Hearty Potato Soup

I picked a theme as part of the blogging marathon # 61 this week that is based on 'Taste of home - Top 100 recipes of 2015'. I wanted to go with the baking theme for all the three days until I landed on this soup recipe. The person who contributed this recipe seems to have grown on a farm in Holland and mentions that the original recipe uses bacon and heavy cream. Though she has come up with probably a humble version of it, this filling and everyday kinda soup doesn't compromise in the flavor department. I think this is the first soup recipe where I didn't need to do any tweaking to suit our tastes and the other adult at home really enjoyed this hearty,  piping hot soup.  

Ingredients:
2 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 carrot, chopped 
2 celery ribs, chopped
2 & 1/2 cups water
1 small onion, chopped
2 tbsp. butter / olive oil
2 tbsp. all purpose flour
1 cup milk + extra if needed
Salt & pepper to taste
 
Method:
* Cook potatoes, carrots and celery in water until tender. Scoop out the cooked vegetables using a slotted spoon and keep them aside. And reserve the liquid too.
* Saute onion in butter until tender. Stir in the flour, salt and pepper gradually adding milk. If the mixture becomes lumpy at any point, just pass through a fine sieve. Bring the mixture to a boil and cook until it thickens. Gently stir in the cooked vegetables. Add the reserved liquid as needed to reach the desired consistency. (I had to add extra liquid here.)


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Recipe Index ~ Soups / Stews

 
Black Bean - Carrot Soup
Black Eyed Peas Soup
Broccoli - Cheese Soup
Carrot - Ginger Soup
Carrot Soup 
Cauliflower-Cheese Soup
Corn Soup
Creamy Cauliflower Soup
Detox Vegetable Soup
Ezogelin Soup
Fasolada
Ghiveci (Romanian Stew)
Harira (Vegan)
Hearty Potato Soup
Minestrone Soup
Mung Bean - Carrot Soup
Navybean - Veggie Soup
Onion Soup
Potato - Carrot Soup
Quinoa - Masoordal Soup
Sixteen Bean Soup
Thukpa (Vegetarian)
Tomato Soup
Vegetable - Corn Chowder
Vegetable Soup

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Cauliflower - Cheese Soup

I had so many fancy ideas for this 'Cheese' theme but when it came to execution, I ended up preparing simple everyday dishes that are loved by my kids. My husband and son love soups and so they get frequently made in my kitchen. The one showcased today is loosely based on the broccoli - cheese soup, I make regularly. This creamy, yummy soup was a hit in my home going by the comments I got. I also ended up adding finely minced, cooked carrot at the final stages of cooking.

Ingredients: (2 servings)
1 tbsp. oil / butter
1 onion, finely minced
Cauliflower florets from half a cauliflower head (About 1 & 1/2 cup florets)
2& 1/2 cups vegetable broth / water
3/4 cup grated cheddar cheese (white / yellow)
Salt and ground pepper to taste

Method:
* Heat oil in a sauce pan and add onion. Fry until the onion softens and then add cauliflower florets. Fry them until they start to turn golden or about 6 - 7 minutes.
* Add broth / water and cook until cauliflower is tender.
* Puree the mixture until smooth. Use caution if using a blender to puree the hot soup.
* Add the cheese and heat through until it melts.
* Check the taste and then add salt and pepper. Stir and serve warm.

This goes to 
1. Blogging Marathon #49, with the theme "Cheese".
2. 'Kids Delight' event, with the theme 'Cheese'.

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Ezogelin Soup ~ Turkish Red Lentil Soup

 
This red lentil soup happens to be one of the traditional and common soups in Turkish cuisine and goes by the name Ezogelin soup. The origin of the soup is attributed to Ezo, a legendary beauty and an unhappy bride from Gaziantep in the Southeastern Turkey region, while the word 'gelin' means bride in Turkish. This soup is supposedly one of her favorite dishes and she lovingly used to cook it for her family. Irrespective of whether the Ezo story is true or not, this is one simple, home style dish that everyone in the family going to love. I served this delicious and hearty soup with some bread croutons.

Ingredients: (2 servings)
1 tbsp. olive oil
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, finely minced
1 small tomato, finely chopped
About 6 cups vegetable stock / water
1/4 cup red lentils (Masoor Dal)
2 Tbsp. rice (I used brown rice.)
2 tbsp. fine bulgur
1 tbsp tomato paste
1/2 tsp Crushed red pepper flakes 
Salt &  pepper to taste
1 tsp dried mint
Lemon wedges to serve

Method:
* Heat oil in a medium sized pot, preferably a non stick one. Add onion and fry until it softens. Next add garlic and cook for about a couple of minutes. Then add tomatoes and cook until it turns mushy. Ad tomato paste and saute for few seconds.
* Now add about 3 cups of vegetable stock / water, lentils, rice and bulgur and cook on low medium flame until rice and lentils are cooked well, stirring intermittently. The liquid tends to get absorbed by the grains while cooking and the grains may stick to the bottom of the pan and burn if attention is not paid. Keep adding extra liquid as needed. (I added about 3 cups more.)
* Add mint and seasonings to the pot. Mix well, taste and adjust the seasonings if needed. Cook until the soup reaches a creamy consistency or coarsely puree in a blender. It took me around 30 minutes to cook the lentils and grains.
* Divide the mixture in two soup bowls and serve with lemon wedges.

This goes to BM #48 for 'Arabian Cuisine' under "1 Cuisine - 3 Dishes" theme. Check here to see what my fellow marathoners are cooking during Blogging Marathon #48.

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Vegetarian Thukpa

Now we move to Arunachal Pradesh, the second state in the series. Arunachal pradesh is mostly covered by Himalayas and the name of the state literally translates to "The land of the rising sun" or "The land of the dawn-lit mountains". It lies to the north eastern side of India and is the largest one among the "Seven Sister States". Natives trace their origins to Tibeto-Burman and Mongoloid race.
Food in the state is very less spicy and bland in taste. To save the nutritional value, boiling is the preferred method of cooking. Crops like rice, wheat, millet, maize and sugarcane are the popular items that are used in cooking. Lettuce and bamboo shoots are also commonly used. The people in the region are predominantly non vegetarian. Rice forms a major component of Arunachali cuisine. Rice is a staple food along with fish, meat and green vegetables. Boiled rice cakes wrapped in leaves is a popular snack.  Apong - local drink made from rice or millet is also a famous tribal delicacy. (Info:wiki and other online sources)
While exploring the cuisine, I realized that thukpas and momos are popular in the region. Thukpa is popular among the monpa tribe though not a native creation. I decided to go with a vegetarian version of thukpa and followed Asha's recipe. I replaced the egg noodles and chicken with mixed grain spaghetti and toasted tofu. Bamboo shoots would be an authentic addition but I wasn't sure whether we prefer the pungency and skipped it. My husband is not a fan of watery, bland noodle soups and preferred it with loads of ketchup. 

Ingredients:
4 cups vegetable stock / water
1.5 to 2 cups chopped mixed vegetables (I used 1 carrot, 10 green beans, 1 small potato, 1 small tomato, 2 tbsp celery cubes
1 green chili, sliced lengthwise
A fistful of spaghetti noodles 
1-2 tsp oil
1/4 to 1/2 cup tofu cubes
1/2 tsp ginger slivered 
Salt & pepper to taste
Minced cilantro to garnish

Method:
* Bring vegetable stock or water to a boil in sauce pan. Add vegetables and green chili to the pan and cook until the vegetables are done.
* Bring half a gallon of water to a rolling boil. Add salt and spaghetti and cook until done. Drain and keep aside.
* Heat oil and toast ginger slivers until golden brown and keep aside. To the same oil, add the tofu cubes and toast until golden brown through out.
* Add the cooked spaghetti, toasted tofu cubes to the cooked veggies.
* Add salt, freshly cracked black pepper and turn off the stove. Let it sit for a minute.
* Garnish with cilantro and serve.



Check here to know what other marathoners are cooking during this BM.

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Microwave Vegetable Soup

December is upon us and it truly feels like winter. Fast forward to March and still winter is here with a vengeance. It seems as if winter is enjoying its stay and doesn't want to leave us anytime soon. I woke up today with snow in our driveway and see one more  snowfall in this week's forecast. If that happens, probably this would be the first March snowfall I would be witnessing among the dozen winters I have spent in this country.
A hot bowl of soup is so comforting during these dreary, long winter days and that's what we had today - a simple, nourishing veggie soup, prepared in a microwave.

I don't follow any particular recipe for a vegetable soup and add any vegetables that I happen to find in my refrigerator. Today, in went onion, potato, carrot, green beans, peas, cabbage, green capsicum and green onions.

Ingredients for 4-6 servings: (Use it as a rough guideline)
A small onion, finely minced
Finely chopped veggies (I had about 3 cups)
2 tsp canola oil / butter / ghee
1 Tbsp of corn flour / all purpose flour (optional and can be used if the soup needs to be thicker)
Milk - 1/2 to 1 cup (optional and fat free will do)
3 cups vegetable stock / water / bouillon cube + water
Salt and pepper to taste

Add minced onion and oil to a microwave safe bowl and mix it. Then fry it in microwave for about three minutes stirring in between. If using, add the flour to the onion and fry it for about a minute.

I happened to add about 3 cups of water and vegetables to the onion mixture and put it in the microwave back. When the water started to boil, I added about one vegetarian bouillon cube. I allowed it to cook for about 12 - 15 minutes, stirring in between.
You can add the milk, salt and pepper at this point. Stir and check the seasonings. Add extra water if a watery soup is preferred. Just heat through and serve.

This goes to Srivalli's MEC event; guest hosted by Saraswati of Sara's corner  for the month of February with the theme 'Soups'.

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