leek, chard and turkey soup

i had not been out to the garden for about two weeks. rainy weather and other things to do i guess. i was pleasantly surprised when i went out this past monday. the late plantings of lettuce, arugula, tatsoi and cilantro were flourishing in the damp, cool weather. the chard that i planted in the beginning of june was still beautiful with its yellow, orange and red spines. the parsley was abundant.

i had about 3 quarts of turkey stock from cooking down a meaty turkey carcass. my neighbor and friend betsy gave me three huge leeks from here garden...what to make?  how about some turkey, leek, chard soup!

soup is easy to make. no measurements needed. most important is the stock. 'you have to put good in to get it out'. the bones for stock must be meaty. watery, weak stock just does not yield good soup

                                              3 large leeks that have been cleaned and sliced.

                                            a very large bunch of chard that has been chopped.

place the leeks and chard in with the stock pot with the broth and the turkey. i always chop the meat that has been cooked for the broth. it is a great way to find any little bones that you might have missed when the carcass was picked.bring to a simmer and add 3 sliced carrots...always great for color.

after about 20 minutes, bring the soup to a rolling boil and add some noodles or rice and a cup or so of chopped parsley. i added a cup and a half of small egg bows. i let them boil about 5 minutes stirring frequently and then turned off the heat.

the soup was an experiment and it was very tasty. it was interesting to see the colored stems of the chard change the color of the stock to a light yellow.

                                  enjoy!

tomato soup for now and later

right now, my 25 tomato plants are yielding pounds and pounds of wonderful tomatoes. i am supplying family and friends and still have more than we can eat. i do can and freeze tomato recipes. last year i blogged fresh marinara saucehttp://the-jill-of-all-trades.blogspot.com/2010_08_01_archive.html, oven dried tomatoeshttp://the-jill-of-all-trades.blogspot.com/2010/08/oven-dried-tomatoes.html and club saucehttp://the-jill-of-all-trades.blogspot.com/2010/08/club-sauce.html. my friend betsy , an artist ,gardener, and good cook , suggested i try her tomato soup. now, i have never been a lover of tomato soup but this recipe has changed my mind. it makes plenty to eat now and freeze for winter. the great thing is that cream, milk or soy milk is added when the soup is heated. betsy also has a blog about her unique and delightful jewelry http://eaststreetpins.blogspot.com/

my version of betsy's tomato soup
ingredients
8 quarts tomatoes

4 large onions
1 bunch celery, yep, the whole thing
1 jalapeno pepper, my addition, seeds too if you want a bite
1 large bunch of parsley

1/3 cup sugar
1 tablespoon salt or to taste
pepper

12 ounces butter
1 cup flour

cream, milk or soy when heated

cut up the tomatoes and bring to a boil. simmer till most of the juice is gone. it will take a couple of hours.
meanwhile, wash and cut up the veggies and place in a separate container.

skim enough of the tomato juice off the pot of tomatoes to cover the vegetables and bring to a boil and simmer for an hour.(i put the juice through a strainer to remove any seeds)

puree the vegetables either in a blender, processor or food mill. i used a blending tool for the vegetables and a foley mill for the tomatoes in order to remove the skins and seeds

in another container, melt the butter and add the flour( a roux) stir and lightly brown the roux.

in a large pot, combine the tomatoes, pureed vegetables, roux, sugar and seasonings. boil for 5 minutes. taste and adjust seasonings.

to 2 cups of soup, i added 1 cup of fat free half and half. if i was using milk, it would be closer to equal amounts of each. no portions in the recipe are critical!

the recipe made about 8 pints of the tomato base. most of it made it into the freezer but not all...

                                                                            enjoy!

asparagus - garlic scape soup

 i have been making asparagus soup since we started harvesting from our bed some 40 odd years ago. it has always gotten good comments from the asparagus lovers ( with this vegetable there are lovers or haters). now, i get raves! about 6 or 7 years ago, i learned about garlic scapes on a trip to the regional market in syracuse. what a wonderful part of the garlic plant. it happens to bolt from the garlic plant in the mid to late part of the asparagus season. i use them for asparagus soup but i freeze them without blanching them for use in the winter for all kinds of recipes. so , here goes....


asparagus harvested fresh from the garden, ends snapped off

i  made this soup and took the pictures 3 weeks ago and carefully wrote down the amounts. as with most of my recipes, the amounts are not critical. one can use more asparagus, no scapes, more onions, etc.  it is not critical. by the way,  i can not find the list so as usual i am winging it. i think that the most important part for a cook is tasting the final product and adjusting the seasonings.

ingredients
2 pounds asparagus
1 large handful garlic scapes
1 onion, chopped in chunks
1quart vegetable or chicken broth
2 cups half and half (fat free or regular, heavy cream or soy)...it does not matter
chopped chives...decorative
salt and pepper to taste


asparagus tips and chives to be added with cream



garlic scape in garden



harvested garlic scapes

pour broth into a dutch oven or large pot and add a large handful of scapes and onion. cook for about 5 minutes and add asparagus. you can chop vegetables if you wish but i do not. it is all going to get pureed when it is tender anyway' 

garlic scapes and onions in broth

cook asparagus , scapes until very tender. puree with wand or processor.  add tips and chives and cook 1 minute and turn off heat. now the trick...this can be refrigerated, frozen, cooled, etc. as long as the cream has not been added. when you are ready to serve this, reheat and add the milk product which has been warmed for a minute or 2 at the most in the microwave.adjust seasonings. it can now be served hot, warm or cold and all the asparagus lovers will rave!


ENJOY!

this is a P.S.
THERE IS NOTHING BETTER THAN FRESH GREENS FROM THE GARDEN

veggie soup



i am trying to lose some of my extra pounds. being somewhat of a foodie, i have never found those vegetable soups very tasty and somewhat boring after the first few days. so i am trying to make a version that is both nutritious and interesting. i have added a few ingredients that add a point or two if you follow weight watchers but it adds protein and a little substance, in my opinion.

any vegetables can be used. i went to an asian grocery store yesterday and they had some lovely fresh produce for this time of year. i also am making it in my 12 quart pot. i want to make 9 or 10 quarts of soup. it takes lots of chopping but i will not have to make it for several weeks. most of it will be frozen in quart containers.



onions,chinese broccoli,zucchini,carrots,pak choi,celery and frozen green beans

lets start with the base for the soup. i use 1 46 ounce container of high fiber v-8 juice, 1 quart container of beef stock, 1 28 ounce can of chopped tomatoes, 1 tomato can filled with water, 2 containers of 'that' onion soup mix, 5 chopped onions and 1 teaspoon cajun seasoning. place all of these in the pot and bring it to a simmer. continue chopping the other veggies while this is cooking, stirring occasionally.


chopped veggies plus chopped bunch of parsley

the choice of vegetables is not at all critical. any can be used. just make sure that you chose what you like.

i added all the chopped vegetables except the parsley. i also added 2 pounds of frozen cut green beans,      1 cup of edamame and 1 cup brown rice. the edamame or soy beans were frozen. 1 cup adds 17 grams of protein, 8 grams of fiber and 8 grams of fat. the addition of the brown rice also adds some protein and a little substance.


1 cup frozen edamame and brown rice

bring the ingredients to a rolling boil...let simmer stirring occasionally  for at least 45 minutes. cover and let it cool. the longer it sits, the better it gets. when it cools enough to sample, taste and adjust salt and pepper.



9 or 10 quarts of soup

when hunger strikes have a cup . it is lunch time and i think i will do just that 

add a spinkle of fresh parsley and enjoy!

manhattan clam chowder

my grandson has a football game today and we are going to tailgate. i checked the temperature yesterday and decided it would be a good day for a chowder. i made it yesterday because i think it gets better if it 'sits a spell'.

ingredients
2 dozen very large chowder clams(cherrystone)
6 slices of bacon, chopped
2 large onions, chopped
2 cups of chopped celery
4 carrots, sliced
4 cups chopped, canned tomatoes
6 cups water
6 cups diced red potatoes with skin ( i used fingerling also because it was in the pantry)
2 packets vegetable bouillon
1/2 teaspoon 'tony chagere's cajun seasoning'
1/4 cup chopped parsley
1 teaspoon fresh tarragon
salt and pepper to taste

wash the clams and shuck them, saving all of the juice. if they are difficult to open, place them on a cookie sheet in a single layer and slide them in the freezer for a half hour or so. cut the shucked clams into pieces . i use kitchen scissors but you can use a food processor if you are careful not to pulverize them. strain the juice to make sure that there are no bits of shell. set aside.

2 dozen shucked clams

          chop the onions and celery, slice the carrots and dice the potatoes. set the potatoes aside

veggies

saute the bacon to release the fat and add the celery, onions and carrots and cook ,stirring frequently  until the onions and celery are soft 

sauteing veggies with bacon

add the water, tomatoes, potatoes,seasoning,tarragon and bouillon and simmer until the potatoes are cooked. add the clam juice and return to a simmer. add clams and turn off heat. add parsley and adjust seasonings



fresh parsley from the garden

                                          this makes a big pot of soup but it does freeze well


ready to eat...enjoy!!!!

                                      



my recipe book

butternut squash and potato soup with roasted garlic

it is a cold and rainy day in central new york. a great day to make a good soup. this recipe was given to me a few years ago but it has been altered to meet the needs and likes of our family. it is now lactose and curry free.

you can take liberties with the proportions of the ingredients. a little less squash or a little less potato does not matter but don't mess with the garlic or onions. i made a recipe and one half so don't be confused with the list of ingredients and the difference in the photos.



 preheat oven to 350 degrees



ingredients

2 medium-large butternut squash

4 large baking potatoes

2 large onions

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 head of garlic (or more)

6 cups or so chicken stock

salt and pepper to taste



halve squash and remove seeds and wash potatoes. place on cookie sheets that have been lined with oiled foil. place in oven and bake for about 1 1/2 hour or until soft. allow to cool till it can be handled

while the squash and potatoes are baking, cut top from garlic head and place on a piece of foil large enough to wrap it. drizzle a little olive oil over it, wrap and place in oven with the squash and potatoes

chop onions and saute in olive oil until tender. remove squash and potatoes from their skin and place in a container large enough to hold the soup. squeeze the now soft garlic into the mix and add the sauteed onions.

now comes the fun part...puree the ingredients with the chicken stock. ( after using blenders and food processors , i finally treated myself to a portable blending wand...it makes this step so much easier and less messy) add salt and pepper to taste. heat and serve.

i still like the curry so i add it at the table along with a dollop of sour cream. enjoy!