A Little Soup-Stop to Fuel the Journey…

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

Since my foot is still out of action,  I’m treating you (in a virtual sense) to lunch in a place that I  found last summer whilst out on one of my walking tours.

My journal notes tell me that I had a mundane list of shopping to do that day and that one of the  items needed picking up from near here.

I happen to know that there are some very nice buildings in the area that I have been meaning to photograph so my pocket camera went into my jacket and I decided to take a small random walk along some streets I hadn’t been down in for ages.

Time ticked away and I got hungry and thirsty, but it was early afternoon already.

I wanted more than just a bottle of water on the run and less than a meal… so when I spied this small café on the Koningin Emmakade, I stopped to see what was on offer. I enter via the small garden entrance on the Weimarstraat, and take a table in the sunshine.

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

An item under “soups” caught my eye.

“pittig  zoete aardappel soep” (spicy sweet potato soup)  it said,  for Euro 5,50…  sounds interesting, … sold to the Kiwidutch.

I ordered.

This probably can’t really be considered a “real”  Café review because one bowl of soup may or may not maketh enough information to base a judgment on, but I can tell you that I enjoyed the soup enough to resolve to go back for a  more substantial lunch in the future.

The brown full grain bread served with it was tasty and the service was fine too.

I’ll be keeping this place in mind for future reference.

I finished my lunch and sufficiently refueled, set out to continue  my walking tour.

EetCafe De Klap

Koningin Emmakade 118-A
2518 JJ Den Haag
Tel: 070 3454060

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

Spicy Parsnip and Carrot Soup… Easy Step-by-Step WONDERFUL!

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

In a follow-up to yesterday’s post,  where I made Kung Pao Chicken for our lunch meeting guests, I also had a soup that preceded the main course.
This soup has become a staple winter favourite in our house for the last three years, and is a favourite not least because it has been part of my adventures with parsnip  http://kiwidutch.wordpress.com/2011/01/07/new-227/.

This is also THE soup that prompted “I-think-I-have-always-hated-soup“  Himself to rethink his views.

As a member of the ex-Recipezaar website (now known as Food.Com) I found this recipe posted by member “Patchwork-Dragon”    http://www.food.com/recipe/spicy-parsnip-and-carrot-soup-203270 and it has been a feature at family buffet meals, entertaining  with friends as well as being a winter treat on our dinner table.

If you make this recipe, I’m sure she would be delighted if you could please be so kind as to leave her a review.

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

Over the years I have to confess to making a few personal changes: here are my notes:

- I have substituted red (or green) curry paste for the curry powder and we all prefer the deeper, more subtle complex flavours that it brings to the recipe.Add it carefully, starting with a small teaspoon and you will find a wonderful tangy (but not too fiery) heat in the aftertaste… fear not ! even fussy guests have come back for seconds. Experiment a little and increase to add more heat if you prefer. Personally we like spicy so use a heaped teaspoon of  curry paste.

- using curry powder instead of curry paste gives quite a different flavour… also, I found that adding it when cooking the veggies or at the end also changes the flavour.  I now prefer to use curry paste and to add it only at the blender stage, after the vegetables are totally cooked. The flavours stay more “pure” we think.

- I have added several peeled and diced potatoes to the recipe as they are a natural thickener and  we love this soup thick!

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

- After running out of milk on time,  I now skip the milk in the recipe as we found we liked it better without.

- I add plenty of freshly ground pepper, some whole bayleaf, but no salt. (Shhhhh ….No-one I’ve served it to knows this and nobody has missed it yet!)

- Cooking the vegetables in the olive oil before adding any other liquid gives amazing flavour.. skipping this step does make a difference to the result! ( I sometimes add a tablespoon of butter to the olive oil for a little extra yum factor)

I have given the recipe per the original and added my extras as “optional”

Ingredients:
1 onion
450g parsnips (1 lb)
225g carrots  (1/2 lb)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon curry powder
350 ml vegetable stock
300 ml skim milk
salt and pepper

1 small teaspoon Green (or Red) curry paste (or to taste)  (optional)

3 potatoes, peeled and diced ( cook with carrot and parsnip) (optional)

2 bayleaf ( cook with vegetables but remove before blending!) (optional)

Peel and finely chop the onion. Peel and cut parsnips and carrots into evenly sized pieces.
Heat the oil in a saucepan and add the vegetables, coat with oil,and cook for a few minutes until they start to soften. Add the curry powder and cook, stirring, for a minute.
Stir in the stock and milk. Season with salt and pepper.
Bring to the boil then reduce heat to a gentle simmer. Cook for 15-20 minutes until vegetables are soft.
Allow to cool a little, and then puree in a blender or food processor until smooth. If it’s too thick for your liking add more stock.

 

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

This is when I like to add the curry paste…

 

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

It’s the consistancy of mashed potato so I add some water to thin it….

 

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

I took these photos after it came out of the fridge and before heating it in the crock-pot later, so it looks thicker now than it  ended up being when we served it. ( and the very top photo in this post is of an earlier batch, but still the same soup)

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

Reheat gently to serve.

…and Enjoy!

Easy Farmstand Fresh Cream of Tomato Soup

I had some major dental work done a while back and since I couldn’t eat solid food for a while, Hubby bought me some tomato soup at the supermarket. Yes, it tasted good, but I was rather shocked to see just how many preservatives etc there were in it.

I ate the stuff Hubby bought because I had a face swollen up like a football and pain relief/bed were considerably greater priority’s than food, but now that I think about it (and with the next stage in my dental implant treatment pending) I’m looking to something a lot more organic, and less chemically complicated to help me during my next recovery period.
I’d like to share the Recipezaar recipe that earned 5 stars from me when I made it.  I’ve posted  it here with the kind permission of Zaar member ” Muffin Goddess” and the recipe number is Recipe #170483. (Serves 4)

If you make it, I’m sure she would appreciate a review, here’s the link:

http://www.recipezaar.com/Easy-Farmstand-Fresh-Cream-of-Tomato-Soup-170483

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

Ingredients:

2 cups chicken broth
4 cups ripe tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped (approx. 5 large tomatoes)
1/3 cup coarsely chopped sweet onion
1/2 cup coarsely chopped celery (I usually use about 3 large ribs)
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/2-1 cup light cream
1 tablespoon fresh basil or fresh dill, chopped (optional)
salt, to taste
fresh ground pepper, to taste

Directions:

1. Place all ingredients except the cream and basil or dill (if using) in a large saucepan.
2. Simmer for approximately 30 minutes, or until veggies are soft.
3. Using an immersion blender, puree the veggie mixture to your preferred smoothness (I like to have some tomato chunks in it, so I leave it a little chunky. If I accidentally over-puree it, I’ll cheat and add a small can of diced tomatoes)
4. Add light cream (start with 1/2 cup and add more to taste — amount will depend on flavor of the tomatoes). Heat soup gently over low heat.
5. Before serving, stir in fresh herbs (if using), and season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve soup hot or chilled, whichever you prefer (hot is my preference)

If you can use tomatoes on the vine then I highly recommend it because the great taste difference to other tomatoes is immense. In little less than an hour you could have the best tomato soup in the neighbourhood…. or the province!

Easy Farmstand Fresh Cream of Tomato Soup

It’s the time of the year when the weather can be a bit fickle… you still have luscious summer fruit and veggies either in your garden or available in the shops but suddenly one day is warm and the next is cool and the salads that you have been enjoying for weeks somehow don’t quite fit as well into your menu when todays temperature is pullover and trousers and a shock from yesterdays shorts and tee shirt. It’s an ideal time to bring out recipes that bridge this seasonal fickleness well, and which suit the ” in between” weather of temperate climes.

Here is a recipe that I make often, and have posted here with permission of the recipe owner “Muffin Goddess” who says of her recipe “”I don’t usually like cream soups, but this one I love! Recipe from Wilson Farms in Lexington MA. Servings are a guess. “

If you make this recipe I am certain that she would appreciate your review at: http://www.recipezaar.com/Easy-Farmstand-Fresh-Cream-of-Tomato-Soup-170483

Approximately 1 hour cooking time, Serves 4.

Recipezaar recipe# 170483 posted by “Muffin Goddess” (photo © kiwidutch)

2 cups chicken broth

4 cups ripe tomatoes (peeled,seeded and chopped / approx. 5 large tomatoes)

1/3 cup sweet onion (coarsely chopped)

½ cup celery (coarsely chopped / about 3 ribs)

½ teaspoon sugar

½ to 1 cup light cream

1 tablespoon fresh basil ( chopped or, optionally: fresh dill)

salt ( to taste)

fresh ground pepper ( to taste)

1. Place all ingredients except the cream and basil or dill (if using) in a large saucepan. Simmer for approximately 30 minutes, or until veggies are soft.

   Using an immersion blender, puree the veggie mixture to your preferred smoothness (I like to have some tomato chunks in it, so I leave it a little chunky. If I accidentally over-puree it, I’ll cheat and add a small can of diced tomatoes).

Add light cream (start with 1/2 cup and add more to taste — amount will depend on flavor of the tomatoes). Heat soup gently over low heat.

Before serving, stir in fresh herbs (if using), and season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve soup hot or chilled, whichever you prefer (hot is my preference).