Our featured soup recipe of the month " Ginger Carrot "
prep time-10 Minutes cook time-
Preparation Instructions
Peel and trim the carrots, and peel the potatoes. Cut them into 1-inch rounds, and place them into a large saucepan with the water and chicken stock. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer, covered, for about 15 minutes, or until vegetables are very tender.
Meanwhile, heat oil or butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add onions, and cook for about 5 minutes, until soft but not brown. Add garlic, ginger, salt, and spices. Reduce heat to low, and continue to cook for another 5 minutes until vegetables are very tender. Add lemon juice, stir, and remove from heat.
Add the onion saute mixture to the soup pot, along with the cashews. Purée the mixture using a stick blender (it takes persistence to get all the carrots pureed this way), or transfer in batches to a food processor. Once mixture is pureed, return to soup pot and taste for seasoning.
You can top this with a drizzle of thinned yogurt, buttermilk, or créme fraiche.
Ingredients
2 poundsCarrots
3 wholeSmall Potatoes
2 cupsHomemade Chicken Stock Or Water
2 cupsWater
2 TablespoonsOlive Oil Or Butter
1-½ cupChopped Onion
2 clovesGarlic, Minced
2 TablespoonsFreshly Grated Ginger
1-½ teaspoonSalt
½ teaspoonsGround Cumin
¼ teaspoonsGround Cinnamon
3 TablespoonsFresh Lemon Juice
1 cupLightly Toasted Cashews (optional)
Black Bean Soup Recipe
Ingredients
1 pound dried black beans (about 2 cups), rinsed, soaked in 4 quarts of water overnight or 6 hours, drained
1 lb smoked ham hock or shank
2 bay leaves
5 cups water
1/8 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 Tbsp olive oil
1 large yellow onion, chopped fine
1 medium sweet potato, chopped into 1/2-inch pieces (can substitute 2 large carrots)
1/2 carrot, chopped fine
1 celery rib, chopped fine
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 medium garlic cloves, minced
1 Tbsp ground cumin
1 teaspoon chile powder
2 cups chicken stock
1 Tbsp molasses
1 red bell pepper, roughly chopped
3 to 4 Tbsp lime juice (can substitute lemon juice)
Salt
Chopped fresh cilantro
Sour cream
Avocado, peeled and chopped
Method
1 Place beans and ham hock in a 4-quart, thick-bottomed pot. Add 5 cups water, bay leaves, salt and baking soda. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to a low simmer. Cover and let cook 1 hour 15 minutes to 1 hour 30 minutes, until beans are tender. Remove bay leaves. Remove ham hock from the pot. Cut ham meat away from the bone and cut into small, bite-sized pieces, set aside.
2 Heat olive oil in a large 8-quart thick-bottomed pot on medium high until the oil is hot, but not smoking. Add the onions, celery, sweet potato and 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned and softened, about 10-15 minutes. Reduce heat to medium, add the cumin, chili powder, and garlic, cook for an additional 2 minutes, stirring constantly.
3 Add the beans, their cooking liquid, chicken stock, molasses, and bell pepper. Bring to a boil then reduce heat to a simmer. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 20 to 30 minutes.
4 Remove 4 cups of the soup (about half of it) to a blender. Purée until smooth and return to the pot of soup. (You may need to purée the soup in smaller portions, depending on the size of your blender. Don't fill the blender more than half way at a time and hold the lid while blending.) Add back the ham pieces to the soup. Add 3 Tbsp of lime juice. Adjust seasonings. If on the sweet side, add a bit more lime juice. Salt to taste.
Serve with garnishes. Makes 8 cups. Serves 6.
Note that the soup may continue to thicken. If you would like it thinner, just add some water to desired consistency.
Cioppino
Ingredients
Seafood
3 pounds halibut, sea bass, or other firm white fish, cut into inch-long cubes
1 large (2 lb or more) cooked Dungeness crab (hard shell) or a cooked lobster
1 pound (or more) of large shrimp
2 pounds little neck clams, mussels, or oysters or all three
Sauce
1/2 cup olive oil
1 1/2 cups chopped onion (1 large onion)
1 cup chopped green bell pepper (1 large green bell pepper)
3 coves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon salt
1 28 ounce can tomatoes
Broth from the mollusks
2 cups red wine
2 cups tomato juice
2 cups fish or shellfish stock
An herb bouquet of bay leaf, parsley, and basil wrapped in a layer of cheesecloth and secured with kitchen string
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup minced parsley for garnish
Method
1 Steam mollusks (clams, mussels, oysters) in a small amount of water (about a cup) until they just open. Set aside. Strain and reserve the cooking broth.
2 If using crab, removed the crab legs from the body and use a nut cracker to crack the shells so that the meat can be easily removed once it is served (leave the meat in the shell). Break the body in half, and then cut each half again into either halves or thirds. Keep the top shell of the crab for making stock.
If you are using lobster, cut the tail in pieces and reserve the body and legs for making stock.
Note you can use prepared fish or shellfish stock, or you can make your own. If you are not making your own stock, you can discard the crab top shell or lobster body. If prepared shellfish stock is not available, I would combine some prepared fish stock (available at many markets, including Trader Joe's) with clam juice.
3 Split the shrimp shells down the back and remove the black vein. (See how to peel and devein shrimp.) I found the easiest way to do this, without removing the shell, is to lay the shrimp on its side and insert a small knife into the large end of the shrimp, with the blade pointing outward from the back (away from the shrimp and your hands). Once you have split the shrimp shells, you can turn the knife toward the shrimp, and cut in a little to find the black vein. Pull out the vein as much as you can. You can probably also use a pair of kitchen scissors to cut the backs of the shrimp.
Alternatively, you can shell the shrimps and devein them. Shell-on imparts more flavor; shell-off is easier to eat.
4 In a deep 8-quart covered pot, sauté onions and green pepper on medium heat in olive oil until soft. Add the garlic, sauté 1 minute more. Add tomatoes, broth from the mollusks, red wine, tomato juice, fish or shellfish stock, the herb bouquet, and salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a simmer and cook, uncovered, for 20 minutes. Remove herb bouquet. Taste and correct seasoning.
5 Add the fish and cook, covered, until the fish is just cooked through, about 3 to 5 minutes. Add the steamed mollusks, crabmeat, and shrimp. Heat just until shrimp are cooked (just 2-3 minutes, until they are bright pink). Do not overcook.
6 Serve in large bowls, shells included. Sprinkle with minced parsley. Serve with crusty French or Italian bread and a robust red wine. Have plenty of napkins available, a few extra bowls for the shells, and nut crackers and tiny forks for the crab.
