Celery Root and Apple Soup

I must admit, the thought of celery root soup made me go, bleh!  I pretty much see celery as a utensil for peanut butter and ranch dressing.  And I struggle to think of anything that improves with the addition of it.  But, I received my weekly shipment of organic vegetables and inside was a celery root.  What was I supposed to do with it?  It didn't look very appetizing and it smelled pretty strongly like celery.  This recipe was included with the vegetables, and I figured I could either try it, or let the celery root rot in the bottom of the fridge. The fact that I actually spent time debating these two options tells you how little I care for celery.  So, imagine my delight when this soup turned out so good.  I didn't even have the pancetta that the recipe called for (which I assumed was to mask the celery taste), and still I loved it.  I will definitely be making this again.  The granny smith apples gave it a little bit of tang and a subtle bit of sweetness, and the celery flavor lingered just slightly in the background.  Topped off with some chives, and it all came together beautifully; no peanut butter or ranch dressing needed!          

From Bon Appetit
yield: Makes 6 servings


(NOTE: I skipped the pancetta, and rather than making the chive oil, I just topped the soup with chopped chives.  It was wonderful, and cutting those steps made this super quick and easy.)

Ingredients:
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter
4 cups 1/2-inch cubes peeled celery root (from one 1 1/4-pound celery root)
3 cups 1/2-inch cubes peeled cored apples (Granny Smith work best) (from about 2-3 medium)
1 1/2 cups chopped onion (about 1 large)
4 cups (or more) low-salt chicken broth
1/2 cup chopped chives
1/2 cup grapeseed oil
Pinch of salt
3 ounces thinly sliced pancetta (Italian bacon)

Preparation
Melt butter in heavy large pot over medium heat. Add celery root, apples, and onion. Cook until apples and some of celery root are translucent (do not brown), stirring often, about 15 minutes. Add 4 cups broth. Cover and bring to simmer. Reduce heat to medium-low; simmer covered until celery root and apples are soft, stirring occasionally, about 25 minutes. Remove from heat; cool slightly.

Working in batches, puree soup in blender until smooth, adding more broth by 1/4 cupfuls to thin to desired consistency. Return soup to pot. Season to taste with salt and pepper. DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 day ahead. Refrigerate uncovered until cold, then cover and keep refrigerated.

Puree chives, grapeseed oil, and pinch of salt in blender until smooth.

Preheat oven to 375°F. Arrange pancetta slices in single layer on rimmed baking sheet. Roast until pancetta is browned and crispy, about 18 minutes. Transfer to paper towels to drain. Crumble pancetta. DO AHEAD: Chive oil and pancetta can be made 2 hours ahead. Let stand at room temperature.

Rewarm soup over medium heat. Divide soup among bowls. Sprinkle pancetta crumbles over each serving. Drizzle each bowl with chive oil.

Turkey Meatball Soup

If my Mom is reading this, she must be thinking how ironic it is for me to be posting something like meatball soup.  After all, at the age of 13, I announced I was a vegetarian.  I made this decision after catching a special on t.v. about cattle and chicken raised for slaughter.  It was graphic enough to have converted even the most meat loving man into a vegetable and tofu lover.  I'll admit it though, I fell off the veggie wagon my very first day.  Yep, it's true.  I couldn't last one day.  A friend brought me lunch that day and had picked up hamburgers.  They just smelled so good.  One more day couldn't hurt, could it?  Apparently not.  After that day, I stayed true to this cause for twelve years before deciding it was time for some protein in my diet again.  I now call myself a "recovering" vegetarian, and I couldn't be happier with this decision.  Don't get me wrong, that t.v. special is still vivid in my memory, but maybe time has lightened some of the more disturbing parts?  I can now eat chicken, turkey, a little pork, and fish.  Red meat still hasn't made it past my lips, but I'm okay with that.  Eating some meat has certainly made my life easier.  I get fewer weird looks, rolling eyes, and hippie comments.  There's more than one or two choices on restaurant menus.  And, no one feels like they need to make me anything special when I go to their house for dinner.  Oh, and, my husband no longer makes the "wasting away" comments he used to make when I was cooking only vegetarian!    


This recipe is from Jessica Seinfeld's Deceptively Delicious.  I skipped the sweet potato puree, but otherwise I followed it pretty exactly.  Staying true to my vegetarian roots, I think you could probably make this with ground soy protein, if you so desire.  The ground turkey was great though!  Also, the recipe says it serves 10, but those would be some pretty small servings!  I'd say this serves six or seven as a meal.


3 ounces whole wheat pasta shapes
Nonstick cooking spray
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 (28 ounce) can chopped tomatoes, with the juice
1/4 Cup carrot puree (cooked carrots blended with a little cooking water)
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
3 Cups reduced sodium chicken or beef broth
3 slices whole wheat bread, cubed
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1/4 Cup sweet potato puree (optional, I skipped it)
1/4 Cup non-fat milk
2 Tablespoons grated parmesan cheese, plus more for serving
1/4 Teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1/2 pound ground turkey


Cook the pasta in a large pot of salted water until tender.  Drain and set aside.


Coat a large pot with cooking spray and set it over medium-high heat.  When pot is hot, add oil, onion, and garlic.  Cook, stirring often, until the onion is softened, 4-5 minutes. 


Puree the tomatoes and their juice with the carrot puree in a food processor, then add to the pot along with 1/2 teaspoon of salt.  Add the broth, reduce heat to low, and simmer, covered, for 10-15 minutes.  


Meanwhile, put the bread in a large bowl.  Add the egg, sweet potato puree, milk, parmesan cheese, 1 teaspoon salt, the pepper, and paprika, and let soak until the bread is very soft.  Stir to break up the bread, add turkey, and mix until smooth.  Form into mini meatballs 1/2-inch in diameter.


Add meatballs to the pot.  Simmer, covered, until the meatballs are no longer pink inside, 12-15 minutes.  Stir in the pasta.  Serve sprinkled with parmesan cheese and some cracked pepper. 

         

Split Pea Soup

A friend asked me the other day how I suddenly got into cooking.  I thought to myself, suddenly?  I've always loved to cook.  I guess if you didn't know me as a kid, it would seem sudden.  I have sort of been on sabbatical from cooking for about 15 years now.  I loved to bake as a kid and was famous at home for my chocolate chip cookies.  I had my parents and my brother convinced for years that I had a secret ingredient that made the cookies so good, when really, I was just following the recipe on the Nestle Tollhouse bag.  My brother asked if he could watch the next time I made them and I told him he could, as long as he left the room while I added the 'secret' ingredient.  He left the room and, just to trick him, I sprinkled a couple of oats on the batter.  When he came back in, his eyes lit up, and he started shouting, "It's oats, her secret ingredient is oats!"  My parents ran into the kitchen to see what all the commotion was about, and they too thought they had discovered my secret.  While they all danced around laughing and celebrating, I smiled slyly and rolling my eyes thought, gullible, so gullible.  I don't know if I ever admitted to my little fib, but if you guys are reading this now, well, I guess the jig is up.  I had NO secret ingredient.  The only thing I did differently from the directions was that I mixed all the ingredients in one bowl instead of separating out the wet and dry and mixing them slowly, but you already knew that didn't you?  How this makes a difference, I will never know.   What does this have to do with split pea soup?  Nothing, except that as I was disregarding some of the steps in the recipe, it made me think back to the chocolate chip cookies and the 'secret' to their success. 

The soup is very hearty and delicious.  I like that you don't puree the whole soup.  It gives it all a nice texture and variety.  I used fresh thyme and parsley from our herb garden, but dried would be just as good in a soup I'm sure.  I also forgot to put them in until pretty late in the cooking process and it still turned out great.  So, feel free to mess with the direction if you see fit.  It just may be the 'secret' to your success. 

Recipe from Williams-Sonoma Soup, 2001

Serves 4

1 Tablespoon olive oil

1 yellow onion, finely chopped

1 celery stalk, thinly sliced (I left this out.)

2 small carrots, peeled and thinly sliced

1 Cup dried green or yellow split peas, rinsed and drained

4 Cups chicken or vegetable broth

6 slices bacon

2 Tablespoons fresh chopped parsley

1/2 teaspoon finely chopped fresh marjoram

1/2 teaspoon finely chopped fresh thyme

salt and freshly ground pepper

In a large saucepan over medium heat, warm the oil.  Add the onion and saute until softened, 3-5 minutes.  Add the celery and carrots and saute until just slightly softened, 3 minutes. 

Add the split peas, stock, 2 slices of bacon, parsley, marjoram, and thyme.  Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer partially covered until peas are tender, 50-60 minutes.  Discard the bacon.

Meanwhile, in a frying pan over medium heat, cook the remaining 4 slices of bacon until crisp.  Set aside to cool.  Crumble when cooled and set aside.

Coarsely puree 2 cups of the soup in a food processor or blender and return pureed soup to pot.  Season with salt and pepper.  Return soup to medium heat and simmer 5 minutes longer.  Taste and adjust the seasonings.  Ladle the soup into warmed bowls and garnish with crumbled bacon.  Serve immediately. 

Spicy Chicken Lime Soup

Often my vision does not match the reality of my creation.  Over the years, this has been especially true with art projects, Halloween costumes, sewing projects, flower arranging, and home decor...just to name a few.  But, more recently, this has applied to gardening.  Andrew and I had visions of pickling peperoncinis, roasting chilies for salsas and sauces, and the beauty of chili pepper plants growing in pots on the patio.  Instead, we have one inch high seedlings that have decided that they are done growing, thank you very much.  Apparently, they are satisfied with their dwarfed little height and being totally devoid of fruit, and no amount of TLC will convince them otherwise.  Well, I, for one, have had enough of waiting.  As sad as I was to have to buy all of these ingredients from the grocery store, I was delighted by how the soup turned out.  I can admit it, it may have been better with home grown chilies...maybe.  (But it was really delicious with canned chilies, and I am going to go out on a limb here and say it was much easier too.)  The recipe is from Daisy Martinez, published in Rachel Ray Magazine, September 2009.  My only addition was some roasted corn. 

Serves 6

2 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
6 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
5 skinless, boneless chicken thighs, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
2 canned chipotle chili peppers in adobo sauce, finely chopped
2 Tablespoons adobo sauce
6 Cups chicken broth
1/2 Cup fresh cilantro, chopped
Juice of 2 limes
1/2 Cup roasted corn kernels
Salt and pepper
1 haas avocado, thinly sliced lengthwise
Crushed tortilla chips

In a large sauce pan, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat.  Stir in the onions and garlic, lower the heat to medium, and cook until the onions begin to brown, about 7 minutes.  Increase the heat to high, push the garlic and onions to the side of the pan, add the chicken and cook, stirring, until golden, about 5 minutes.  Stir in the chipotles and adobo sauce, then stir in the chicken broth.  Lower the heat and simmer for 15 minutes, skimming off any foam.  Stir in the cilantro, corn, and lime juice and season with salt and pepper if necessary.  Place avocado slices in each bowl and pour in the soup.  Top with the tortilla chips. 

Carrot, Summer Squash, and Apple Soup

Andrew and I met in Ireland and spent a little more than a year living there together while I was in graduate school. Having grown up in southern California, the Irish weather was a bit of an adjustment. Don't get me wrong, I knew it rained a lot there. But my perception of a lot of rain, and the amount of rain there actually was that year, were vastly different. I mean, it rained every single day of February, March, and April for goodness sake and probably every other day for the rest of the months! The Irish have a saying that if you can see the hillsides, it's about to rain, and if you can't see them, it is already raining!

It probably goes without saying that the Irish make incredible soups. I know I feel like doing nothing more than spending the day cooking up a soup when it rains. But. while I have a mere few days a year to perfect my soups, the Irish have 300+. I've never had a bad soup in Ireland. In fact it was always my favorite lunch there. Any pub or restaurant would have a soup of the day and brown bread any day of the week. And it was ALWAYS delicious.

It wasn't raining today, but it felt like fall. The sun had shifted just so in the sky and the air was a little cooler and crisper. It was time to finish harvesting our last crop of summer squash and carrots. Looking at these vegetables I was inspired to attempt a soup reminiscent of something I would have had in Ireland. I think I did pretty well!

Serves 4

1 1/2 Tbsp. olive oil

1/2 an onion diced

3 medium carrots, peeled and sliced

2 medium fugi apples, peeled and sliced

1 large yellow summer squash (or 2 smaller ones), sliced and seeds removed

small handful of fresh thyme

2 Cups of vegetable or chicken stock

1/3 Cup Half and Half

Fresh ground pepper

Saute diced onion in olive oil 2 minutes. Then add carrots, apple, and thyme and continue to cook for another 5 minutes. Then add the squash and cook until carrots are tender, about 12-14 minutes. Add stock and simmer on low another 10 minutes or until vegetables are soft. Put in a blender or food processor and blend until smooth. Return to pot, add half and half and fresh ground pepper to taste. Garnish with thyme leaves.