Foolproof Gazpacho

You shall have to make do with this picture of tomatoes, dear reader. The soup was devoured before pictures could be snapped.

On days when it's wicked hot, I often can't bring myself to turn on the oven. I turn to cereal or -- if I happen to have some good heirloom tomatoes from the market -- to delicious, cold gazpacho. The soup is best made with heirloom tomatoes, those ugly, weirdly colored tomatoes you used to be afraid of as a kid. I often like to use the yellow heirlooms for gazpacho -- they're a little sweeter than the red or purple kind. But really any of them will do.

This soup can be eaten right away, but it's best if you can make it about 2 hours ahead of time and let it chill in the refrigerator. Don't be afraid to make a big batch -- the soup is actually at its best on the second day.

Eat Rating: Awesome. I have a whole new appreciation for really good tomatoes.
Difficulty: Easy. Requires a blender or food processor.

CCO's recipe

2 lbs yellow heirloom tomatoes (or any kind of heirlooms)
1 large cucumber (You can peel and seed if you want. I like to use the whole thing)
1 purple onion
1-2 jalapenos
Handful of parsley or cilantro
3/4 cup water
3 tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Using a knife, cut around the core on the top of the tomato and pull it out. Roughly chop about 2/3 of the tomato and put in a blender.

Cut 2/3 of the cucumber in large pieces and place in the blender.

Cut the onion in half. Roughly chop one half and throw in the blender.

Cut off the top of one jalapeno, slice down the side and remove the seeds. (You should probably wear gloves while doing this). Toss in the blender.

Blend the vegetables to make a rough puree. Pour into a bowl.

Dice the remaining tomato, cucumber, jalapeno and onion into small pieces. You want it large enough to give the soup a nice crunch, but not so large that you have to spend an inordinate amount of time chewing. Add the diced vegetables to the puree, then mix in the water and olive oil. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Chill at least two hours before serving with a dollop of sour cream or croutons.

Lentil Soup

The first time I tried to cook with lentils, they were downright awful. Okay, slight exaggeration. They were just completely tasteless, totally boring. They were nothing like the first time I had ever had lentils -- a delicious veggie and lentil soup I had at a vegan potluck dinner.

I vowed to try again. After all, they are really good for you. I quickly discovered my problem was I was using brown lentils. They're the most difficult to make tasty, absolute flavorsucks. What I needed were red lentils. After a horrified trip to Whole Foods ($7 for a tiny bag?!), I headed to the Indian grocery in Springfield where an enormous 5 lb. bag only cost me something like $4.

And from there, my love of red lentils began. I was somewhat surprised to discover that when cooked they turn a dull yellow. No matter. Throw in some tomato and the color is restored.

This soup is amazing. I mean so incredibly good you can actually forget for a little while that it's good for you.

I recommend serving it warm with a dollop of yogurt. Or take some day old bread, cut into pieces, toss with olive oil and bake for 10 or so minutes to make croutons. Or really what you'll want to do is eat two bowls -- one each way for comparison. It's like a requirement.

A few notes on preparation: the recipe calls for you to toast whole spices and then grind them in a spice grinder. The freshly roasted cumin and coriander do make the soup sing. But if you don't want to mess with whole spices (or don't have a spice grinder), you could sub ground cumin and ground coriander.



Adapted from The New York Times

Eat Rating: Awesome. It's difficult to put the spoon down.
Difficulty: Easy. To make it smooth, you'll need to puree with either a hand blender (or actual blender). If you don't have one, just leave it chunky. It's good that way too.

2 tbsp peanut oil
1 large onion, diced
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 tsp cumin seeds, toasted and ground
2 tsp coriander seeds, toasted and ground
2 tsp curry powder
1 28-oz can of diced tomatoes, with juice
2 1/4 cups red lentils
8 cups water, vegetable or chicken stock (LN: I did half water-half veggie stock)
1 lime, juiced

In a large stockpot, heat the oil. Saute the onion for about 5 minutes until softened. Add the garlic and cook an additional minute. Add the spices, stirring to coat the onions and garlic. Add the tomatoes and their juice, bringing to a simmer. Cook for 10 minutes until the tomatoes are softened.

Add the lentils and stock. Bring to a boil, then reduce to simmer and cook for 20-30 minutes. You want the lentils softened. They should be a yellow-ish color and easy to mash.

Puree with a hand blender or in batches in the blender. Right before serving, stir in the lime juice. Garnish with yogurt or croutons.

Minestrone

How could you not get off the couch for that?

Lately, in the war of Leah versus inertia, the inertia has been winning. When I get home at the end of my 10+ hour days, I just want to sit on my couch and stare at the wall. It's almost embarrassing to think about how much time I spend staring at the walls. And it's not as though I haven't been cooking. A girl does, after all, eventually have to stop staring at the wall, get off the couch and eat. But lately there have been a lot of meals of cheese and crackers. Or cheese and bread. Or sometimes just large chunks of cheese.

To get me out of the funk, CCO and I cooked up a batch of soup, minestrone to be exact. Minestrone is my absolute favorite soup. I don't really know why. Probably something to do with it having both pasta AND beans. Also it's one of the only foods (along with carrot cake) where I willingly eat carrots.

This recipe has sausage added in. You can leave it out to make it vegetarian. Use veggie broth in place of the beef broth if that's the case.

Eat Rating: Awesome.
Difficulty: Easy. You just need a big pot.

1/2 pound pork sausage, casings removed
2 tbsp olive oil
1 white onion, chopped
2-3 medium carrots, peeled and chopped
2 cloves of garlic, crushed
1 bunch of swiss chard or other greens, ribs removed and chopped
3 roma tomatos, chopped (LN: You can also sub a can of diced tomato with the juice)
2 cans of white beans (Navy or Small White Beans), drained
1 cup of small-shaped pasta (LN: I think I used orecchietti)
7 cups of beef broth (LN: I used better than bouillon)

In a skillet, cook the sausage until browned. Remove from pan and set aside.

In the bottom of a large pot, heat the oil, then cook the onion, carrot and garlic until slightly softened. Add the tomatoes and cook until they release their juices. Add the chard and cook just until it begins to wilt. Add in the beans and beef broth and stir back in the sausage. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for about 10 minutes, until the broth has reduced some. Add in the pasta and cook for about 8-10 minutes, until the pasta is sufficiently soft. Serve with some crusty bread and red wine.

Tomato Bread Soup

Crunchy and soft, all in one.

I have been sick with a cold for several days now, drinking pitcher upon pitcher of water and pots of tea. A couple days ago I picked up a few heirloom tomatoes at the farmer's market, intending to make caprese salad this weekend. Instead, I opted for Tomato Basil soup. But since I can never do anything without a little bit of flair, I opted for this tomato bread soup I had seen on Mark Bitman's blog awhile back. It's similar to French onion soup, with chunks of bread incorporated into the soup to give it some bulk. I did make one change: I held back a couple chunks of the bread and used them to top the soup like croutons, so there were several textures from the sogginess of the bread that sits for 10 minutes plus some crunch from the crouton tops.

To peel the tomatoes easily, heat a pot of water to boiling, then drop each tomato in the water for about 10 seconds. The skins should easily peel off.

Eat Rating: Awesome. I'm sensing a new staple.
Difficulty: Very easy. One pot even.

Adapted from Tomato Soup With Bread (Pappa al Pomodoro), Bitten Blog, NYT

1/4 cup olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced
3 cups of tomato, peeled, cored, seeded and chopped (LN: This was about 3 large-ish heirlooms)
2 cups of broth, water or tomato juice
1/2 loaf of crusty bread, preferably day-old, cut or torn into bite-size chunks (LN: I used a baguette bought that morning, cubes toasted in the oven for a few minutes)
1/2 cup basil leaves torn into bits
Salt and pepper to taste

In a medium-sized saucepan, heat the oil then add the onion and garlic. Cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occassionally, until the onions have softened. Add the tomatoes, then cook for 10-15 minutes until the tomatoes have broken down. Add the broth/water/juice, return to boil. Add the hunks of bread, reserving a handful, and the basil leaves. Stir to combine, then remove from heat. Let the soup sit for 10 minutes to let it soak into the bread chunks.

Serve immediately, topped with some parmesan cheese and the reserved croutons.

It's a Recession!: Egg Drop Soup

Egg Drop Soup

After a rockin' good time at our friend Chris' wedding in Northwest Arkansas, CCO has come down with a gross cold. He asked for soup and rejected my first two suggestions because he secretly wanted to order pho from the place down the street. We compromised on Egg Drop, since after all, it is Meatless Monday. Normally I would order from a Chinese restaurant up the street, but it is a recession and we did just come back from a four-day weekend extravaganza (or as extravagant as you can get in Northwest Arkansas...).

I'll link to the recipe below as I found it on a fellow food blog (Simply Recipes). It's also awesome because, with the exception of the mushrooms, I had all the ingredients in my cupboard. The recipe calls for green onions. Since I missed the farmer's market this weekend, I didn't have any and instead subbed some minced shallot. I think it would be better with the green onions, though, so if you have to go to the store, pick up some. The recipe also calls for chicken stock as the base. You can sub veggie broth to make it totally vegetarian.

Eat Rating: Awesome. Actually better than I've had at most Chinese restaurants.
Difficulty: Easy. Requirements: Pot, fork, bowl. Voila!

"Egg Drop Soup" at Simply Recipes

Yes, sir. Yes, sir. Two bowls full.

Carrot Ginger Soup

I love it when the pictures capture the steam rising off my food. In my effort to be healthier, I picked up a 2 pound bag of carrots at the store last weekend. Then I got home and remembered that I hate carrots. The crunchiness is nice, I feel like I always get served carrots one of two ways: as little sticks that have sat in the fridge too long and leached away their flavor or as tasteless shreds covering limp lettuce in a pathetic salad. To prove that all carrots aren't bad, CCO suggested carrot soup, specifically his favorite Ginger Carrot Soup from the Moosewood Cookbook. Frankly, he was right.

Eat Rating: Great. The ginger gives it a kick of spiciness that lingers. Drizzle with a bit of buttermilk for extra tang.
Difficulty: Easy to Medium (requires a blender or food processor)

From The Moosewood Cookbook, 15th Edition by Mollie Katzen (Has anyone else noticed how all the good cooks are named Molly?)

2 lbs carrots, peeled and chopped into 1" pieces
4 cups of water (or broth)
1 tbsp butter or oil
1 1/2 cups chopped onion
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tbsp ginger, peeled and grated
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp ground fennel
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp allspice
1/4 tsp mint
3-4 tbsp lemon juice
1 cup lightly toasted cashews, toasted

Add water and carrots to medium sauce pan, boil and then cook carrots for 10-15 minutes until carrots are softened. While carrots are cooking, heat oil in a saute pan and saute onions about 5 minutes or until translucent. Add garlic, ginger, salt, spices. Continue cooking for about 5-8 minutes until thoroughly mixed. Add lemon juice to the onion-garlic mixture. Set aside. Once the carrots are sufficiently soft, add the onion-garlic mixture to a blender/food processor along with cashews and part of the carrots. Blend until carrots are pureed. Add puree to soup pot, then puree remaining water and carrots. Mix puree altogether and heat until warm. Serve with drizzle of buttermilk or dollop of yogurt.

Chickpea Pasta Soup

I was really excited. Today I was going to go to Best Buy and get a new card and batteries for my brother's camera and take copious amounts of pictures as I made dinner. It was going to be beautiful. Then I had to argue with the sales clerk to get the correct size card for the camera. And then I had to argue with a manager at Best Buy because they insisted the price written on the front of the card reader was incorrect. But I prevailed. Got home and installed the new card in the camera. Then I stuck in the new AA batteries. Flipped the on switch. No dice. Took out the batteries and turned them around. No dice. Switched them so one was facing each way. Still no dice. Then I notice in tiny type in the battery compartment the words "EN-EL1." The camera does not take AA but rather some strangely shaped thing you must order from Nikon.

I was sad. Very sad. Then I made soup.

Difficulty: Super Easy
Eat Rating: Good. I cheated and used these leftover formerly dried chickpeas that I had soaked overnight to make falafel. This meant my chickpeas were still slightly hard. But otherwise an excellent soup.

(Note: To make this vegetarian [or vegan for that matter] use vegetable stock in place of chicken broth.)