From the Sept., 2013 Food & Wine

Soup is one of those food groups that as a rule fail to excite me. With the exception of a really cold winter’s day when a hot bowl of soup suddenly seems like a good idea, soup is usually the last thing you’ll find me eating (the one exception is my longtime Chinese restaurant favorite, hot and sour soup—something I’ll happily consume in any kind of weather). Chalk it up to my gluttonous disposition, but soup has always struck me as a little too insubstantial to get excited about, the thing you eat when there’s nothing else in the kitchen, or when you’re simply trying to be responsible at lunchtime and not eat that BLT. All of which makes it a little surprising that it would be this recipe for creamy zucchini soup to jump out at me from the current issue of Food & Wine. Alright, so there is a walnut cake on page 56 of the magazine that looks pretty enticing, too (and a recipe I will definitely be returning to soon as there’s a whiff of fall in the air), but it was the soup that kept calling me. For one thing the bright green color just screamed summer, much the way a bowl of guacamole or a salad slathered in green goddess dressing does. And then there were the various ingredients called for by the recipe—which in addition to the zucchini included good things like cilantro, leeks, a poblano pepper, and crème fraîche. In other words, here was a recipe with plenty of healthy, seasonal ingredients, but that still offered a dollop of decadence as well.

I should also mention that all of these “healthy,” “seasonal” ingredients are ones that I love, so even without the caloric addition of the crème fraîche, this was a dish whose shopping list I would have been happy to play with under any circumstances. That said I don’t have many occasions to prepare leeks, so it was with a great deal of pleasure that I added my sliced rounds to a pot of hot olive oil and let the nutty/oniony fragrance reach my nose: olfactory bliss! Things were off to a good start, and only improved with the addition of the zucchini slices, a few cloves of sliced garlic, and some chicken stock. (You can also add a rind of Parmesan cheese if you want at this point, something I did and suggest you do as well, as it adds a subtle hint of earthy saltiness to the finished dish).

After simmering the various ingredients for fifteen minutes or so, the soup is taken off the heat, the chopped cilantro is added (and the rind removed, if you’re using), and the chunky mixture is rendered smooth by being given a short turn (in batches, probably three) in either a blender or a food processor. At this point the mixture, creamy but still a vivid shade of green, is returned to the pot, and the cup of crème fraîche is whisked into the puree. This last addition takes the soup from smooth to velvety and lightens the color a few shades, to something resembling sage. In terms of color and texture, you couldn’t ask for anything more enticing.

Even so, none of that would mean much without the benefit of great flavor, as well—something this soup also delivers in spades. It’s subtle and earthy with a (very) gentle kick at the end thanks to the poblano, and as often happens with a good bowl of soup the pleasure lingers, wrapping you in a sense of well-being long after its gone. In fact, although this soup can be eaten either hot or cold, in its marriage of earthiness and refinement, it’s reminiscent of another, better known soup—vichyssoise. Like that potato based dish (which is eaten chilled), this soup, with its base of sautéed leeks and crème fraîche finish, reveals a French DNA, but one that’s enlivened with a variety of ingredients common to cooking in the American southwest, namely cilantro and that poblano pepper. It’s a cultural mash-up that comes together seamlessly here, creating a combination that’s at once classic and adventuresome.

Although the soup is wonderful alone, garnished with just a few cilantro leaves, to kick things up a notch try laying a few pieces of crabmeat across the soup’s creamy surface—a pairing of the sweet and earthy that’s pretty irresistible. Or add a few homemade croutons, for a marriage of the creamy and the crunchy. Whichever way you go, this is a soup that’s sure to please… even those who aren’t sure about soup in the first place.

Ingredients:
—1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
—1 large leek, white and tender green parts only, thinly sliced
—1 large poblano pepper, cored, seeded, and thinly sliced
—5 medium zucchini (2 ¼ lbs), cut into 1-inch rounds
—2 large garlic cloves, thinly sliced
—Kosher salt, to taste
—Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
—1 qt low-sodium chicken broth
—1 small Parmesan cheese rind (optional)
—One 5-oz bunch cilantro, stemmed and coarsely chopped, plus more leaves for garnish
—1 cup crème fraîche

Directions:
—In a large pot, heat the olive oil until shimmering. Add the leek and poblano and cook over moderate heat, stirring, until softened, about 8 minutes.
—Add the zucchini and garlic, season with salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until crisp-tender, 5 to 6 minutes. Add the chicken broth and Parmesan rind and bring to a boil. Simmer over moderate heat until the zucchini is very tender and no longer bright green, about 15 minutes.
—Remove pot from heat, discard the Parmesan rind, and add the chopped cilantro.
—Working in batches, puree the soup in a blender or food processor until very smooth. Return the soup to the pot, whisk in the crème fraîche and reheat gently if necessary.
—Season the soup with salt and pepper and ladle into bowls. Garnish with cilantro leaves and serve.

Note: The soup can be refrigerated overnight. Reheat gently or serve cold.

8 servings

The post 08/27/13 • CREAMY ZUCCHINI SOUP appeared first on THE RECIPE GRINDER.

Adapted from the Jan., 2001 Gourmet 

Few conversations are less promising than ones that begin with the words: “I had the most amazing dream last night!” Such is the nature of our unconscious wanderings that they’re never as interesting to the person hearing about them as they are to the mind in which they unspooled (unless, of course, you’re Sigmund Freud). Still, at the risk of putting you to sleep, I’m going to share with you one small detail of a dream I had last night, since it says so much about the impulse behind this posting. In my dream I’ve returned to the gym after a too long absence, only to discover that A) all the lockers are in use, and B) the gym floor has been taken over by a small, but very busy gourmet food shop (imported hams, French cheeses, shelves of fancy tomato sauces… you get the idea). In other words, because all the lockers were “full,” I couldn’t give my body what it needed (or wanted)—namely some exercise, and a break from all the rich foods I’d been eating.

Not surprisingly that’s exactly what I’ve been feeling for the past few weeks, a period in which I indulged extravagantly in the full range of holiday goodies, then immediately left on a 10-day adventure in Morocco—a journey where exercise was limited (lots of walking but little else, unless you count a 30-minute camel ride) and the meals were rich, starchy, and hard to refuse. And so in addition to being desperately in need of becoming reacquainted with my health club’s treadmill, I’m also ready to say goodbye to all those carb-laden foods… at least for the next day or so. Which brings me to this week’s posting for spicy kale soup, a recipe I first tried several weeks before diving into the season of gluttony and one I immediately earmarked as an ideal (and painless) way to get the year off to a healthful start.

Well, sort of… because while the recipe may feature an abundance of kale, it also calls for a ½ lb of Spanish chorizo, an item that’s not likely to show up on the American Heart Association’s favorite foods list anytime soon. Still, the kale’s the undisputed star here; it’s this that imbues the soup with both its dominant flavor and rich green color—a hue that practically screams “healthy!” And, of course, few foods in the good-for-you category are as easy to say yes to as kale (especially when paired with anything salty or spicy), which goes a long way to explaining why kale has become such a favorite item on restaurant menus in the last few years, and why I can’t get enough of it.

That compulsively eatable quality is on vibrant display with this soup, in large part because the leafy green is only introduced in the final minutes of cooking, once the various other ingredients have been sautéed and/or browned and added to the pot—a bit of timing that ensures the kale doesn’t lose its bright, grassy flavor and that the pleasantly rubbery leaves don’t turn to mush. As you might have guessed, it’s the elements that make up the soup’s base, namely the onion (and the garlic if you’re using, an addition I recommend) and the potato, that require longer on the stove-top, and it’s here that the cooking starts, a process that involves sautéing the onions and garlic until golden brown, then adding the sliced potatoes and cooking the mixture together for another four minutes or so. Next up is the liquid, which the recipe stipulates as eight cups of water. Here I propose a minor tweak, replacing four of those cups with low sodium chicken broth—a change that produced a richer, more satisfying flavor. Either way, once this mixture has had 15 minutes or so to simmer and the potatoes are tender, place a potato masher or hand blender inside the pot and pulverize the potatoes until they are coarse and chunky and the consistency of the liquid is more stew than broth.

At this point it’s time to add the sliced chorizo, previously browned for five minutes or so (roughly 2½ minutes per side), and given a few more minutes to drain on several sheets of paper towel. Although the recipe calls for adding sliced rounds of chorizo to the soup, I cut each round in half because the full round simply struck me as too large for my soup spoon. In any case, once the sausage has simmered five minutes or so along with the other ingredients—and for the spicy flavor of the sausage to permeate the broth—it’s time to add the kale, each leaf separated from its rib and sliced crosswise into 1/2-inch strips (something most efficiently achieved by folding the leaf into thirds before cutting).

If all this sounds ridiculously fast and easy, you’re right—a rib-sticking soup in little more than half an hour. What’s more, with its deep flavors and rewarding chunks of sausage and potato it has the homey quality that’s the perfect antidote to even the chilliest winter evening. Of course, like any soup or stew the flavors only improve with an overnight stay in the fridge, though if you’re like me it’s unlikely to last that long. And no wonder: add a hunk of French bread and a glass of red wine, and this dish makes cold weather something to celebrate.

Ingredients:
—1 large onion, finely chopped
—3 tbs olive oil
—1½ lbs boiling potatoes, such as Yukon Gold
—8 cups water (TRG note: low sodium chicken broth can be substituted for 4 of the cups)
—1/2 lb Spanish chorizo, cut into 1/2” pieces (TRG note: I cut each disk in half)
—3/4 lb lacinato or regular kale, center ribs removed and leaves cut crosswise into thin slices.
—3 cloves chopped garlic. (optional)

Note #1: Lacinato kale is also sold as Tuscan, Cavelo Nero, or black kale.

Note #2: Regular kale can be substituted but Lacinato has an artichoke-like sweetness that makes it ideal here.

Directions:
—Cook onion and garlic (if using) in oil in a 5-quart pot over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until pale golden. Meanwhile, peel potatoes and cut crosswise into thin slices. Add to onion and cook, stirring occasionally, 4 minutes. Add water (and broth, if using) and salt to taste and simmer until potatoes are very tender, about 15 minutes.
—Cook chorizo in a large nonstick skillet over moderately high heat, stirring occasionally, until browned, about 5 minutes. Transfer to paper towels to drain.
—Coarsely mash potatoes in pot with potato masher (do not drain). Stir in chorizo and simmer 5 minutes. Stir in kale and simmer until just tender, 3 to 5 minutes. Season with salt.

Makes 6 servings

The post 01/10/13 • LUSTY KALE SOUP appeared first on THE RECIPE GRINDER.