Garlic Soup

If you like garlic - then you'll  love this soup.....I've found that the 26 garlic cloves equates to about 4 garlic bulbs.

 ¼ cup (2 oz) unsalted butter

2 TBS olive oil

2 Cups finely chopped onions

26 garlic cloves

1 ½ four tortillas, diced

¼ tsp dry mustard

½ tsp ground cumin

4 cups (32oz) chick stock

1 Cup (8 oz) half and half

salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

in large pot, heat the butter and olive oil over low heat.  Add the onions and garlic, stir and cover the pot tightly with a lid.  Allow the onions and garlic to sweat over very low heat for 1 ½ hours, or until very soft.

 Remove the lid and stir in the diced tortillas, dry mustard and cumin.  Cook, stirring for 10 minutes.  Add the stock and bring to boil.  Stir in half and half and salt and pepper and simmer over med-low heat for about 30 minutes.  Taste and adjust seasoning.

 If desired, transfer soup to a food processor or blender and puree.  Serve immediately.



Pumpkin Soup with Lime-Ginger Cream

This soup will warm your belly as well as your soul:

1/4 C butter

2 C finely chopped onions

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

1 1/3 C Milk

 3 cups pumpkin puree

6 C chick or veggie soup stock

salt and pepper to taste

Sauce:  1/4 C lime juice

     1 TBS grated fresh ginger

  1/2 C sour cream

  2 TBS grated lime zest

~ In a large skillet melt butter over med heat.  Add onions and slowly saute until translucent.  Stiur in cayenne and transfer to food processor or blender.  Add milk & pumpkin, process until smooth.  Pour mixture into saucepan and whisk in the soup stock.  Over med-high heat bring soup to a simmer.  Add salt and pepper.

~In a small saucepan over med heat, cook lime juice and grated ginger for 2 mintues.  Starin into a med bowl, discard the ginger and whisk the remaining liquied with sour cream.

~Ladle soup into bowls.  Put the lime-sour cream mixture into a squeeze bottle and decorate by drizzling designs on top.  Sprinkle with lime zest.

Thai Pumpkin Soup

1 TBS vegetable oil

1 TBS butter

1 clove chopped garlic

4 chopped shallots

2 small fresh red chili peppers, chopped

1 TBS chopped lemon grass

2 1/8 cups chicken stock

4 cups peeled & diced pumpkin  (or 4 Cups pumpkin puree)

1 1/2 Cups unsweetened coconut milk

1 bunch fresh basil leaves.

In a medium sauce pan, heat oil and butter over low heat.  Cook garlic, shallots, chilies and lemongrass in oil until fragrant.  Stir in chicken stock, coconut milk and pupmkin.  Bring to a boil.  Cook until pumpkin softens.

Put mixture in blender and blend until smooth.  Serve with basil leaves.

Arter Med Flask (Split Pea Soup)

This is the family recipe passed on from the Swedish side of our family.  I usually think of using the green split peas, but family lore is that it is traditionally made with yellow.

1# dried split peas

5C cold water

2 finely chopped onions

1 whole onion, peeled & studded with 5 cloves

1# lean salt pork

1 tsp marjoram

1/2 thyme

salt

Wash peas and place in sauce pan.  Cover with 5 cups cold water.  Bring to boil over high heat.  Boil for 2-3 minutes.  Turn off heat and let soak for 1 hours.  Skim off husks.  Add onions, salt pork, marjoram, & thyme.  Bring to boil. Immediately lower heat and simmer partially covered for 1 1/4 hours or until tender.  Remove whole onion and pork.  Place pork in the bottom of the bowl and serve soup over it.

If you have a crock pot - my easy version of this and just about any soup is the put all the ingredients in the crock pot in the morning - low heat.  Stir whenever I think about it.  Ready for dinner.

Butternut Squash Soup

4 TBS butter

½ cup finely copped onion

1 tsp salt

1 ½ lb butternut squash, peeled, scraped clean of strings and diced into ½ inch pieces

2 cloves

3 ½ cups chicken stock

½ cup heavy cream

½ cup blue cheese, finely diced

1 TBS minced fresh sage or 1 tsp dried

freshly ground pepper to taste

2 TBS minced fresh parsley.

Pumpkin & acorn squash can be subtitued for Butternut Squash