Soups On! Big Time!!

Wow this blog things turned out to be harder than I expected - at least doing it with any consistency. It seems it's like most things in my life I either do it 150% or not at all - there isn't much middle ground in how I do things.  Today was the last CSA pick up of the season. I can't believe 20 weeks has gone by!  One of the things I love about this time of year is having a big pot of soup on the stove.  In the last few weeks I've made Linguica and Kale Soup two times.  It seems I like kale more than I realized which I guess one of the points joining a CSA - trying things I may not normally have tried.  Living close to New Bedford and Fall River there is a large Portuguese population and we can get great linguica and chorizio in our grocery stores.  I've been really enjoying this soup - you need to try it as it's a great one pot meal with lots of flavour and with beans & kale very good for you. 

Tonight in putting away the last CSA pick up my mind was already thinking of the many soups I could make in the coming week. Instead I decided to do a marathon cooking session and freeze some of the soups.  This will be great as the hectic holiday season approaches and I can have homemade soup for dinner on the nights I don't feel like cooking.  You can see the three soups I made below - Charred Eggplant & Tomato, Leek & Potato and Roasted Butternut Squash.  I did puree all the soups but I love serving them with a big piece of crusty bread. 

Linguica and Kale Soup
Olive Oil
1 lb linguica, cut into half circles
1 onion, chopped
Handful of baby carrots, cut into thirds
3 potatoes, diced
1 cup Pumpkin beer
1 can white beans, rinsed
Chicken Stock
1 lb kale, stems removed and cut into bite size pieces
3 sprigs of fresh thyme, tied in kitchen twine
Salt & Pepper
In a large dutch oven, cover bottom with olive oil over medium high heat.  Add linguica and cook for 3-5 minutes.  Add onion and cook until onions start to soften before adding carrots & potatoes.  Cook for 5-7 minutes until veggies start to cook.  Use beer to deglaze pan and cook for a few minutes. Add beans to pot and enough stock to cover all vegetables.  Drop in kale and thyme. Stir, season and bring to boil.  Cover, reduce heat to low and cook for 30 minutes. This is one of those great soups that is better the next day!.  Serve soup with a grating of Parmesan Cheese over top. 

Charred Eggplant and Tomato Soup
3 small eggplants, chopped
8 plum tomatoes, chopped
1 onion, chopped
Olive Oil
Salt & Pepper
Chicken Stock
Handful of basil leaves, rough chopped

Place eggplants, tomatoes and onion on large sheet tray in single layer.  Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt & pepper.  Toss vegetables to coat well.  Place in 425°oven and cook until vegetables start to brown around the edges (about 30 mins).  Pour about a cup of stock into blender then add vegetables & basil and blend well. Add more stock if necessary until desired consistency.   Put soup on pot and warm on stove top until heated through.  Serve immediately with homemade croutons.

Note: You can roast the eggplant and onion and add canned tomatoes after in the stock pot if you don't have fresh tomatoes on hand.

Potato Leek Soup
Olive Oil
3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped

4 leeks, sliced into half circles & cleaned
4 baby red potatoes, diced
2 Yukon gold potatoes, diced

3 sprigs of fresh thyme, tied in kitchen twine
Chicken Stock

Handful of fresh parsley, rough chopped
Salt & Pepper

Heat the olive oil in a large stock pot.  Add leeks, season, and cook until softened, add garlic and cook for 2 minutes.  Add potatoes, season, and cook for 5 minutes.  Add enough stock to cover potatoes and  add parsley & season.  Bring to boil, reduce heat to low and simmer covered for 30 minutes until potatoes are completely softened.  Pour entire mixture into a blender (removing thyme bundle first), by batches if necessary, and puree soup until smooth.  Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary.

Note: Be sure to check the seasoning all along in this soup. Potatoes soak up salt so you want to be sure there is good seasoning or the soup will be very bland.  I also do not peel the potatoes but be sure to use baby potatoes with softer peel so it purees well.

Roasted Butternut Squash Soup
1 large butternut squash, peeled & diced
Olive Oil

Salt & Pepper
1 Onion, diced

1 clove of garlic, minced
4 large carrots, peeled & diced

Chicken Stock
3 sprigs of fresh thyme, tied in kitchen twine
Bay leaf

Place butternut squash on sheet pan in single layer.  Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt & pepper.  Place in 425°oven and cook until squash is softened and starting to brown around the edges.  Just before squash is done heat dutch oven over medium high heat on stop top and drizzle olive oil in bottom.  Add onions, season and cook until softened. Add garlic and cook for 2 minutes being careful not to burn garlic.  Add carrots and cook for 5 minutes.  When squash is cooked add to pot, cover with chicken stock. Season stock with salt & pepper and add thyme & bay leaf.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and simmer covered for 20 minutes for flavours to blend.  Remove bay leaf and thyme. Pour entire mixture into a blender, by batches if necessary, and puree soup until smooth.  Taste and adjust seasonings if necessary.  Serve with a dollop of sour cream if desired. 
Note: You can certainly by pass roasting the squash and add it to the soup pot when you add the carrots.  You will need to simmer it for a bit longer though to ensure squash is completely softened. 

LINGUICA AND KALE SOUP