Soups for the waning days of autumn
Regina Murphy - Emporia Gazette
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Soup season has definitely arrived. I’ve already been through a jambalaya and two rounds of ham and beans. Who would have thought, this early in the year?
In case you are also feeling the need for something hearty, warm and edifying, I have some soup recipes for you. Whether you make bisque, borscht, chowder cioppino, gazpacho, gumbo, soup or zuppa di farro, you will end up with a nice pot of good food. In fact, if you hurry down to the Farmers Market tonight at Seventh Avenue and Merchant Street, you can buy a cup of homemade soup and help defray the organization’s costs.
Why do we call soup “soup”? I found an interesting entry in “An A to Z of Food and Drink” by John Ayto:
“The etymological idea underlying the word soup is that of soaking. It goes back to an unrecorded post-classical Latin verb ‘suppare,’ which was borrowed from the same prehistoric German root (sup-) as produced in English ‘sup’ and ‘supper.’ From it was derived the noun ‘suppa,’ which passed into Old French as soupe. This meant both a piece of bread soaked in liquid and, by extension, broth poured onto bread.
“It was the latter strand of the meaning that entered English in the seventeenth century. Until the arrival of the term ‘soup,’ such food had been termed broth or pottage. It was customarily served with the meat or vegetable dishes with which it had been made, and (as the derivation of soup suggests) was poured over sops of bread or toast (the ancestors of modern croutons). But coincident with the introduction of the word soup, it began to be fashionable to serve the liquid broth on its own, and in the early eighteenth century it was assuming its present-day role as a first course.”
Very informative. So, you can have clear broths in the style of consommé, thick stews or everything in between and call it “soup du jour.”
Tuscany is far, far away from Emporia, but that doesn’t mean we can’t have Tuscan food. By the way, the Latin “suppare,” which became “suppa,” turned into “zuppa” in Italian.
This dish calls for a grain called farro, which might be hard to find. I know I’ve seen spelt in the stores, though, so that will work as well. Farro has a nutty texture, is high in protein and releases energy slowly. It was a staple of the Roman empire, and those guys were marching all over the continent.
ZUPPA DI FARRO
2-3 large potatoes
Extra virgin olive oil
1 clove of garlic, crushed
1 cup cooked beans (cannel-
lini or White Northerns)
1/2 cup cooked farro or
spelt (follow instructions
on the packet)
2-3 large tomatoes, chopped
4 cups vegetable stock
A few leaves of fresh sage
Salt and pepper
Slice the potatoes thinly. Sauté them in olive oil, adding the garlic after a few minutes.
After about 10 minutes, add the beans, farro, tomatoes and the vegetable stock. Season with salt and pepper, then tear the fresh sage leaves into small pieces and add them to the broth. This is a good time to take a deep sniff; the sage is wonderful.
Turn up the heat until the soup is gently bubbling. Then turn down the heat to a simmer and cook for about 2 hours. You might need to add more stock, so keep an eye on it.
When the soup is ready, serve it with grated cheese and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. Put on a recording of Andrea Bocelli, grab a glass of chianti, a loaf of bread and watch “A Room with a View”. Bellissimo!
VVV
This soup recipe from Blake Eyman is large — about 14 servings — so save it for a family gathering or halve it.
HAMBURGER SOUP
1 lb. ground beef
1 large onion, chopped
4 large potatoes, cubed
4 large carrots, grated
4 celery ribs, chopped
1/2 small head of green
cabbage, shredded
1/4 cup uncooked rice
1 quart water or broth
1 can (28 oz.) diced
tomatoes, undrained
1 can (8 oz.) tomato sauce
1 can (15 oz.) kidney beans,
drained, rinsed
2 bay leaves
1 tsp. dried basil
1 tsp. dried thyme
3/4 tsp. pepper
1/2 tsp. dill weed
1 tsp. salt
In a Dutch oven or other heavy pot, brown meat and onion. Drain, then add all the remaining ingredients. Bring to boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook, uncovered, for two to three hours. Remove bay leaves before serving.
VVV
Even with the cold weather, I still have zucchini to deal with. I’ve made Italian dishes, Greek dishes, grilled zucchini, chocolate cupcakes with zucchini in them — but I have not made this. It’s on the menu now.
MEXICAN
ZUCCHINI SOUP
1 small onion, chopped
2 tsp. butter
2 cups chicken broth
2 cups unpeeled, diced
zucchini
1 1/2 cups corn
2 Tbsp. chopped
jalapeno peppers
Salt and pepper to taste
1 cup milk (low fat is okay)
1/2 cup Monterey jack
cheese, shredded
Minced fresh parsley and
ground nutmeg for garnish
In a large saucepan, sauté the onion in butter until it is tender, about 3 minutes.
Stir in the broth, zucchini, corn and jalapenos and season with salt and pepper. Bring the soup to a boil, reduce the heat, cover the pan, and cook until the zucchini is tender, about 5 minutes.
Stir in the milk, and heat the soup until it is hot but not boiling. Remove the soup from the heat, and stir in the cheese. Garnish the soup with parsley and nutmeg.
VVV
Blake Eyman brought this recipe by, as well as a slew of ideas for future menus. He mentioned that, although he uses normal hash browns, the seasoned variety would certainly add some “umph.”
HASH BROWN
POTATO SOUP
1 pkg. (16 oz.) frozen hash
brown potatoes
1 cup onion, chopped
1 can (14 oz.) chicken broth
2 cups water
1 can cream of celery soup,
undiluted
1 can cream of chicken soup,
undiluted
2 cups milk
Combine potatoes, onion, broth and water in a Dutch oven; bring to a boil over high heat. Cover, reduce heat and simmer 30 minutes. Stir in the condensed soups and milk. Heat through. Garnish if desired, with the shredded cheddar cheese, diced ham or bacon.
VVV
Tomorrow, in case you’ve forgotten, is a huge push for food to restock the Salvation Army pantry. Many of the local groceries have shelves set up at the front of their stores so you can buy and leave items right there. If you call KVOE at 342-1400, supply your address and set a donation out by your door in the morning, they’ll come and get it. A good thing to do, if you can.
VVV
I personally don’t know how any cook’s repertory could be considered complete with out a recipe for Elephant Stew. Be sure to clip this for your files.
ELEPHANT STEW
1 elephant, African or Asian
10 lbs. potatoes
20 lbs. carrots
50 lbs. salt
25 lbs. pepper
32 pods of garlic
5 rabbits (optional)
Boil elephant in a large pot until tender. This should take about three weeks. Cut the elephant into bite-sized pieces, reserving the broth. Chop the vegetables and add to broth along with the chopped elephant. Add seasonings and bring to a simmer.
Simmer for one week or until tender. This will serve approximately 500 people. If more are expected, add the rabbits. However, be advised that some diners do not like finding hare in their soup.
VVV
If only there were enough time to prepare Elephant Soup for Halloween. Ah well, I’ll have some speedier dishes next week to taunt your guys and ghouls with.