40 Meatless Meals: Carrot Lentil soup

 

Simple pantry ingredients thoughtfully flavored come together in this hearty soup inspired by Zuppe: Soups from the American Academy in Rome

1 1/2 cups dry lentils

2 lbs carrots, divided

1/4 cup vermouth or 2 T cup apple cider vinegar

1/8 cup olive oil

1 onion, diced

2 cloves of garlic, minced

1 pinch paprika

1 t fennel seeds

red pepper flakes, optional

salt

1 t lemon juice

Cook lentils in 6 cups water for 6 hours on low in slow cooker. Lentils should hold their shape but not be crunchy.

After lentils are cooked, prepare carrots. Peel them all, then cut half into large coins. Microwave cut carrots in vermouth and 1 cup water until tender; puree. Grate remaining carrots and reserve. 

Saute onion and grated carrot in olive oil in a skillet until onion is translucent. Add garlic, paprika, and fennel seeds and cook one minute more.

Stir pureed carrots and onion mixture into lentils. Add salt and red pepper flakes to taste. Cook on high for 15 minutes, then add lemon juice just prior to serving.

 

40 Meatless Meals: Provençal Seafood Stew (Weeknight Bourride)

 Reading through the second volume of Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking, I was intrigued by her recipe for bourride, a Provencal fish soup enriched with aioli, with the bouillon and fish served separately. I have learned so much from Julia Child, but my inner frugal soul can't bring myself to use cups of vegetables only to flavor a broth or marinading a roast in a bottle of wine when a cup or two will suffice. So I took the ingredients of the bourride, increased and retained the vegetables, and served it as a stew. With the fish stock prepared ahead of time, this dish can come together quickly on a weeknight. Serves 6-8.

 

Seafood options are limited here in the wilderness, and the firm white fish Julia recommends are non existent. I opted to bolster the softer catfish with a bag of mixed seafood. 

An herby olive bread just crying out for aioli

It might have been a weeknight, but I pulled out the soup tureen.

  
Soup

3 T olive oil
2 cups each: thinly sliced onions, carrots, leeks
1 16 oz can diced tomatoes
2 quarts fish or shrimp stock (can be part clam juice)
2 cups dry white vermouth
1/2 t each: fennel seed, thyme, and minced orange zest
1 T turmeric

3-4 lbs firm white fish, cubed or other seafood

Heat olive oil in a Dutch oven or soup pot. Sautee onions, carrots, and leeks until tender. Stir in tomatoes and their juice, fish stock, vermouth, and spices; bring to a simmer. Prepare aioli (recipe below).  Bring soup to a boil and add fish/seafood. When fish is cooked through, whisk in half of the aioli. Serve immediately with remaining aioli with bread.

Aioli
3/4 cup prepared or homemade mayonnaise
4 egg yolks
6 garlic cloves, minced
Blend all ingredients together until smooth.

40 Meatless Meals: Cream of Fennel Soup

 

Fennel lovers, this soup is for you. Inspired by Twelve Months of Monastery Soup, this frugal and nourishing soup uses all parts of the vegetable. Serves 6.

2 T butter

1 leek (white and light green parts), chopped

1 lb Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and chopped

1 lb parsnips or carrots, peeled and chopped

2 fennels: bulbs chopped, stalks finely chopped, greens finely chopped and reserved

1/4 cup flour

10 cups vegetable stock

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 t fennel seeds

1/8 t red pepper flakes

Juice of one lemon

salt and pepper to taste

Melt butter in large Dutch oven or soup pot. Sautee leek, potatoes, parsnips, fennel bulbs and stalks. When vegetables are all dente, work in flour to form a roux and cook until golden brown. Whisk in vegetable stock, then add garlic, fennel seeds, red pepper flakes, and lemon juice and simmer over medium heat, stirring constantly until no lumps of flour remain.  When vegetables are tender, about 30 minutes, blend soup in batches until smooth, then return soup to a simmer. Stir in fennel greens and cook until they are wilted in the hot soup. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Soup books for a winter's day

We've had a mild fall and winter so far, but a warm bowl of soup has still been appreciated, especially on days when it was just warm enough to turn off the furnace. Here are a few soup books that I have found inspirational:

Twelve Months of Monastery Soups
by Brother Victor-Antoine d'Avila Latourette

As a young wife, I learned so much about frugality from this book, especially about making stock, so I now give this book as wedding shower present. Each month's chapter features seasonal produce. When I have a certain vegetable that I need to use up, I often find myself flipping to the index to locate one of the many recipes for each vegetable. The recipes are simple, and sometimes could benefit from some Maillard reaction and a heavier hand with seasoning. I often end up sauteing the base vegetables before adding the liquid. Almost all recipes are meatless. Also of interest is the Catholic origin of soup kitchens included in the introduction.





Zuppe by Mona Talbott

This compilation of recipes from the American Academy in Rome is organized by season. The recipes excel in drawing maximum flavor from easily available vegetables and pantry staples. I was initially daunted by the amount of time needed to prepare some of these recipes until I realized that I could start the legumes simmering in the slow cooker and add the remaining sauteed ingredients closer to meal time (a few of these will be shared on Lenten Fridays). Most recipes are meatless and freeze well.

Soup: A Way of Life by Barbara Kafka

I thoroughly enjoyed the narrative of this book, although I found the recipes were either well known or called for ingredients not available in my small town.

The Joy of Cooking by Irma Rombauer

My well loved copy of The Joy of Cooking (1981 edition) was a gift from Margaret Mary. While some of the soup recipes are of the "dump three cans together" variety, the book also includes soup recipes that have either fallen out of the collective memory or may not be popular in your region, such as Manhattan Clam Chowder.





All books were either purchased myself or checked out from the public library.

40 Meatless Meals: Pumpkin Chestnut Soup

A few years ago, my extended family added a soup course to Thanksgiving dinner; they are often pumpkin based. Admittedly, I tested this soup (whose flavor profile was inspired by Twelve Months of Monastery Soups) in the fall, when chestnuts were plentiful. But after going through all the effort of roasting and shelling chestnuts, I think you can get a close approximation with almonds or almond butter. This creamy soup pairs well with crusty bread or a grilled cheese sandwich.

Serves 4-6.

2 T butter

1 T olive oil

2 onions, chopped

2 potatoes, peeled and chopped

2 carrots, sliced

2 garlic cloves

1 16 oz can pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling)

10 cups stock

1 lb chestnuts, roasted and shelled OR 1/2 cup blanched almonds, toasted OR 1/2 cup almond butter

1 t each: sage, parsley

1 t cider vinegar

Salt and pepper to taste

Heat butter and oil in a Dutch oven. Sauté onions, potatoes, and carrots until onions are tender. Add garlic and pumpkin and continue to cook for one minute before adding stock. Simmer until vegetables are tender, about 30 minutes, then add chestnuts or their substitute, herbs, and vinegar. Purée in batches until completely smooth. Reheat gently and season to taste with salt and pepper. 

Today at the thrift store

A few weeks worth of finds here...

Week 1, for $3.57 total

Lady's Lands End down vest, like new ($1)

Children's shirts (8 at .25)

1 magazine and 1 book (2@.10)

Our parish thrift store doesn't really display clothes by seasons - aside from very explicitly Halloween or Christmas apparel, all seasons are available at any time of year. I am starting to look ahead to summer wardrobes for my boys. My younger son is in good shape with a lot of hand me downs; most of the shirts pictured are for his older brother. I am finding it increasingly hard to find thrift store bottoms for the latter (size 5 or 6) but hopefully one day soon my luck will change. I was really excited about the vest- I have been wanting one for a while, and it has been just the thing to keep me warm in our Victorian house.

  

 Week 2, for .79 total

Children's flannel and sweater (2@.25)

10 vintage all in one note cards (.10)

1 magazine (.10)

Still no luck in the separates department, but a much needed flannel shirt for "Cowboy Day" during Catholic Schools Week.

Easy, economical valentines

 

I am so grateful that our parish school held the Valentine's Day parties before Lent, but that meant we spent last week making these cards. Inspired by a recent magazine feature, my four year old son and I made these valentines for his classmates (and about half of our small town). 

We split the project over a couple afternoons. On the first day, I drew designs onto unlined 3x5 index cards with a white crayon and he used last year's school paintbox to watercolor over the design. After they had a chance to dry overnight, I helped him with the text, and we taped on an Andes mint (possibly the least expensive individually wrapped chocolate). The whole project was basically sunk cost, aside from the candy. And since index cards come in such large packs, we were able to make cards not only for his classmates, but our neighbors and other people who feature largely in his life... like the butcher.