Winter Soups: bowls of warmth and love

The winter issue of ZEST magazine is featuring my winter soups, which I unabashedly think of as love made visible. The heartiness, the long simmering, the sense of comfort from the steam and smell, the thought that these soups are going to sustain loved ones through the coldest dark time of year warming their bodies and soul...what else could winter soup be but ladled love.  So here are the recipes for you, and btw the photos are not mine.
 

Cinnamon Spiced Beef Noodle Soup

This is a traditional Asian winter recipe and I once had a lama from the Himalayas say it smelled and felt like home.

Serves 6

1 lb. lean stewing beef, cut into one- inch cubes

2 lg. onions, peeled and coarsely chopped

5 lg. garlic cloves, peeled, lightly smashed and thinly sliced

1” fresh ginger, peeled and sliced into “quarter” sized disks

2 cinnamon sticks

4 star anise

4 cups beef broth

5 cups water

salt to taste (this will depend on how salty the beef broth is)

1 tbsp. corn or safflower oil

1 tsp. hot chili sauce or paste (i often use the Vietnamese chili garlic sauce available in supermarkets)

½ lb. flat wide noodles (i often use pappardelle or Pennsylvania Dutch egg noodles)

1 bunch (10 oz) spinach leaves, rinsed and drained

Heat the oil in the bottom of a large soup pot or casserole over medium high heat. Brown the meat by quickly stir frying it for a minute or two. Add the chopped onion and sliced garlic and continue to stir fry another minute.  Add the ginger disks, stars anise and chili. Stir to blend with the meat.  Add the broth and water. Bring to a boil.  Cover and reduce heat to low. Simmer for an hour or until the beef is very tender. At this point you can remove the soup from the heat, cool, cover and store in the refrigerator until you are ready to serve.  Or you can skim off impurities and fat and continue.

When you are ready to serve, prepare the noodles in their own pot of boiling salted water, cooking until tender. Rinse and drain.  Distribute them among 4-5 soup bowls.

While the noodles are cooking, remove the stars anise, cinnamon sticks and ginger disks from the beef soup. Add the spinach leaves on the top and bring back to a boil.

Immediately remove from the heat. Taste for salt.

Ladle the soup over the noodles in the soup bowls and serve.

Mushroom Barley with Lamb (called Scottish broth) or without Lamb

serves 8-10

*this is the vegetarian version. You add 1 ½ lbs stewing lamb for carnivores

2 cups pearl barley

6 cups mushroom or vegetable broth

¼ cup olive oil

1 lg onion, peeled and diced (red onion adds color)

1 sm green bell pepper coarsely chopped into bite-sized pieces

1 sm Poblano pepper, roasted, peeled and coarsely chopped

6 celery stalks, washed and diced

1 tbsp dried thyme leaves

½ tsp Szechuan peppercorns

2 tsp dried oregano

½ tsp dried rosemary

1 tsp celery seed

1 tbsp ground cumin

2 tsp ground coriander

1/8 tsp ground clove

1 tbsp butter

½ tsp freshly or coarsely ground black pepper

1 tsp curry powder or garam masala

1 lb mixed mushrooms (shitake, crimini, button, Portobello, oyster), cleaned

¼ cup red lentils

 1 roasted red pepper, diced, or a 4 oz jar of sliced pimentos, drained

juice of one large lemon

2 tsp salt

1/4 lb baby spinach leaves

Heat the oil in a medium stockpot or large heavy gauge casserole. Add onion and sauté over medium heat 3-5 minutes until it’s lightly brown and glistening. Add the green pepper, Poblano pepper, barley, thyme, Szechuan peppercorns and oregano.  Continue sautéing for a minute, stirring so nothing sticks and the barley is hot. Add the celery, rosemary, celery seed, cumin, clove and coriander, stirring to blend. Add the broth and bring to a boil. Lower heat and cover the pot. Simmer one hour on low. (You don’t have to worry about overcooking this, so you can simmer it 10-20 minutes longer.)

Slice and chop mushrooms into large bite-sized chunks. Melt the butter in a sauté pan over medium low heat and when it’s bubbling add the mushrooms. Add black pepper and curry powder (not the garam masala). Sauté one minute. Remove from heat.

When the barley has been cooking for at least an hour and is starting to be soft to the teeth, add the contents of the mushroom sauté, the pimentos or roasted red pepper, red lentils and salt. Blend into the barley. If the mixture looks too solid and you prefer it more soupy, add a cup or two of water and continue cooking at least ten minutes or until the barley is tender.

Stir in the lemon juice. Put the spinach leaves on top, cover and simmer 5 minutes to steam the spinach. Remove from heat. Add the garam masala if you are using it. Serve in soup bowls.

My version of Ribolitta, the Tuscan winter cabbage soup

serves 4-6

3 tbsp and 2 tsp olive oil

1 med onion, peeled and diced

1 lg garlic clove, peeled and minced

½ tsp dried rosemary leaves

2 sm or 1 lg celery stalks, finely chopped

1 lg carrot, peeled and finely chopped

½ Savoy cabbage, shredded

4 stalks red chard, stems removed and chopped

1 bunch Tuscan/lacinto/blue kale, stems removed and chopped

6-7 cups broth or water

salt and freshly ground black pepper to your taste

2 cans (14 oz) cannellini (white kidney) beans, drained

1-2 tbsp tomato paste

6 slices day or two old (i.e.stale) Tuscan or other dense crusty Italian bread

Fruity olive oil for final garnish

Optional: 1 sm parmesan rind

Coat bottom of a large heavy-gauge pot with 3 tbsp olive oil and heat on medium flame.  Add onion, garlic, rosemary, celery and carrots. Sauté until soft, 5 minutes.  Season with freshly ground black pepper to your taste.  Add Savoy cabbage and chard, stirring to blend, and cook until they wilt. Add broth, salt and kale. Bring to boil, reduce heat to simmer, cover pot and simmer 40-45 minutes, until vegetables are soft. Timing does not have to be precise.

Purée 1 can of beans. Add puréed and whole beans to the soup along with the tomato paste. (suit yourself with how much) Stir to blend everything. Continue to simmer with lid on pot 15 minutes. Stir from time to time so nothing sticks to the bottom.  Taste for salt and correct if necessary.

At this point, you can be very Tuscan and get out a large earthenware casserole pot, then layer the bread and soup in it. Or you can simply add the bread to the soup pot you’re already using, trying to “layer” it in. In either case, remove soup from heat and let cool. Refrigerate overnight so it sets up.

To serve: stir in 2 tsp olive oil. Reheat on low flame or in the oven until hot enough to eat. Garnish with fruity olive oil.

Turkish Red Lentil Soup

This is one of my all time favorites anytime but it's particularly soothing right now. And note: it's vegan to boot. and this is my very bad photo

Serves 4-6

3 tbsp olive oil

1 lg onion, diced

2 lg garlic cloves, minced

1 fresh red chili, seeded and minced

1/8 tsp ground chili powder

2 tsp cumin seeds

2 tsp ground coriander

1 carrot, finely chopped

1 tsp fenugreek (seeds or ground?)

1 tsp celery seeds

1 tbsp tomato paste

1 ¼ cup split red lentils

5 cups vegetable stock and water

½ tsp freshly ground or cracked black pepper

½ tsp salt or more to your taste

for garnish

 1 bunch scallions, finely chopped

 1 bunch flat leaf parsley leaves only, chopped

 juice of ½ fresh lemon (or lemon wedges for each bowl)

In a heavy gauge medium size lidded casserole or other such pan, heat oil over medium. Add onion, garlic, chili, chili powder, cumin seed and ground coriander, stirring to blend. Sauté over medium heat until onion is soft, 3-5 minutes.  Add carrot and cook another 2 minutes. Add fenugreek, celery seeds and tomato paste, pepper and salt. Stir in the lentils, blending everything.Pour in the stock and water in any combination you prefer. Bring to a boil. Immediately cut heat to low, partially cover the pot and simmer 35-40 minutes.The lentils should now be mushy and the soup thick.

Serve garnished with chopped scallions and parsley and lemon juice or wedges.

If you prefer a smooth soup, puree before garnishing.

Black bean chili

 This becomes colorful when served with yellow rice underneath and a dollop of sour cream on top, perhaps crowned with a small cherry tomato. Without that sourcream topping, it's another vegan/vegetarian wonder.

serves 8-10 (more in side dish portions)

1 lb black beans, soaked overnight in hot water

5 garlic cloves, peeled and minced

1 pasilla pepper, roasted, skinned, seeded and diced

1 Anaheim chili pepper, seeded and diced

1 Jalapeno pepper, seeded and diced

1 red bell pepper, roasted and chopped (from a jar is okay)

2 tsp cumin seed

3 tsp ground cumin

1 tbsp dried oregano leaves

2 large onions, peeled and diced

¼ tsp salt (add more to your taste)

¼ cup corn or olive oil

1 1/2 tbsp dried Chipotle chili powder

2 tsp chili powder

¼ tsp cayenne pepper

1 tbsp red wine vinegar

1-1  1/2 cups chopped tomatoes

1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves for garnish

In a heavy gauge stockpot or large casserole, heat the oil.  Add the garlic, cumin seed, and onions, and sauté over medium heat until the onions are soft and golden. Stir in the oregano and ground cumin.Add the chopped peppers and vinegar.  Add the Chipotle and chili powders and cayenne.

Drain the beans and rinse. Add to the pot. Add the tomatoes and 6 cups of water. Stir to blend.  Bring to a boil over medium high heat, then cover and reduce heat to simmer. Simmer 3 ½ to 4 hours until the beans are tender. Test for salt and adjust.

Serve with the cilantro leaves.

Kale, Sausage and Black-eyed Pea Soup

This is a version of the traditional European Caldo Verde, kale and sausage soup with potatoes. It's minus the milk and plus black-eyed peas for extra heft, nutrition and flavor.

 serves 4-5

¼ c olive oil

2 yellow onions, diced

4 garlic cloves, minced

2 tsp dried thyme

½ tsp smoked Spanish paprika

2 tsp dried oregano

1 tsp dried sage

¼ tsp crushed chili peppers

1 lb Kielbasa or mildly hot Italian sausage, sliced into ¼” disks*

15 oz (1 can) chopped tomatoes and juice

1 bunch Lacinto/Tuscan Kale, stems removed, greens cut into bite-sized pieces

4 c chicken broth*

3 c water

1 cup brown lentils

1 lb Yukon gold potatoes, cut into cubes

1 14 oz can black eyed peas, drained and rinsed

1 tsp sea salt

2 tsp sherry vinegar (don’t worry if you don’t have any)

In a medium stockpot, heat the oil. Add onion and garlic and sauté 3 minutes. Add spices. Stir and sauté 30 seconds. Add sausage, stirring to blend. Sauté 3-5 minutes until onions are soft and sausage starts to brown.

Add tomatoes and stir to blend. Cook 30-60 seconds. Add kale, lentils, broth and water. Bring to a boil, lower heat and simmer 30 minutes.

Add potatoes, black-eyed peas and salt.  Cook another 15 minutes. Add optional vinegar. Taste and adjust seasonings and spices.

Serve with a green salad and crusty bread with butter or soft cheese.

If you are vegetarian, substitute 1 lb firm tofu, cut into cubes and fried in olive oil with a pinch of fennel or anise seed until brown and crisp. Use vegetable broth instead of chicken broth.