Hello all! Did you remember I had a blog, because I sure didn't. I guess that's what happens when you begin a project and almost immediately forget it exists. Can't believe I'd do that...doesn't sound like me! Hmm...
At any rate, I'm glad you're here. Another autumn is advancing already, which seems almost unbelievable. Last year it felt like summer was eternal, this year the leaves are changing and it doesn't feel like time yet. Is this just me? My favorite month of the year is slipping away right in front of me.
In an effort to slow down and savor these temperate, delicious weeks, I'm trying to make time to stand over pots of soup. Nothing fancy, nothing expensive or difficult...I just want to feel the steam of mirepoix on my face, I want to cry chopping onions, I want to mince herbs and slide them off the blade of a chef's knife with one delicate finger. I want to eat bread, good crusty bread with room-temperature salted butter, bread that mops up broths of all kinds. These are my demands, my soup demands.
If you and I are of the same soupy mind, the good folks in community with me on Instagram have generously offered us these resources: soup recipes to suit a whole spectrum of tastes, moods, and needs. I also want to share some of my general soup-cooking tips:
- Do not rely on recipes to tell you exactly how much salt, spice, or herbs something requires. Taste your food as you go! Adjust things like salt & acid levels at the end. You can always add more salt, you can't add less.
- This also goes for garlic (in that you almost always want more than the recipe calls for).
- If your soup is getting too thick, add more liquid. Too watery, let it simmer until some water cooks out.
- Caramelization, whether through stovetop sauté or roasting in the oven, will always bump vegetable flavors way up.
- Tomato paste is your friend.
- Cook couscous, noodles, pasta, or other grain add-ins on the side. This ensures they don't go mushy, especially when in leftover form.
- Don't skip on an acid. Lemon, white wine vinegar, and apple cider vinegar are the main ones I reach for, but use whatever works with your flavors! A little acid at the finish can really brighten a soup.
Ok, recipe time! I really appreciate the folks who took the time to send these in, and I can't wait to cook my way through some of them!
Curried butternut squash soup https://minimalistbaker.com/curried-butternut-squash-soup/
Curried carrot soup https://www.bittmanproject.com/p/this-foolproof-soup-is-restaurant
Roasted tomato soup https://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/roasted-tomato-soup
Another roasted tomato soup https://www.ambitiouskitchen.com/homemade-roasted-tomato-basil-soup/
Lentil soup https://www.thekitchn.com/lentil-soup-recipe-23004361
Herb and chickpea stew with rice https://www.halfbakedharvest.com/persian-herb-and-chickpea-stew-with-rice/
Creamy vegan mushroom & wild rice soup https://jessicainthekitchen.com/mushroom-wild-rice-soup-vegan-creamy-and-one-pot/
Greek lemon chicken soup https://drive.google.com/file/d/1nYhm-0EyTB7-C5O9agPmsWRqkHUl3U5F/view
Instant pot chili https://pipandebby.com/wprm_print/5333
Vegan/GF Butternut squash wild rice stew https://www.makingthymeforhealth.com/butternut-squash-wild-rice-stew/
Vegan miso soup with mushroom and bok choy https://www.theartfulappetite.com/miso-soup-with-shiitake-mushrooms-and-baby-bok-choy/