Gnocchi Soup

464.  Soup season is here and sitting down with a hot bowl of steaming soup, bread on the side with a chill in the air means autumn has arrived.

My daughter makes a version of this soup recipe which I have taken and switched up a bit.  Here is my recipe:

"Troppi cuochi guastano la cucina."

"Too many cooks spoil the broth."

~ Anonymous Italian Saying

Mushroom Barley Soup

392.  Soup.  .  .

Satisfying.  Warming.  Nourishing.  Healthy.  

What comes to mind when you consider soup?

We all have our favorite and our go-to soup that comforts and fulfills our need.

This recipe, Mushroom Barley Soup, is so light, flavorful and delicious.

To save this recipe select and drag to desktop and print or select and print from smart device.

The mushrooms were lovely and were perfect and the bay leaves I dried myself.

The steps are straight forward and simplistic.

If you would like to add more barley, carrots or mushrooms, adjust to your preference.
The beauty of this soup is not just the taste but the aroma.  With the combination of bay leaf, tarragon and mushrooms you will experience a beautiful meal.

 "I live on good soup, not on fine words."

~Moliere

"I'm a mushroom freak.  I make a mushroom soup where I use maybe six or seven varieties, not just portobello and shiitake, but dried porcini and morels."

~Itzhak Perlman

Curry Squash Soup

 353.  Our Farmers Market in town has beautiful homegrown, fresh produce on a weekly basis every Saturday morning.  This week I picked up lovely squash to make soup.
This recipe is similar to my Curry Butternut Squash Soup I made years ago.  I've made a few adjustments and I love the flavor.  Here is a recipe card for you:

                                          To save recipe select, drag and drop onto your desktop.  Print as a photo.

This is a delicious soup and is so warm and satisfying.  It also freezes well and you get your turmeric fix as well *wink *wink.

"Only the pure in heart can make a good soup."  ~ Ludwig van Beethoven

"I live on good soup not on fine words."  ~ Moliere

Matzo Ball Soup

330. The months of February and March call for hot, hardy soup.  This recipe for Matzo Ball Soup is a staple and has always delivered.

When I was young, in college and lived in New England, I would collect recipes and other household items for my future home.  One of my favorite past times would be to catch the local radio show "Gus Sanders Yankee Kitchen" out of Boston, MA.  Here is a video of the actual show.

This is a link to a blogger who devotes her entire blog to Yankee Kitchen recipes:  http://ykconnection.blogspot.com 

Also, an online cookbook from Gus Saunders, the tenth edition here:  https://www.scribd.com/document/19966643/The-Gus-Saunders-Boston-Kitchen-Cookbook-Vol-X

I would wait patiently by the radio and grab whatever paper was nearby to jot down recipes that women would call in and give over the radio. 

As years went by and I established my own home and family, I took time to type out the recipes and try them.  This is where I learned my Matzo Balls recipe from Mrs. Finkelstein...and if you can see the date on the recipe...1984. 

 I like to date my recipes and make notations of changes or if I liked the recipe or not.  It helps when you don't make a certain recipe often to remember your thoughts at the time of preparation.
In addition to the matzo balls, I make a chicken soup, sometimes with veggies sometimes as a consommé broth.

This recipe always turns out beautiful but you must make sure the transfer is quick.  My Matzo Balls fall sometimes in the transfer.
 



I loved that time of life...young, expectant and hopeful for a family I could cook for and spoil with homemade meals.

Mr. Saunders gave aspiring cooks advice that was practical and to the point, telling the Herald American in 1973, 

“I feel food shouldn’t be a big, complex mystery.”

- Gus Saunders

Squash Soup

321.  Have you tried Panera's Squash Soup available each fall?  This soup is always a favorite of mine, on the same level as "psl's" for others. (That's "pumpkin spiced latte's"😉)
Though, once December came, this yummy soup disappeared off the menu.  So I thought to myself, "How hard could this soup be to make?"  So I decided to try it.  I did a bit of research and discovered the ingredients on the Panera website of menu items.  Then I set out to recreate the magic.

I used a fresh pumpkin, cleaned and then baked at 275∘ F till tender to the touch.

Puree pumpkin in processor and set aside.

I then peeled, and chopped 

1 medium onion

4 carrots peeled and chopped

2 apples peeled & chopped

3 cups cooked pureed pumpkin

1 1/2 cup vegetable broth

I brought to a boil and cooked till tender.  Transfer the veggies to a processor or blender and blend on high/puree or use an immersion blender.

Return puree to the pot.  Add 3 Tablespoons coconut oil

salt and pepper

2 Tablespoons honey

1/2 tsp curry powder

1/4 tsp cinnamon

Roasted pumpkin seeds for garnish

Taste and add more salt, pepper, curry or cream as needed.  Bring back to boil then serve in warm bowls adding toasted pumpkin seeds on top for texture. This soup was so simplistic using basic products.  You could use frozen squash or canned pumpkin but the flavor will vary and may not be as bright as fresh butternut squash and pumpkin.

"When the Lord starts out to make an oak tree, He takes 100 years to do it, but He can make pumpkin in 90 days.  More or less life is like that. We must choose whether we desire to become an oak tree or a pumpkin."

-Sterling W. Sill

Potato Leek Soup

 

307. A fall favorite soup always contains potato and cheddar cheese.  You could almost call this soup "Loaded Potato Soup".  I enjoyed a bowl the next day for a private lunch at the snack bar which in fact tasted even better a day later.

 Here is my recipe for Potato Leek Soup

15 medium potatoes or 8 large, peeled and diced
2 leeks, cut lengthwise and in half placed in a cold water bath to remove sand.  Chop leeks into pieces
Fresh dill chopped, approximately ⅛ cup
Salt & Pepper to taste
water
2 cups whole milk
2  cups shredded cheddar cheese
olive oil
butter as much or as little as you prefer (Butter makes everything better!)
1 lb bacon, fried till crisp and set aside

In a large 8 quart pot place olive oil and bring up heat.  Add diced potatoes and stir allowing some potatoes to lightly brown.  Add chopped leek and half of the dill.  Pour in water to cover potatoes till floating.  Bring to a boil then turn down to simmer till potatoes are tender.  Turn soup off till ready to serve.  15 minutes before serving turn heat back on and add milk, butter and cheddar cheese.  Bring soup temperature back up to just about boiling.  Add another pinch of dill and transfer to serving tureen.

 Serve soup and have crispy bacon bits as an add on as well as fresh chopped dill.

This soup is simplistic yet tastes sophisticated and has a depth of flavor and textures.

"A potato is like a garden carried in the pocket."

~ Ancient Irish proverb for gardening - circa 100bc

Curry Butternut Squash Soup

256. This soup is a rich delight. If you plan to make it, serve it as a small starter course or in a small tasting cup. It is much too rich as a main course.

Curry Butternut Squash Soup

1 butternut squash

2 yams or sweet potatoes

1 medium onion, chopped

3 garlic cloves, minced
1 Tablespoon butter or oil
2 c. vegetable broth
4 c. water
1 tsp. curry powder
Salt and pepper

1/2 cup heavy cream or soy milk

Cut squash and yam/sweet potato into chunks. In water, boil butternut squash and yam/sweet potato until tender. Drain and reserve liquid to add if soup is too thick. Place tender squash and yam/sweet potato into a blender and puree, adding reserved liquid as needed. Put back on stove and add remaining ingredients except cream/milk.

Simmer until heated through.

Before serving, place cream or soy milk in a 2 cup measuring cup. Add several scoops of hot soup to cream and "temper" the milk to bring it up to soup temperature. If you do not do this, the milk will curdle from the heat. Pour the tempered cream/milk into the soup.

Serve hot with a sprinkling of chives on top.

"Let my words, like vegetables, be tender and sweet, for tomorrow I may have to eat them."
- Author Unknown

Turkey Soup

244. Once the turkey has been carved and consumed, what's left are the remains of bones and skin and seemingly, unusable parts that are scooped up and tossed away. But, these remains are the makings of a delicious meal for your family. My dear mother-in-law taught me about Turkey Soup many years ago, as a young bride. She would reserve the remains and scraps from the Thanksgiving meal then make a large pot of, what she called, "Tortellini Soup". Here is her recipe, that I lovingly remember her by each time I make it.

Turkey Soup

Bones and scraps from a baked turkey and a little reserved turkey meat

Left over gravy or stuffing (optional, but they really enhance flavor of soup)

Water to fill stock pot

1 large onion chopped

3 carrots, peeled and sliced

2 stalks celery and leafy ends, chopped

1 pound bag of dried mini tortellini, cheese filling

1/4 cup Parsley or chives, chopped

Salt/pepper to taste

Place bones and scrap, stuffing and gravy in large stock pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil and continue to simmer for 1 1/2 hours, till meat falls off bone. Transfer all bone and scrap into a colander so meat can cool to the touch.

Strain the liquid through 2 or 3 strainers to catch all residue and small bits.

Skim all the fat liquid from the top of the liquid and discard.

You will notice the strainers will catch the fat as well. If you want to remove all the fat, take several sheets of paper towel lay them across the top of the liquid quickly. When you remove it, you will notice that it picks up the fat from the top. Clever trick! Wash your stock pot clean and return the strained liquid to the clean stock pot, running it once more through a strainer.

Now, at this point, my mother-in-law would add only the tortellini, salt and pepper and bring to a boil. It was a clear broth with tortellini only. I like to make my recipe with veggies and turkey meat as well. She would take the turkey meat and make turkey salad with the meat, which is also an option for you.

Pick through the bones and scraps and scavenge turkey meat being carful of small bones. If you want more turkey meat, just reserve several chunks of meat from your carved turkey.

Add the turkey meat, onion, carrot, celery, salt and pepper and bag of dried tortellini.

Season to taste...you will be surprised how flavorful your broth will be.

Bring to a boil and allow to simmer till the veggies are tender and the tortellini has doubled in size.

Serve hot and sprinkle parsley or chives on top for garnish and added color. You could also sprinkle a bit of Parmesan Cheese on top. It is a hearty, healthy, delicious way to enjoy every part of your turkey.

"Soup is a lot like a family. Each ingredient enhances the others; each batch has its own

characteristics; and it needs time to simmer to reach full flavor."

~Marge Kennedy

"You can do almost anything with soup stock, it's like a strong foundation. When you have the right foundation, everything tastes good."

~Martin Yan

Sweet Pumpkin Soup

239. Memories of childhood come flooding back into my mind. It's a Friday night in late October. The air is crisp and chilly. The sounds of whistles blowing and fans cheering our local High School Football team stand out in the distance. Bright lights illuminating the neighborhood from the local stadium. The kitchen windows are steamed up as a hot pot of Sweet Pumpkin Soup gently simmers on the stove.

My mother would always make a pot of Sweet Pumpkin Soup each year in the fall. It is ultimate comfort food for me.

Sweet Pumpkin Soup

4-5 cups raw pumpkin, cubed

1/2 cup water

8 cups milk

2 1/2 cups flour

1/4 cup butter, melted

liquid from cooked pumpkin (reserve after draining pumpkin)

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 cup sugar

cinnamon and sugar

Place cubed pumpkin and 1/2 cup water into a stock pot. Bring to a boil and simmer till pumpkin is tender. Drain liquid and reserve. Mash pumpkin to desired texture leaving chunks if you so desire. Pour milk into pot with cooked pumpkin. Bring to a simmer.

Dumplings: In a separate bowl add melted butter, flour, salt and 1 cup drained liquid. Begin to stir together till it forms a sticky dough. If dough is too dry continue to add more liquid until it comes together into a sticky dough.

Once the soup comes to a boil, dip a tablespoon into the soup to warm the spoon, then scoop a spoonful of dough onto the spoon creating a small ball of dough. Then drop into the soup. Reheat the spoon each time and continue till all dough is used. Simmer the soup for about 25 minutes till dumplings are cooked. Stir in sugar.

Soup will thicken.

Ladle hot soup into bowls and sprinkle top with cinnamon and sugar.

"And thank you for a house full of people I love. Amen."

~Ward Elliot Hour