve actually been planning to make it for about 2 weeks, and stuff came up that bumped it to another day. Today here in VA it was cloudy and cold, so I am glad I waited to make this. It was a perfect soup day! I (of course) left out the bacon, but when I was cooking the onion and garlic, I added a little bit of liquid smoke, hoping that would be a good substitute. And it was! I got to use my handy-dandy immersion blender again instead of a regular blender. This soup was very flavorful (and easy!). You will notice in the pic that I served it with cheese quesadillas. These are no ordinary quesadillas. They are Paula’s recipe too, and you shall get that recipe tomorrow!

rating (soup): 9

Black Bean Soup
(from the Sept./Oct. 09 issue of Cooking with Paula Deen)

5 slices bacon, finely chopped (I omitted)
1/2 cup chopped onion
3 cloves garlic, minced
4 (15.25 ounce) cans black beans, drained
2 (14-ounce) cans chicken broth (I used vegetarian chicken broth)
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp chili powder
garnish: sour cream, minced chives

In a medium Dutch oven, cook bacon over medium-high heat for 3 minutes, or until just beginning to brown. Add onion and garlic; cook for 3-4 minutes or until onion is tender. Add beans, broth, cumin, and chili powder. Bring to a boil; reduce heat, and simmer for 30 minutes.
In the container of a blender, spoon half of soup; process until almost smooth. Return processed mixture to Dutch oven, stirring to combine. Garnish with sour cream and chives, if desired. Serve immediately.

makes 4-6 servings

Cheddar-Horseradish Soup

This recipe has taught me two valuable lessons: 1. I don’t like soups with beer in them, and 2. I don’t like cooking with leeks. This is the second soup with beer in it that I have tried, and it’s two for two, people. Ugh. And those dang leeks are a pain! And that horseradish wasn’t particularly easy to cook with, either. I got this recipe from a little booklet insert that was in the Food Network magazine. They didn’t list amounts or measurements for several things, so I guess you are just supposed to wing it. In any case, this one was NOT good. I even made homemade croutons and everything.

rating: 3

Cheddar-Horseradish Soup
(from the Oct. 09 issue of Food Network magazine)

2 carrots, diced
2 leeks
butter
cayenne
salt
3 tbsp flour
2 tbsp dry mustard
1 bottle of beer
1/4 cup horseradish
3 cups water
dash of Worcestershire
2 cups half-and-half
1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar

Sweat the carrots and leeks in butter. Add the cayenne, salt, flour, and dry mustard; cook 2 minutes. Add the beer, horseradish, water, and the Worcestershire; simmer until thick. Whisk in 2 cups half-and-half and 1 1/2 cups cheddar.

Grilled Corn and Potato Chowder

The soup took ALOT of work. It wasn’t quick at all. It WAS pretty easy, though. Grilling the corn and potatoes beforehand takes a while, but it really does add to the flavor. You could use canned corn and maybe just pan-fry the potatoes instead. I couldn’t wait for it to simmer for 20 minutes, so we dived in after about 10. But it was still good. And very pretty! With this we had a green salad and some yeast rolls.

rating: 8.5

Grilled Corn and Potato Chowder
(from the Sept. 09 issue of Cooking Light magazine)

1 pound small red potatoes, quartered
1 tbsp salt, divided
3 tbsp softened butter, divided
4 ears shucked corn
cooking spray
3/4 cup finely chopped onion
1/8 tsp ground red pepper
3 cups 2% reduced-fat milk (I used Silk plain lite)
1/2 cup half-and-half
2 thyme sprigs
3 tbsp finely chopped chives
1 1/2 tsp chopped fresh thyme
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

1. Preheat grill to medium-high heat.
2. Place a grill basket on grill.
3. Place potatoes and 2 tsp salt in a saucepan; cover with water. Bring to a boil; cook 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Let potatoes stand in hot water 5 minutes. Drain; cut into 1/4″ cubes.
4. Melt 1 tbsp butter, brush evenly over corn. Place corn on grill rack coated with cooking spray. Place potatoes in grill basket coated with cooking spray. Grill corn and potatoes 15 minutes or until slightly charred, turning occasionally.Cool corn slightly; cut kernels from cobs. Place 1 cup corn kernels in a food processor; process until smooth.
5. Melt remaining 2 tbsp butter in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion; saute 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add remaining 1 tsp salt and red pepper; cook for 30 seconds, stirring frequently. Stir in potatoes, remaining corn kernels, pureed corn, milk, half-and-half, and thyme sprigs; bring to a simmer. Reduce heat; simmer 20 minutes. stirring occasionally. Discard thyme sprigs. Stir in chives and remaining ingredients.

serves 6

Curried Vegetable Soup

This recipe looked so good! But it wasn’t. At least not to me. Toby said it wasn’t bad, but that he didn’t want me to make it again. :-0 The toasted pita was good. Oh well.

rating: 5

Curried Vegetable Soup
(from the Sept. 2009 issue of Better Homes & Gardens magazine)

3 cups cauliflower florets
1 14-ounce can unsweetened coconut milk
1 14-ounce can vegetable or chicken broth (I used veggie)
1 tbsp curry powder
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro (I omitted)
2 cups frozen baby peas-vegetable blend
2 pita bread rounds, cut into wedges (optional)
1 tbsp olive oil (optional)
Fresh cilantro sprigs and crushed red pepper (optional)

1. Heat broiler. In Dutch oven combine cauliflower, coconut milk, broth, curry powder, and the 1/4 cup cilantro. Bring to boiling over high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer, covered, 10 minutes or until cauliflower is tender. Stir in frozen vegetable blend. Cook uncovered, until heated through. Season with 1/4 tsp salt.
2. Meanwhile, place pita wedges on baking sheet. Brush both sides with oil. Sprinkle with 1/4 tsp curry powder. Broil 3-4 inches from heat for 4 minutes, turning once, until golden. Serve soup with pita wedges. Sprinkle with cilantro and red pepper.

serves 4

Pappa al Pomodoro Soup

Ain’t nothing better on a 90 degree day than some hot soup, am I right?? I saw this soup in, of all place, InStyle magazine, and thought it looked yummy and easy. Well, it’s one of those. I must say, though, that I didn’t use nearly as much basil as it called for, and that may have been the problem. I was relying on Toby’s little scraggly basil plant on the front porch to supply all my basil, and now it’s nearly just a stalk. So I did have to scrimp there. Toby tasted it and said “it’s watery.” I had to agree. It was very bland. I wonder if I had used veggie stock instead of the plain water if that would have made much difference? In any case, I have to be fair and make it properly before I hand down a judgement.

rating: 7ish

Pappa al Pomodoro Soup
(from the Sept. 2009 issue of InStyle magazine)

serves 6

3 tbsp olive oil
3 large garlic cloves, minced
1/3 cup fresh basil
2 tsp chopped fresh sage
1 1/2 pounds ripe, peeled, seeded tomatoes, chopped (about 5 medium)
3 slices day-old white peasant bread, cut into 1/2″ cubes
3 cups water
Olive oil and basil leaves for garnish

1. Heat olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add garlic, basil, and sage, and cook for 2 minutes or until garlic begins to brown.
2. Stir in tomatoes and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring frequently. Add bread and water. Return to boil and reduce heat. Stir, breaking up bread with back of a wooden spoon.
3. Let soup simmer for 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Ladle into bowls, drizzle with additional olive oil and garnish with basil leaves.

Simple Tortellini & Spinach Soup

I recently discovered another vegetarian cooking blog, and I love it! This is the first recipe I’ve tried from it, and I really liked it. I didn’t even realize it until Toby pointed it out, but this soup is very similar to my “signature dish”, my one go-to dish that I make for all my guests, my Tortellini Florentine Soup. There’s no faux-chicken in this one, but I still like it. It’s a little bit quicker to throw together as well. I left out the basil, but it still had really good flavor. This one is good when you want something flavorful and hot and don’t have alot of time. With this we enjoyed a salad and some garlic bread.

rating: 8.5

http://fresh365.blogspot.com/2009/05/simple-tortellini-spinach-soup.html