Soup

When it's cold out, is there anything that warms us up from the inside out the way a big bowl of homemade soup does? To that end, here are six yummy soup recipes to try, including Fresh Tomato Soup (maybe with a nice grilled cheese sandwich?) and Roasted Squash and Apple Chowder with Colorful Potatoes. Enjoy!

BEST BLACK BEAN SOUP

This comes from Julia Moskin in The New York Times cooking e-newsletter. Julia wrote, “This American classic can be a perfect dish: big-tasting, filling, nutritious, easy and very possibly vegetarian. With their rich natural broth, turtle beans do not need bacon, ham or any meat ingredient to make a satisfying soup. Black bean soup recipes have a tendency to turn out sludgy or bland, but the trick here is to season generously, and purée sparingly. The beans should be swimming in liquid, not sitting in sludge: The more beans are puréed, the more starch is released into the soup. For flavor, this recipe deploys marinated chipotle chiles, but a tablespoon each of ground cumin and ground coriander make a good heat-free substitute. (A note: Since there is acid from the wine here, if your tap water is hard there might be a reaction that will prevent the beans from softening. To be safe, add the wine later, along with the stock. And if there is any question about the hardness of your water, use distilled.)”

Yield: 10 servings; Time: About 2 hours

This was featured in “Rediscovering Black Bean Soup”, and can be viewed online at https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1018592-best-black-bean-soup.

Ingredients

For the Soup

1 small (7-ounce) can chipotle chiles in adobo (see note)

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 carrots, peeled and chopped

2 onions, peeled and chopped

4 garlic cloves, minced

1 cup red wine

2 jalapeño peppers, seeded and chopped

1 pound dry black beans (do not soak)

2 quarts mild vegetable or chicken stock

1 tablespoon dried oregano, preferably Mexican

2 bay leaves

1 tablespoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon ground black pepper

Red wine vinegar, to taste

For the Pickled Onions and Garnishes (Optional):

1 small red onion, peeled and thinly sliced

Freshly squeezed juice of 2 limes

Salt

Sour cream or Mexican crema

Whole cilantro leaves

Thinly sliced fresh chiles

Sliced avocado

Preparation:

Empty the can of chiles into a blender or food processor. Purée until smooth, scrape into a container, and set aside. Put on a teakettle of water to boil, and keep hot.

In a large, heavy pot, heat olive oil over medium heat until shimmering. Add carrots, onions and garlic and cook, stirring, until softened but not browned, 5 to 8 minutes.

Pour in wine and let simmer until pan is almost dry and vegetables are coated. Add jalapeños and cook, stirring, just until softened, 2 minutes. Push the vegetables out to the edges of the pot and dollop 2 teaspoons of chipotle purée in the center. Let fry for a minute and then stir together with the vegetables.

Add beans, stock, oregano and bay leaves. Stir, bring to a boil, and let boil 10 to 15 minutes. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook, partly covered, stirring occasionally and adding hot water as needed to keep the soup liquid and runny, not sludgy. Continue cooking until beans are just softened and fragrant, 1 to 2 hours. Add salt and pepper and keep cooking until beans are soft.

Meanwhile, make the pickled onions, if using: In a bowl, combine sliced onions, lime juice and a sprinkling of salt. Let soften at room temperature until crunchy and tart, about 30 minutes. Drain and rinse with cold water. Squeeze dry in paper towels and refrigerate until ready to serve. If desired, chop coarsely before serving.

Adjust the texture of the soup: The goal is to combine whole beans, soft chunks and a velvety broth. Some beans release enough starch while cooking to produce a thick broth without puréeing. If soup seems thin, use an immersion blender or blender to purée a small amount of the beans until smooth, then stir back in. Continue until desired texture is reached, keeping in mind that the soup will continue to thicken as it sits.

Heat the soup through, taste and adjust the seasonings with salt, pepper, drops of red wine vinegar and dabs of chipotle purée.

Serve in deep bowls, garnishing each serving with sour cream, pickled onions, cilantro leaves, sliced chiles and avocado as desired.

Tip

If chipotle chiles are unavailable, use 1 tablespoon each ground cumin and ground coriander. Add to vegetables at the same point in the recipe, in Step 3.

CURRIED CAULIFLOWER SOUP

This comes from Martha Rose Schulman in The New York Times cooking e-mail. Martha wrote, “It will take you only about 10 minutes to prep the ingredients for this comforting soup. Curry flavors and cauliflower always make a good match.” Yield: 6 to 8 servings; Time: 45 minutes.

This was featured in “Vegetable Soups, Smooth and Hearty” and can be viewed online here.

Ingredients

1 tablespoon canola oil

1 onion, chopped

2 garlic cloves, chopped

2 teaspoons finely chopped ginger

2 teaspoons curry powder

2 teaspoons cumin seeds, ground

2 pounds cauliflower (1 medium head), roughly chopped

1 russet potato, peeled and diced, or 1/2 cup rice

2 quarts water, vegetable stock or chicken stock

Salt to taste

Freshly ground pepper

Chopped cilantro for garnish

Preparation

Heat the oil over medium heat in a large, heavy soup pot and add the onion. Cook, stirring often, until onion is tender, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, ginger, curry powder and ground cumin and cook, stirring, until fragrant, 30 seconds to a minute. Add the cauliflower, potato or rice, water or stock, and salt to taste and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat, cover and simmer 30 minutes.

Using an immersion blender, purée the soup (or you can use a regular blender, working in batches and placing a kitchen towel over the top to avoid splashing) until it is very smooth. Return to the pot, heat through, add freshly ground pepper and adjust salt. Serve, garnishing each bowl with chopped cilantro.

Tip

Advance preparation: You can make this a day ahead, but you may have to thin it out with a little water or stock when you reheat.

CURRIED CAULIFLOWER SOUP

This recipe is from the January 2009 issue of Vegetarian Times, and begins, “This soup's secret ingredient—an apple—lends a touch of tangy sweetness that complements the curry’s spice. Letting the soup cool 20 minutes before blending helps deepen the flavors.” Serves 6.

To view this online, go to http://www.vegetariantimes.com/recipe/curried-cauliflower-soup/.

Ingredients

2 Tbs. olive oil

1 small onion, chopped (1 cup)

1 medium tart apple, such as Granny Smith, peeled, cored, and coarsely chopped (1 cup)

1 Tbs. curry powder

1 clove garlic, sliced (1 tsp.)

1 large head cauliflower, chopped into 1-inch pieces (6 cups)

4 cups low-sodium vegetable broth

1 tsp. honey or agave nectar

1 tsp. rice wine vinegar

Directions

Heat oil in large pot over medium-high heat. Add onion, and sauté 5 to 7 minutes, or until soft and golden. Stir in apple, curry powder, and garlic, and cook 2 minutes more, or until curry powder turns deep yellow.Add cauliflower and vegetable broth, and bring to a simmer. Cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer 20 minutes. Cool 20 minutes, then blend in food processor or blender until smooth. Stir in honey and vinegar, and season with salt, if desired.

nutritional information Per Serving: Calories: 104; Protein: 2 g; Total Fat: 5 g; Saturated Fat: 0.5 g; Carbohydrates: 14 g; Cholesterol: 0 mg; Sodium: 304 mg; Fiber: 4 g; Sugar: 8 g; Gluten-Free

FIVE BEAN SOUP

This is from Eden Foods. Serves 10. Prep Time 10 minutes. Cook Time 40 minutes.

Ingredients

2 Tbs Eden Extra Virgin Olive Oil

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 medium onion, diced

1/4 C celery, diced

1/2 C carrots, diced

3 Tbs barley, rinsed

3 C water

1 can Eden Organic Pinto Beans

1 can Eden Organic Black Beans

1 can Eden Organic Kidney Beans

1 can Eden Organic Navy Beans

1 can Eden Organic Garbanzo Beams

1 C sweet corn, fresh or frozen

1 can Eden Organic Diced Tomatoes with Roasted Onion

1/2 tsp dried basil

1 1/2 tsp crushed bay leaf

1 tsp Eden Sea Salt – French Celtic

Directions

Heat oil in soup pot, sauté garlic & onion until onion is translucent. Add water, celery, carrot & barley, beans, corn, tomatoes & herbs. Add salt, cover & simmer 30 minutes. Serve.

FRESH TOMATO SOUP

This came from Stephanie Gallagher, who wrote for The Spruce Eats. Stephanie wrote, “When your garden is overflowing with fresh tomatoes, this is the soup to make. Not only does this recipe showcase the sweet flavor of fresh tomatoes beautifully, it is also extremely versatile. You can make this soup with any fresh tomatoes you have, from cherry tomatoes to beefsteak tomatoes. By pureeing the soup, you don't need to seed or peel the tomatoes - everything just gets mixed in the blender - and you don't need any cream either.”

Prep Time: 10 minutes; Cook Time: 30 minutes; Total Time: 40 minutes; Yield: 8 servings.

To view this online, click here.

Ingredients

6 cups chopped fresh tomatoes (any kind)

1 medium onion, sliced

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 quart vegetable brothbroth

kosher salt and freshly-ground black pepper, to taste

2 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoos flour

3-4 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

1-3 teaspoons sugar

chopped fresh basil (for garnish)

Preparation

Place tomatoes, onions, garlic and broth in a large soup pot. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce heat to medium, and let simmer 20 minutes until the tomatoes burst and the onions and garlic are soft. Season with salt and pepper.

Transfer mixture in batches to a blender, and puree until smooth (I use my Vita-Mix Blender (compare prices), which I love, but it is pricey.)

Heat butter in another large soup pot over medium heat. Add flour, whisking until mixture turns golden brown. Season with salt and pepper.

Whisk the pureed tomato soup into butter-flour roux. Stir balsamic vinegar and sugar into the soup. Heat until tomato soup thickens. Taste, and adjust seasonings (add more salt, pepper, vinegar and/or sugar, as needed).

Ladle the soup into bowls, and serve, garnished with chopped fresh basil. Or let the soup cool completely, and transfer to freezer-safe containers to freeze.

ROASTED SQUASH AND APPLE CHOWDER WITH COLORFUL POTATOES

This is from the October 2013 issue of Vegetarian Times, page 76. It starts off, “Puréed roasted butternut squash provides the creamy base for a hearty chowder. If making the chowder ahead, prepare the recipe through step 3, then assemble and reheat just before serving.” Serves 8.

Ingredients

2 lb. butternut squash, peeled and cut into 3/4-inch chunks (6 cups), divided

3 medium apples, peeled and diced (3 cups), divided

2 large leeks, white parts cut into 1-inch chunks (1 cup), plus 1/2 cup thinly sliced leek greens, divided

1 Tbs. olive oil

1 Tbs. pure maple syrup

1 lb. multicolored potatoes, peeled and cut into 3/4-inch chunks

1/2 cup apple juice

1 Tbs. apple cider vinegar

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat baking sheet with cooking spray.

Combine 5 cups butternut squash chunks, 2 cups diced apple, leek whites, oil, and maple syrup in large bowl, and season with salt and pepper, if desired. Spread squash mixture in single layer on prepared baking sheet, and roast 30 minutes, or until tender, stirring occasionally.

Cook potato chunks and remaining 1 cup butternut squash in boiling, salted water 5 to 7 minutes, or until just tender. Drain, and set aside.

Purée roasted vegetables in blender until smooth. Add purée and apple juice to large soup pot with 4 cups water. Whisk in vinegar, and heat over medium heat. Season with salt and pepper, if desired. Add boiled potatoes and squash, remaining 1 cup diced apple, and leek greens, and simmer 5 minutes, or until hot.

nutritional information Per 1 1/4-cup serving: Calories: 162; Protein: 3 g; Total Fat: 2 g; Saturated Fat: less than 1 g; Carbohydrates: 36 g; Cholesterol: 0 mg; Sodium: 12 mg; Fiber: 4 g; Sugar: 12 g; Vegan; Gluten-Free