Savory creamed soups for fall
November reminds us that we have now reached serious fall, though the Halloween goblins were able to cavort for a few days in unprecedented balmy weather outdoors, warming soup for lunch or even dinner becomes comfort food. Holliday dinners will build soft ambience with a small dish of savory warm soup as a starter.
It is difficult to imagine anyone making soup before pots made of iron, but human ingenuity has left archeological evidence of soup made in 20,000 BC in China in a clay pot. While the word soup comes from Latin ‘suppa’, meaning bread soaked in broth, cooks in all cultures have cherished not only creating savory dishes from a variety of ingredients in liquid, but also using soup to ‘stretch’ a warm meal in lean times by increasing its volume by simply adding hot water.
The following recipes do not fit in the ‘lean times’ category, since they are all creamy, thickened by vegetables, flour and cream and pureed to a smooth consistency. Fall vegetables are well adapted for these soups. Various baked winter squashes and even pumpkins are easily mashed for this purpose and adapt to different spiced flavors.
Curried butternut squash soup
This is an adaptation from “The Silver Palate Cookbook” by Rosso and Lukins. Wash, halve and scoop seeds from a large butternut squash and bake in a 400-degree oven for 1 hour on an aluminum foil lined pan. When squash is cooled, scoop out the soft flesh for making your soup.
Melt 3 tbsp. butter in a 3 qt. pot and sauté 1 large, chopped onion and 1 sliced garlic clove to translucent, add 1 diced stalk of celery, stir in 4 teaspoons curry powder (choose your level of desired heat of curry) and when blended add 3 cups chicken broth, 1 tsp. fresh grated ginger, 1 tsp. turmeric, 1 tsp. salt and ½ tsp. lemon pepper, 2 small peeled, cored and chopped apples, the baked squash, 1 cup water and 2 tbsp. apple cider vinegar. Bring to boil and simmer for 30 minutes.
When cooled, purée soup in batches in a blender, adjust seasonings and desired consistency with additional chicken broth. Reheat and serve hot garnished with toasted pumpkin and sesame seeds, chives or parsley.
Creamed broccoli soup
This is an adaptation from “A Feast of Soups” by Jacqueline Hériteau.
Peel tough outer parts from 2-3 large stalks of broccoli and slice in ½ inch pieces. There should be nearly 2 cups of broccoli. Melt 3 tbsp. butter in a 3 qt. pot and sauté 1 chopped medium onion to translucent with the sliced stalks. Lower heat and stir in 3 tbsp. flour (use rice flour for gluten free) and when blended, slowly add 1 cup warmed chicken broth with stirring to make a thick paste. Slowly add 2 additional cups of chicken broth, 2 cups of broccoli florets, ½ tsp. cardamom, ½ tsp. salt and ¼ tsp. pepper. Bring to boil and cook on medium heat for 15 minutes. Cool slightly and purée in a blender. Return soup to pot, stir in ½ cup heavy cream and heat without boiling. Serve hot garnished with a few broccoli florets steamed for 2 minutes.
Wild mushroom soup
Soak 4 oz. wild mushrooms and 3 large wood ear mushrooms in very hot water for 30 minutes. Swish wild mushrooms through water to remove any clinging soil and coarsely chop. Chop the wood ear and save separately. Strain all mushroom liquid through a paper towel and set aside.
In a 3 qt. pot sauté 1 large onion with 4 oz. sliced button mushrooms, ½ tsp. salt in 2 tbsp. butter for 5 minutes. Add 2 tbsp. lemon juice, the wild mushrooms and saved liquid, 1 chopped celery stalk, 1 chopped carrot, 1 inch peeled and grated ginger, ¼ tsp. lemon pepper and 2 cups chicken broth, bring to boil and cook on medium heat for 30 minutes. Cook the chopped wood ear in a small pot separately for 30 minutes with 2 cups chicken broth.
Slightly cool everything, remove the wood ear with a slotted spoon and purée the wild mushrooms with all of the broth in a blender. Return mixture to the pot to heat. Mix 2 tbsp. flour (use rice flour for gluten free) with 3 tbsp. cold water and slowly stir into the soup to thicken. Add the reserved chopped wood ear mushrooms. Bring to boil with stirring, add 1/2 cup heavy cream and heat without boiling. Serve garnished with chopped chives and bread sticks on the side.
Savor the warmth of a creamy soup this fall! (I. Winicov Harrington lives in coastal Maine and is the author of “How to Eat Healthy and Well for Less than $5.00 a Day:” and “Uncharted Journey from Riga”; website: www.winicov-harrington.com)
