Category: Soup

Beef and Barley Soup with Mushrooms by Foodie’s Chef Laura Brennan

We’ve been having long stretches of rainy days in Boston and that just makes me want to eat soup. And this soup reminds me of my childhood when Campbell’s Beef Barley was a pantry staple, along with Tomato and Scotch Broth. Fast forward many decades and the variety and quality of canned soups has exploded…but I need to make my own because I want to believe that engaging in cooking will disperse the doldrums of more rain.

Green Split Pea Ham Soup by Foodie’s Chef Laura Brennan

It’s certainly been cold enough for split-pea soup; I’d never think of making or eating it in the warmer months. This is a straight forward, one-pot soup. I used a smoked ham hock to flavor the broth and added diced ham to the nearly finished soup. And big chunks of crusty, toasted and buttered bread would be great to serve with this soup.

VINDALOO STEW by Foodie’s Chef Laura Brennan

This is a chunky and aromatic fish (salmon) stew that’s part Indian flavors (vindaloo curry spice mix**) and part Thai flavors (coconut milk, lime and ginger). There is some work in the preparation of the ingredients, but the result is well worth the effort. It’s fragrant, unctuous and very satisfying. **Morton & Basse- Vindaloo Spice Mix contains coriander, turmeric, paprika, cumin, pepper, mustard seed, ginger, cardamom and cayenne.

Bright & Spring-y Shrimp Soup by Foodie’s Chef Laura Brennan

This is a light and delicious and relatively(!) quick soup. Be sure to purchase shrimp in their shells, as you will use the shells to make a shrimp broth. While the broth is simmering the rest of the time will be efficiently used in assembling the rest of the soup ingredients.

Toasted Barley, Cabbage and Curried Ginger Soup by Foodie’s Chef Laura Brennan

I hope you are not a ‘cabbage hater’ and have skipped right over this recipe.....I fear many will! But the cabbage in this recipe is rendered sweet by long, slow cooking and gives this soup a ‘stew-like’ texture. Cabbage and curry blend together harmoniously and with the carrots and toasted barley, it’s a perfect winter soup. And adding shredded leftover rotisserie chicken will change the dish to something substantial for your dinner table...Serve with hunks of fresh baguette and some Camembert or Brie cheese.

Beef Barley Soup by Foodie’s Chef Laura Brennan

As soon as I start closing the windows, but before the heat goes on, I think of soup. Not the aromatic fish chowders of summer, nor the elegant cream soups of the fast-approaching holiday season. No, for me it’s the chunky, hearty Campbells soups of mychildhood.... except now I know that they taste so much better when I make them myself.

Creamy Vegan Cauliflower Soup with Almond Milk & Toasted Almond Harissa Drizzle by Foodie’s Chef Laura Brennan

Yes, I know...cauliflower. And you are tempted to scroll right on by. But I hope you don’t. At the very least, ‘hear me out: When cauliflower is slow-cooked for a lengthy period of time it becomes sweet and tender and loses the cruciferous vegetable odor that most find off-putting. Its new long-cooked ‘scent’ is earthy and inviting. I promise! This is a vegan soup, made with unsweetened almond milk and water. And for a bit of zing, a topping of parsley, toasted almonds, honey, and harissa paste is drizzled on top. Think of this ‘drizzle’ as a ‘winter pesto’, earthy & spicy, but NOT all ground together to a paste.

Roasted Cauliflower, Cumin & Coconut Milk Soup by Foodie’s Chef Laura Brennan

I taught classic French cuisine at the famed and now defunct Cordon Bleu Cooking School.  In our curriculum was the classic ‘Madame du Barry’ Cauliflower Soup. Her special relationship with Louis XV accorded her sufficient status to have a dish named after her.

The classic cauliflower soup involves several French cooking techniques, ample prep time and generous amounts of butter and cream.   The result is a pure white, rich, creamy and delicious soup.

My version is centuries more modern.  It’s vegan, gluten-free, has fewer ingredients and derives its depth of flavor from pre-roasting & caramelizing the cauliflower and the addition of the earthy spices:  cumin & coriander.  Coconut milk adds dairy-free richness.

And best of all, it’s quick cooking (comparatively)!

Smoked Salmon, Corn & Potato Chowder by Foodie’s Chef Laura Brennan

I enjoy salmon in all its preparations:  grilled, poached, smoked, roasted & pan-seared. 

I especially like smoked salmon in a chowder with corn, peas and potatoes—a classic combination.

Here, I offer a lightened version: I have omitted the bacon and eschewed heavy cream for a combination of half-and-half, chicken stock and water.  A couple of tablespoons of flour along with the starch from the potatoes, binds the soup just enough to keep it from separating.  I have also employed a ‘chef’s technique’ of pre-cooking the diced potatoes and then adding them to the chowder at a later stage of cooking.  Pre-cooking the potatoes gives you more control over the ultimate thickness of the chowder and ensures the potatoes keep their shape and texture.

GAZPACHO The Classic Chilled Tomato & Vegetable Soup from Spain By Foodie’s Chef Laura Brennan

This is the answer to the ‘Dog Days of Summer’ dinner-dilemma. This soup can be made in 45 minutes or less and you may reap some leftovers for lunch. Add grilled shrimp or scallops for an easy protein upgrade.

The ingredients are raw, so be sure your vegetables are in primo condition.
Choose an olive oil that has a smooth, mild finish; a harsh or bitter olive oil will provide a jarring note in your finished soup.
All the vegetables are cut into pieces and blended together until smooth. Soaked bread is traditionally added; it provides a bit of body and creaminess. (and it’s fine to omit for a gluten-free version.)
Sherry vinegar is traditional; as it’s a vinegar from Spain. And it’s fine to substitute red wine vinegar.
Finally, a small amount of each vegetable is held back from blending and is finely-diced and added back to the finished soup. The diced vegetables provide a pleasing texture-crunch at the end.