Soup And Bread

Yesterday was rainy, and this morning, after the rain ended (with the possibility of more to come this afternoon), the weather is on the cool side. (Well, cool for Florida.) Seems like the perfect day for homemade soup and bread.

Soups can be intimidating for those who've never made homemade soup; then again, so can homemade bread. But both are really relatively easy to make. Here are a few offerings that would taste great any time - especially on a rainy, snowy or otherwise cool day. Enjoy!

PUMPKIN SOUP RECIPE

From About.com's British and Irish Food blog. Elaine Lemm, who writes the blog, wrote, "This lovely recipe from Simon Hopkinson's book, Vegetarian Option, 1 is a cross somewhere between a baked pumpkin and a pumpkin soup. Simon first encountered the recipe in the seminal book, Great Chefs of France and over the years has adapted it to a more manageable recipe for the home-cook...This Pumpkin Soup recipe is perfect for an autumn or winter supper, great for Halloween and for Bonfire Night it is perfect." Actually, it's perfect anytime, as far as I'm concerned.

Prep Time: 15 minutes; Cook Time: 2 hours; Total Time: 2 hours, 15 minutes

Ingredients:

3 1/2 - 4 1/2 lb pumpkin

1 3/4 cups heavy cream

1 garlic clove, peeled and chopped

Salt and freshly ground pepper

5 1/4 oz Gruyere or Beaufort cheese, freshly grated

Preparation:

Preheat the oven to 395°F.

Cut off the top quarter of the pumpkin to make a lid and set aside. Scoop out the seeds and stringy membrane using a spoon.

Heat the cream with the garlic and seasoning almost to a simmer, then take off the heat, cover and leave to infuse for 20 minutes.

Strain the infused cream into the pumpkin cavity. Mix in the cheese, put the lid on and place in a roasting tin. Bake for 1 1/2 - 2 hours until the pumpkin flesh is tender when pierced with a fork and the outer skin of the pumpkin is nicely burnished; you may want to turn the heat down slightly if the skin is becoming too brown.

To serve, with a spoon, scoop a good layer of the pumpkin flesh inside the cavity into the hot cream and cheese and stir taking care to not pierce the outer skin.

Serves 4

Recipe Courtesy of Quadrille Books from Simon Hopkinson's Book - Vegetarian Option

CREAMY FRENCH LENTIL & HAM SOUP

This is from Macrina Bakery's email list. If you're not on their email list, you're missing out on some great recipes!

Ingredients

2 teaspoons olive oil

1 teaspoon unsalted butter

1/2 cup onions, diced small

1 cup carrots, diced small

1 cup celery, diced small

1/4 cup leeks, diced small

1/2 cup fennel, diced small

2 teaspoons garlic, chopped

1/2 cup ham, diced into

1/4-inch pieces

1 teaspoon fresh tarragon, chopped

2 teaspoons fresh thyme, chopped

1/4 cup white wine

2/3 cup French green lentils*

4 cups vegetable or chicken stock

1/2 cup heavy cream

Salt and pepper to taste

*Available in specialty shops and some supermarkets.

Preparation

Serves 4

Place olive oil and butter into a medium-sized, heavy- bottom soup pot. Over medium heat, warm the oil and melt the butter.

Add onions, carrots, celery, leeks and fennel to the pot. Cover and cook, sweating the vegetables for 8 to 10 minutes.

Remove the cover from the pot, and add the garlic, ham, thyme and tarragon. Cook for 3 to 5 minutes until the garlic is fragrant but not browned.

Add the wine and cook for 2 minutes, reducing the liquid by half. Then add the lentils and stock. Bring everything to a simmer, and cook for 30 minutes.

Stir in the heavy cream, cooking for 8 to 10 more minutes or until the lentils are tender.

Season with salt and black pepper to taste.

POTATO AND ONION SOUP

From Roadfood.com . The recipe starts off with, "Cooking potatoes in beef stock gives the starchy vegetable a savor that all carnivores will appreciate. A sprinkle of Parmesan on each serving adds just the right zip."

Recipe Source: Harry Caray's; Preparation Time: 5 minutes; Cook Time: 30 minutes; Servings: 6

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons butter

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 1/2 cups peeled and sliced Spanish onions

3-1/2 cups homemade beef stock or equivalent amount of canned, low salt beef broth

3 cups peeled and cubed potatoes

Salt and pepper to taste

3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:

Melt the butter in a large sauté pan and add the olive oil.

Add the onions and sauté until they become clear and turn a light brown. Set aside.

In a large stock pot, bring the beef stock to a boil. Reduce the heat and add the diced potatoes. Simmer over medium heat until the potatoes are soft. Add the onions to the stock pot and simmer for an additional 15 minutes. Salt and pepper the soup to taste.

Sprinkle with the Parmesan cheese on top and serve.

CARROT AND ZUCCHINI SOUP

From About.com's low fat cooking blog. Fiona Haynes, who writes the low fat cooking blog, writes, "Why settle for canned soup when you make your own heartier fresh-tasting soup without all those additives? This carrot and zucchini soup is pureed to make a deliciously filling soup to warm you on cool Autumn days. Enjoy with a slice of crusty whole-grain bread."

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

2 tsp olive oil

1 medium onion, finely chopped

1-lb carrots, peeled and sliced

1-lb zucchini, unpeeled and sliced

2 tsp curry powder

3 1/2 cups fat-free, low-sodium chicken broth

1/4 cup freshly chopped parsley

Preparation:

Sauté onions in a soup pot for 5 minutes, or until softened. Add carrots and zucchini, followed by curry powder. Stir for 1-2 minutes. Add chicken broth. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes, until vegetables are tender. Add chopped parsley. Transfer soup to a blender and blend until smooth, working in two batches.

Makes 6 servings.

Per Serving: Calories 81, Calories from Fat 16, Total Fat 1.8g (sat 0.2g), Cholesterol 0mg, Sodium 65mg, Carbohydrate 13.4g, Fiber 4g, Protein 2.8g

FRAGRANT FRENCH ONION SOUP

Really not sure where this came from. The recipe starts off with, "A classic that’s so simple, you’ll wonder what you did before you started serving this staple soup."

Ingredients

2 Tbsp. vegetable oil or water

2-3 large onions, sliced

1/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour

4 cups water

1/4 cup soy sauce or tamari

4 slices French bread, toasted, or croutons

Preparation:

Heat the oil or water in a large saucepan over medium heat.

Add the onions and cook for 2 minutes. Add the flour and stir until the onions are well coated. Add the water and soy sauce or tamari and stir well. Bring to a boil, then turn heat to low and simmer, covered, until the onions are tender. Add more water if the soup becomes too thick.

Serve in individual bowls topped with the French bread or croutons.

Makes 4 servings

BASIC ROLLS

YIELD: About 30 rolls.

From one of my favorite cooking shows, Breaking Bread with Father Dominic. It's no longer on the air (that I can find, anyway), but his cookbooks are still for sale.

Ingredients:

1 package FLEISCHMANN's Active Dry Yeast

1/4 cup warm water

2 cups whole milk

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter

2 tablespoons granulated sugar

2 teaspoons salt

2 eggs, beaten

5 to 5 1/2 cups bread flour or all-purpose flour, divided

Directions:

Sprinkle yeast over warm water in small bowl; stir to dissolve. Let stand 5 to 10 minutes, or until foamy.

Heat milk in a saucepan until lukewarm; do not boil. Add butter, sugar and milk; mix well.

Combine milk mixture, yeast mixture and eggs in large bowl of electric mixer fitted with dough hook. Add 2 cups of the flour; mix with dough hook until blended. Add 2 cups flour and mix until blended. Add 1 cup flour and mix on medium speed 2 minutes.

Remove dough from mixing bowl and place on a floured surface. Knead, adding as much of the remaining 1/2 cup flour as needed to form a smooth, elastic dough. Place dough in a greased bowl and turn to coat. Cover and let rise in a warm, draft-free place 1 to 1 1/2 hours, or until doubled.

Punch down dough. Knead 2 minutes to work out air bubbles. Let dough rest 10 minutes. Shape dough into desired rolls. (For shape variations, visit Tips & Techniques.) Place on lightly greased baking sheet. Cover and let rise about 30 minutes, or until doubled.

When dough is nearly finished rising, preheat oven to 425 degrees. Bake rolls 15 to 20 minutes, or until golden brown.

CINNAMON SWIRL BREAD

YIELD: 2 loaves.

Another recipe from Breaking Bread with Father Dominic.

Ingredients:

Dough:

1 cup milk

1 cup sour cream

3 tablespoons solid vegetable shortening or butter

5 1/2 to 6 cups all-purpose flour, divided

1/4 cup granulated sugar

2 packages FLEISCHMANN's Active Dry Yeast

2 teaspoons salt

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

3 eggs, beaten

Filling:

2 tablespoons butter, softened

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

Pinch ground nutmeg

Directions:

Combine milk, sour cream and shortening in a saucepan over low heat; stir occasionally until sour cream and shortening are melted and mixed in. Remove from heat. Let cool to lukewarm.

Combine 2 cups of the flour, sugar, yeast and salt in a large bowl; mix well. Blend milk mixture, vanilla and eggs into flour mixture; beat about 3 minutes. Add enough of the remaining flour to make a soft dough that pulls away from the side of the bowl.

Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead 5 minutes, adding flour as needed to make a smooth and elastic dough. Lightly grease the surface of the dough; place dough in a greased bowl. Cover and let rise in a warm, draft-free place about 1 to 1 1/2 hours, or until doubled in bulk.

Punch down dough. Knead 2 minutes to work out the air bubbles. Divide dough into 2 equal pieces. On a lightly floured surface or pastry cloth, roll each piece of dough into a rectangle about 14 by 7 inches. Spread softened butter on dough, leaving a 1/2-inch border around the edge. Combine sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg; sprinkle over butter. Starting with the short edge, tightly roll up dough; seal the edges. Place in greased 9x5x3-inch loaf pans. Cover with a clean towel and let rise 45 to 60 minutes, or until nearly doubled.

About 15 minutes before end of rising time, preheat oven to 375 degrees. Bake bread 40 to 45 minutes, or until top is golden and bread sounds hollow when tapped.

Remove from pans and let cool on a wire rack. If desired, while loaves are still hot, brush the tops with additional butter and sprinkle with additional cinnamon sugar.