Wednesday Food Blogging

French White Bean Soup

Serve it with Armanac. Why not?

When we stopped at a supermarket in France on the way home from The Netherlands, I went a little crazy in the produce section.

Like I mentioned below, I bought white asparagus on spec, but I also picked up courgettes, fresh spring garlic, fennel bulbs, and a lovely pot of basil. Our car smelled wonderful as we crossed the Channel.

A few days later, I soaked the cannelloni beans I've had for a while, determined to make a soup with many of my fresh French foods.

It came out beautifully. I especially liked the texture boost added by the baguette slices floated on top. They soaked up the fennel-flavored broth, just enough to make them cut-able with a spoon. The next night I decided to cut back on the oil, so I toasted the slices in a toaster instead of frying them in oil. Equally delicious, more toasty than oily.

Even if you don't go to France to get the ingredients, you can still make this at home. Here's how:

Tortilla Soup

Tortilla Soup: Why'd I wait so long?

Oddly enough, though I lived in New Mexico for five years, and Texas for two, I never had Tortilla Soup until I moved to London. At a small bookshop in Notting Hill called Books for Cooks, there's a cafe in the back, where every day they cook a menu from one of their cookbooks. One day a friend and I stopped in for lunch, and I had the vegan Tortilla Soup. Ever since then, the idea has been in the back of my mind.

I have no idea why I waited so long to add Tortilla Soup to my menu repertoire. It's one of the most delicious soups I've ever made.

I scanned lots of recipes on the 'net and in my cookbooks,  but none of them seemed just right. Finally, like I do most times when I want to adapt a new recipe, I just went into the kitchen and winged it, using ingredients I had and that I liked. It's pretty easy to adapt Tortilla Soup to your tastes, since many ingredients are added as garnishes. If you don't like avocado, like I don't, simply don't add it.

I'm submitting this post to this month's No Croutons Required round-up of soup recipes. Check it out. And check out the London- (Ontario!) based blog, Food and Spice, for great Indian (mostly) vegetarian recipes.

Creamy Carrot and Lentil Soup

Creamy Carrot and Lentil Soup, decorated with soy yogurt and coriander.

I love soup, if you haven't figured that out already. I love making it, but I don't disdain pre-packaged soup. My favorite is Seeds of Change organic soup, which come in a foil packet. The Spicy Lentil Soup and the Carrot Coriander soup are my favorites. A steaming bowl of either of these after a walk through the Chilterns—mmm, mmm, good!

This recipe combines the ingredients of both—red lentils, carrots, and coriander (cilantro, for you Americans). The yogurt can be optional—my local grocer carries plain soy yogurt, so I try to use it up in as many recipes as possible.

This soup also contains cashews, as an extra boost of protein. It might be good with peanuts, too—for a more African version. Be sure to use vegetarian red curry paste—some brands contain fish sauce. For a spicier soup, use more; for less spice, go easy on the curry paste.

This soup is best preceded by a long walk through the cold woods.

Chickpea and Spinach Soup

I seem to be all about soup these days. But I couldn't resist adding to the soup recipes here with this one, one of the best I've had, I must say, despite how simple it is to make. I made it last weekend, when I had a friend visiting. She'd been feeling poorly and I didn't expect her to eat dinner, but the smells from the kitchen perked her right up. Soup, and a piece of homemade bread dunked in olive oil, are guaranteed cures for whatever ails you.

There were two bowls leftover, which we had when we returned from Paris. Even better three days later, this time with fresh baked foccacia.

Risotto Rice and Cannellini Bean Soup

Risotto rice find a new home in your soup bowl.

Yesterday was soup day at our house. My cupboards are blessed with an overstock of Carnaroli rice, my favorite risotto rice, so that seemed a good place to start. Add beans, tomatoes, and some fresh herbs from my kitchen window sill, and before you know it, soup is simmering away on the hob.

If you don't have Carnaroli rice, you can use Arborio or Vialone Nano, two other types of risotto rice. (Both Vialone Nano and Carnaroli are available from Waitrose, if you're in Britain. Otherwise, check your favorite gourmet stockist.)

I just enjoyed another bowl for lunch, and I do think it's better the next day. Read on for directions...

Laksa

Beansprouts add crunch to Laksa

A couple of months ago one of my food magazines featured a photo on the cover of Laksa, a Malaysian soup popular in Singapore. And then, as so often happens, I came across a couple more recipes, and by Saturday, when I visited Borough Market, I was convinced I had to try a vegetarian version of Laksa.

I found most of the ingredients at the market, except for rice noodles. Luckily my local shop carries those, and I had red curry paste and coconut milk. I used water-packed, Chinese-style tofu, but didn’t deep fry it as some recipes call for. Although I could see where the taste and texture of fried tofu might be nice, I didn’t want to go to the trouble, or waste the calories on deep frying tofu. (Isn’t there something a bit incongruous about the words “deep fry” and “tofu”?)

Next time, I’ll try adding another vegetable for variety. Maybe eggplant (aubergine) or butternut squash (pre-cooked), or zucchini (courgette). I would also use low-fat coconut milk, as the full fat variety didn’t seem necessary in this full flavoured soup.

Laksa would also make a nice starter for an Asian meal, especially if you leave out the tofu and serve it in smaller bowls. It took about a half hour to make, including the time for prepping the ingredients and making the stock. (I made this stock with a goodly amount of mint leaves, which are also used as garnish.)

I served this in wide, flat bowls, because I wanted plenty of room on the top for the garnishes. We filled our bowls more than once, though, and still had a bit leftover for lunch.

Recipe follows.