August 8, 2012
It’s cherry season and needless to say cherries are important guests in my kitchen right now. Cherry tarts, cherry calfouti, cherry pie, cherry jam, cherry sauce, you name it, they have been here. Unfortunately, I don’t always have time to photograph them before serving so not all are on the blog quite yet, but it’s coming. Fruit soups are also in my repertoire and when my friend called to say that she had a fabulous... View Article
July 17, 2012
Spanish in origin, this refreshing chilled soup is lovely in the summer when tomatoes are ripe and sweet and vegetables are crisp and tender. I serve it on hot days and even the skeptics and the less adventurous fall for it every time. Gazpacho is easy to make, there is no cooking involved and the ingredient list is quite flexible. Today I made this with vine riped tomatoes from the local market, small cucumbers, tender... View Article
June 6, 2012
I made this soup a while ago, early in the asparagus season, but I thought I’d post it now. It’s a simple soup to make and requires only cooking the asparagus in boiling stock and then puréeing it in a blender. The cooked potato blended with the soup adds body and natural creaminess without adding any cream. You can however enhance it with cream for a creamed soup version or just add a dollop of... View Article
April 13, 2012
Red lentils make a wonderful soup. They cook to a creamy consistency creating a hearty, full-bodied soup. I usually add some grain to this soup, often brown rice but sometimes barley. This recipe has tomatoes but I don’t always use them. The red lentils also lend themselves to a variety of spices, as you see here. Ingredients: 2 tablespoons olive oil 1 small onion, chopped 1 clove garlic, minced 1 /2 teaspoon cumin 1/2 teaspoon... View Article
April 13, 2012
A hearty lentil soup is comfort food for anyone with a Mediterranean palate. I make it in many different ways but it’s all variations on the same theme of aromatics (onion, garlic, carrot, celery) sautéed in olive oil and then the lentils are added with stock and cooked until softened. I sometimes add a grain such as rice or barley. Sometimes I add roasted peppers or another vegetable and sometimes I even add thin pasta,... View Article
April 13, 2012
Barley and beans is a nice combination for either soups or salads. See the salad category for the salad version of this pair. I often have cooked grains in the fridge and it’s easy to make a quick and delicious soup with them. Barley however cooks quickly so this soup can be prepared on a short notice. You can use vegetable stock but I find that chicken stock gives it a wonderful flavour. Ingredients: 3... View Article
April 13, 2012
If I had to choose a couple of favourite soups this would certainly be one of them. Simple, wholesome and easy to make, this is a delicious soup and has been part of my soup repertoire for many years. I make it with small white cannelini beans that have been soaked overnight. If you are in a hurry and wish to make the soup the same day you can boil the beans, leave them in... View Article
April 13, 2012
I make this corn chowder with fresh corn scraped with a knife straight off the cob. In addition I do not throw away the cobs but rather use them to flavour the stock. It sounds like a lot of work but really, it isn’t, and the resulting soup is delicate and flavourful. The potatoes make the soup thick and velvety and the corn give it a lovely texture. I suggest that you use an immersion... View Article
April 13, 2012
I found these giant white pumpkins at a farmers market in Kelowna and brought them home to Calgary at the end of the summer. After sitting on my kitchen counter for a couple of weeks observing the scene, they ended up being cut in half, rubbed with butter, sprinkled with brown sugar and roasted in the oven until tender soft. We ate one half just at it was, scooping the sweet flesh out of the... View Article
