Is Fall Here Yet?

Looking at this photo, I realize that I am ready for fall. When I ate this, it was probably about 90 degrees outside but looking at it now, I can almost feel a nice chill in the air. I love to eat soup any time of the year but thick hearty soups like this are always most satisfying when the days are shorter and the air turns cool enough to wear your favorite jeans and sweaters once again.

I needed to make more soup to use up the last of my chicken stock that I had recently defosted. And once again I also had some potatoes and carrots that had been hanging around for quite some time. I had no idea what I was making until it was finished. In fact I continued making changes into the following day. But this turned out to be one of my new favorites and I will definitely make it again once this long, hot Sicilian summer has finally gone.

My friends and family might be surprised that I am posting a potato soup recipe other than our favorite Potato Leek Soup that was my Mom’s specialty. Don’t worry, the Potato Leek Soup will make it’s way onto this blog soon enough. But for now, I suggest that everyone try this one…you won’t be disappointed!

I mentioned that I continuted making changes to this soup even into the second day. The change I made on day two was that I added a bag of frozen corn. I loved the soup the first day but I think the corn made it ten times better! If you don’t like corn, leave it out and this soup will still taste wonderful! Also, the cream can be omitted and the amount of cheese can be reduced if you’re looking for something with a little less fat. But as far as I’m concerned, this is the final recipe that I’ll be making again and again.

Carrot Potato Cheese Soup with Corn
1/4 C. butter
1 large onion, chopped
1 lb. carrots, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 jalapeno chile, seeded and minced (optional)
3 lbs. potatoes, peeled and chopped
4 C. chicken or vegetable stock
1 C. water
12 oz. frozen corn, defrosted
1 T. worcestire sauce
2 t. mustard powder
1/2 C. cream (optional)
8 oz. extra sharp cheddar, shredded
salt
freshly ground pepper

1. In a large pot,  saute the onions and carrots in butter over medium-low heat for about 10 minutes or until just starting to brown.
2. Add garlic and jalapeno (if using) and cook, stirring for one minute.
3. Add potatoes, broth and enough water to barely cover the potatoes (only if needed). Bring to a boil then reduce heat, cover, and simmer for about 30 minutes or until potatoes are tender.
4. Remove from heat and pass soup mixture through a food mill. You could also puree in a food processor or blender, or mash in the pot using a potato masher, depending on what consistency you prefer.
5. Return soup to medium-low heat and add corn, worcestire and mustard powder. Cook, stirring until the corn is heated through.
6. Turn heat to low, stir in cream (if using) and shredded cheddar cheese and stir until cheese is melted and incorporated. Remove from heat.
7. Season with salt and lots of fresh ground pepper.
8. Enjoy!

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Creamy Roasted Cauliflower and Artichoke Soup

Well, after all my talk about the warm, sunny days we’ve been having around here, the skies are now gloomy and overcast. It’s still not very cold but the dreary weather makes me crave something warm and comforting. And since my husband won’t be home for a while yet, I settled for some soup.

My original intention was to make the cream of artichoke soup featured on the Castroville Artichoke Festival Web site. I had a bunch of little artichokes in the fridge and I thought it would be an interesting way to use them since I had never tasted artichoke soup. But then I realized that I also had an entire head of cauliflower tucked away that I had been saving for soup.

Hmmmm. Guess what I did?

Of course I ended up throwing everything together and creating a completely different kind of soup.

I’ve been wanting to roast some cauliflower ever since I wrote about the roasted broccoli. And, after seeing a few creamy cauliflower soup recipes around, I was inspired to try a creamy roasted cauliflower soup. But then I read about the creamy artichoke soup and I couldn’t let that idea go either. Yes, I have a thing for creamy soups and, well, creamy things in general. Here’s what I ended up doing:

I boiled my artichokes in water with some lemon juice, bay leaves and peppercorns thrown in.

Then I cut them in half and removed the hearts. Instructions for preparing artichokes can be found here.

In the meantime, the cauliflower had been roasting away in the oven.

It turns out that Roasted cauliflower and artichoke hearts taste pretty good all blended up together with a little cream, lemon zest and thyme (but really, what doesn’t taste good blended with cream, lemon zest and thyme?).

Creamy Roasted Cauliflower and Artichoke Soup

1 head cauliflower
extra virgin olive oil
1 C. artichoke hearts (I cooked my own but you’re welcome to try canned)
2 or 3 cloves garlic, minced
4 C. vegetable stock (or substitute chicken broth or plain water)
1 C. light cream (or half and half, whole milk, or even heavy cream)
zest of one lemon
leaves from a few sprigs of fresh thyme, crushed
salt
fresh ground black pepper

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
2. Wash cauliflower then cut into flowerets.
3. In a large bowl toss cauliflower with enough olive oil to lightly coat all the pieces then spread them out in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet.
4. Place cauliflower in a preheated 425 degree oven and roast, turning pieces occasionally until almost tender (between 20-30 minutes)
5. Remove cauliflower pieces to a bowl with tongs; set aside. There should be some olive oil left on the baking sheet. Very carefully pour the leftover oil into a soup pot or dutch oven.
6. Add minced garlic to the oil in the pot and sauté over medium heat until just golden.
7. Add cauliflower, artichoke hearts and vegetable stock to the pot and bring to a boil. Turn heat way down and simmer for a few minutes until cauliflower is fully tender (check with fork).
8. Remove pot from heat and let cool slightly. Puree the soup until smooth using a food processor, blender, or immersion blender. Return to pot.
9. Gently reheat soup then add one cup of light cream, zest of one lemon (not juice), crushed thyme, and lots of salt and fresh ground pepper to taste. Soup can be thinned with extra broth or water if desired. Remove from heat when soup is heated through again.
10. Enjoy!

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Happy Carrot-Ginger Soup Day

 

So, what does Carrot-Ginger Soup have to do with Valentine’s Day? Absolutely nothing. I had been planning on posting this soup recipe a week ago, along with some Whole Wheat Cheddar Onion Muffins that I have been working on. But, it just didn’t happen. I’m happy that the Naughty Ice Cream Sandwiches were such a hit because it makes me feel a little less guilty about my little two week break!

Actually, I lied, I don’t feel guilty at all. There’s a reason why I’ve been distracted for the last couple of weeks. Today was supposed to be a pretty big day. Yes, it’s Valentine’s Day and all that but I’m not really into making a big deal out of Valentine’s Day. It was going to be a big day this year because my husband, who has been serving in Iraq for half a year, was scheduled to come home today. Finally, I thought, an end to the non-stop worry and fear, an end to the loneliness, and, most importantly, an end to the insane amount of stress that he’s been under. Well, you’ve probably already figured it out, but I’ll tell you anyway. The end isn’t here. And, as I found out a couple of weeks ago, the end is no longer in sight. He’s been extended in Iraq and this Valentine’s Day has turned back into an ordinary day, a soup day.

I shouldn’t have used the words ‘ordinary’ and ‘soup’ in the same sentence because this Carrot-Ginger Soup from Veggie Cookbook, while easy to make, was far from ordinary. It’s one of the best new soups I’ve tried in quite some time!

I had a ton of organic carrots in the fridge and two ideas of what to do with them. First, I wanted to create a new whole wheat carrot muffin recipe (I’m still working on that one) and second, I wanted to make some carrot soup. I’ve seen some great carrot soup recipes around lately but when I saw this recipe at my new favorite vegetarian food blog, I knew I had to try it! Although it’s unusual for me to strictly follow a recipe these days, I made this soup exactly as instructed and I’m really glad I gave the original recipe a chance.

What really sold me on this recipe, and made this different from other carrot soup recipes I’ve seen, was the addition of ground coriander, and especially the idea of serving it with fresh lime juice and fresh coriander (cilantro). Serve me anything garnished with lime and cilantro and I’m happy!

So, I highly suggest head over to Veggie Cookbook for the soup recipe and while you’re there, make sure you check out what else she has to offer!

And while we’re on the subject, here are a couple other carrot soup recipes that I would love to try soon:

Dreamy Carrot Soup from Stevi of Bread and Butter

Creamy Ginger Carrot Soup with Lemon Cream from Meeta of What’s for Lunch, Honey?

Check back soon for the new whole wheat muffin recipes, I’ve got some really great ones in the works!

And finally, I’d like to end this on a serious note. Today is a day when people who are in a relationship feel pressured to go overboard to prove their love through showerings of silly, and often ridiculously expensive, heart-shaped gifts while those who aren’t in a relationship feel shunned by a culture that still places so much importance on being part of a couple. Some couples will probably get in fights today because one of them didn’t do enough to prove their affection while some single people are sitting at home crying because today is nothing but one giant reminder that they are missing out on everything in life because they haven’t yet found Mr. or Ms. Right. And what I’m writing isn’t going to change any of it. But, for a minute, can we stop and think about the fact that people all over the world, right now as you’re reading this, are dying. Women are losing their husbands, men are losing their wives, children are losing their parents and perhaps worst of all, parents are losing their children. What is most important is not that you remember to buy big presents for the ones you love. What is important is that they know how you feel every day. Because in this world, you never know which day will be the last. We all have someone to love, whether it’s a parent, child, friend, or lover. Call them today and let them know.

Please, by all means, celebrate love. But remember to do it every day.

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