Stone Soups & Pebble Stews

There’s a surprising chill in the DC air today but I’m not complaining! I know the summer ahead will be just as sticky hot as ever so I’ll cherish these last few days of cool breezes and rosy cheek bike rides. 

I went home to NJ for Easter weekend to see my family and meet a dear friend’s new wife and baby. While there I did a ton of baking with my mom, a real departure for me but my mom is a serious whiz when it comes to bread making. Our pretzel experimenting was a real highlight, especially the dulce de leche filled variety topped with sea salt.

My first night home I made us a delightful carrot soup for dinner from a recent Kitchen Window article. The soup was as surprising as promised. The vanilla adds a deep sweetness to the heat of the cayenne. I forgot my poor brother and dad don’t have the tolerance for spice like the lady Lettenbergers so I provided them both with copious amounts of plain Greek yogurt. 

Despite the heat they both wiped their bowls clean leading me to believe this easy, bold soup deserves a spot on your next spring dinner party menu.

Slightly modified from Kitchen Window:

serves 4 as a main course

Glug of EVOO

1 small onion, coarsely chopped

1 pound carrots, peeled and cut into coins about 1/2 inch thick

1/2 cup dry sherry

3 cups vegetable stock

1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

Pinch cayenne

1/2 cup carrot juice

Kosher salt to taste

Garnish

Plain Greek Yogurt

Cook the onions in evoo, stirring occasionally, for 2 to 3 minutes, until they begin to soften. Add the carrots and sprinkle with salt. Cook for another 5 to 6 minutes until onions are very soft and carrots have begun to soften.

Turn the heat to high and add the sherry. Bring to a boil and cook until most of the sherry has evaporated.

Turn the heat back to medium and add the stock. Bring the soup to a simmer and cover. Cook for 20 to 30 minutes, until carrots are very soft. Stir in the vanilla and cayenne.

Remove from heat and let cool slightly. Pour the soup into a blender and puree until smooth. 

Return the puree to the pot and stir in the carrot juice. Bring just to a simmer and add salt to taste. 

-Becky 

My housemates and I had a grand pizza party last Friday. We made three types of pies and I mixed up our own sauce. Turns out I grossly overestimated the amount of tomatoes we would need and was left with two giant cans of crushed and pureed ‘mats. What to do with all these cans? Soup of course! 

I’ve been futzing with tomato soup recipes all season. There was a sun dried version and another partnered with kale, I even made a version for a large crowd on a weekend away in the woods. So for this version I wanted to switch it up a bit but without hitting the supermarket. Here’s what happened…

The Do:

I chopped up a yellow onion, a bunch of baby carrots, and a flimsy stalk of celery and let those saute for awhile in some olive oil. I scrubbed a couple red baby potatoes and cut them into quarters along with three cloves of garlic. When everything was nice and fragrant I dropped in the potatoes and 2 tbls of tomato paste along with a dash each of paprika and hot paprika along with some salt and pepp. I let that go for a few minutes until everything was well coated and then dropped in the garlic.

A minute later I found an open bottle of red wine leftover from pizza night on the counter and poured a good splash of that in there. I let the wine cook down quite a bit before dropping in a large can of crushed tomatoes and a few cups of stock. I added a few dashes of dry thyme and let everything simmer until the potatoes were tender. 

Then I pureed it all and thinned it out a bit. At this point I sat down with some grilled cheese (parano + granny smith + caramelized onion. SRSLY) and nodded passively. It was an ok soup but nothing astonishing. 

Luckily, while my soup was simmering I was also baking some great northern beans in a cup of stock, some fresh sage, crushed garlic, and cracked pepper. When I peaked in the oven the beans were tender, almost creamy and I decided, why not, and dumped a spoonful in the soup, gave it a taste, and then dumped in the whole pan. The result is a much more complex soup with a bit of heat from the hot paprika, some body from the beans, and lots of herbal notes from the thyme and sage. 

- Becky 

The thought process:

What cheap things can I add to what’s already in the fridge? Answer: Sweet potato + canned tomato.

The process process:

1/2 white onion, 4 big garlic cloves, TBSP julienned ginger, dash red pepper flakes: Add, in that order, to oil, and sautee on medium heat til golden brown.

Red wine: A good glug to deglaze the pot

Cumin: A good spoonful for good measure

A can of tomatoes, about 6 cups(?) water, 1/4 cup pearl barley, leftover baby carrots: Add, in whatever order, more or less at once, and cook til barley is nearly done.

A cubed sweet potato and the rest of that cauliflower: Add say, 20 minutes after barley and cook, say, another 20 minutes.

The rest of your spinach, for more good measure: Stir in when soup is done

— Claire

In September of 2010 I had the amazing opportunity to visit Romania. Having never been to Eastern Europe, I mistakingly prepared myself for a week of bland food but instead was treated to a week of simple, honest meals and discovered a country that is beautiful and depressed, colorful and full of history.  

In Romania, your meal and soup is typically accompanied by a bottle of vinegar and a raw hot pepper. You dash the vinegar and nibble your pepper to your personal taste. This dining quirk took some getting used to but I came to love the occasional unexpectedly hot pepper and found myself missing them upon my return.

The highlight of my culinary adventures was ciorba. Ciorba’s are sour soups, the “sour” comes from a dash of acid at the end, in the case of this recipe I used lemon juice but if you happen to have sauerkraut juice on hand, give that a try and tell me all about it.

My desire to try making my own ciorba was ignited by a lovely article this month in Saveur about food in Translyvania that includes a recipe for ciorba de perisoare, a tomato based ciorba with meatballs. I couldn’t bring myself to make the meat soup plunge for this variation, at least not yet. I’m holding out for ciorba radauteana (easy on the vinegar). 

Ingredients:

2 celery ribs diced

2 carrots peeled a diced

1 onion diced

1 red bell pepper cored, seeded and diced

A handful of red potatoes scrubbed and quarterd

2 tbls tomato paste

1 15oz jar of peeled plum tomatoes, crushed

2 tbls paprika (I used two tbls of Hungarian Hot Paprika… I would not suggest this, instead try half hot and half regular) 

1 carton of stock

2 tbls lemon juice

Dill

The Do:

Saute your carrots, celery, onions, and pepper in evoo until softened. Make sure to dash in some salt and pepper. Add the potatoes, tomato paste, and paprika. Stir about for a few more minutes until everything is well coated. Add the tomatoes and stock and simmer until the potatoes are tender about 20-25 minutes. Add the lemon juice and garnish with dill. Mânca bine!

-Becky 

“So, I know this looks gross,” started the email from my friend Hillary, “BUT it’s supposed to!” I have come to trust this kind of backward praise of food from Hill and I am thrilled to pass on this recipe she shared with me for Aquadito, Peruvian chicken soup. I will say, it sounds delicious. Hill spent some time last year traipsing around South America and if you’re like me and can’t imagine anything more amazing check out these photos and read more about their adventures here. 

From A Cozy Kitchen

3/4 cup cilantro leaves
1 serrano pepper, halved and de-seeded
4 garlic cloves (2 whole garlic cloves and 2 garlic cloves minced), divided
4 1/4 cups chicken broth, divided
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 chicken thighs, skin-on and bone-in
2 chicken drumsticks, skin-on and bone-in
1/2 yellow onion, diced
1/2 red bell pepper, diced
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 cup white rice
1 ear of corn, cut off the cob
Salt to taste
1 lime

1. Add cilantro leaves, serrano pepper, 2 garlic cloves and 1/4 cup of chicken broth to a blender. Blend until mixture is thoroughly combined. Set aside.

2. In a large pot, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. When hot, carefully add chicken thighs and drumsticks, skin-side down. Cook on first side for 4-5 minutes, and until skin is crisp and slightly browned. Flip on second side and cook for an additional 5 minutes. Remove from pot and set aside.

3. If the chicken absorbed all of the oil, add one more tablespoon of olive oil. Add yellow onion and cook until translucent, about 5 minutes. Next, add red bell pepper and ground cumin, allowing to cook for 1-2 more minutes. Add minced garlic atop of mixture and cook until fragrant.

4. Add the rice and cilantro liquid mixture to the pot and mix, being sure to completely coat the rice. Gently add the chicken back to the pot and cover with the remaining 4 cups of chicken broth. The broth should just cover the chicken. Cook for 20-30 minutes, and until rice is fully cooked.

5. When you’re ready to serve, add salt to taste. This will all depend on how salty your chicken broth was. I needed to add about 1 1/2 teaspoons of kosher salt. Mix in corn right before serving.

6. Add a few cilantro leaves to each bowl of soup, along with a few wedges of lime. It’s important.

Yields 4 servings

For the most part, I followed an Emeril recipe. The biggest differences: I made a fish stock and added dried porcinis. For the stock, I boiled down an old fish body I had laying around my house along with a lot of dill and spices. For the porcinis, I opened the pack and put them in. I think next time I’ll add less cream and more savory fish or meat-type liquids.

-Coop

It’s Super Bowl weekend. That means chili. ‘Nuf said. (Pssst… it’s vegan!)

three bean chili

evoo
1 onion, chopped
4 cloves of garlic, minced
1 or 2 bell peppers, chopped
1 serrano or jalapeno, chopped (remove seeds if you can’t take the heat, or throw in some picked jalapenos or chiles in adobo?)
chili powder
oregano powder
cumin powder
1 cup or more of veggie stock or water
1 cup frozen corn
1 can of cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
1 can of kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 can of black beans, drained and rinsed
1 small butternut squash or sweet potato, peeled and chopped into 1/4 inch dice
a couple links of your favorite vegan sausage (my fave for the chili is Field Roast, “Mexican Chipotle” - seriously incredible)

toppings:
sour cream or greek yogurt
freshly grated sharp cheddar cheese

Get out a big stock pot and saute the onions and garlic in the olive oil on medium heat. When the onions have become translucent, add the pepper and the serrano. If using sausage, remove the links from their plastic casings, and chop into pieces. Throw in with the onions, raise the temperature, and saute until the sausage bits get charred in places. Add the spices (a tablespoon of each is a good place to start), and stir to combine.

Add the tomatoes with their juices and the vegetable stock.  Drain and rinse the beans, then add to the pot with the corn.  Bring to a boil, then add the squash or sweet potato. Lower the heat to a simmer, and let the chili stew for 20-30 minutes, until the squash/tater is soft and the flavors blend.

Ladle into bowls and top with a dollop of sour cream and a generous handful of freshly grated cheddar.

love,
the kitchen witch

I love green things. I have not one, but two green coats, my wallet is green, my bike helmet is green, the bag I use to cart around groceries is green, but when it comes to green soup, I tend to fall short. So when I saw this recipe for Swiss chard soup in the pages of Bon Appetit, I knew I had to give it a go. I used two bunches of chard because I wasn’t sure how much a pound was… I think I didn’t use enough because my soup looks nothing like the picture in the magazine… Oh well!

Ingredients:

2 bunches or more of Swiss chard, I used red and green, center ribs removed

1 yellow onion, chopped

2 garlic cloves, mashed

1 bunch of mint, chopped

1 bunch of parsley, chopped

1 bunch of cilantro, chopped

1 carton of veg. stock

A few dashes of nutmeg

If you have dried versions of the previously mentioned herbs you can give those a dash in there. I only had cilantro.

Lemon juice

Greek yogurt

Feta

The Do:

Saute the onion and garlic until the onion is translucent. Add some salt, then the chard, nutmeg and stock. Simmer until the chard is tender, about ten minutes. Puree the soup until smooth. Add about a cup of soup to half a cup of yogurt, whisk until smooth and then add to the soup. Repeat. Add as much lemon juice and feta as you desire and toss in the remaining herbs. 

-Becky 

I realized, shortly after making this soup, that the very first blog post I ever wrote was a red curry carrot soup. That was back in September of 2010, in my mind it feels like ages ago. I’m coming up on my birthday, not my favorite day of the year, all the attention makes me squirm… but last year I threw myself a soup party and the first act was a carrot soup. The main event was a stone soup that was assembled by ingredients contributed by my dear friends. It was a wonderful evening. When we sat down to eat I told a long winded story about my first favorite soup:

When I was a kid my aunt was visiting from Minnesota. We had a huge snow storm and were stuck in the house with our poorly stocked pantry. My aunt is a brilliant cook and she quickly got to work raiding the kitchen. She found a 2lb bag of carrots, an onion, and a couple bouillon cubes. She assembled a magical steaming pot of comfort that I named, blizzard soup. 

Maybe that’s why, this time of year, I always find myself stocking my fridge with way too many bags of carrots than a girl could ever need. You never know when you may find yourself stuck inside with people you love and only a simple soup for dinner. 

Ingredients:

2lbs of carrots, peeled and chopped

1 onion, chopped

3 garlic cloves, minced

2 tbl red curry paste

1 can of coconut milk

1 green chile, minced

A bunch of cilantro, chopped

A quart of vegetable stock

The Do:

Saute your onion in some evoo until translucent. Add the garlic and chile and stir for a minute or two. Sprinkle in some salt. Toss in the carrots and the curry paste and swirl around for a few mintues. Add the stock and let simmer until the carrots are tender. Let cool and puree to your desired consistency. Turn the heat on low and add the coconut milk. Toss the cilantro in at the end. This soup will get spicier over the course of a few days so a dollop of greek yogurt is advised.

With love, the way my aunt taught me, 

- Becky 

The day started off with nothing out of the ordinary besides our hero’s rugged good looks. Sure, as he walked home the sky grew dark and it began to sleet, but it was late December after all. As he reached his front step, he stopped. Through the glass doors leading to his apartment he saw a white box standing amongst the other dull, brown carriers. He knew this Holy Grail of packages had to be his, but what could it be?

As he opened the veritable treasure chest, his eyes got wide as he was enveloped in a rich, orange glow that emanated from inside. Pleasure turned to horror as he realized what it was. No poet, living or dead, would ever be able find the words to express what was racing through his mind—but only one word ran off his tongue: “…Pinconning…”

Over the holidays I saw both Becky AND our boss post tomato kale soup photos to Instagram … and of course I had to follow suit. Mine, like everything I make, had tons of cumin.

• 28 oz can San Marzanto tomatoes
• Big bunch of kale
• Can chickpeas
• 1 onion
• 5 cloves garlic
• 2 tbsp cumin
• 1 tsp red pepper flakes
• water + bouillon
• salt / pep

Sautee pepper flakes, chopped onion + garlic in oil til sweaty. Add cumin and cook out a minute or two. Add tomatoes and about a cup of water, bring to a boil, then simmer a long time. Add more water and bouillon to texture/taste — add red wine for depth and give it time to cook out. Put kale in and cook til wilted, add chickpeas to heat em up. Simmer the whole thing as long as you want.

— Claire

It’s freezing outside, so you’re looking for some comfort food. But you also feel like a glubby chubby mess because you ate one too many peppermint fudge cookies over the holidays and aren’t biking to work anymore because, as previously mentioned, it’s freezing outside. Time for some hibernation soup chock full of lentils and squash in a tomato broth reminiscent of summer. Plus a little heat from some paprika and red chili flakes. Did I mention it’s vegan?

So here we go, a recipe adapted from the glorious Heidi Swanson, and my go-to for an easy, cheap, healthy, and mighty delicious lentil soup.

lentil squash soup with paprika and a pesto drizzle

1 1/4 cups lentils (any will do, but green or black will keep their shape best and not turn mushy)
1 onion, chopped
2 cups butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1/4 inch dice
1 (28 oz) can diced or crushed tomatoes
1 cup water or veggie stock
pinch of paprika (optional but tasty)
pinch of chili flakes (optional, add more if you like it spicy)
2 T olive oil or ghee
salt

FOR GARNISH (choose one or all):
pesto
high quality, sludgy spicy olive oil
freshly shaved parmigiano reggiano
freshly torn basil
a hunk of good, crusty bread

In a large saucepan, bring 5 cups of water to boil. Add the lentils, lower the heat to a simmer, and cook for 20 minutes until tender. Drain the lentils and set aside.

In a soup pot, heat the oil or ghee on medium heat (I chose ghee because it’s better to cook with at high temperatures, but it’s not vegan) and sauté the onion for about 5 minutes until golden. Pour in the squash, tomatoes, and water/stock, and continue cooking until the squash is tender, about 10 minutes. Add the lentils to the soup, and more water if it’s too thick.

Taste for seasoning. Add paprika, chili flakes, and salt to taste. Serve hot, garnished with a glob of olive oil, pesto, or some fresh basil or parmesan.

Makes for a fantabulous leftover lunch the next day.

love, the kitchen witch

I think I may have accidentally become the holiday cook. My vegetarian eating habits lead my mom to ask me to whip up a few things for dinner last year and I happily obliged. This year I ran most of the show, much to my brother’s chagrin. He fed his pumpkin gnocchi to the dog and I’m still trying to forgive him… but the rest of the table seemed delightfully pleased with our spread.

We started with a sun dried tomato soup that I dreamt up in the aisles of Trader Joe’s. It turned out robust and creamy but also fresh and light. I’m pleased to report my brother finished his entire serving, no black lab assistance required.

He’s still getting a big mac for dinner next year.

Ingredients: Serves 8-10

Two cans of whole plum tomatoes

1 package of sun dried tomatoes, preferably julienned (about 3.5oz)

2 tbl tomato paste

1 quart of vegetable stock

1 onion chopped

3 garlic cloves minced

Some thyme, salt, pepp, red pepp, evoo

Greek yogurt

Fresh basil

How To:

Saute onion and garlic in some evoo until translucent. Add the sun dried tomatoes and cook for a few minutes. Add some thyme, salt, pep, and red pep to taste. Dump in both cans of plum tomatoes and bring to a simmer. Add half of the stock and cook for a few more minutes then add the tomato paste. I’m always nervous about the consistency but I always end up using a whole quart of stock so use your discretion but don’t stress. Simmer this for another 30 minutes or so then turn off the stove and let it cool for a bit. Blend to your desired consistency and add a cup or two of greek yogurt. Be sure to taste as you go. Feel free to add a splash of lemon juice if you like that sort of thing but be sure to add the basil, it’s an absolute must. 

-Becky

ps. this is also a good soup to feed to people who just had the cutest baby ever. 

I have reached a point in my obsession with soup that when things like organic mushroom broth go on sale at the supermarket people dear to me feel compelled to buy them as surprise gifts. I’m not complaining! One of these gifted boxes of broth came in handy last night.

I had a hankering for broccoli and decided to roast a head along with some other vegetables, a carrot, half an onion and a couple cloves of garlic. Half of the pan got tossed with some spinach linguine and topped with freshly grated pecorino romano and the other half was put to simmer in a pot full of broth. When dinner was through and the dishes clean, soup was done and ready for lunch today. Easy peasy. 

Ingredients

1 large head of broccoli ,coarsely chopped

1 carrot, chopped

half an onion, chopped

3 garlic cloves, miced

A few sprigs of fresh thyme

S & P 

Crushed red pepper

EVOO

Carton of mushroom broth

The Do:

Preheat oven to 450. Prep vegetables and then toss with EVOO, coarse sea salt, pepper, crushed red pepper and a few sprigs of fresh thyme. I also added a dash of balsamic vinegar. Roast until broccoli heads are browning but still crunchy. 

Warm the broth on the stove over medium, add the vegetables and simmer until desired tenderness. Remove the thyme sprigs if you can or just avoid them along the way.

- Becky