Pigment Power

As an add on to my earlier post about vegetable soup...

My work with oncology patients has steered me to take a vested interest in cancer prevention and prevention of cancer recurrence. Lately my interest has been piqued by phytochemicals, which literally means "plant chemicals." Hundreds have been found in plant foods, and have revealed nothing short of miraculous benefits in terms of disease prevention and health promotion.

When choosing my soup ingredients, I try to choose the most vibrant veggies I can find since the greatest number of health compounds are found in the most colorful foods.

Tonight, I decided to use the small cabbages we know as Brussels sprouts. These "cruciferous" vegetables contain sulphoraphane dithiolthiones, indoles, and isothiocyanates (among other health properties) all of which play very specific roles in cancer prevention. So amazing!

The soup was delicious too :)

Soup for One

With Bill in Texas, I've had to adjust to cooking for one. Recently, I've gotten into the routine of making a big pot of soup to get me through the week's dinners.

I start by putting 8 ounces of dry beans in my crockpot. High-heat for one hour, then let them cook for about 3 hours on low heat (or until tender...I try to avoid mushy beans).

The base for my soup du jour, is always mirepoix (a simple combination of onions, carrots, and celery) sauteed in a generous dash of good quality Italian olive oil. Next, I prepare about 4 cups of vegetarian broth using good quality bullion. Next, add minced garlic and salt & pepper to taste plus whatever vegetables look good at the market...usually a sweet potato or 1/4 of a butternut squash, a parsnip, some Brussels sprouts, an occasional turnip or two. Peel and cube the vegetables and gently toss them with the mirepoix to mix the flavors. Add some herbs like oregano, basil, marjoram, thyme, and/or sage. Now add the broth and bring to a boil; cover, and simmer on low for 15 minutes.

Throw in your crock pot beans (or canned beans) and add a red, yellow, or orange bell pepper and a chopped tomato if desired; I like to throw in some chopped Swiss chard or kale too. To round out the flavor, add an acid. Depending on what flavor you are going for, you can squeeze a lime or lemon, or a few dashes of quality aged balsamic vinegar. If using citrus, I would also add about 1-2 tsp quality soy sauce, like tamari. Increase the heat to medium for about 5 minutes and serve. I like to add plain Greek-style yogurt and some sunflower seeds to garnish some of my soups. Enjoy!

This is a soup I made recently with Heirloom Christmas lima beans. Yum! Continued Post.

Nostalgic Pumpkin Soup

In November of 1994, I was an exchange student in the south of France living with a beautiful family of 5 for about 10 days. The mother made us many wonderful meals, including, of course, escargot. I remember her children telling me how when it rained, their mother would send them outside to collect the snails... I also remember her sending me off to our field trips with bagged lunches of supremely delicious bread covered in such tasty cheese... ahhh... :) And the yogurt that they ate for dessert following dinner... well, there's nothing like it here. Anyhow, all that was just a tangent and an excuse to reminisce!!! :-D

What this post is *really* about is that I still have vivid memories of the night she made pumpkin soup for us. It was a cold, damp night, and we were returning from a judo lesson, and we were nourished by this warm, flavorful soup, bread and a salad. It was perfect.

I have no idea how she made her soup, or accomplished the deep flavors that were in it, but I am trying my best here to come close.

I started like this:

I chopped the onion and garlic, and sauteed them in a little bit of olive oil in a large pan. Then I chopped the pumpkin up and added it to the pan, all of it, because I wanted it to be richly "pumpkin". That's what I remember. I put in about 6 cups of my homemade vegetable stock, and cooked the pumpkin until it was soft. Then I pureed it with my immersion blender until it was nice and smooth. I poured in just a bit of whole milk for creaminess, but not too much, because I didn't want to kill the pumpkin flavor. Then I seasoned the soup to taste with salt and pepper, nutmeg, and a little bit of what Thomas Keller calls "squab spice", a mix of cinnamon, coriander, cloves, pepper, and ginger, because I had some in my pantry and it seemed like a good idea :)

I ended up with this:

I'm sure it's not the same. But it's good!

Buttercup Squash Soup

I recently made this easy soup on a chilly fall night. It had a great balance of flavors and was very warming to the belly and soul :) Buttercup squash is a variety of winter squash that is sweeter than most and has a creamy, dark orange flesh.

I started by sauteeing one small chopped onion and 2 minced garlic cloves in a bit of vegetable oil.

Then I added the cubed squash, 1 large diced potato, 1/2 cup diced celeriac, 1/2 cup diced carrots, 1 bay leaf, 1/2 teaspoon marjoram, 1/2 teaspoon chervil and salt and pepper to taste.

I added 6 cups water, brought it to a simmer, and cooked everything for about 10 minutes.

Then I added a bunch of chopped kale, and simmered for about 5 more minutes.

I blended it with an immersion blender, but left some chunks of potato in there for texture.

Add some nice bread and you've got a healthy and satisfying meal!

Chicken Soup

This is one of the recipes that no one ever taught me how to make, I just did it in my own way from the outset. It is so simple, yet so satisfying, and it even has a special "signature ingredient" without which it would not be "my" chicken soup and would definitely seem to be missing a certain something to me and my family.

My special ingredient is tarragon, a wonderful herb that is reminiscent of anise in its aroma. I use it either dried or fresh, depending on what I have on hand. I always add it toward the end of cooking, so that the flavor is fresh and pronounced.

Another component that always goes into my chicken soup is fresh, homemade egg noodles. Making fresh egg noodles is a key technique in this household, as I have made many an impromptu meal from this simple dough consisting of only flour and eggs. It yields a fresh, classic pasta that can be topped with any number of other ingredients or filled to make a ravioli. When I use it in soup as egg noodles, I roll it out just a little thicker than I would for a pasta.

First I start just as I would for a chicken stock, filling a pot with water, a whole chicken, and aromatics such as celery, leek tops, parsley. onions (skin on for color), a small sprig of thyme, peppercorns and a little salt. This cooks for about 90 minutes.

I remove the chicken and chop it up.

Meanwhile I make the pasta dough by kneading together 3 eggs with 2 cups of flour, and then passing the dough through a pasta machine.

The dough is then cut into strips.

To finish the soup, I strain the broth through a colander into a clean pot to remove all of the stock ingredients, then I add some sliced carrots to the boiling broth. After they have become almost tender enough, I add the noodles to cook for about 2-3 minutes, along with the fresh or dry tarragon and extra salt to taste. The chopped chicken pieces are then added back to the soup and it is ready to serve.

A perfect bowl of nourishment on a rainy night or for a family member who is feeling a little under the weather...

(A little note: if I make this soup in advance I always refrigerate the broth overnight before finishing the soup so that I may skim off the chicken fat that floats to the top; in that case I would make the noodles the following day.)

Potato Leek Soup

I've been away from the blog for a bit... out of town, Easter holidays, Spring Break from school... we've been keeping it simple around the house and I haven't been doing much advance meal planning, not to mention taking the time to photograph my spur-of-the-moment meals... Here is one simple meal that I did take the time to capture.

Potato Leek Soup:

1 large bunch of leeks, bottom parts only, sliced thinly

5 medium sized Yukon Gold potatoes

1 large pat of butter for sauteeing the leeks

1 quart of chicken stock

2-3 cups of water

salt

white pepper

First clean the leeks very, very well under running water. They tend to trap a lot of dirt within the many tight layers, so you will need to "unwrap" them before washing.

Then slice the leeks thinly.

Saute them in a heated pan with a large pat of butter. Stir frequently, over medium heat, until the leeks are very soft, about 10-15 minutes.

Peel and wash the potatoes, and slice very thinly. Add to the pot along with the chicken stock and/or water. You can use any combination, all chicken stock, all water, or some of both, but you will need at least 6 cups of liquid to cover the vegetables. Add a pinch of salt and simmer the soup for about 30 minutes.

At the end of 30 minutes, when the potatoes have cooked through, you will need to puree the soup. You can use a blender, immersion blender or a food processor if desired... I used my food mill. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Ladle into serving bowls and serve hot. I garnished our soup with a bit of wild green onions that spring up in our backyard; they are kind of like chives.

I bet it would go well with some of that Irish Soda Bread below!

Bon Appetit!