Category Archives: soups

SPLIT PEA SOUP

by carlina

split.pea.soup
this is for Tony 🙂

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cups chopped yellow onions
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Crushed red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
1 bay leaf
1 pound dried green split peas, picked over and rinsed
8 cups vegetable broth
1 cup milk
Hot Sauce

Preperation:

In a large soup pot over medium-high heat, heat the oil.

Add the onions. Season with salt, pepper, crushed red pepper. Saute for 2 minutes.

Add the garlic, bay leaf, and split peas and cook, stirring, for 1 minute.

Add the broth and bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 45 minutes, until the peas are tender.

Remove from the heat and let cool slightly. Remove the bay leaf and discard.

Add the milk and, using a hand-held immersion blender, process until smooth.

Add the hot sauce and serve hot.

CRAB and CORN CHOWDER

by carlina

crab corn chowder

Ingredients:

  • 4 ears corn, shucked
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 pound bacon, diced
  • 2 medium onions, diced (about 2 cups)
  • 8 cloves garlic, minced
  • 4 shallots, minced
  • 2 stalks celery, diced
  • 2 dried bay leaves
  • 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 4 cups whole milk
  • 2 cups heavy cream
  • 2 cups Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and diced (about 2 large potatoes)
  • 3 tablespoons maple syrup (1 1/2 ounces)
  • 2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves (from about 4 sprigs)
  • 2 tablespoons fresh basil leaves, chopped
  • 2 tablespoons fresh chives, chopped
  • 1 pound fresh lump crab meat, picked over
  • 1 tablespoon kosher salt
  • 2 tablespoons freshly ground black pepper

Preparation:

Prepare grill (moderately high heat).

Brush corn with olive oil. Grill ears until kernels soften and develop grill marks, about 15 minutes. Remove from heat. When cool enough to handle, use large knife to cut kernels from cobs. Set aside.

In heavy, large pot over moderate heat, sauté bacon until crisp, about 14 to 16 minutes. Add onions, garlic, shallots, celery, and bay leaves and sauté until translucent, about 7 to 9 minutes. Add butter and heat until melted, less than 1 minute. Using wooden spoon, stir in flour and cook, stirring constantly, until smooth, about 3 minutes. Lower heat to moderately low and continue to cook, stirring constantly, until paste is color of peanut butter, about 6 minutes.

Whisk in milk and cream, then add potatoes. Raise heat to high and bring to simmer, then reduce heat to moderately low and simmer, uncovered, until soup thickens and potatoes are tender, about 17 to 19 minutes.

Stir in maple syrup, thyme, basil, and chives. Gently stir in crab meat, corn, salt, and pepper. Serve immediately.

Cook’s note: Instead of being grilled, corn can be roasted in 450°F oven. Gently peel back corn husks, without breaking off, and discard silks. Push husks back into place and tie ends together with strips of outer husk or kitchen string. Place on heavy rimmed baking sheet, and roast until corn is fragrant and husks are brown, about 30 minutes. Let cool, then remove husks and cut kernels from corn.

Makes 10 servings.

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Photography by Stuart Spivak

BUTTERNUT SQUASH SOUP

by carlina

butternut-squash-soup.jpg
Ingredients:

  • 4 medium butternut squash (6 pounds)
  • 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 8 pieces
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
  • 12 very thin slices of pancetta (3 ounces)
  • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
  • 1 large Spanish onion, chopped
  • 6 thyme sprigs
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 2 quarts chicken stock or low-sodium broth
  • 2 tablespoons heavy cream
  • Sugar (optional)

Preparation:

Preheat the oven to 400°. Halve the squash lengthwise and scoop out the seeds. Set the squash on a rimmed baking sheet, cut sides up. Put a piece of butter in each cavity and season generously with salt and pepper. Drape the squash halves with the pancetta slices. Roast the squash for 45 to 50 minutes, or until tender.

Transfer the pancetta to paper towels to drain. Crumble and set aside. Scoop the squash out of the skins into a bowl.

In a large, heavy stockpot, heat the 2 tablespoons of olive oil until shimmering. Add the onion, season with salt and pepper and cook over moderately high heat, stirring, until softened but not browned, about 6 minutes. Add 3 of the thyme sprigs and the bay leaf. Stir in the squash and the stock and bring to a boil over high heat, stirring frequently. Reduce the heat and simmer the soup for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Pick out and discard the thyme sprigs and bay leaf. Working in batches, transfer the soup to a blender or food processor and puree until thick and creamy-smooth, about 1 minute per batch. Transfer the soup to a clean saucepan. Stir in the heavy cream and season with salt and pepper (and sugar if desired).

Reheat the soup if necessary. Ladle into 12 bowls. Garnish the soup with the pancetta, the leaves from the remaining 3 thyme sprigs and a drizzle of olive oil.

MAKE AHEAD The soup and roasted pancetta can be refrigerated for up to 2 days. Reheat the soup and recrisp the pancetta before serving; the soup may need to be thinned with stock or water.

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Photography by semarr