Tale of Two Soups

Minestrone

We’ve just finished the large batch of minestrone I made last Saturday.  I haven’t got it quite right because it’s just a bit too thick, and I’d rather make ratatouille if I’m making vegetable stew.  It’s based on and old Moosewood (Mollie Katzen) recipe.  I was fortunate enough, one spring to stop at the restaurant in Ithaca for lunch with a cousin and her kids.

Ingredients
1 tbsp: Olive oil
1 white onion finely chopped
1 stick of celery, finely chopped
6 gloves of garlic smashed and minced
salt & pepper

1 zucchini diced
1 carrot peeled and finely diced
1 red pepper diced
1 regular can (19 ox, not 28) of kidney beans
4 – 6 cups vegetarian stock
1 large can or bottle of crushed tomatoes (Pamadoro)
½ cup (1 cup if you like it thick) small shell pasta
parsleyfresh parmessan

Method
Prepare the vegetables, doing all the chopping, dicing, and mincing before you start.
Drain and rinse the beans, open tomatoes, make stock (I prefer Knorr vegetarian). Sautee onion and celery 5 – 7 minutes, adding garlic towards the end. Add the salt and freshly ground pepper.Add zucchini, carrot, red pepper, stirring to mix things together, adding the kidney beans, and chopped oregano. Then add the crushed tomatoes and vegetarian stock, cook for a few minutes until back to a low boil, add the pasta and let cook on low boil until pasta is cooked.  Add finely chopped parsley. Serve with freshly grated parmesan.

I’ve not yet mastered making dishes for two, especially when it comes to soups, stews, curries and chili dishes. This minestrone keeps well in the fridge for a week, but also freezes well if you want to keep some for another time. Now that it’s all gone, and I’ve done my Rhubarb volunteer work I’ll be going downstairs to make carrot ginger soup, another one of my favourites.

Carrot Ginger Soup
Today will be the second time I’m making this dish. I didn’t like the first batch I made because it tasted too much like pureed carrots – baby food, even with a bit of an edge from the ginger. So I will use stock instead of just water and kick the ginger up a notch.

Ingredients
2 tbsp butter
One evenly chopped white onion
2lbs evenly chopped carrots
4 – 6 cups of chicken or vegetable broth depending on desired thicknes
pinch of cinnamon and nutmeg
4 tbsp up to ¼ cup freshly grated ginger
chopped parsley
1 cup milk or cream – and/or add on serving

Method
Sautee the onions in 1 tbsp butter until translucent adding the ginger at the end. Remove, set aside and sautee the carrots in batches in 1 tbsp or more of butter so they have just an edge of  buttery brown goodness. Add the vegetable broth, ginger cinnamon, nutmeg, return to a low boil. Cook until carrots are tender, and milk or cream, return to a low boil.
Vitamize (Australian for puree) in a food processor, in batches if necessary.
Return to soup pot and reheat. Add parsley and cream, yoghurt, or sour cream when served, if desired.