Curried Lentil Soup with Yogurt

This soup is darn right good..now I am not a creamy kinda girl but with this challenge comes new tate treats....The spicy is really not bad it is there but it does not linger in your mouth....

Guide to Good Eating.....2003

 

Curried Lentil Soup with Yogurt

A spicy treat. You may add more curry powder or cayenne pepper to increase the heat, or even a chopped chili. The yogurt is a cooling contrast to the spicy.

Ingredients

1 small onion, chopped
1 medium carrot, chopped
2 stalks of celery, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tablespoon curry powder
Pinch cayenne pepper
1 bay leaf
1 cup dried lentils, washed and picked over
3 cups low-fat, low salt chicken stock or water
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1/4 cup plain nonfat yogurt
Thinly sliced scallions , for garnish

In a soup pot over medium-high heat, heat the olive oil. Add the onion,carrot,celery and garlic. Cook until soft but not brown, about 5 to 20 minutes,stirring often.

 

Add the curry powder and cook another 2 minutes to release the flavor of the spices.

 Add the cayenne pepper,bay leaf,lentils, and stock or water.

 

Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and cover. Simmer for about 45 minutes, checking occasionally to make sure there is enough liquid in the pot. You may need to add more stock or water. Season with salt and pepper.

Ladle into warmed bowls and garnish with yogurt and scallions. I forgot to show a picture when I popped some yogurt on. The soup was delicious. I am a bean eater and soup sipper so this is right up my ally.

Cauliflower Potato Soup

Cauliflower Potato Soup well any soup at this time of year is great. The vegetables combined with the natural thickener potato is so delicious.

My family is a soup family. We love to get a warm soup and some homemade bread during the colder month's.

Soup just makes you feel comfortable and safe.




Ingredients 

1 whole cauliflower
2 carrots
1 half yellow onion
2 tablespoons Italian parsley
2 quarts chicken broth
One stick of butter
5 tablespoon flour
2 cups of milk
1 cup half and half
Pepper to taste
4 medium potatoes

 

In a large soup pot melt half your stick of butter.

 

 
Add the onion cook until it starts to turn brown




Add the carrots cook an additional couple of minutes. Add cauliflower and parsley and stir to combine. Turn the burner down to low cover it and let it simmer for say 10 minutes or so.

After it has simmered pour in chicken broth, bring to a boil, then reduce heat and allow to simmer.

Make sure you skim all the stuff off the sides of the pot waste nothing





I let all this simmer for about a half hour before I go to the next step. Keep an eye on the soup and stir when needed.

In a medium saucepan melt the other half cube of butter

Mix the flour and milk then whisk to combine in a separate bowl

Add flour-milk mixture slowly to the butter whisking constantly




Remove from heat and stir in 1 cup half-and-half

Add mixture to the simmering soup







Add the potatoes. Allow the soup to  simmer for 1 hour or until you potatoes are soft not mushy. Fork tender. Stir every 10 to 15 minutes.


After the hour your soup should be ready to eat!




Notes to self

I use Italian Parsley because it just has a better not so tart taste like regular parsley
I use a food processor to chop the carrot and half of the cauliflower See the picture
I do not salt my food when cooking I think it should be left to the eater.

I just love each process of cooking.  I do not jump from step to step. I stop long enough to think does this need a little extra time to get its flavors together on there own prior to adding the rest of the stuff this holds true for most things I cook.

Smoky Asparagus Soup

 Smoky Asparagus Soup. This Asparagus Soup is really delicious. I make a large batch and preserve it with pressure . When it is asparagus season I never throw away any of the tips we break off the ends. I pack them up and freeze them for this soup.

Through the year's I have found so many way to use any and all things I use to discard.




Let us get started. I think there are more pictures than words in this one post !



Ingredient for Smoky Asparagus Soup

Approximately 30 asparagus ends
1 tablespoon of Olive Oil +
2 yellow onion - Chopped
4 medium red potatoes - peeled and chopped
1/4 cup cream
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese (optional)

* OPTION - I roast 1/2 of my asparagus ends in the oven for about 45 minutes at 350 degrees and sprinkle with a little olive oil and salt and pepper. This gives them a smoky flavor prior to adding them to the others that I boil. Do not add them to the stock pot. You will combine them when you blend them together.



First your need to cook the ends. Take all the ends and put them into a large stock pot of water.  Make sure they are cover about one inch above the ends. Simmer for 30 -40 minutes until the asparagus is very soft and mushy.

Remove the asparagus and cool. Reserve the liquid.








In a Food Process chop/pulverize the ends. Do this in small batches. Strain the pulp using cheese cloth. Squeeze the dickens out of it to get all your liquid. You should end up with approximately 2 cups of liquid. 

Gosh it is getting so exciting!

There you go all smooched out! Alright reserve those 2 cups of liquid it is your base stock.











Using your same stock pot add your Olive Oil and grill your onions and garlic once they have a brown look and a bit translucent you are ready to take the next step.





 The browning give the soup that smoky flavor. Well so does roasting those asparagus ends.








 Once you finish your onions put them in your food processor and blend slightly and add to the asparagus liquid. It is looking better and better.










Brown your potatoes in the same stock pot until they are a light and have a slightly brown tone. Now add that reserved stock you simmered your asparagus tips in. Let the potatoes get soft and using a potato smasher mush the potatoes.Or if you have an immersion blender do it once everything is added to the stock pot.

  Once the potatoes are done you will start adding your ingredients to the stock pot. 

To your stock pot add the reaming asparagus liquid, add your cream and the salt and pepper taste. Simmer everything for 30 minutes stirring and you will have a glorious soup.

I realize it seems like a bit of work. But let us look at it this way your only using one pot.


xoxo




This recipe was adapted from the original recipe at Eating Richly