It’s Cloudy with a chance of soup

It is officially soup weather! In Sacramento, when autumn hits, a signal is sent to my family’s brains that it is time to have more quiet, calm and hot meals together. Winter usually is just an extension of that, but this year of all year’s winter has hit us hard. When I say hard, I mean it has been cold (below 60 degrees), wet, overcast and kind of dreary. Since it is freezing (under 40 degrees) in most parts of the United States, a nice hot soup really hits the spot. usually by January my family are craving soups, but now it is the time to turn up the repetoire a notch. 

To us there is nothing more comforting and nourishing than homemade soup. For many folks soup is just something they pour out of a can and they usually only have it when they are under the weather. Canned soup for my family has never been an option. Something about that tinny taste, and the pallor and lack of texture of the vegetables that make it so easy  for us to not even consider. From an early age my mother taught us that homemade soup was the best thing next to antibiotics. She was convinced that a nice bowl of soup could revive even those near death; a quick pick you up, through and through, right down to your soul.   To this day, when I get sick I crave a nice bowl of homemade soup.

Soups do not need to take long  to make and they do not have to be expensive. Fresh and organic ingredients are a good start. If you are in a crunch for time, then you can cheat a little by buying store bought organic broths to help.  Then all you need to do is add the fresh vegetables and meat if you so desire and wulah, you have soup.  Start with a few basics such as fresh onions, garlic, celery, carrots and potatoes.  Fresh herbs are a wonderful bonus to your soups, especially if they are vegan, because they add so much flavor.  What you need to know is that there is no right way to make soup.  Remember to be creative and I think you will find that when you begin making your own homemade broths and soups how cost effective it can be, how much better the flavor is, and how much better it is for you.  Don't forget the additional bonus, that making soups from scratch puts you in control of the ingredients that go into it, and soups are naturally gluten-free!

Corn Chowder
(Recipe courtesy of my NEW hardback Fanny Farmer Cookbook I received for Christmas!)
You can use frozen or canned corn for this recipe but fresh summer corn tastes the best. Cut the kernels from the ears of corn and then freeze them until you are ready to make this chowder. I used a mixture of white corn and yellow corn.

This recipe has been adjusted a bit to a former recipe that I vaguely remeber from when I was in high school.  While in high school I worked at a natural foods ice cream, sandwich and sald shop called Vicky Maries.  We were required to make this soup from scratch once per week.  Up until that point, I had never had corn chowder.  I love corn and this was the perfect marriage for a thick and hearty soup.  While this version is made with cream, you can use rice, soy, or nut milk.  Although, this recipe has meat in it, it is not necessary to make it with meat.  You can just start out with your arromatics and a good quality olive oil.  Also the carrots and the potatoes are just added for color, texture, and as a natural thickening agent.  Other corn chowder recipes I looked up used flour and butter in the beginning as a thickening agent.  So as you can see the possiblities are endless. 

4 slices of bacon, pancetta, or ham
1 onion, finely chopped
3 stalks celery, chopped
3 thin carrots, finely chopped
4 medium potatoes, peeled and chopped
3 cups of liquid (water, chicken broth, or vegetable stock)
2 cups corn kernels
3 cups of cream
sea salt and fresh ground peper to taste

Cook the the bacon slowly in a deep pan until the fat has melted and the pieces are brown and crisp.  Pour off all but 2 tablespoons of the fat, and add the onion, carrots, celery and cook for 5 minutes.  Add the potatoes and liquid, cover and cook until the potatoes are just tender.  Add the corn, and cream and cook for 5 minutes more.  Before serving add the salt and pepper to taste.

Cream of Carrot Soup or Potage de Crécy
(Recipe courtesy of Easy French Food)
• 2 tablespoons butter


• 1 onion, peeled and chopped finely

• 1 1/2 pounds carrots, peeled if needed and sliced thinly

• 1 large potato, peeled and sliced thinly

• 1 clove garlic, crushed

• 4 cups chicken stock

• 1/4 teaspoon pepper

• 1/4 cup whipping cream

• salt to taste

• chives, chopped

In a large sturdy soup pot (or Dutch oven), melt the butter on medium heat. Cook the onions, carrots, potato, and garlic in the butter for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the chicken stock and pepper and bring the soup to a boil. Turn the heat down so that the soup is just barely bubbling. Cover the pot and cook the soup for 30 minutes.

Remove the soup from the heat and allow it to cool enough so you can comfortably puree it, using either a food processor or blender. Work in small batches and watch out for hot splashing soup! Once it is pureed return the soup to a pot. You can also puree this soup using a stainless steel food mill for a very smooth soup.

When you are done pureeing all the soup, stir in the whipping cream and season to taste with salt and additional pepper. You can further season this soup with such things as powdered dry ginger, cumin, and curry. All of these flavors go very nicely with carrots. I also like a pinch of cayenne.
Heat the soup to serve. Serve in bowls and garnish with chopped chives.

Makes about 6 - 1 cup servings.




 



For more ideas on soups:

Homemade chicken and vegetable soup

Homemade tomato soup

Vegan cream of celery soup

Vegan cashew cream for soups

Cream of carrot soup