Over the past few years I have fallen in love with soup.
It used to be a fall and winter thing for me but now I make soup all year round.
I love pureed soups and chunky soups.
Soup seems to be the best medicine for cold and flu season too.
I have been battling a chest cold the past few weeks and soup has been my saving grace.
I have made carrot ginger soup, green soup, minestrone soup and Hippocrates soup.
I love that soup can be a hearty dinner or a light lunch.
It can be made with one or two ingredients or everything you have in the vegetable bin.
It can be mild or spicy, thick or thin. A meal in a bowl.
Here's how I made my minestrone soup. I like it with lots vegetables and no pasta. It's one of those soups that can use whatever is in the fridge, substitutions are welcome.
Ingredients
2 tablespoons olive oil
1-2 small potatoes, chopped into chunks
1-2 carrots, sliced into coins
1 onion, chopped
1 -2 summer squash
a handful of green beans, snapped into pieces
1-2 celery stalks chopped
1 cup finely chopped cabbage
1-2 cups cooked white beans
2-3 tomatoes, peeled and chopped
1 cup tomato juice
2-3 cloves grated garlic
sprigs of fresh herbs: oregano, thyme, rosemary ( Dried will work too, easy on the rosemary.)
1 quart stock, vegetable or chicken
1 quart water
salt & pepper to taste
1 Parmesan cheese rind (optional)
1) Saute the onion until is begins to soften, add the celery, continue to cook until it softens.
2) Add the carrots, squash and potatoes, saute some more, stirring the veggies around so they don't burn.
3) Add the stock, water, cabbage, both kinds of beans, herbs, the cheese rind, tomatoes and juice, bring to gentle boil and allow to simmer for 30-40 minutes or until the vegetable are tender but not mushy.
4) Add the grated garlic, salt and pepper to taste.
Enjoy with a crusty baguette and some cheese.
Sorry I didn't take any photos, it's been a challenging few weeks...I guess I need MORE SOUP !!
Next I 'll make curried chickpea soup or Bob's favorite red lentil.
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