Soup - Variations on a Theme

Now that the weather has cooled down - lows in the 40's, highs in the 50's - more clouds than sun, it is unofficially soup weather. If you feel the same way, here are some notes on recent experiments in soup:

All are generally calibrated for 4 servings (2 people for 2 nights - a good time to effort ratio imo) and are very forgiving if you want to mess with ratios. Hardware: Stainless steel pot, stick blender, spoon.

Potato Leek w/ Pear:

2ish pounds of white or gold potatoes, cut into approx 1" squares.

2 large leeks or 3 smaller ones - Cut ends off, chop into rings.

1 onion

Sautee the veggies - butter or olive oil - essentially some fat with a bit of flavor, then add:

2 bay leaves

1 qt chicken or vegetable stock

generous amounts of dill, thyme and a bit of rosemary

Simmer for .5-1 hour until potatoes are soft. Meanwhile, dice and sautee 2 pears in a separate skillet.

Puree the soup with stick blender then top with the caramelized pears and aged white cheddar.

Acorn Squash:

3ish pound acorn squash. Cut in half, scoop out seeds, put in 350 degree oven to roast. Meanwhile:

Sautee 4-5 minced cloves of garlic, a chopped onion and either 1 chopped leek or a few stalks of celery in olive or sesame oil.

Once veggies are ready, either scoop out or cut up (depending on firmness) the roasted squash and add it to the pot along with

1 qt chicken stock

2t of curry powder

1-2t of half sharp paprika

Simmer for .5-1 hour then puree with stick blender. Top with blue cheese. A neat trick here which was picked up from a local fancy restaurant is to retain the seeds and roast them, then crush them when they're crunchy and add them as a garnish at the end as well.

Basically, pureed soups can be distilled to the following general formula:

Starchy vegetable at a 1:1 ratio by mass with an onion/leekcelery combination - sautee this

Add stock

Pick a regional cuisine and add the typical seasoning trifecta and add it

Simmer for .5-1 hour then blend

Finish with cheese and black pepper to taste.

It is interesting how many different flavors can be created out of a pretty basic idea. Allison has swapped the acorn squash for butternut and added apple, topping the potato leek with bacon or other pork is tasty. And it still averages out to about a half hour of cooking per day. (one day it's 1 hour and the second day it's no time at all to reheat)

The schedule I've had over the last couple years has helped my cooking immensely - lots of time to experiment with and refine different food ideas that I've found at various restaurants or remembered from the past.