It's soup week here!

mandksima ↓

Mon, Sep 01 2008, 5:29 am

This week I made 3 really good soups that really went even in hot weather and I got to freeze some of each for later:

Chickpea cilantro soup (I call it that and I just copied it from a restaurant that we went to)

Lentil Soup

Chicken Soup with lots of veggies

I was soooooo surprised that my 2 seven year olds loved the chickpea soup - I just had to make sure to puree most of the chickpeas and not give them any whole ones. The lentil soup my DD didn't like but my picky DS ate. The chicken veggie soup everyone eats and not only on Shabbos.

Let me know if anyone wants recipes.

Next I'm making red lentil pumpkin soup.

↑ mandksima ↓

Mon, Sep 01 2008, 6:38 am

Chickpea Cilantro Soup

I didn't measure anything and made up the quantities and ingredients that I could guess so here goes:

one onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced

saute in a few splashes of olive oil until softer and add:

3 carrots, sliced thinly
1-2 zucchini, diced
1 potato, diced
1/2 C celery, diced - can use some of the leaves if you can get them clean

saute 5-10 min until starting to get soft. Add 1/2 tsp tumeric, 1 tsp cumin
add 8 C water (I'm guessing here)
add in cheesecloth/soup bag or tie together or chop if preferred - large bunch fresh cilantro and small bunch fresh parsley.

Take 2 cans chickpeas, or equivilent frozen/dry and cooked earlier. Either puree all of the chickpeas in a little of the broth from the soup (I used my stick blender) or do some of them for thickness and leave some whole and then return to the soup. Bring to boil and then simmer for about 1 1/2 hours. Maybe less if it's starting to smell really good and you're hungry. Taste and add salt and pepper.

Discard greens if using them whole and eat!

Lentil Soup

2 C chopped onion
3 chopped garlic cloves
8 C water
4 C lentils
1 C chickpeas
1 C small white beans
1 small can diced tomatoes or 4 fresh ones, peeled and diced
1 1/2 C sliced carrots
1 1/2 C diced zucchini (optional)
1 tsp ginger, 1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp tumeric, cinnamon
2 tsp paprika
2 T fresh parsley
2 T or more olive oil

Cook lentils in a little water for 20-30 minutes until soft. Drain if there is water remaining. Set aside. In pot, saute onions and garlic with the spices (except for parsley) for 5 min. Add water, and all else and bring to boil for 5 min, then simmer 1- 1 1/2 hours covered. Season with salt and pepper and more cumin if preferred.

↑ mandksima ↓

Mon, Sep 01 2008, 6:48 am

YESHASettler wrote:

That red lentil pumpkin soup sounds yummy! Recipe please?

I have a tomato lentil soup and a pumpkin lentil soup and I can't remember which is the one we liked so much. I think I sort of combined the 2 recipes. I'll post both if I can and you can tell me how they came out.

Pumpkin Red Lentil Soup

2 onions, diced
1-2 T olive oil
2 chunked zucchinis
8 C water
1 lb fresh pumpkin, cubed
1 large potato, cubed
1 C dried red lentils
2-3 scallions, diced
1 T salt
dash pepper
1/4 tsp dried mustard

Saute onion in oil until clear. Add zucchini on top and saute 2 min. Add water and rest. Bring to boil and simmer 2 1/2 hours.

Tomato Lentil Soup

1 T oil
2 onions, chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
3/4 C red lentils
large can crushed tomatoes
8 C water
oregano
fresh parsley
paprika
salt and pepper

Heat oil, add spices, onions and garlic and stir until onions are soft. Add remaining ingredients and bring to a boil and simmer uncovered 1 1/2 hours. Good cold too!

↑ mandksima

Mon, Sep 01 2008, 8:43 am

Tamiri wrote:

These look wonderful. I don't understand though: how can you be eating soup while the weather is so soupy? Hot and moist!

The Chinese always drink hot liquids when it is hot. The modern theory behind it is that it makes you sweat and then cools you down when there is a breeze. Well, my theory is that as long as there is air conditioning, it really doesn't matter and it is very good for me to snack on soup rather than ice cream.

↑ yo'ma ↓

Mon, Sep 01 2008, 8:45 am

mandksima wrote:

Tamiri wrote:

These look wonderful. I don't understand though: how can you be eating soup while the weather is so soupy? Hot and moist!

You are so right about the air conditioner. It's winter here, or was, it's the end, anyway, I walk outside and I'm cold and want a hot bowl of soup when I get home, but when I get home, it's so hot because of the heat.

↑ Tamiri

Mon, Sep 01 2008, 9:29 am

So you insist on eating soup? Okay, here ya go...
Carrot and Coriander Soup
2 Tablespoons oil
1 1/2 kg carrots, peeled and cut into thin circles
1 large onion, peeled and diced
I medium sweet potato, peeled and diced
1 medium potato, peeled and diced
1/2 cup fresh coriander
Salt and pepper to taste

1. Heat oil and saute onions on a low flame until transparent. This will keep them from burning and prevent you from having to add more oil.
2. Add the potato and saute for another 5 minutes.
3. Add all the carrots at once and mix well with the onions and potatos.
4. Add water until all the carrots are covered, then add one cup more.
5. Place the coriander, salt and pepper on top of the soup and bring to a boil.
6. Once boiling, lower the flame and simmer for 20 minutes or until a potato breaks easily when stabbed with a fork.
7. With a hand-held blender or food processor, liquidize the soup to a smooth yet chunky consistancy.
8. Add salt and pepper to taste.

To serve, place in a bowl, garnish with fresh corander and eat up! It's good for you.

This one is amazing and tastes like gourmet restaurant food:
Indian Lentil Soup for Creating Shanti in your Heart
This can be eaten either as a soup or as a sauce over rice. 6 servings.
Cook 1/4 kg red lentils in 5 cups of water. Bring to a boil; cook until lentils are very soft. Mash to a thick consistancy.
In a separate pan, heat 2 Tablespoons oil (Sunflower or Canola) to medium heat. Toss in 1 teaspoon of black mustard seeds; heat until they *pop*.
Immediately add a handful of fresh or dry curry leaves (if you don't have these - I never did - then a handful of freshly chopped coriander), 3 garlic cloves, minced and a tomato cut into small cubes; continue to saute for about 2-3 minutes more.
Add contents of pan to pot with red lentils. Add 1 teaspoon of chili powder, 1 teaspoon of salt and 1 teaspoon of turmeric.
Bring to a boil then turn off flame.
A bit spicy and very special.