What beats those Winter blues? Lookit this:

Weekday Vegetarian: White Bean Stew with Porcini and Winter Squash
I woke up this morning to an unexpected blizzard, our first real snow of the winter. There is something about a big snowfall that sends me into the kitchen. Usually I bake bread, but today I decided on a vegetarian stew, because I had all the ingredients on hand, and I didn’t have to go out to the store in the bad weather to make my meal.

This recipe made a kind of cross between a stew and a soup. In fact, I think I will add some more stock to leftovers and mush it up a bit and have it as a soup for lunch tomorrow. I’m thinking of rubbing a thick slice of toast with a bit of garlic and then ladling the soupy mixture on top.

I didn’t have quite as much porcini as the recipe called for, so it wasn’t as mushroom flavoured as I might have liked. If I had had any fresh mushrooms, I would have added them to beef it up a bit. In any case, it was a lovely, light stew, perfect for eating while watching the snow fall.

White Bean Stew with Porcini and Winter Squash
2-2 1/2 oz dried porcini muhsrooms
1 tbsp olive oil
2 onions, finely chopped
2 seranno chilies, seeded and minced
2 lb butternut squash. peeled, seeded and cut into 1/2 in pieces
coarse kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
2 cans cannellini beans, with liquid
2 cups vegetable stock
fresh flat-leaf parsley, for sprinkling

1. Place the dried porcini in a sieve and rinse briefly with water. Transfer to a small bowl. Add 3 cups very hot water and let soak until the mushrooms are softened, about 20 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, in a heavy large pot over medium-high heat, warm the oil. Add the onions, chilies, and sage, and saute until the onions are tender, about 8 minutes. Add the squash, season with salt and pepper, and saute until it starts to soften, about 5 minutes. Add the beans with their liquid and the broth.

3. Set a fine-mes sieve over a small bowl. Drain the prcini in the sieve, pressing out as much liquid as possible from the mushrooms. Add the liquid to the pot. Chop the porcini and add to the pot. Simmer until the squash is tender and the flavours blend, about 20 minutes.

Taste and adjust the seasoning. Spoon the stew into warmed bowls. Sprinkle with parsley and serve right away. [via treehugger]

Lentil Soup With Pounded Walnuts and Cream

Adapted from ''Vegetable Soups,'' by Deborah Madison.

Black-Eyed Peas With Mustard Greens and Rice

Adapted from: "Vegetable Soups from Deborah Madison's Kitchen".

2 tablespoons butter

1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
2 medium onions, finely diced
3 bay leaves
2 celery ribs, diced
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon hot red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon spanish smoked paprika
1 teaspoon ground cumin
3 tablespoons celery leaves, chopped
1 tablespoon tomato paste
2 cups frozen black-eyed peas (soak dried peas overnight) or 1 cup dried black-eyed peas (soak dried peas overnight)
2 quarts water
1 teaspoon sea salt
sea salt, to taste
fresh ground pepper, to taste
1 bunch mustard greens
1 cup cooked brown rice or 1 cup cooked white rice
hot sauce, to serve

Directions:


Melt the butter in a wide soup pot over medium heat and let it brown for several minutes until it smells nutty.

Add the sesame oil, then the onions, bay leaves, celery, garlic, thyme, chile flakes, smoked paprika, cumin and celery leaves.

Cook stirring occasionally, until the onions have browned, about 20 minutes.

Stir in the tomato paste, then add the beans (drain them first if you used soaked dried), 2 quarts water, and 1 tsp salt.

Simmer, covered, until the beans are tender. Taste for salt and season with pepper.

Cut the mustard greens off their stems and wash them. Simmer in salted water to cover until tender, a few minutes, then transfer to a strainer, rinse with cool water, and chop. Stir them into the beans.

Taste once more for salt and season with plenty of pepper.

Add a few spoonfuls of rice to each bowl and serve with Tabasco, Crystal, or other favorite hot sauce on the side.

Veggie Kimchi Soup

Ingredients:

1 Tbsp sesame oil
2 cups kimchi (the kind made with Napa cabbage), roughly chopped
1/2 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 Tbsp hot chile paste or powder
1 Tbsp soy sauce
3 cups of water
1/2 block of tofu, cubed
1 bunch scallions, chopped

4 cups stock

Preparation:

Add kimchi to pot and stir-fry for about five minutes.

Add remaining oil, onion, garlic, kochujang, and kochukaru, mixing to combine.

Pour water into the pot and bring to a boil.

Reduce heat to simmer.

Cook for 20-30 minutes, adding tofu after the first 10 minutes and scallions at the very end.

Roasted Carrots & Golden Beet soup

4 Large Carrots
2 medium sized golden beets
12-15 cherry or grape tomatoes
2 large chunk (~ 2 inch cubes ) Fresh Ginger
a generous pinch of freshly cracked peppercorn
3 tablespoon Olive oil
3 cups water or vegetable stock.
1-1.5 teaspoon Harissa spice blend
1/4 cup Creme fraiche or sour cream or Greek Yogurt

Preheat the Oven to 400 F. Line a large baking tray with aluminum foil.

Wash, peel & cut the carrots, golden beets & Ginger into 1 inch cubes. add to a mixing bowl along with the grape tomatoes and 2 tablespoons of the olive oil.. Season with Salt & freshly cracked pepper.

Add the vegetables in a single layer on the baking tray and roast for about 25-30 minutes in the oven, until the vegetables turn a light golden brown on the outside and yield when pierced with the tip of a knife. Remove from oven and allow to cool.

Add the roasted veggies into a food processor & blend. Drizzle about 2 cups of water / stock while the mix is being pureed. the final consistency should be similar to that of crushed tomatoes from a can.

Sieve the puree to extract the soup part of this recipe. Reserve the part that remains in the strainer (should yield about 1 cup).

Heat the remaining oil in a saucepan. when the oil is warm, (NOT hot, you do not want to burn up the spice) Add the Harissa powder.

Add the strained soup to the saucepan & simmer on a low-medium heat. Add the last cup of water/stock as per your preference of thickness. Taste and adjust for seasonings. Serve warm with a dollop of Creme Fraiche ( sour cream/Greek yogurt) and a chunk of warm crusty french bread.

Potato & cabbage soup with bacon

Ingredients

1 onion
1 carrot
1 celery stick
2 garlic cloves
1 tbsp olive oil , plus extra to serve
550g floury potatoes , peeled and cut into small cubes
1l chicken or vegetable stock
8 rashers streaky bacon
a quarter medium Savoy cabbage (about 200g/8oz)

Method

Chop the onion, carrot, celery and garlic in a food processor. Heat the oil over a medium heat in a large saucepan. Add the vegetables and potatoes, season well, then reduce the heat and cover the pan. Gently cook for about 5 mins until starting to soften, then add the stock, turn up the heat and bring to the boil. Simmer for 5 mins more, or until all the vegetables are tender.

While the soup is cooking, grill or fry the bacon until crisp, then cut into strips. Shred the cabbage, discarding the core.

Whizz the soup in the food processor until smooth, then return to the pan and add the cabbage. Simmer for a few mins until the cabbage is just tender, then season to taste and serve scattered with the bacon.

Repe lojano or green banana soup

Hot and Sour Soup (Chinese)

Ingredients

• 6 dried tree ear mushrooms (also known as wood ear mushrooms)
• 6 dried black mushrooms
• 8 dried lily buds (otherwise known as golden needles)
• 1/2 cup bamboo shoots
• 3 tablespoons rice vinegar
• 2 tablespoons Chinese black vinegar
• 4 tablespoons light soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 2 tablespoons water
• 1 tablespoon oil
• 4 ounces pork loin (optional), cooked and shredded
• 4 cups broth
  
• 1 package tofu, cut into small pieces
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 teaspoon black pepper, ground
• 1 teaspoon white pepper, ground
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• 2 teaspoons chili oil or to taste
• 1 tablespoon chili sauce or to taste
• 4 green onions sliced

Directions

1. Soak the tree ear and black mushrooms in boiling water until softened, about 20 minutes, and shred them.
2. Soak the lily buds in warm water until softened, about 20 minutes, and shred them.
3. Cover the bamboo shoots in water, bring to a boil, drain and shred.
4. Mix the vinegars, soy sauce, salt and sugar in a bowl.
5. Mix the cornstarch into the water in a bowl.
6. Heat the oil in a large pot over medium-high heat.
7. Add the pork, tree ear and black mushrooms, lily buds and bamboo shoots and saute for a minute.
8. Add the broth and tofu and bring to a boil.
9. Add the vinegar mixture and the cornstarch mixture and stir until it thickens.
10. Pour the eggs into the soup in a thin stream while stirring the soup.
11. Stir in the peppers, oils and chili sauce.
12. Serve garnished with green onions.

Hot and Sour Soup (Thai)

Ingredients:

• 6 cups chicken stock
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 thumb-size piece galangal or ginger, grated or finely sliced into matchstick-like pieces
• 1 Tbsp. soy sauce
• 2 Tbsp. fish sauce
• 1 fresh red or green chili, minced, OR 1/2 to 1 tsp. dried chili flakes
• 1 Tbsp. rice vinegar (or substitute apple cider vinegar OR regular white vinegar)
• 1 Tbsp. brown sugar
• 2 kaffir lime leaves, OR 1 Tbsp. lime juice
• 2-3 eggs
• VEGETABLES (choose from the following, or add your own selection):
• handful fresh shiitake mushrooms
• 1-2 cups Chinese cabbage such as bok choy or baby bok choy, roughly chopped
• handful fresh or frozen spinach
• bamboo shoot strips
• GARNISH:
• handful of fresh coriander and lime wedges
• optional: Thai chili sauce to serve on the side

Preparation:

Homemade Chicken Broth

Made with drumsticks and chicken feet (really). Read on.

Leek Soup with Feta, Dill and Paprika

30 ml/2 tbsp olive or sunflower oil
3 leeks, trimmed, roughly chopped and washed
1 onion, chopped
5 ml/1 tsp honey or Rapadura
1 bunch of fresh dill, chopped, with a few fronds reserved for the garnish
1 1/4 cups milk
1 tbsp butter
4 oz feta cheese, crumbled
salt and ground black pepper
paprika, to garnish

1) Heat the oil in a heavy pan and stir in the chopped leeks and onion. Cook for about 10 minutes, or until the vegetables are soft.

2) Add the sugar and chopped dill, and pour in 600 ml/1 pint/2 1/2 cups water. Bring to the boil, lower the heat and simmer for about 15 minutes.

3) Leave the liquid to cool a little, then process in a blender until smooth.

4) Return the pureed soup to the pan, pour in the milk and stir over a gentle heat until it is hot (don't let it come to the boil).

5) Season with salt and pepper, bearing in mind that the feta is salty. IF using the butter, drop it onto the surface of the soup and let it melt.

6) Ladle the soup into bowls and top with the crumbled feta. Serve immediately, garnished with a little paprika and the dill fronds.

Pomegranate Broth

5 cups chicken stock
1 1/3 cup fresh pomegranate juice
1/3 cup pomegranate seeds for garnish
Fresh chopped mint for garnish
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

In a soup pot, bring the chicken stock to a simmer over medium heat. Place the pomegranate juice in a small non-aluminum pan and reduce over high heat to ½ cup, (approximately 10 – 15 minutes). Stir the juice into the stock and season with salt and pepper. Serve garnished with pomegranate seeds and mint.

Turkish Yogurt, Rice and Mint Soup

Ingredients:

1/2 cup rice or broken rice (you can also substitute with 1 cup cooked plain rice)
1 egg yolk
2 cups plain yogurt
2 tbsp. flour
1 tsp. salt
white pepper to taste
2 tbsp. butter or margarine
2 tbsp. dried mint
Fresh mint sprigs for garnishing

Preparation:

First, put the rice in a covered saucepan with 3 cups of water and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat, cover, and cook the rice until it softens.

In a separate bowl, beat the egg, plain yogurt, flour and 1 cup of water briskly with a wire wisk until well blended and creamy. Make sure you have no lumps of flour or yogurt.

Using your wire wisk to stir the rice and water, add the yogurt mixture while gently wisking. Then, add the salt and white pepper. Allow the mixture to heat through until steaming. Continue wisking gently without letting the soup come to a boil. If the soup becomes too thick for your liking, add a little more water.

In a separate pan, melt the butter and add the dried mint. Stir thoroughly and remove from the heat quıickly. Add the butter and mint to the soup and continue wisking until well combined. Garnish each bowl of soup with a sprig of fresh mint leaves.

If you wish, you can also keep the butter and mint separate and drizzle it over the top of the soup just before serving. If you want to spice up your soup a little more, add about 1 tsp. hot red pepper flakes to the butter along with the mint.

Manjula Gokal's Gujarati Mango Soup

Ingredients

2 tablespoons chickpea flour (see note)
1/8 teaspoon ground turmeric
3/4 teaspoon ground cumin
3/4 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 cup plain whole-milk yogurt
3 cups canned Alphonso mango pulp (sweetened), preferably Ratna brand
1 1/4 to 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon sugar, or to taste
2 bird's-eye chilies, with small slits
2 tablespoons corn or peanut oil
Generous pinch ground asafetida
1/2 teaspoon whole brown mustard seeds
1/2 teaspoon whole cumin seeds
2 whole hot dried red chilies
1/8 teaspoon whole fenugreek seeds
10 to 15 fresh curry leaves, if available

Preparation

Put the chickpea flour, turmeric, cumin and coriander in a bowl. Very slowly stir in 1/2 cup water until no lumps are left. Whisk in the yogurt, mango and 2 cups water. Add the salt, sugar and bird's-eye chilies. Mix well.

Pour the oil into a heavy, medium pan and set over medium-high heat. When the oil is very hot, add the asafetida and then, in quick succession, the mustard seeds, cumin seeds, dried chilies, fenugreek seeds and curry leaves. Remove from heat and stir in the mango mixture. Place over medium heat and simmer for 5 minutes, stirring. Remove from heat, cover and let sit for at least 30 minutes.

Stir the soup and reheat it gently. Strain through a coarse strainer. Spoon out some of the smaller seeds from the strainer and stir them back into the soup.

Indian Tomato Soup 

Ingredients:

Procedure:

Sauerkraut soup with cheese

2 cups dry white wine (Riesling) or pilsner beer
2 cups water
4 vegetable stock cubes
1 lb 2 oz. sauerkraut, drained
8 long shallots or 2 medium-size leeks
3 tbsp cornstarch
3/4 cup cream
11 oz. aged Gouda
2 tbsp parsley

Put wine (or beer) with the water in a pot and boil. Let the stock cubes dissolve. Chop or cut the sauerkraut, thinly slice the shallots or leeks and add to the stock. Gently boil for five minutes. Sprinkle in the cornstarch and stir well. Add the cream and bring to a slow boil. Simmer for another five minutes, stirring regularly.

Cut, grate or chop the cheese into smallest pieces.

Pour the soup into a heated bowl, fold in the cheese and sprinkle with finely chopped parsley. Serve with oven-toasted wholewheat buns or baguette.

Mustard soup from Ameland

1 liter / 1 quart water
1 large onion
2 beef bouillon cubes
6 tbsp butter
6 tbsp flour
3 heaping tbsp mustard
6 tbsp light cream
4 tsp capers or chopped pickle
vinegar
pepper
1/16 leek, in thinnest rings

Finely chop the onion. Heat the margarine in a large skillet and sautée the onions. Mix in the sifted flour and heat thoroughly. Bit by bit add the water and stir often. Add the crumbled bouillon cubes at the same time and stir until the mix is smooth.

Put the mustard in a bowl, add the cream and stir well. Add to the soup and mix in the capers. Pour in a dash of vinegar and add fresh pepper to taste. Just before serving, add the leek rings.

Hearty Vegetarian Borscht

Lamb Stew with Potatoes and Peas

You could use stewing beef for this recipe, but you need to cook it longer.

1 pound stewing lamb
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 cinnamon stick
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon Arabian spice-Bahar (cinnamon,allspice,cloves,cardamom,black pepper)
1 (8-ounce) can tomato sauce
1 (16-ounce) can diced tomatoes
2 cups water
3 large potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 cup frozen peas

Heat oil in a pot and sauté the lamb for 5 minutes. Add garlic, salt, cinnamon stick, spices and stir. Pour the tomato sauce and the diced tomatoes and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and add the water, and simmer on medium heat covered for one hour until lamb is cooked.
Add the potatoes and peas, and add 1 more cup of water and simmer until potatoes are soft and cooked. Check the sauce if it needs more salt. Serve it with saffron rice and salad.

Golden Hummus Soup

Ingredients:

6 cups vegetable stock
3 (15 ounce) cans chickpeas, rinsed and drained
4 tablespoons lemon juice
3 tablespoons tahini paste
3 tablespoons garlic, minced
4 teaspoons cumin
2 teaspoons coriander
3 teaspoons turmeric
1/2 cup pesto sauce, cilantro (garnish) or 1/2 cup basil (garnish)
pita chips (garnish)

Directions:

Blend half of all non-garnish ingredients in blender. Blend until smooth (3 minutes). If soup is thick, add more stock 1 tablespoon at a time. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Transfer to large pot.

Continue with remaining half ingredients to blend a second batch. Add to pot.

Heat soup to a simmer over medium-low heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, 15 to 20 minutes.

Serve in bowls and top each serving with 1 tablespoon of the pesto.

Burnt Eggplant and Mograbieh Soup

Pistachio Soup

3/4 cup unsalted shelled pistachio (4 oz, not dyed red)
2 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth (16 fl. Oz)
1 medium leek (white and pale green parts only)
1/4 cup finely chopped onion
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
1/4 teaspoon finely grated peeled fresh ginger
1/8 teaspoon cayenne
1 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 tablespoon cumin seed
1/2 teaspoon coriander seed
2 cups water
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/8 teaspoon turmeric
2 tablespoons rice flour
2 tablespoons dried barberries (aka "zereshk"... you can substitute cranberries soaked first in hot water)
1/2 teaspoon grape juice concentrate (grape molasses) or 1/2 teaspoon grape jelly
6 tablespoons fresh orange juice
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

Directions:


Cook shelled pistachios in a small saucepan of boiling water 1 minute, then drain and rub off skins.

Transfer ½ cup skinned pistachios to a blander (reserve remainder), then add broth and blend until smooth, 1 to 2 minutes.

Chop leek and wash in a bowl of cold water, agitating it, then lift out with a slotted spoon and transfer to a bowl along with onion, garlic, ginger and cayenne.

Heat 2 T oil in a 3-4 quart heavy saucepan over moderately high heat until just beginning to smoke, then cook cumin and coriander seeds, stirring, until fragrant and a shade or two darker, 10 to 30 seconds. Stir in leek mixture, then reduce heat to moderately low and cook, covered, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are softened, about 5 minutes.

Add pistachio puree, water, salt, pepper, and turmeric, then whisk in rice flour and bring to a boil, whisking constantly. Reduce heat to low and gently simmer, covered, whisking occasionally, 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat remaining ½ T oil in a 7-8” heavy skillet over moderate heat until hot but not smoking, then cook barberries, grape molasses, and remaining ¼ c skinned pistachios, stirring, until combined and heated through, 30 seconds to 1 minute. (be careful not to burn barberries) Transfer to a small bowl.

Puree soup in 2 or 3 small batches in blender (use caution when blending hot liquids) until smooth, transferring to a large bowl.

Return soup to pot, then stir in juice and bring to a simmer. Season with salt and pepper. Serve soup topped with pistachio mixture.

Yotam Ottolenghi's watercress and chickpea soup with rosewater and ...

Rick Bayless' Mushroom Potato Crema with Roasted Poblano

Makes a generous 6 cups, serving 4

This soup shows off the natural affinity between earthy mushrooms and earthy potatoes. Too much of a good thing can, sometimes, lead to lost luster, which is why I like the deep-green spice of roasted poblanos in this soup. And the aromatic flecks of cilantro. And, of course, the sweet bits of corn. If I want to gild this beautiful lily, I’ll cook a small handful of chopped bacon until crisp and add it to the soup just before serving.

Ingredients

4 medium (about 1 pound total) red-skin boiling or Yukon Gold potatoes, cut into roughly 1-inch pieces
3 garlic cloves, peeled and halved
6 cups chicken or vegetable broth
1 large fresh poblano chile
8 ounces mushrooms (I like shiitake or oyster mushrooms), sliced 1/4-inch thick (you’ll have about 3 cups of slices)
1 scant cup corn kernels (they can be frozen or ones you’ve cut off one to two large ears)
1 large sprig fresh epazote (you can substitute a big sprig of fresh thyme, or leave it out all together)
1/4 cup plain yogurt, heavy cream or sour cream
Salt
About 1/4 cup roughly chopped cilantro, for garnish

Directions

Scoop the potatoes and garlic into a medium (3-quart) saucepan, pour in half of the broth and set over high heat. When the liquid boils, reduce the heat to medium and simmer briskly until the potatoes are tender, about 15 minutes.

While the potatoes are cooking, roast the poblano over an open flame or 4 inches below a broiler, turning regularly until blistered and blackened all over, about 5 minutes for an open flame, about 10 minutes for a broiler. Cover with a kitchen towel. Let cool until handleable. Rub the blackened skin off the chiles and pull out the stem and seed pod. Rinse the chile flesh to remove bits of skin and seeds. Cut into 1⁄4-inch pieces.

When the potatoes are tender, use an immersion blender to puree the soup base (or blending in several batches in a food processor or loosely covered blender draped with a kitchen towel and return to the pan). Add the remaining half of the broth, the mushrooms, poblano, corn and epazote (or thyme, if using). Simmer 10 minutes over medium heat.

Just before serving, scoop out about 1⁄2 cup of the hot soup into a small bowl. Mix in the yogurt, cream or sour cream. Stir the mixture back into the pot, then taste and season with salt, usually about 1 1⁄2 teaspoons. Ladle the soup into bowls and sprinkle with cilantro. Soup’s on.

Riffs on the Potato-Mushroom Soup Theme: Though my version of this soup is vegetarian when made with vegetable broth, it doesn’t have to be. Ham, ham hocks, bacon and chorizo are all wonderful in this soup—start with about 4 ounces. As is crab. The corn can be easily replaced by other vegetables that offer a contrast in taste and texture: small fresh fava beans (my favorite), peas, 1-inch lengths of green beans. Use about the same volume measure. And I love this soup made with half potatoes and half parsnips or young turnips, or rutabaga.

For the Adventurer: Use bacon drippings to sauté a heaping cup of cubed cleaned nopal cactus pieces until all their liquid has evaporated; add them, with the bacon, just before serving.

Red Pepper Summer Soup

YUM! It's a cold soup.