Category Archives: Sunday Soups

Waterproof mascara?

…does anyone have tips on how to prevent teary eyes when working with raw onions? I don’t know if my eyes are extra sensitive or if there’s something wrong with the onions I use, but each time is just a mess!

Anyway, here’s where I got the inspiration for this soup: during our visit to Montreal last winter, my friend Karina ordered the onion soup in a restaurant called L’Aromat. We expected the French cheesy variety but what arrived at the table was a pleasant surprise. It was a creamy, pureed caramelized onion soup, and it was incredible.

This week, while considering what kind of soup I should make during the weekend, the soup Karina ate almost a year ago came to mind. Go figure. I did not try to recreate it exactly, but rather achieve that flavor. And I succeeded.Creamy Caramelized Onion and Potato Soup
(Yield: 4-5 servings)

Ingredients:

1 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp butter

3 medium yellow onions, sliced

1 tsp sugar

1 shot cognac

1 tbsp flour

1 tsp dried parsley

3/4 tsp garlic powder

1 bay leaf

2 russet potatoes, peeled, cut into 1” cubes

3 c beef stock

1/3 c milk (whole or low-fat)

Salt/pepper

Fresh parsley for garnish

In a soup pot, heat the butter and oil on low heat. Add onions, sugar and 1 tsp salt. Cook for 40 min, stirring frequently. The onions should be a light brown color and mushy, almost pasty, NOT CRISPY! (Do not try to facilitate the process by raising the heat. Be patient). Add cognac and cook for 1 min, until alcohol evaporates. Stir in flour and cook for 1 min. Add dried parsley, garlic, bay leaf, black pepper, potatoes and stock. Stir, raise heat, cover with lid and bring to boil, about 10 min. Once boiling, turn heat back to low, crack lid and cook until potatoes are cooked through, about 5 min.

Then add milk and re-season if necessary. Divide soup in two and puree one half with immersion blender or food processor and combine the halves. Bon appétit!

Roasted Red Pepper Soup

And so, the affair with my immersion blender continues…

I love this soup for its richness in flavor and color, (as we all know, we eat with our eyes first), and its simplicity, in preparation and overall taste.

(Yield: 4-6 servings)

Ingredients:

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil (divided)

3 large red bell peppers

1 medium yellow onion, diced

1 garlic clove, minced

1 medium carrot, diced

1 tsp tomato paste

3/4 tsp dried basil

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

3/4 tsp paprika

4 c beef broth

1 tbsp corn starch

Salt/pepper

Preheat oven to 375F. Line a baking sheet with foil. Wash and dry bell peppers and rub with oil. Place on baking sheet and roast for 30 min, until skin is blistered and charred. Remove from oven.

When peppers are cool enough to handle, peel skin and remove ribs and seeds from inside, and discard them. Chop up the peppers and set aside.

Preheat 1 tbsp oil on medium-low heat in a medium soup pot. Add onion and garlic with a pinch of salt and sauté for 3 min, until onions are soft. Add carrot and sauté another 4 min. Then add peppers, paste, basil, cayenne, paprika and black pepper to taste.

Stir. Add broth, cover with lid, raise heat and bring to a boil, about 10 min. Then crack lid, turn heat to low and simmer for 10 more min. Then place the corn starch in a small dish/bowl and mix with 1 tbsp tap water until dissolved. Add mixture to soup. Simmer soup for another 2 min. Remove from heat and puree with immersion blender/food processor to desired consistency. Re-season if necessary.

*May be served with sour cream and/or croutons.

Sasha’s Chicken Noodle Sunday Soup

My version of a classic, made from scratch.

Ingredients:

1 chicken breast

1 tbsp olive oil

1 yellow onion, diced

3 medium carrots, chopped

1 celery stalk, chopped

1 tsp poultry seasoning

3/4 c corn kernels, canned or frozen

3/4 c uncooked noodles

Salt/pepper

Fresh herbs for garnish

Place the chicken in a medium soup pot and fill with just enough water to cover the chicken. Cover with lid and bring to a boil. Drain the water and fill the pot with new water, about 5 cups. Season with 1 tbsp salt, cover with lid and bring to boil again. Then turn heat down to simmer, crack lid and cook for 45 min. (Skim off any foam that might appear).Then turn heat off and take chicken out. When chicken is cool enough to handle, chop or shred it and set aside.

Then: heat the oil in a pan on medium heat. Add the onion, carrots, celery, a pinch of salt and pepper, and the poultry seasoning. Sauté for about 6 min, stirring occasionally. Add mixture to chicken broth and bring to a boil. Then simmer for 15 min, uncovered. Add noodles, corn and chicken. Simmer until noodles are cooked through, about 5 min. Re-season if necessary and garnish.

White Bean and Bacon Soup

Sunday Soup time!
This soup is so easy to make yet so satisfying and yummy. It’s rustic and unpretentious, just the way autumn eats should be.

*I cooked the beans myself but using canned is fine (more sodium but so much faster).

Ingredients:

3 bacon strips, chopped
1 celery stick, diced
2 medium carrots, diced
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 c cooked white beans
4 c chicken stock
A generous handful of basil, chiffonaded
Salt/cracked black pepper

*How to cook white beans: place 1c dried beans into medium pot and fill with water, almost to the top. Add 2 tsp salt and cover with lid. Bring to boil and simmer for about 1h15m, or until fully cooked. Drain.
Soup: On medium heat, render bacon in medium soup pot, about 5m. Drain off half of the fat. Add garlic and saute for 1m. Add celery, carrots, onion, a pinch of salt and 1/2 tsp pepper. Saute for 5m, until onion is translucent. Add beans and broth, cover with lid and bring to boil. Remove lid and simmer for 15m. Re-season if necessary. Stir in basil. Enjoy. And don’t forget to share ; )

…this is my third post in a row of a recipe with bacon. If I keep going like this, I might have to start seeing a cardiologist.

Sunday Soup: Mexican Black Bean

Mexican is one of my favorite cuisines and black bean soup is one of the many mouth-watering reasons why. This soup is spicy, smoky, thick, filling, and, dare I say it, orgasmic!

(Yield: 5-6 servings)

Ingredients:

3 strips bacon, chopped

1 white onion, chopped

3 garlic cloves, chopped

2 carrot, chopped

1 red bell pepper, chopped

1 bay leaf

1 tsp chili powder

1/3 tsp cayenne pepper

1/2 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp black pepper

1 tsp salt

2 15oz cans black beans, rinsed, drained

4 c chicken stock

2 tbsp corn starch

Optional toppings: shredded cheese, sour cream, scallions, cilantro, crushed tortilla chips

Render the bacon on low heat in a soup pot, for about 4 min, stirring frequently. Add onion, garlic, carrot, bell pepper, bay leaf and all spices. Turn heat up to medium, stir and sauté for 10 min, until vegetables are soft. Put half of beans in a food processor with 1 cup of stock and puree. Add puree and remaining stock to pot, turn heat up, cover tightly with lid and bring to boil. Once rolling boil is achieved, remove lid, lower heat and simmer for 10 min. Meanwhile, in a small dish, combine the corn starch with 2 tbsp water and blend until smooth.

Add the remaining beans and corn starch to pot. Simmer 5-7 min, re-season if necessary and serve.

The First Sunday Soup!

While making this pea soup today, I had an idea – every Sunday, during the cold weather weeks that follow, I will cook and blog about a soup of my choice. Autumn and winter weather can be pretty depressing and what better way to lift a spirit than with a bowl of something warm and delicious.

So, this recipe was brought to us by Ina Garten, and can be found HERE.

Pea soup is one of my very favorite soups and has been ever since I was old enough to distinguish between them. This is a wonderful recipe. Although the cooking time is an hour and a half, it is mostly inactive. Try this recipe next time you’re in the mood for soup and comfort, you won’t regret it…Sasha wouldn’t steer you wrong ; )

*The recipe doesn’t say to puree the soup but I think it is absolutely necessary.