- The Net's Online Gourmet Magazine 

     


    
     Think green, think cabbage, and think healthy this St. Patrick’s Day. Serve up a little luck o’ the Irish with this updated version of a hearty, healthy cabbage soup. Cabbage has always had a place at an Irish table on St. Patrick’s Day, as it should. Cabbage is full of phytochemicals, fiber and vitamins C and A, giving it the power to help protect against cancer. This soup is a great way to start off any meal.

Place the cabbage in a large bowl. Pour enough boiling water over the cabbage to cover it. Let the cabbage stand in the water for 5 minutes. Drain well. Pat it dry with paper towels and cut the cabbage into thin slices.

Add canola oil to a large heavy saucepan. Sauté the onions until they are tender but not brown (about 10 minutes). Add the cabbage and cubed potato and cook, stirring, about 5 minutes. Add the nutmeg and flour and stir for 2 minutes. Gradually add the milk and broth. Bring it to a boil, stirring often. Reduce the heat and simmer until vegetables are tender, about 20 minutes. Set it aside to cool.

Purée the soup in batches, if necessary, in a blender or food processor until it is smooth. Return the soup to the saucepan, season with salt and pepper. Bring it to a simmer, ladle into bowls and sprinkle with parsley, chives and Parmesan.

Makes 5 servings, one cup per serving. Per serving: 125 calories, 4 g. total fat (2 g. saturated fat), 17 g. carbohydrate, 7 g. protein, 2 g. dietary fiber, 295 mg. sodium.

The American Institute for Cancer Research
aicrweb@aicr.org 
Copyright © 2006 AICR 

    
     For the fish soup you can use whatever’s fish is in season so long as it is a firm. The success of the soup depends on the variety of fish included. If you don’t like squid, you can substitute it with prawns or scallops cooked in a little olive oil and added to the soup.

Clean and wash all the fish, fillet it and remove the skin. Make a stock from the bones using ca. 3 liters (ca. 3 quarts) water, one onion, 1 carrot, 1 bay leaf, little salt and pepper. Bring stock to a boil and simmer for 20 minutes. Strain the stock through a fine sieve

Cut the squid and the fish fillets lengthways into strips 2.5 cm (1 inch) then cut across each strip into slices 2.5 cm (1 inch) wide. 

Put the mussels in a pan with a splash of white wine, cover and cook over a high heat for 3-4 minutes until they have opened. Discard any that remain closed. Strain the mussel cooking liquid into the fish stock, then shell the mussels, discarding the shells.

Cut the fennel bulb and red onion into thin slices. Wash and trim the leek, removing most of the green part. Cut the white part of the leek lengthways into quarters. Wash and trim the celery sticks, cut lengthways in half. Wash, seed and cut the red pepper lengthways into strips. Cut the tomatoes into small wedges. Peel the potatoes cut them into 4 wedges. Then cut each of the vegetables across into medium, slices. The sizes should be roughly the same size. 

Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan and add the fennel, red onion, leek, celery, red pepper, garlic, lemon zest and dried chili. Cook over a low heat for 3-4 minutes, until the vegetables are just softened. Add the sun-dried tomato paste, fish stock, remaining white wine, tomatoes, potatoes, salt and pepper. Bring to the boil and simmer for another 5 minutes.

Add the fish, plus the bay leaves, thyme, half the fennel herb. Simmer for 3 minutes only or until the fish turns opaque. Add the mussels for about 30 seconds just to heat through.
Garnish the soup with the remaining fennel or dill and take to the table, together with little bowls of extra virgin olive oil and coarse sea salt and the bread. Serve in large soup plates. Suggest that your guests dip the bread in the live oil and sprinkle with a little coarse sea salt to go along with the soup.

    
     Butter beans have a high fiber content and are both nourishing and filling. You do need to soak the beans for at least 12 hours, so this soup needs to be prepared the night before.

Soak the beans for 12 hours in plenty of cold water (preferably the night before making the soup).

In a large, heavy-based saucepan, gently melt but do not brown the butter and cook the onion and garlic over a medium heat for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until soft.
Add all the remaining ingredients except the salt and stir together. Bring the soup to the boil, skim any froth which appears at the top; reduce heat and simmer for 50 minutes with the lid not completely covering the saucepan. Add the salt and continue to simmer for a further 10 minutes.
Season to taste, remove and discard the bouquet garni and serve in individual bowls or in a soup tureen.

     

    Roasting brings out the natural sweetness of squash and garlic. The onions and sage add a piquant flavor. The soup is satiating and flavorful.

Preheat oven to 425°F (220° C)

Cut the squash in half and remove and discard the seeds and pith. Cut each half into 2 pieces. Peel the squash with a vegetable peeler or sharp knife. Place squash, onions, and garlic in a single layer in a large roasting pan on a rack in the middle of the oven.

Drizzle or lightly spray the vegetables with olive oil, or use a pastry brush to coat each piece well. Sprinkle cumin over squash and arrange pieces hollow side down in the pan. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Scatter 3/4 of the sage in the pan. Roast 30 minutes; turn vegetables over with a metal spatula to avoid sticking. Continue to roast about 30 minutes more or until the squash is tender when pierced with the tip of a knife. Remove from oven and cool.

Squeeze roasted garlic out of each clove; discard skins. Discard the sage and add garlic, squash, onions and any liquid remaining in the roasting pan to food processor. Process until pureed. Transfer to a soup pot, stir in broth. Bring the soup to a simmer over medium-high heat and continue to simmer until soup is heated through. Add the vinegar and season with salt and pepper. Serve hot, garnished with pumpkin seeds and a sprig of fresh sage. 

     


    
     Jerusalem artichokes have a mild ginger flavor which gives this soup a creamy, rich flavor. Great as a starter or good lunch with Naan bread and your favorite salad. 

Scrub or peel the Jerusalem artichokes and cut them into quarters. Peel the baking potatoes and cut into small cubes. Wash the leek and cut julienne. Chop the bacon or Parma ham.

In a medium saucepan, heat the butter and olive oil and sauté the artichokes for a couple of minutes. Add the leek, potatoes, thyme and bacon or Parma ham and sauté for a further 2-3 minutes. Add the chicken stock and milk, cover, reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes, or until the vegetables are very soft. Let the soup cool a little, then put through a blender or food processor, and pour back into the saucepan; add the cream and stir through. Season with salt and pepper.

In s heavy skillet, heat the butter and curry powder and sauté the prawns until they turn opaque. Heat the soup and serve, garnished with the curried prawns and a little freshly chopped chives.

*If you want a very thick soup, use 1 lb Jerusalem artichokes and 2 medium baking potatoes.

    
     This is a tasty curry soup with meat and vegetables. The flavors in this soup are rich but not too strong. The green curry gives this soup a particularly good flavor, toned down by the chicken stock and coconut milk. Good as a starter or main course.

Cut the turkey breast julienne. Cut the leek into thin rings, was thoroughly, and set aside. Peel and mince the garlic and chop the onion. Peel the carrots and cut julienne. 

In a large, heavy saucepan (or large wok) heat a little of the oil and sauté the turkey meat. Remove meat and set aside. Add a little more oil and sauté the leek until soft. Add to the turkey. Add a little more oil and sauté the onion, garlic, and sauté 1-2 minutes until the curry is mixed with the onion and garlic. Add the carrots and cook for 1-2 minutes more. Add the chicken stock, coconut milk, chopped coriander, and lemon grass and simmer about 5 minutes. Add the turkey, garlic, onion and leek and simmer about 5 minutes more until the soup is very hot and bubbling. Stir in the tomatoes and serve. Garnish with a little chopped parsley or a little more fresh coriander.

    
     Borsht is a hearty Russian soup which is both filling and warm on a cold winter evening. 
It is nourishing and tasty. You can serve it with a tablespoon of light sour cream crème fraiche or whipped cream.

Peel and chop the onion. Peel the red beets, carrots, potatoes and parsnip and cut julienne. Set aside the red beets as they are cooked last. Shred the cabbage. In a large, heavy saucepan or Dutch oven, heat the oil and sauté the onion, carrots, potatoes, parsnip and cabbage for a few minutes without browning. Add the Soup, tomato puree, vinegar, sugar let the soup simmer for about 20 minutes. Add the red beets (julienne) and continue to simmer the soup for about ten minutes. Season soup with salt and pepper. Stir in the fresh parsley just before serving. 


Serve in individual bowls with a tablespoon of sour cream, crème fraiche or whipped cream in the center of each bowl of soup. Or serve in a large soup terrine, with a dish of sour cream, crème fraiche or whipped cream on the side for individual servings. Good with French or Italian bread.

* You can make your own meat (soup) stock by boiling a piece of pork or veal and/or a soup bone. Add a bay leaf, an onion and a carrot and simmer for 1-½ hours. Strain the soup and use in the borsht. You can cut the meat up into small cubes and leave it in the soup.

    
     A good, hearty winter soup. Make plenty and serve the rest the next day. Soup is always best the day after.

Cut the turkey or chicken breasts into cubes and sauté lightly in olive oil.* Peel the carrots, celeriac and cut into cubes. Cut the leek into rings and rinse well. Add the vegetables to the meat, add the chicken stock fresh thyme and bay leaves. Simmer the soup for 20 minutes. Slice the tomatoes julienne and quarter the artichokes. Add to the soup. Simmer 5 minutes longer. Season with salt and pepper. Spread the packaged croutons out on a cookie sheet, sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and roast in the oven for 2-3 minutes at 400° F (200° C) or until the croutons are golden brown.

Serve the soup garnished with parmesan croutons and freshly chopped parsley. 

* If you want to make fresh croutons, take 2-3 slices of white or light brown bread, cut into cubes and sauté in hot butter or olive oil until golden brown. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and use as garnish for the soup.
* For a richer soup, remove the turkey meat and set aside. Sauté the vegetables in a little butter for 2-3 minutes, add the turkey to the vegetables, add the thyme and bay leaves and continue with the recipe as above.

    
     This soup is a meal in itself. A good soup to serve in the fall or winter when fresh cauliflower is still available.

Melt the butter in a heavy saucepan. Saute the onion and garlic about ½-1 minute. Add the white wine vinegar and cook for about 1 minute, stirring constantly. Sprinkle the flour over the butter mixture and stir well. Remove the saucepan from the heat and add 1 Cup (2 dl) of the vegetable stock, stirring constantly. Add the light sour cream (or thick whipping cream) and basil and stir until smooth. Stirring vigorously, add the rest of the stock and return to the heat. Heat soup and simmer for about 5 minutes.

Divide the cauliflower into small florets and add to the soup. Cook the cauliflower for about 3 minutes, add the peas and continue cooking until cauliflower is tender, but still firm. Season with salt and freshly ground pepper. Serve in warm bowls with Italian bread or Chives and Onion Twist.

    
     This soup is a simple version of the famous Onion Soup. This one is generally cooked with water but, of course, with a broth made with either beef, chicken or vegetables, it will be richer. I make this even in the summer months; it is so delicious that you forget the hot weather.

     In a 6-quart heavy-bottomed pot, melt the butter. Add the onions and cook for 5 minutes over medium high heat, stirring the onions very often so they don’t burn. Stir 2 tablespoons flour into the onions and continue cooking and stirring for another 10 minutes until golden but not browned.

     Stir in the garlic. Pour the broth or water over the onions. Sprinkle with salt and add 1 bay leaf. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes.

     In a large soup tureen, layer 3 slices of bread at the bottom of the pot, cover with half the cheese, then cover with the last 3 slices of bread and top with the remaining cheese. The soup can be prepared ahead of time up to this step.

    


    Bring 3 quarts (3 liters) water to a boil, stir in wild rice. Bring back to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until rice is cooked.

     Heat oil in a sauté pan and sauté onion in the oil. When onion is about half cooked, add celery and carrot. Stir in thyme and continue to cook for about 3 minutes.

     Add cooked rice, bay leaf and turkey stock. Bring to a boil and immediately reduce heat to a simmer. Simmer for 10 minutes.

     Add cooked turkey and simmer gently for 5 to 10 minutes.

     To finish the soup, add parsley, salt and pepper to taste.

     Recipe by Jenny Huston, CEC, of J. Huston Catering in San Francisco, CA.

This is a good meal if you have some left-over turkey or chicken.

2 Cups (4 dl) uncooked wild rice
1/2 Cup (1 dl) olive oil
4 Large sweet onions peeled and finely chopped
6 Medium carrots peeled and finely diced
8 Medium celery sticks finely diced
2 Quarts (4 Cups / 8 dl/2 liters) turkey or chicken stock

     Baking time: 5 mins. at 250°C/475°F

     Melt the butter in a thick-based saucepan. Add the vegetables and 'fry' lightly for a minute. Pour in the bullion and the milk, and bring to a boil. Simmer gently with the lid on for about 10 mins. Put the vegetables and a little of the soup through the blender in two or three portions. Pour this mixture back into the saucepan. Now add the leek rings and re-heat the soup. Season with salt and pepper.

     Cheese bread: Cut the bread slices as if to divide each slice into two thinner slices, but cut only 3/4 of the way through. Place a slice of cheese in each of the openings, and put the cheese bread on a baking
tray. Butter the tops, and bake in the upper part of the oven until golden brown.

    Thaw the frozen spinach. Heat butter in a saucepan and sauté bacon until crisp. Cool and chop the bacon into small pieces and set aside.  Put the spinach, crumbled stock cubes, flour, salt, pepper, water, peeled and roughly chopped onion and nutmeg in a blender. Blend until smooth. Pour into the saucepan and heat soup until it boils. Reduce heat and simmer 5 minutes. Stir in the cream, reheat gently, sprinkle the crunchy bacon pieces over the soup and serve.

(Serves 8)

4 large onions
60 g (2 oz) butter
1 tsp sugar
2 tsp flour
2 cans of 470 g (15 oz) beef consomme
or the equivalent in water and beef bouillon cubes*
3 Cups water
Pepper
8 Slices white bread
250 g (8 oz) cheddar or gruyere cheese
60 g (2 oz) freshly grated parmesan cheese 

     Heat the butter in a large saucepan, add the peeled and chopped onions, carrots and the chopped celery. Sauté gently until golden brown; remove from pan.

     Add extra butter and oil to the saucepan and add pork and bacon pieces. Cook gently until meat is golden brown; remove from the saucepan. Add the flour to the saucepan  and stir until dark golden brown. Add paprika, stir 1 minute more.

     Remove pan from heat, add water and stir until well combined. Return the saucepan to heat and stir until soup comes to a boil; reduce heat.

     Add pork, bacon and vegetables, stir until combined. Add caraway seeds, beef and chicken stock cubes and tomato paste. Stir until combined; season with salt and pepper. Cover the saucepan and simmer gently for one hour. Remove the meat and strain the soup and return it to the saucepan. Cut meat into small pieces and add, heat until boiling. 

     Spoon into bowls and top with a little light sour cream, topped with freshly chopped parsley.

     * Note: Lean belly of pork, or other lean cuts of pork can be used. If you are unsure about the cut of meat, ask your butcher.

(6 - 8 Servings)

30 g (1 oz) butter
2 large onions
2 large carrots
3 sticks celery
500 g (1 lb) pork *
125 g (4 oz) bacon pieces
2 Tbsp paprika
60 g (2 oz) extra butter
2 Tbsp oil
1/2 Cup flour
2 liters (8 Cups) water
2 beef stock cubes
2 chicken stock cubes
1/4 tsp caraway seeds
Salt and pepper
1/3 Cup tomato paste
3 Tbsp chopped parsley
Cream

Cheese muffins

    Peel, thickly slice and cut the potatoes in small cubes. Bring bouillon to a boil then add potatoes and let them cook for 10 minutes. Add the chopped leek together with the sliced squash and cook for another 10 minutes. Mix together with 2/3 of the watercress and whipping cream. Add salt and pepper
according to taste and let it cool down.

Cheese Muffins

    Whip the yogurt, egg, cheese, parsley, squash, baking powder and flour.
Melt the butter and mix it with the dough lightly - be sure not to over-mix.
Separate the dough into 8 muffin shapes. Bake the muffins for 15-20 minutes at
200º C (390º F). 

    Decorate with the rest of the watercress and serve with warm
muffins.

     On a warm summer evening, a cold soup can be very refreshing.  You can prepare this soup earlier in the day, and leave it in the refrigerator so the flavors can blend. Serve this with tomato, cucumber, shallot and fresh, Italian or French bread.

     Wash and cut the tomatoes, bell pepper (capsicum) and onion in cubes. Mix theses ingredients in a large bowl. (you can peel the tomatoes before you chop them if you wish, but it is not necessary.) Mix all the other ingredients into the tomato mixture and place in the refrigerator for a couple of hours to let the flavors blend.

     Stir the soup and season again with salt and a little pepper if necessary. Cut the 2 medium tomatoes, the small cucumber and the shallot into cubes and top the soup with theses. Soup may be served in individual bowls or in a large bowl and let people serve themselves. Serve with French or Italian breads.

     *coriander tends to have a strong flavor, so you might want to reduce the amount used in this recipe.

   Saute onions in butter until just transparent.  Add garlic, wine and bouillon and continue  cooking until the it is a smooth liquid.  Let it cool and put through blender or sieve. Add cream and heat through. 
 

     Retain a few shrimp with the tails on for  garnish and add the rest of the shrimp. Do not boil, but just  heat the shrimp. 

Serve immediately.

     Garnish with freshly chopped chives or parsley.  Serve with French bread.

(Serves 4)

2 finely chopped onions
1 Tbsp butter
4-5 cloves garlic, crushed
1 dl (1/2 Cup) white wine
3 dl (1-1/2 Cup) Chicken bouillon
1 dl (1/2 Cup) thick cream (whipping cream)
Salt and pepper to taste
100-150 g (5-6 oz) freshly cooked shrimp