Aaaah I’m so happy to finally post these recipes in English on the blog!
I’ve been receiving quite a few emails asking for them since the French version was online and it’s finally time! Cheer up, people!
Oh soups! If I was not careful, I would feed myself with a big bowl of soup (and crunchy salads) everyday! But, hey, I’m not a rabbit and I am a food lover too!
I was very inspired by the magnificent colors of Vermont and I wanted to prepare soups in three different colors (to be honest with you, I’ve even thought about that in the woods … it’s crazy, even on vacation, my brain thinks “food” and “recipes”… OH WE REALLY WONDER WHY!)
These recipes are for 2 people, but you can easily double or triple them! I let you do the maths ;)
Just a few notes before we begin:
• I wanted to use fewer BUT seasonal ingredients: after all, a soup does not need a thousand ingredients to shine and this is the best way to use the vegetables that we tend to forget inside the fridge!
• Everything can be prepared with a minimum of time and effort: because we live in the 21st century, we spend far too many hours in front of our screens and we complain afterward not having enough time to do everything (any similarity to persons living or dead writing those lines is purely coincidental!)
Ok? Go!
# 1 Super Red: Tomato, Roasted Garlic and Roasted Bell Pepper Soup
A perfect way to enjoy the last tomatoes of the season! I have a wonderful trick to blow up the flavors of your soups and it works with just about any vegetable on planet Earth: roast them.
(Yes, roast! Were you expecting to find a new word here? A new revolutionary culinary concept? Nah sorry, not this time.)
Trust me, you will never get tired of roasting your veggies!
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Tomato, Roasted garlic and Roasted Bell Pepper Soup
Serves 2.
– 2 ripe plum tomatoes, halved
– 1 small Bell pepper (about 45 g / 1.6 oz), cut in half and seeded
– 1/2 onion, peeled and halved
– 1 fat garlic clove, whole, with skin on
– 1 Tbsp olive oil
– Salt and pepper
– 250 to 375 ml (1 to 1 1/2 cups) vegetable broth, homemade or store-bought (or enough broth to cover the vegetables. Go with your taste: if you like the soup more or less liquid or consistent! )
Do It Yourself:
1) Preheat the oven to 190ºC (375ºF).
On a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, place the tomatoes and peppers cut-side down, 1/2 onion and garlic.
2) Drizzle with 1 Tbsp of olive oil, add salt and pepper and mix well with your hands.
3) Roast for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the vegetables are caramelized and tender (tomato juices will release and the skin of the pepper will be slightly wrinkled).
4) Put tomatoes, peppers and onion in a large bowl (if you’re using an immersion blender) or the bowl of a food processor, add the pulp of the roasted garlic clove (by pressing the clove between your fingers) and broth.
5) Process until smooth.
+ Add extra-yumminess (optional)
• A few sprigs of thyme or fresh rosemary when you cook your veggies. Remove them before mixing your soup!
• A drizzle of a fragrant garlic-infused olive oil.
• Few parmesan shavings
• 1 small piece of … melted chocolate! (or a little bit of cocoa powder) For lovers of sweet & savoury flavors, cocoa notes awakens the taste of tomato and adds depth to the soup!
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# 2 Bright Yellow: Butternut Squash, Carrot and Roasted Apple Soup
When the first cold days point the tip of their nose, I never get tired to eat squash again.
Butternut Squash is my absolute favorite. So sweet, so good!
Sometimes I pair it with tomato, sometimes with coconut milk… or apple, like in this soup! Apple guys, it’s genius, right? (well, let’s say I am a bit proud here!)
Roasted (again!) Apple really adds a nice extra layer of flavor. This is goooood. Feels like fall. It just fits.
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Butternut Squash, Carrot and Roasted Apple Soup
Serves 2.
– 3 small organic carrots, skin on, well washed, without their tops (keep them for the Vibrant Green Soup- recipe below!)
– 180 g (6.3 oz) butternut squash flesh, diced (you can also roast a whole or half squash and scrape the flesh after cooking)
– 1 yellow apple, unpeeled (but washed), without the heart
– 1 Tbsp olive oil
– Salt and pepper
– 375 ml to 500 ml (1 1/2 to 2 cups) vegetable broth, homemade or store-bought (or enough broth to cover the vegetables. Go with your taste: if you like the soup more or less liquid or consistent! )
Do It Yourself:
1) Preheat the oven to 190ºC (375ºF). On a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, place carrots, squash and apple cut-side down.
2) Drizzle with 1 Tbsp of olive oil, add salt and pepper and mix well with your hands.
3) Roast for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender and the apple lightly stewed.
4) Put all the vegetables in a large bowl (if you’re using an immersion blender) or the bowl of a food processor. Add broth.
5) Process until smooth.
+ Add extra-yumminess (optional)
• A dollop of crème fraîche (or sour cream or greek yogurt)
• A pinch of freshly grated nutmeg (to pick up the apple notes … yumm)
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# 3 Vibrant Green: Carrot Tops, Lamb’s lettuce and Pear Soup
Well, this one makes me quite pretty proud too! (I’m doing positive reinforcement here… I know I’ll be depressed in a week when we’re going to change time, and it will be dark outside at 4 pm!)
Carrot tops. YES, the hair of our orange friends just above.
I ask you: why would you waste food when you can feast on it? No reason. That is exactly what I was thinking!
I also like to keep some of my carrot tops to make an homemade pesto… pesto is always a good idea. Always.
Lamb’s lettuce and pear sweetens the slight bitterness of carrot tops and add vibrance to this soup!
(just a tip by the way: if you decide to eat your carrot tops, you can blanch them a few minutes in a pot of boiling water before using/ keeping them for another purpose … they will be less bitter!)
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Carrot Tops, Lamb’s lettuce and Pear Soup
Serve 2.
– 1/2 onion, diced
– 1 Tbsp olive oil
– 1 ripe pear, with skin on, well washed and diced
– The green tops of 3 organic carrots (about 62 g / 2.1 oz), well washed
– Salt and pepper
– 250 to 375 ml (1 to 1 1/2 cups) vegetable broth, homemade or store-bought (or enough broth to cover the vegetables. Go with your taste: if you like the soup more or less liquid or consistent! )
– 40 g (1.4 oz) lamb’s lettuce
Do It Yourself:
1) In a large saucepan, soften onion in olive oil. Add the diced pear and cook for 1 minute.
2) Add carrot tops and cook about 3 minutes or until softened. Season with salt and pepper and add the broth.
3) Bring to a boil then reduce heat and cook for 3 minutes over low heat. Remove from heat and add the lamb’s lettuce.
4) Process using an immersion blender (or food processor) until smooth.
+ Extra yumminess to serve (optional)
• Few dice of a ripe pear
• 3-4 pink peppercorns, crushed
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Eat your soup, kids! Till next time!
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