Avgolemono

[I’ve posted already my version of Greek Lemon Egg Drop Soup, but reader Dovid R. – from Baltimore – sent us his recipe and the accompanying photo. I found it a delicious variation! CS]

Avgolemono – Greek Lemon Egg Drop Soup

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 6 cups chicken broth *
• 1/2 cup long grain white rice
• 4 egg yolks, lightly beaten
• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon lemon zest, finely chopped
• Salt and ground white pepper
• 2 tablespoons flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped

Directions

1. Bring the broth to a boil over medium heat in a large pot. Add rice and cook uncovered, until tender, about 15 minutes.
2. In a bowl, whisk the eggs together with egg yolks, lemon juice and lemon zest. Constantly whisking, slowly pour 1 cup of the hot broth into the egg mixture. Reduce heat under broth to medium-low and slowly stir in the egg mixture into the pot. Cook, stirring, until the soup is slightly thickened, 3-4 minutes. Do not let it boil.
3. Season with salt and pepper. Garnish with the parsley and serve immediately.

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* Chicken Broth

Yield: 16 cups

Ingredients

• 1 small bunch (about 1/2 oz) Italian (flat-leaf) parsley
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 4 pound hen, cleaned and cut into four pieces
• 1 medium yellow onion
• 3 celery stalks
• 1 large carrot
• 4 bay leaves
• 12 black peppercorns
• 4 cloves
• 1 teaspoon salt

Directions

1. Place the celery and peppercorns on a piece of cheesecloth, then using kitchen string, tie the ends of the cheesecloth together to make a bag.
2. Place 16 cups water in a large pot. Add all other ingredients. Bring to a boil over medium high heat.
3. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 4 hours, skimming the surface occasionally to catch and discard the residue and foam. Add extra water to the broth, making sure the original level of broth is maintained throughout.
4. Drain the stock through a strainer discarding the vegetables and reserving the flesh for further use in other recipes.

The chicken stock can be refrigerated for up to 4 days or frozen up to 30 days.

Enjoy, gentle reader, enjoy! I tried it last night and found delicious.

CS

Barley and Mushroom Soup

Nothing warms one up better and more deliciously than a hot soup on these freezing days, therefore we’ll be featuring a few of our favorite soup recipes over the next few days.

From Elizabeth Wolf-Cohen‘s Perfect Jewish, published in 2008 by Parragon Publishing in the UK (page 13, photo on page 12):

Barley & Mushroom Soup

Serves 8

Ingredients

• 1 oz dried wild mushrooms
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 2 carrots, finely chopped
• 1 small rutabaga, finely chopped
• 1 lb mushrooms, chopped
• 4 cups vegetable stock *
• 1 1/4 cup barley
• 1 tablespoon salt
• chopped fresh dill, to garnish

Directions

1. Put the dried mushrooms into a small heatproof bowl or measuring cup, and pour over enough boiling water to cover. Leave the mushrooms to soak for 20 minutes.
2. Heat the oil in a large pan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook for 3-5 minutes, or until softened. Add the carrots, rutabaga, and fresh mushrooms and cook for 5 minutes.
3. Pour in the stock and bring to a boil over high heat, skimming any foam that rises to the surface. Rinse the pearl barley in a strainer under cold running water and stir into the boiling liquid. Add salt and pepper to taste. Reduce the heat to low simmer for 30-35 minutes, or until the vegetables and barley are tender adding more stock if necessary.
4. Using a slotted spoon, carefully lift the dried mushrooms out of their soaking liquid (do not pour through a strainer or the sand will go into the mushrooms) lice or chop the mushrooms and add to the soup.
5. Strain the mushroom liquid through a muslin-lined sieve into the soup. Continue to simmer or until the mushrooms are tender, adding more stock if necessary. Serve hot, garnished with dill.

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* Vegetable Stock (follow link)

Enjoy, gentle reader, enjoy!

CS

Beer Cheese Soup

With Shavuoth fast approaching what better than a delicious dairy soup? From Pam Reiss‘ Soup – A Kosher Collection:

Serves 8

Ingredients

• 1/2 small yellow onion, peeled and finely chopped
• 1 small carrot, peeled and finely chopped
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 3 cups beer
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup 2% milk
• 1 cup half and half
• 1 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 1 lb grated cheddar cheese
• 1 cup, air popped popcorn for garnish

Directions

Use whatever beer you like to drink. Using a lighter beer will make the flavor of the soup subtler  than a dark beer. It’s a rich soup, so go easy!

Over medium low heat, sweat the vegetables in olive oilfor 12 to 15 minutes, until they are wilted but not brown.

Add the beer and bring it to a simmer. Allow the soup to simmer gently for 10 minutes.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, milk and half-and half. Whisk the this mixture, along with the salt and pepper, into the soup and bring the soup back to a simmer. Cook for 3 to 5 minutes, allowing the flour to cook and the soup to thicken.

Using a whisk, add the cheese to the soup slowly, mixing well. Whisk until the cheese is completely incorporated

Serve the soup with popcorn for a garnish.

Enjoy, gentle reader, enjoy!

CS

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Lemon Veal Soup with Mushrooms

It’s that cold time of the year, and what better way to warm up than with some hot and hearty soup?

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 12 oz boneless veal, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
• 4 cups chicken stock
• 1 onion, quartered
• 2 carrots, thinly sliced
• 2 garlic cloves, halved
• 1 pared strip lemon rind
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 tbsp margarine
• 12 oz small button mushrooms, quartered
• 6 tbsp cornstarch
• 1/2 cup unflavored MimiCreme
• freshly grated nutmeg
• fresh lemon juice, to taste
• 1 – 2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley salt and pepper

Directions

1. Put the veal in a large saucepan and add the stock. Bring just to a boil. and skim off any foam that rises to the surface.
2. Add the onion, carrots, garlic, lemon rind and bay leaf. Season with salt and pepper. reduce the heat and simmer, partially covered, for about 45 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the veal is tender.
3. Remove the veal and carrots with a slotted spoon and reserve, covered. Strain the stock, into a clean saucepan. Discard the onion, garlic, lemon rind, and bay leaf.
4. Melt the margarine in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms, season, and cook gently until golden. Reserve with the veal and carrots.
5. Mix together the cornstarch and MimiCreme. Bring the cooking liquid just to a boil and whisk in the cream mixture. Boil very gently for 2 – 3 minutes, (until it thickens, whisking almost constantly.
6. Add the reserved meat and vegetables to the soup and simmer over low heat for about 5 minutes, until heated through. Taste and adjust the seasoning, adding nutmeg and a  squeeze  of lemon juice. Stir in the parsley, then ladle into warmed bowls and serve.

Enjoy, gentle reader, enjoy!

CS

Chicken Gumbo Soup

In our everlasting quest to find great products, great recipes and more – for our faithful readers – we scour the store shelves, the net, the cookbooks and SYR and I will even even experiment quite a bit. It’s winter, it’s cold outside and we need food that will warm and make us feel good as we come in from the chill. In such cases, soups all hit the spot.

From Pam Reiss” Soup – A Kosher Collection:

Photo by: Michelle Furbacher, page 144

Serves 12

• 1 small yellow onion, peeled and finely chopped
• 1 small green pepper, seeded and finely chopped
• 1 whole jalapeño, seeded and finely chopped
• 3 stalks celery, finely chopped
• 2 cups okra, washed, trimmed and cut into 3-4 pieces
• 1 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 1/4 tsp chilli powder
• 1-2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1/2 cup olive oil.
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 Tbsp tomato paste
• 1 can diced tomatoes
• 8 cups stock
•  1 cup rice
• 1/2 lb cooked chicken, cut into 1/2 inch cubes

I use fresh okra  in this recipe, but if you can’t find it, you can use frozen. Don’t be alarmed about the somewhat slimy juices okra gives off. All the sliminess will disappear as it cooks.

1. Over medium heat, sauté the onion, pepper, jalapeño, celery, okra, salt pepper, chilli powder and garlic in olive oil for 5 to 7 minutes. The vegetables should wilt but not brown.
2. Add the flour and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring constantly.
3. Add the tomato paste, diced tomatoes, and stock. Cover and bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for another 15 minutes.
4. Add the cooked chicken, and simmer until the chicken is heated through and the rice is tender.

I just had two bowls of this soup and found it absolutely delicious and warming. So… enjoy, gentle reader, enjoy!

CS

 

Roasted Tomato Soup with Israeli Couscous

It’s winter and we need something hearty as we come in from a cold day. Soups have that marvelous quality of warming us up and make us feel good again.

From Sarah Lasry‘s The At Home Gourmet (page 66):

Photo by: Joshua Shaub on page 67

There is nothing like a great tomato soup when I’m feeling blue and tired after a hard day’s work to perk me up. I usually take a big bowl of this soup, put on my pj’s, cuddle up in a bed and call it an early night. It makes a great, easy, quick supper when you are in a rush and want to serve something hearty.

NOTE: DO NOT REFRIGERATE your tomatoes! Cold temperatures ruin tomatoes. hurting their flavor and their texture. You can cut the acidity of your tomato soup by adding just a tablespoon of granulated sugar at the end of cooking.

For the Roasted Tomatoes:

• 8 large tomatoes, halved and seeded
• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tsp kosher salt
• 1 tsp black pepper

For the Soup:

• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp curry powder
• 3 tsp minced garlic
• pinch kosher salt
• pinch black pepper
• 1 tsp cilantro (optional)
• 1 carrot, sliced
• 1 1/2 cups tomato sauce (or juice)
• 5 cups vegetable stock 9or water)
• 1 cup Israeli couscous

Preheat oven to 375-400 degrees

On a large baking sheet that has been sprayed with non-stick spray, lay your halved tomatoes face down. Drizzle olive oil lightly over the tomatoes and sprinkle a little kosher salt and pepper over them. Place in the oven for about 15-20 minutes.

Remove from oven and set aside to cool. when the cooked, chop up up the tomatoes into small chunks.

In a large soup pot heat the olive oil and saute the onions for a few minutes. Add all the spices to the onions and mix them well, making sure the onions are well cooked. Saute for another minute or two. Add the carrots to the onions and mix wel,; cook gently for 5 minutes and then add the chopped tomatoes and tomato juice. Bring the soup to a simmer and then add the vegetable stock and the couscous. Bring the soup to a full boil and cook until the couscous is soft and tender (about 20 minutes). Add salt and pepper to taste before serving.

NOTE: If you are short on time, substitute the roasted tomatoes with 3 cups of canned diced tomatoes (about 28 oz.)

Enjoy, gentle reader, enjoy!

CS

Chicken, Potato and Facon Soup

Having tasted Jack’s Gourmet award winning delicious new product – Facon – at last week’s Kosherfest 2012, I just had to find a way of incorporating it into a dish and last evening I did just that!

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon margarine
• 2 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 onion, sliced
• 9 ounces, Jack’s Gourmet Facon , chopped
• 2 large leeks, sliced
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 4 cups chicken stock
• 1 pound 12 ounces potatoes, chopped
• 7 ounces skinless breast, chopped
• 1 1/4 teaspoon cornstarch dissolved in water (for thickening the soup and making it creamy)
• salt and pepper to taste
• cooked facon and sprigs of fresh parsley to garnish

Directions

1. Melt the margarine in a large pan over medium heat. Add the garlic, the onion and cook stirring for 3 minutes, until slightly softened. Add the chopped bacon and leeks and cook for another 3 minutes while stirring.
2. In a bowl mix the flour with enough stock to make a smooth paste and stir mixture into the pan. Cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Pour in the remaining stock; add the potatoes and chicken. Season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil and lower the heat, simmer for 2o minutes or until the chicken and potatoes are tender and cooked through.
3. Stir in the dissolved cornstarch and cook for another 2 minutes. Remove from heat and ladle into serving bowls. Garnish with the cooked facon and parsley and serve immediately.

Enjoy, gentle reader, enjoy! I certainly did; in fact, this is about to become one of my favorite winter soups.

CS

Miso, Shiitake and Swiss Chard Soup

With winter fast approaching, with a predicted hurricane – a “frankenstorm” as the media refers to it – about to hit New York this very evening, it’s time to start thinking about comfort food. What better than a nice hot, hearty soup?

From Levana’s Table, by Lévana Kirschenbaum (page 48):

Photo by: Ann Stratton, page 49

Makes 8 – 10 servings

Although the flavors are rich and complex, rthis soupis ready in about 15 minutes. Miso adds its intriguing fermented flavor and a bulky but not starchy texture to the broth. It is important to add the Swiss chard aat the very end of the cooking process., so that it retains its brilliant color. The corn adds a wonderful flavor.

2 quarts (8 cups) water
1 pound shiitake mushrooms, caps, thinly sliced
One 2-inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and minced
1/2 cup dark or light miso paste
2 ears of corn, cobs cut into 1-inch rounds
3 – 4 tablespoons soy sauce
3 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
1 tablespoon bottled hot sauce
1 pound firm or extra_firm tofu, cut into sticks
1 bunch (1 pound) Swiss chard, leaves only, cut into ribbons
4 scallions, thinly sliced

Combine the water, mushrooms ginger, miso, and corn in a heavy pot  and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium and add the soy sauce, toasted sesame oil, hot sauce, and tofu. Bring to a boil again. Add the Swiss chard and scallions and cook for one more minute, until the Swiss chard is wilted. Serve hot.

The elements may be raging outside, but this soup is certain to keep you warm.

Enjoy, gentle reader, enjoy!

CS

Summer Vegetable Soup with Pesto

Sure, we don’t eat meat during the Nine Days, but we still can have food that is nutritious and delicious!

From Pam Reiss‘ Soup – A Kosher Collection:

The soup itself is light on flavor-but serve bowls up with a dollup of the pesto on top and you’ll be amazed. You can add any vegetables you like-see what your garden has to offer.

Serves 6
Ingredients

Pesto

• 2 cups fresh basil leaves (freshly packed)
• 1-2 cloves garlic(1 tsp), crushed
• 2 Tbsp pine nuts, toasted
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 5 Tbsp olive oil
• 2 Tbsp grated Parmesan Cheese

Soup

• 6 cups vegetable stock
• 1/2 small yellow onion, peeled and sliced into thin strips
• 1 small carrot, peeled, cut in half lengthwise and sliced into 1/4-inch
• 5-6 small new potatoes, skin on, cut in half and sliced into 1/4 inch
• 1/4 lb button mushrooms, cut into 1/4-inch slices
• 1/4 cup green beans, tips cut off, then cut on diagonal into pieces
• 3-4 spears asparagus, cut on diagonal into 1/2-inch pieces
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/8 tsp black pepper
• 1 small zucchini, cut in half lengthwise and sliced into 1/4-inch half -circles
• 1 cup firmly packed spinach leaves (2 oz), cut into thin strips

FOR THE PESTO, place the basil, garlic, pine nuts, salt and pepper in the bowl of a food processor. Puree for 30 seconds and then scrape down the sides. With the machine running, slowly pour in the olive oil and keep pureeing until you have a nice paste-don’t worry if it’s not liquified, you want to see a few small pieces of basil and garlic. Scrape this mixture into a bowl and mix in the Parmesan cheese. Cover and refrigerate.

For the soup, bring the stock to a boil in a covered pot over high heat. Add the onion, carrot, potatoes, mushrooms, green beans, asparagus and salt and pepper-reduce the heat and simmer gently for 7 minutes.

Add the zucchini and spinach and simmer for another 5 minutes.

Serve each bowl of soup with a large spoonful of pesto.

Enjoy, gentle reader, enjoy!

CS

Gazpacho Soup

In this hot weather what could be better than an easy to make absolutely refreshing soup? We featured a very different recipe for Gazpacho (by Chef Laura Frankel), about two years ago, and I felt it was time to revisit it.

Gazpacho

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 9 ounces white bread slices, crusts removed
• 1 pound 9 ounces tomatoes peeled and chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
• 2 red bell peppers, seeded and chopped
• 1 cucumber, peeled, seeced and chopped
• 5 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
• 5 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 9 1/2 cups water
• salt and pepper
• 4 ice cubes, to serve

Directions

1. Tear the bread into pieces and place in a blender. Process briefly to make breadcrumbs and transfer to a large bowl. Add the tomatoes, garlic, bell peppers, cucumbers, olive oil, vinegar, and tomato paste. Mix well.
2. Working in batches, place the tomato mixture with about the same amount of measured water in the food processor or blender and process to a puree. Transfer to another bowl. When all the tomato mixture and water have been blended together, stir well and season to taste with salt and pepper. Cover with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours, but noi more than 12.
3. When ready to serve, pour the soup into chilled serving bowls and float an ice cube in each bowl.

Enjoy, gentle reader, enjoy!

CS