Recipe: Green Curry Soup

Green Curry Soup // Serves 4

The spicy-ness of this soup is up to you. I like it with a bit of a kick, but not overwhelming. I use two kinds of peppers, two Peppercinni and two yellow hot peppers with the seeds and veins mostly intact. But the type of pepper is up to you and depends on how spicy you like things.

2 teaspoons ground coriander
3/4 teaspoon Ground cumin seeds
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 shallots, thinly sliced
4 medium garlic cloves, finely chopped

4 small chile peppers of your choice, thinly sliced 

3 leeks thinly sliced
a 1 1/2-inch piece of ginger, grated
8 scallions, trimmed, thinly sliced

freshly squeezed juice of one lime juice and its zest

6 - 7 cups good-tasting vegetable broth

a handfull of rice noodles 

Optional Additions: 

kernels from 2 ears of corn 

a couple handfuls of torn spinach, kale, or chard leaves    

a small handful of any of the following: fresh mint, fresh cilantro, fresh basil, all chopped and added just before serving               

Heat the oil in a large soup pot over medium-high heat, stir in the  spices, and toast until fragrant, barely 30 seconds. Stir in the shallots, garlic, chiles, leeks, ginger, and green onions. Stir well, then add the lime juice and zest. Cook until the shallots are soft and translucent - under 5 minutes. Stir in the broth and bring to a simmer. Simmer for a few minutes, then taste for seasoning. Depending on how salty you like it, you might add a little sea salt. But if it's too strong for your liking, you might add a little water. Just keep tasting until it's good for you. It's the base of your soup, so you want it to taste great on its own.

Then stir in the corn and the noodles. Let them heat through. Just before serving, stir in the optional ingredients, and sprinkle each serving with a big pinch of the herb mixture if you like.
You might also shave on some parmesan and serve with a couple slices of crusty french bread.

Recipe: Chilled Carrot Soup

This soup has just an essence of carrot. Serve with a crusty bread or homemade croutons sprinkeled on top.  Play around with different carrots too. I used a white variety so this soup is white.

Chilled Carrot Soup // Serves 6
1 tablespoons Olive oil or unsalted butter
1/4 cup diced onion
2 pounds carrots, sliced 1/2 inch thick (I used white Kuttiger carrots)
5 1/2 cups water
1 tablespoon honey or brown sugar
Salt and pepper
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
Thinly sliced baby carrots, for garnish
-Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add onion, and cook until softened, about 4 minutes. Add carrots, and cook for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add water, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer until carrots are very soft, 25 to 30 minutes.

-Filling a blender halfway and covering with a kitchen towel, puree soup in batches. (one of those immersion blenders works really well for this and then you don't have to do it in batches either) Stir in honey, and season with salt and pepper. Chill soup for at least 3 hours or up to overnight.

-Before serving, garnish each dish with some parsley and thinly sliced baby carrots if you like.

Mexican Hominy Soup

The temperature was very cold; Below freezing, and, on a night like this, the air has a crips 'tundra' presence. Twas not a task to breathe it; very fresh. A friend of mine came over and a cousin drove down from seattle this night! and I made this soup.

Mexican Hominy Soup Recipe

4 cups canned hominy
1/2 a large onion, diced
3 medium garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
3 chile peppers, stems removed and chopped
1 teaspoon dried oregano

Red Sauce:
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons finely diced white onion
2 medium cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 teaspoon dried oregano
2 tablespoons flour
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 cup ground red chile
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 of one lime

garnishes: tortilla strips, crumbled queso fresco or feta, or avacado!

Drain the Hominy and place it in a large thick-bottomed pot along with 2 quarts of water, the onion, garlic, chile peppers, and oregano. Bring to a boil, then simmer until the posole is tender, and many of the kernels have flowered into popcorn shapes. This can take anywhere from 1 1/2 to 3 hours. Season with a couple teaspoons of salt roughly halfway through the cooking process. Season again once the posole is fully cooked.
In the meantime, make the red sauce by combining the olive oil, onion, garlic, and oregano in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir continuously until the onion takes on a bit of color, a few minutes. Add the flour and cumin, and stir for a minute or two or until the flour browns a bit. Whisk the chile into 2 1/2 cups / 600ml water and pour it into the saucepan, whisking all the while. Stir until the sauce thickens a bit, dial down the heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, for fifteen minutes or so. Stir in a squeeze of fresh lime juice, and season with the salt, adding more to taste if necessary. Set aside until the posole has finished cooking.
Stir 1/2 cup / 120ml of the red sauce into the pot of posole. You can add more red sauce, a bit at a time, until it is to your liking. Spoon the posole into bowls and top with tortilla strips, cheese, and oregano.

Miso Soup

Miso Soup Recipe

3 ounces dried soba noodles
2 - 4 tablespoons miso paste (to taste)
2 - 3 ounces firm tofu, chopped into 1/3-inch cubes
2 onions, thinly sliced
a small handful of cilantro
a pinch of pepper

Cook the soba noodles in salted water, drain, run cold water over the noodles to stop them from cooking, shake off any excess water and set aside.
In a medium sauce pan bring 4 cups of water to a boil. Reduce the heat to a gentle simmer and remove from heat. Pour a bit of the hot water into a small bowl and whisk in the miso paste - so it thins out a bit. Stir this back into the pot. Taste, and then add more, a bit at a time, until it is to your liking. Add the tofu, remove from the heat, and let it sit for just a minute or so.
Split the noodles between two (or three) bowls, and pour the miso broth and tofu over them. Add some onions, cilantro, and pepper to each bowl and enjoy.