Vichyssoise for delivery Tuesday, May 29.
23 May 2012 1 Comment
A summertime favorite.
Vichyssoise (pronounced “vi-shee-swaz”) is a thick soup made of pureed leeks, onions, potatoes, cream, and chicken stock. It is traditionally served cold, but can also be eaten hot. In the summer of 1917, Chef Louis Diat at the Ritz-Carlton in New York City, wanted to make something really special so he reflected upon the potato and leek soup his mother and grandmother used to make. During the summer, he and his brother would cool it off by adding cold milk…and the rest is history.
1 quart with bread – suggested donation is $12.00 yesplease@thesoupmama.com
*If you want to serve your Vichyssoise warm, remove desired portion from jar and heat to 165 degrees within 2 hours. Reheat only once.
Beer to Pair with Vietnamese Chicken Soup
21 May 2012 Leave a Comment
Aaaaah. Refreshing.
The Vietnamese Chicken Soup is a meal unto itself – no side dish necessary. Sapporo is a nice, safe choice to accompany this meal but I thought that New Belgium’s Somersault would be fun to try. Here’s how the brewers at New Belgium describe it:
Somersault Ale was designed to be a fun roll around on the tongue while requiring only the minimum of palate gymnastics. In other words, this perfect summer lounge around beer is ridiculously fun and easy to drink. Even though the second Somersault goes down as effortlessly the first, our brewer Grady actually has quite a few remarkable notes at play in the nose, flavor and mouthfeel. There is an opening brace of citrus aroma from Centennial hops, a soft apricot fruitiness tucked into the flavor, a fresh snap from a sliver of ginger root, finished with oats in a long cool mash. Color is blonde with a suggestion of cloudiness. Somersaults all around!
Vietnamese Chicken Soup for delivery Tuesday, May 22.
16 May 2012 Leave a Comment
The Soup Daddy’s favorite!
Traditional Vietnamese cooking is greatly admired for its fresh ingredients, minimal use of oil and heavy reliance on herbs and vegetables. As a matter of fact, traditional Vietnamese food is commonly ranked as one of the healthiest cuisines in the world. One traditional dish is Pho (“fuh”) - a beef and rice noodle soup with lots of fresh accompaniments. The Soup Daddy loves Pho so I’m happy to report that I found a chicken version of this traditional favorite in my “Souped Up!” cook book. Here’s the thing about Pho: it’s more than just a soup, it’s a dining experience. While the soup is delicious – chicken, chicken broth, rice noodles, ginger root, lemon grass, fish sauce, garlic, and a tiny squeeze of Vietnamese chili paste – the fun is in adding fresh herbs just before eating it. I’ll provide the fresh basil, cilantro, bean sprouts, jalapeno slices, and lime. You can add whatever makes you happy.
1 quart suggested donation $12.00 yesplease@thesoupmama.com
(Serving Instructions: Keep refrigerated until use. Remove desired portion from jar and heat to 165 degrees within 2 hours. Reheat only once.)
Warm Quinoa, Spinach and Mushroom Salad
14 May 2012 1 Comment
You can add feta or parmesan cheese if you like.
Our Curried Cream of Pea Soup deserves a fabulous side dish. This one is perfect for two reasons: (1) its delicious and (2) it adds protein to the meal. Here’s how to make 4 servings:
- 1/3 cup olive oil
- 1/2 cup red-wine vinegar
- Coarse salt and ground pepper
- 1 pounds fresh baby bella mushrooms, halved
- 1 1/2 cups quinoa
- 1 pound baby spinach
- Heat broiler; set rack 4 inches from heat. In a small bowl, whisk together vinegar, oil, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.
- On a large rimmed broiler-proof baking sheet, toss mushrooms with half the dressing (reserve the rest); broil, tossing occasionally, until most of the liquid has evaporated and mushrooms are tender, 15 to 20 minutes.
- Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, combine quinoa, 3 cups water, and 1 1/2 teaspoons salt. Bring to a boil; reduce heat to medium. Cover, and simmer until liquid has been absorbed, 15 to 20 minutes.
- Place spinach in a large bowl; add hot mushrooms, quinoa, and reserved dressing. Toss to combine (spinach will wilt slightly). Serve immediately.
I’m suggesting Trader Joe’s Coastal Chardonnay for this meal. Chardonnay has the right acidity to compliment our creamy soup and since the Coastal brand is aged in stainless steel there is no oaky after-taste – just grapes.
Curried Cream of Pea Soup for delivery Tuesday, May 15.
09 May 2012 Leave a Comment
I am one sick Soup Mama! I finally caught my husband’s germs but that’s what happens when you kiss boys. (Perhaps you’ve heard some mama somewhere say something like that.) I’m so sorry that I didn’t blog about a side dish suggestion for the Chickpea with Thyme. I’d love to hear about what you served alongside. Maybe I could suggest your dish next time.
Peas in a Pod
Springtime is when peas are in season and I have the perfect recipe in which to showcase them. This creamy concoction of butter, onions, garlic, peas, chicken stock, cream, curry, and nutmeg can be served hot or cold and is DEE-lish. (While peas are the star of this show, truth is this recipe had me at “butter”.)
1 quart suggested donation $12.00 yesplease@thesoupmama.com
(Serving Instructions: Keep refrigerated until use. Remove desired portion from jar and heat to 165 degrees within 2 hours. Reheat only once.)
Chickpea Soup with Thyme for delivery Tuesday, May 8.
02 May 2012 Leave a Comment
Hooray for Chickpeas!
Well, it’s just going to get hotter so it’s time for summer soups! I’m happy to serve this Italian creation to you first. I’ve been studying up on chickpeas and they are pretty impressive. One cup of cooked peas provides 26% of the iron you need every day in addition to 50% of the dietary fiber and 29% of the protein! This delicious combination of olive oil, chickpeas, garlic, tomatoes, veggie stock, and fresh thyme is just the ticket for the beginning of Summer.
1 quart suggested donation $12.00 yesplease@thesoupmama.com
(Serving Instructions: Keep refrigerated until use. Remove desired portion from jar and heat to 165 degrees within 2 hours. Reheat only once.)
Cilantro Coleslaw
28 Apr 2012 Leave a Comment
Good and good for you.
We’ve made this delicious coleslaw before: TJ’s Cilantro Dressing (1/2 bottle) tossed with a bag of shredded cabbage – simple.
Here’s some important information about cabbage: It is an excellent source of vitamin K and vitamin C and is a very good source of fiber, manganese, and folate. Cabbage is also a good source of molybdenum, vitamin B6, potassium, thiamin (vitamin B1), and calcium. I recently discovered that cabbage loses 75% of its fabulous nutrients within 30 minutes of being shredded/cut so, while the packaged cabbage is convenient, its not as good for you as just shredding a small head yourself.
Tecate Beer (Cerveza Tecate) is my recommendation for two reasons: (1) It’s pretty tasty and refreshing and (2) it’s brewed in Mexico. It started in 1944 when Alberto Aldrete took over an old brick building that had been producing vegetable oil since it was built in 1929. Aldrete was operating a small malt factory in Tecate and had been brewing a beer as a sideline for over a year. He named his new brew after the town.
Sopa de Frijoles Negros (Black Bean Soup) for delivery Tuesday, May 1.
25 Apr 2012 2 Comments
Just lovely.
Next week is Cinco de Mayo, the celebration of the Mexican army’s unlikely victory over French forces in Puebla de Los Angeles on May 5, 1862. It was pretty incredible. The poorly supplied Mexican troops numbered 2,000 while the French advanced against them with 6,000 well-armed men. The battle lasted from sun rise to sun set when the French retreated having lost 500 troops while fewer than 100 Mexican soldiers fell. Truly inspiring.
Cinco de Mayo is not widely celebrated in Mexico (except, of course, in Puebla) but it sure is in the US! There are parades, parties, Mexican folk dancing, mariachi music, and lots of traditional foods. As you know, The Soup Mama loves to celebrate this triumph of the under dog with Black Bean Soup: olive oil, onions, tomatoes, black beans, cayenne pepper, and loads of cumin. Let the celebration begin! (¡Que la celebración comience!)
1 quart suggested donation $12.00 yesplease@thesoupmama.com
(Serving Instructions: Keep refrigerated until use. Remove desired portion from jar and heat to 165 degrees within 2 hours. Reheat only once.)
White Beans and Vegetable Soup with Garlic and Rosemary for delivery Tuesday, April 24.
18 Apr 2012 1 Comment
From a Poncey Highlands Soup Buddy.
Sometimes when I’m delivering soup I find gifts in the coolers. I wrote a blog post about the beautiful stone from The Dead Sea given to me by one of my Inman Park Soup Buddies. In Poncey Highlands I found the makings for chocolate chip cookies in one of my mason jars. Almost every week I find a sweet note in a cooler in Midtown and in Grant Park. Once I even found a cook book called “Souped Up”. I’m making a soup from that book for you! Check it out: cannellini beans, garlic, onions, celery, carrots, potatoes, rosemary, tomatoes, and lemon juice. Mamas always share their best presents.
1 quart suggested donation $12.00 yesplease@thesoupmama.com
(Serving Instructions: Keep refrigerated until use. Remove desired portion from jar and heat to 165 degrees within 2 hours. Reheat only once.)
From a Grant Park Soup(er) Buddy.
Parmesan & Garlic Roasted Potatoes with our Broccoli Cheese Soup
13 Apr 2012 Leave a Comment
This is how I served it.
When my husband came home from work I told him, “I thought of the perfect side dish for the Broccoli Cheese Soup. Roasted Potatoes!” Then he said, “Did you know that Trader Joe’s has roasted potatoes?” To which I replied, “Perfect!” The whole idea is for you to have something easy and delicious anyway. The Parmesan & Garlic Roasted Potatoes are with the frozen veggies right next to the fresh veggies.
Sugar Pie Chardonnay was the wine pairing and it was fabulous.
