It’s finally winter and time to bring out those crockpots and soup kettles to make hearty, warming meals. Is there a better comfort food for a cold winter’s day?
The following soups are packed with flavor and nutrition, are simple to make and very forgiving. Often, if you don’t have one ingredient, you can substitute another.
Add a salad and some good, crusty bread from one of Montclair’s great artisanal bakeries for a great winter meal.
Check the Lampert Library for other soup recipes. The variety and skill level are endless.
Carrot, Orange and Ginger Soup
This brightly colored soup is easy to make, has a deep flavor with just a hint of heat from the ginger. And it’s easy to make parve and vegan.
(adapted from Love Soup by Anna Thomas, recommended by Zelda Greenstein)
Serves 6-7
INGREDIENTS:
2 lbs of carrots (about 12 carrots)
2 large onions (about 1 lb total)
1 stalk celery
2 Tbs. butter or olive oil
1 1⁄2 Tbs. fresh ginger minced
3⁄4 tsp. sea salt
Grated zest (orange part only) and juice of 1 orange
2 1⁄2 cups vegetable broth
1-3 Tbs. fresh lemon juice
Cilantro or parsley for garnish
DIRECTIONS:
1. Peel and thinly slice carrots (5 cups), chop onions and slice the celery.
2. In a skillet, add the onions to the oil that has been heated (medium heat).
3. Add a big pinch of salt and stir often until the onions are golden brown (about 20-30 minutes).
4. In a soup pot: add vegetables, minced ginger, 2 1⁄2 cups of water, vegetable broth, and 1⁄2 tsp. of salt. Lower heat, cover and simmer for 40-50 minutes until the vegetables are very soft.
5. Remove from the heat and add orange juice (about 1⁄2 cup) and 1⁄4 tsp. of orange zest.
6. Puree the soup in blender or with an immersion hand blender until smooth.
7. Add 1 tablespoon of lemon juice, taste and add more , a little at a time, if needed.Do not over-whelm the carrot/ginger taste. You want a sweet-tart taste
8.Add a dash salt, a little at a time, to balance the taste.
8. (Optional) Garnish each bowl with a pinch of cilantro, orange zest, and a drizzle of olive oil
New and Improved Spicy Cajun Cabbage Soup
This soup can be made as thick as you want, almost stew-like.
(adapted by Rebecca Grossberg)
INGREDIENTS:
2 tbsp olive oil
1 lb. spicy smoked sausage, cut into bit-size pieces (optional)
salt/pepper
5 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 onion, chopped
2 large carrots, peeled and chopped
1 bay leaf
2 tsp dried thyme
3 tbsp fresh parsley
1 tsp sage
1 tbsp Cajun or goulash seasoning
2 tsp paprika
9 cups chicken stock
1 14.5 ounce can diced tomatoes
1 head of cabbage, cored and shredded, green or red
3 cups of steamed rice or egg noodles
DIRECTIONS:
1. In a large stock pot, heat olive oil over medium heat and add sausage, garlic, bay leaf, salt/pepper, onion and carrot and sauté until sausage is browned and vegetables are soft.
2. Then, add thyme, parsley, sage, Cajun seasoning, and paprika-cook for a minute or so to incor-porate into mix .
3. Then, add stock and tomatoes.
4. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low-medium and add cabbage, cover and simmer until cabbage is tender.
5. Give it a taste and add more spice if needed.
6. Steam rice or make egg noodles (keep out of soup) and place soup over before eating.
7. Remove bay leaf before serving.
NOTE: For an extra hearty soup, add canned beans and use goulash spice, if available, instead of cajun spice and add meatballs at the end for a one-dish meal. Use vegetable stock and eliminate the sausage for a parve soup.
Swiss Chard and Chickpea Minestrone
Yield: 6 to 8 serving
INGREDIENTS:
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2 medium carrots, cut in small dice
1 celery stalk, cut in small dice
1 leek, white and light green parts only, halved lengthwise, cleaned, and sliced thin
Salt
4 large garlic cloves, minced
7 cups water
2 tablespoons tomato paste
A bouquet garni :1 Parmesan rind, 1 bay leaf, 3 sprigs parsley and 3 sprigs thyme,
1 (15-ounce) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
½ pound Swiss chard, stemmed, leaves washed (4 cups, tightly packed, chiffonade)
½ cup soup pasta, like elbow macaroni or broken spaghetti
Freshly ground pepper to taste
Freshly grated Parmesan
DIRECTIONS:
1. Heat olive oil over medium-low heat in a large, heavy soup pot or Dutch oven.
2. Add the onion, carrots and celery. Cook, stirring, until beginning to soften, about three minutes.
3. Add 1/2 teaspoon salt and the leek. Continue to cook, stirring often, until tender, about three minutes.
4. Add the garlic, stir for about a minute, and then stir in the water, tomato paste and the bouquet garni.
5. Bring to a simmer. Add salt to taste, reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer 30 minutes.
6. Stir in the chickpeas. Taste and adjust salt.
7. Remove the bouquet garni.
8. Add the Swiss chard and the pasta to the soup, bring back to a simmer, and simmer another 10 minutes or until the pasta is cooked al dente.
9. Grind in some pepper, taste ,adjust seasonings.
10. Serve in wide soup bowls, with a sprinkling of Parmesan over the top.
Advance preparation: You can make this through Step 1 several days ahead and keep in the refrigerator or freeze. The closer to serving time you add the chard, the brighter it will be.
Note: You can tie the bouquet garni in a piece of cheesecloth, put the ingredients in a large tea ball, buy cloth bouquet garni bags or purchase a silicone bouquet garni container that’s heatproof and dishwasher safe. Any good kitchen supply store or Amazon will have several options.
For a parve soup, leave out the Parmesan rind and use vegan parmesan for garnish. Available at Whole Foods.
Potato Barley Soup from Mama Leah
recommended by Fern Heinig
INGREDIENTS:
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 large onion diced
2 stalks celery diced
4 cloves garlic crushed
3 quarts vegetable broth
1/2 cup barley
2 carrots peeled and diced
2 large Idaho potatoes peeled and diced
salt and pepper to taste
DIRECTIONS:
1. Heat the oil in a 5qt soup pot and sauté’ onion, celery, and garlic until soft but not browned.
2. Add broth, barley and carrots. Simmer gently, stirring occasionally.
3. After one hour, add potatoes. Cook for an additional hour. If soup gets too thick, add more broth or water. Adjust seasoning as needed.
NOTE: This soup is parve. Add sausage or tiny meatballs to make a hearty meat meal. We always have powdered vegetable or parve chicken bouillon on hand for emergencies.Use salt sparingly salt if using powdered bouillon as an ingredient.s
Easy Red Lentil Soup with Lemon
recommended by Aileen Grossberg
INGREDIENTS
3 tablespoons olive oil, more for drizzling
1 large onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 teaspoon ground cumin
¼ teaspoon kosher salt, more to taste
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
Pinch of ground chile powder or cayenne, more to taste
1 quart chicken or vegetable broth
2 cups water
1 cup red lentils
1 large carrot, peeled and diced
Juice of 1/2 lemon, more to taste
3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
PREPARATION
1 In a large pot, heat 3 tablespoons oil over high heat until hot and shimmering. Add onion and garlic, and sauté until golden, about 4 minutes.
2 Stir in tomato paste, cumin, salt, black pepper and chili powder or cayenne, and sauté for 2 minutes longer.
3 Add broth, 2 cups water, lentils and carrot. Bring to a simmer, then partially cover pot and turn heat to medium-low. Simmer until lentils are soft, about 30 minutes. Taste and add salt if nec-essary.
4 Using an immersion or regular blender or a food processor, purée half the soup then add it back to pot. Soup should be somewhat chunky.
5 Reheat soup if necessary, then stir in lemon juice and cilantro. Serve soup drizzled with good olive oil and dusted lightly with chili powder if desired.
NOTE: This is a very forgiving soup and is also easy to double. It can be served as is without blend-ing. A simple salad and lots of warm crusty bread or croutons make a complete meal.
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Yum! Thanks Aileen