In order to make the risotto we did in class or any great vegetable soup or stew, you need to begin with a good vegetable stock. I think homemade stock is far superior to any stock you buy in the store. Making stock is a great way to use up vegetables in your refrigerator that may go bad. What’s even better is that you can customize it to your recipe. So if you are making a Mushroom risotto, add more mushrooms to the stock, or if you are making a soup that would go nicely with fennel, add fennel to the stock. The options are endless. This is only an example of a stock. Of course some of the ingredients are optional, but you will need to add at least carrots, onion, celery, parsley, bay leaves, peppercorns, thyme and salt if nothing else. If you want a slightly thicker stock, then add potatoes. Don’t use too many cruciferous vegetables like cabbage, broccoli or kale because their flavor is too strong.
Remember, when making a stock, begin with cold water then add all the vegetables and bring it to a boil. By starting with cold water, you will extract all the flavor from the vegetables into the stock. This is different from just boiling up some carrots to eat where you want the flavor to remain in the carrot.
Vegetable Stock
1 03 2010Comments : Leave a Comment »
Tags: carrots, celery, garlic, onions, Potatoes, tomatoes
Categories : Soup
Pumpkin, Pear and Fennel Soup
14 02 2010This is a great soup to use up winter squash. I used this both as a soup and a dip. If it gets thick, just thin it with some water.
2 tbsp. unsalted butter
2 medium leeks, white and tender green parts only, cleaned and thinly sliced
½ tsp. Coarse sea salt
4 cups winter squash (pumpkin), peeled and roughly chopped
1 lb. Ripe Bartlett or Anjou pears, cored and sliced
1 tbsp. peeled and minced fresh ginger
2 tsp. Fennel seed, toasted and ground*
black pepper
yogurt for garnish
ground cinnamon for garnish Read the rest of this entry »
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Tags: fennel, pear, squash
Categories : Soup
Carrot Soup with Indian Spice
12 02 2010
It is a cold and blustery day here in Denver, so I had a craving for nice hot soup and crusty bread. My organic vegetable delivery arrived today and lo and behold, I received a huge amount of carrots. The result was this really flavorful carrot soup.
1 tsp coriander seeds
1/2 tsp black or yellow mustard seeds
3 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tsp curry powder
1 1/2 tbsp minced fresh ginger
1 large leek or 2 medium leeks, white parts chopped
1 1/2 pounds carrots, peeled and thinly sliced
grated lime peel from one lime
5 cups vegetable stock
juice from 1 lime
plain yogurt (garnish) Read the rest of this entry »
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Tags: carrots, Indian
Categories : Soup
Tarragon Zucchini Soup
10 02 2010My youngest, Gaelen, used to be a really picky eater especially when it came to anything green and healthy, but Grandma made this soup for us and he gobbled it down. Go Grandma!!! This is especially delicious in the summer when zucchini and fresh herbs grow prolifically, but these days you can get zucchini all year long. So when you are sick of the long winter and are dreaming of the lazy days of summer, try this soup.
1 tbsp. unsalted butter
1 tbsp. safflower oil
3 onions, chopped
1 ½ lbs. Zucchini, trimmed and cut into 1 inch pieces
2 carrots, thinly sliced
6 cups vegetable stock
1 ½ tbsp. finely chopped fresh tarragon, plus several stems tied in a bundle
1 cup milk
½ tsp. Sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
pinch of cayenne pepper Read the rest of this entry »
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Tags: zucchini
Categories : Soup
Quinoa and Vegetable Soup
14 01 2010Serves 4-6
I love quinoa. It is a delicious grain, not too starchy, and really nutritious. This is a simple soup made with ingredients indigenous to the Americas. The quinoa thickens the soup slightly and adds a nice nutty taste. Read the rest of this entry »
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Tags: quinoa
Categories : Soup
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