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2 delicious fall soups from Julie of By The Recipe

By on October 8, 2013

by Julie of By The Recipe.

Fall is my favourite season. Always has been.

I’m not sure why exactly.

I love the bright colours of the leaves as they change orange, red and yellow.
I love the sound of leaves crunching underfoot.
I love wearing sweaters.
I love getting cozy under a blanket and reading, on a cool day, while having a cup of tea.

I love getting into fall and winter cooking mode.

We eat differently in the fall and winter than we do in the summer. The summer is usually too hot to turn on the oven. We resort to using the BBQ. The summer is often too hot to have much of an appetite, so we eat a lot of salad and fruits and vegetables. Baguettes and cheese. Things that are easy to prepare, and don’t require the stove.

In the fall and winter we eat hearty. Especially in the great white north we eat to survive the cold. Casseroles. Pastas. Roasts. Sauces. Gravies. Soups.

Mmmmmmm…soups.

I love soup probably more than I love the fall. I would eat soup with fresh bread every day if I could. But we settle for usually once a week, as a dinner, served with fresh bread (not baked by me…one day maybe). And usually on the night of the week where we are all being pulled in different directions.

I have dinner soups and I have lunch soups. Dinner soups are hearty and usually include a meat as well as different vegetables. Lunch soups are more simple and usually a cream soup. Dinner soups are made with the picky taste buds of my little girl person. Lunch soups are made for Beloved and myself, and sometimes my little boy person who will eat almost everything.

I’ve yet to make my favourite soup this fall. It will come. Soon. In the meantime, these are both great soups, sure to warm the tummy on a cool fall day.

 

Spicy Sweet Potato Soup

I found this recipe at allrecipes.com. I’m not sure if this is the original or if I’ve modified it of the years.

1/2 Cup sour cream
1 tsp grated lime zest
2 Large sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 Tbsp butter
1 onion, sliced
2 cloves garlic, sliced
4 Cups chicken stock
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
2 Tbsp grated fresh ginger root
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/4 Cup smooth peanut butter
1 lime, juiced
2 Tbsp chopped fresh cilantro
salt to taste
1 Large roma tomato, seeded and diced (plum)

In a small bowl, stir together the sour cream and lime zest. Set aside in the refrigerator to allow the flavors to blend.

Poke the sweet potatoes with a knife and microwave until cooked through.

Meanwhile, melt butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add onion and garlic, and cook for about 5 minutes, until softened.

Add the flesh of the sweet potatoes and chicken stock. Season with cumin, chili flakes and ginger. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer.

Puree the soup using an immersion blender or regular blender. If using a counter top blender, puree in small batches, filling the blender just a bit past half way to avoid spillage.

Whisk peanut butter into the soup, and heat through. Stir in lime juice, and salt.

Ladle into warm bowls, and top with a dollop of the reserved sour cream, a few pieces of diced tomato, and a sprinkle of cilantro.

Curried Carrot Almond Soup

I found this recipe somewhere along the way, on gourmet.com. I’ve had it for a couple of years, but just finally tried it for the first time last week. I made my grocery list by simply looking at the list of ingredients. The recipe calls for almond milk. So I bought almond milk. Even though I’ve never bought it before. Afterwards, looking at the recipe, I realized it calls for almond milk because the recipe is vegan. I think it is possible to use regular milk, or light cream, as a substitute. I don’t think the almond milk adds any special flavour to the recipe. This soup will make it into my soup rotation. I loved it.

1 Small onion, thinly sliced
3 Tbsp olive oil
1 3/4 tsp curry powder
1/4 tsp hot red – pepper flakes
1 Tbsp finely chopped peeled ginger
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 lb carrots, peeled and chopped
4 Cups water *or vegetable broth or chicken broth
2 Cups plain unsweetened almond milk *or 2% milk or light cream
4 cilantro sprigs, leaves and stems reserved separately
1/3 Cup sliced almonds, toasted

Cook onion in oil with 1/2 tsp salt in a 4-qt heavy pot over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until soft, about 10 minutes.

Add curry powder, red-pepper flakes, ginger, and garlic and cook, stirring, until garlic is golden, 1 to 2 minutes.

Add carrots, water, almond milk, cilantro stems, and 1/2 tsp salt and simmer, partially covered, stirring occasionally, until carrots are tender, about 20 minutes.

Blend soup in batches in a blender until smooth (use caution when blending hot liquids). Season with salt. If you use an immersion blender, your soup won’t be as smooth as if you use a blender.

Serve sprinkled with cilantro leaves and toasted almonds.

 

Julie of By The Recipe says this about her food writing:

I’m not sure which came first: my sweet tooth, or my desire to bake.  Before I was a wife and a mother, I was a baker.  I love to bake.

Before kids, I wasn’t much of a cook. After kids, my cooking abilities improved, I guess because I needed to feed my family. Over the years I have come to enjoy cooking, almost as much as baking.  But let’s be honest, the best part of baking and cooking are the accolades of a great mouthful of food. That inspires me.

When I cook, I cook by the recipe. Almost always.

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