folkmann.ca » Soups

Celeriac soup with dijon mustard and parmesan

jfolkmann — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 03:44:03 +0000

Otherwise known as “crema di sedano rapa con senape di digione e parmigiano”. It’s difficult taking pictures of white soups, but it tastes great, I promise. Next time I think I’ll try it with a grainy mustard. Thanks to lucullian delights for the recipe.

Preparation time: 10m
Cooking time: 20m
Difficulty: 2
Serves: 4

Ingredients

1 large celeriac bulb (celery root)
1 leek, the white part
1 potato
3 cups of stock, or add another cup if you want a thinner soup
1-2 tablespoons Dijon mustard (I added more!)
1 cup of parmesan cheese, freshly grated
pepper
salt
extra-virgin olive oil
Fresh parsley

Preparation

Peel and dice the celeriac and the potato. Clean and slice the leek. Braise the vegetables in olive oil for about 4-5 minutes. Season, and add stock, cook (simmer) for 20 minutes with a lid on or until the celeriac is soft.

Then add the mustard and mix the soup in a food processor until creamy and smooth. Top with grated parmesan and parsley before serving.

Borscht

jfolkmann — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 11:12:50 +0000

Borscht is a staple for those of us living on the prairies and a great way to use the beets you’ve frozen from the garden. (You did save some didn’t you?) We froze a few bags of chopped and blanched beets to keep over the winter, although I’m pretty sure they’re not going to make it that long. There isn’t much to this recipe, but there lies the beauty. It’s simple, tasty and very healthy.

Preparation time: 15m
Cooking time: 10m
Difficulty: 2
Serves: 4

Ingredients

6-8 beets, peeled and cut into smallchunks
3 Garlic cloves (skin removed)
Olive oil
Pepper
Salt
1 litre (approx) Vegetable stock (or chicken stock)

Preparation

Place the beets and garlic on a roasting tray, and douse them with olive oil. Season with salt, pepper. Place the tray in an oven preheated to 400F until the beets are soft…usually about 30mins.

Once cooked place the beets into a large blender and puree the mixture. Add the vegetable stock until it reaches a texture you’re happy with. I like my really smooth so like many soups I make I drain the entire mixture through a sieve to take out any chunks. If you gently push the puree through the sieve you’ll only have a little bit of fiber left over in the bottom. Pour the sieved soup into a pot and bring to the boil. Simmer the soup for 10 minutes, add some sour cream and then serve with a nice crusty bread.

Harvest soup – Butternut squash and white carrot

jfolkmann — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 01:28:27 +0000

This harvest soup is perfect for a evening by the fire as winter is fast approaching and once again we’re ready for hearty soups cozy dishes. Serve on its own or as a starter to a lamb or a roast chicken. We’re still using the carrots from our garden…not too many left.

Preparation time: 1h
Cooking time: 15m
Difficulty: 1
Serves: 4

Ingredients

1 large butternut squash
2 cloves garlic
1 teaspoon Salt (or to taste)
1 teaspoon Pepper (or to taste)
4 large carrots (any will do, but we had white ones from the garden)
1 sprig of rosemary, just use the leaves
Olive oil

Preparation

Preheat your oven to 400F. Cut the butternut squash in half lengthwise. Remove the seeds and the stringy stuff. Rub the top of each half with olive oil. Place a clove of garlic inside the hollowed out bits of the squash. Rub the carrots in olive oil and then place all of the vegetables on a roasting tray. Season with salt, pepper. Place the tray in the oven and roast until the vegetables are tender. About 45 minutes.

Once cooked, scrape out the inside of the squash and place the vegetables into a large blender and puree the mixture. Add the vegetable stock until the mixture has the desired consistency. Add the rosemary and blend it again. Pour soup into a pot add a bit more salt and pepper and bring to the boil. Simmer the soup for 10 minutes and then serve with some nice parmesan crostini.

Broccoli & Potato soup

jfolkmann — Sun, 05 Oct 2008 22:04:37 +0000

The first time I made this soup I added cabbage – very bad idea. The cabbage overpowered everything and ruined the soup. My second attempt was much more successful. If you’re looking for a good hearty winter warmer, this is it.

Preparation time: 10m
Cooking time: 30m
Difficulty: 2
Serves: 6

Ingredients

3 heads of broccoli with stems
1 large potato
5 cups of chicken/vegetable stock
½ cup white wine
1 onion
2 cloves garlic
¼ cup of olive oil
½ a lemon (juiced)
salt (to taste)
pepper (to taste)
1 cup of grated cheddar cheese
½ cup of half and half

Preparation

Remove the stems from the broccoli and trim off any leaves or blemishes that you find. Clean and peal the potato. Dice the broccoli stems and the potato into small cubes. Put the florets aside. Dice the onion and garlic.

In a large pot, fry the diced onion, garlic and olive oil until the onions and garlic are translucent. Add in the potato, the diced broccoli stems and the wine. Stir for a few minutes until the wine has been absorbed. Now add the stock and seasoning, and stew the broccoli and potato until tender. When the stems and potato are just about done, add in the broccoli florets and let the ingredients sit for about 5 minutes.

In a few batches remove the ingredients from the pot and transfer to a blender. Once blended return the ingredients to the pot and simmer. Add lemon juice. Stir in the cheddar cheese and cream just before serving.

Carrot and parsnip soup

jfolkmann — Thu, 21 Feb 2008 15:51:48 +0000

This is a great recipe for detox and doesn’t take long to make either.

7 large carrots, cut into smallchunks
4 large parsnips, cut into chunks
1 White onion, cut into chunks
5 Garlic cloves (skin removed)
Olive oil
Pepper
Salt
Fresh or Dry Oregano
1 Litre (approx) Vegetable stock (or chicken stock)

Place all of the vegetables on a roasting tray, and douse them with olive oil. Season with salt, pepper. Place the tray in an oven preheated to 400F until the vegetables are soft…usually about 30mins.

Once cooked place the vegetables into a large blender and puree the mixture. Add the vegetable stock until the mixture has a soup like texture. At this point I like to drain the entire mixture through a sieve to take out any chunks (but you could just skip to the next step if you don’t want to spend the time sieving). Pour the sieved soup into a pot, add a handful of fresh oregano, a bit more salt and pepper and bring to the boil. Simmer the soup for 10 minutes and then serve with a nice crusty bread.

Mushroom soup

jfolkmann — Mon, 23 Oct 2006 17:43:41 +0000

It’s autumn and the variety of mushrooms that appear in UK supermarkets is outstanding. Get your hands on as many different varieties as you can and make this soup on the next rainy day. Tasty and filling.

1 package button mushrooms (chopped)
1 package shitake mushrooms (chopped)
2 dried and soaked porcini mushrooms (chopped)
2 portabello mushrooms (chopped)
1 package wild mushrooms or as many different types as you can find.
Butter
2 shallots (diced)
2 cloves of garlic (diced)
1 pint of vegetable stock
1/2 pint of water

On a low heat in a very big pot melt some butter and add in the shallots and garlic. Saute until clear…try not to add too much colour. Once soft add in all of the mushrooms, stir to coat with the butter and onion mix, add 1/2 pint of water and put a lid on the pot. Stir every couple of minutes until the mushrooms are nice and soft. They should reduce considerably. Cook for another 10 minutes or so and then add the pint of stock. Turn up the heat and bring to the boil. Boil for 5 minutes.

Remove from heat and place entire contents of pot into a blender. Smooth the ingredients in the blender and return to a low heat. Add some creme if you wish. Serve hot!

Chicken noodle soup

jfolkmann — Mon, 21 Aug 2006 13:18:22 +0000

We decided to make chicken noodle soup for friends this weekend as 2 out of 4 weren’t feeling very well. This is based on my Grandma’s recipe, and although it doesn’t quite taste like hers…it’s pretty damn good.

8 Chicken legs
1 bunch of parseley
1 bunch of oregano
1 large white onion
2 carrots
8 sticks of celery
Salt
Pepper
Olive oil
1 package of fresh tortelinni

For the stock:
In a large saucepan add the chicken, oregano, half of the onion (roughly chopped), 1 carrot (roughly chopped), and 4 sticks of celery. Fill the pot with water until all of the ingredients are fully covered. Bring to the boil and let it simmer until the chicken is cooked through. Once the chicken is cooked, remove it from the pot and continue to simmer the remaining ingredients for 1h. Remove from heat, and strain the liquid using a pasta strainer. Throw out the vegetables and herbs. Keep the liquid in a seperate bowl…for now.

For the soup:
Dice the remaining vegetables and peel the meat from the chicken bones. Add a little olive oil to your empty saucepan and heat. Add the vegetables and fry them until the onion is soft. Add in the broth and the chicken and season to taste. Simmer for another 15minutes and then add the tortelinni. When the tortelinni floats to the top, simmer for 2 minutes and Serve HOT!