December 18th: Tuscan White Bean with Rosemary and Sausage

This is one of those soups that took a couple of tries to develop the recipe. When I first made it last fall, I didn't puree the beans, and while the flavors of olive oil, garlic and sage were classically Tuscan, it still seemed to be lacking something.

The next time I did a partial puree, keeping a lot of chunky beans and switching out the traditional sage for rosemary. Better, but still not the meal-in-a-bowl I was looking for. Finally I added some pork sausage and I felt like I had it. Today's soup is a smooth puree.

It's great drizzled with a little extra-virgin olive oil and maybe a little garlic bread or Caesar salad on the side.

Again, many, many thanks to you all for your support. May you have a blessed holiday and a very happy, prosperous 2008.

December 11th: Pasta Fagioli

This soup was another sellout. Unfortunately I didn't get to take a picture of it, so you'll all have to fix it in your own minds!

Pasta Fagioli is a great peasant soup, with chunks of tomato and creamy cannelini beans. Dress it with good-quality olive oil and lots of Parmesan cheese. The quarts are less full than normal because I am providing you with the pre-cooked pasta on the side. If I put it in the soup it just falls apart. So heat the soup however you normally do and stir in the pasta right before you serve it.

Next week is the last soup for 2007. It will be Tuscan White Bean with Rosemary & Sausage (sausage omitted by request).

December 4th: Yellow Split Pea with Turkey

I think this is such a pretty soup, and the flavor is so very different with the yellow peas. Try serving it with a squeeze of fresh lemon juice!

The roasted turkey in the soup is all white meat (I simmered the rest of the birds to make the stock).

Pea soup also has a tendency to set up, so absolutely thin it with some chicken broth if you need to.

The remainder of soups for the month are:

December 11th: Pasta Fagioli! Get your orders in quickly as this is a big seller. First come, first served.

December 18th: Something with sausage; either Lentil & Sausage or Tuscan White Bean with Sausage & Rosemary. If people are clamoring for one over the other, let me know and I'll take that into consideration! The sausage can be omitted by request.

November 27th: Potato Leek

About the soup:

The soup is made with leeks and a little onion, sauteed in a bit of olive oil. Then the mixture is simmered with potatoes and organic chicken broth, and pureed. This week's Potato Leek soup is slightly different than previous batches. I used to do it with a little milk, but I did not today, and I think it's actually much better.

This is also the first pureed soup using my new blender (!) and I think you will all be as pleased with the silky consistency as I am.

Potato soups do have a tendency to thicken upon standing, so if yours seems a little thick, thin it with some chicken broth or water. If you have any serving suggestions, please post them below.

Next week will be Yellow Split Pea with Turkey.

November 13th: Black Bean & Ham

The Black Bean soup is perfect topped with (you guessed it!) a dollop of sour cream and a bit of fresh cilantro. You can also serve it over white rice.

Next week, no soup!

November 27th will be Yellow Split Pea with Turkey. Orders are due no later than WEDNESDAY NOVEMBER 14th please.

Some interesting facts:

This season to date (10 weeks) I have made 230 quarts of soup. Wow.

In terms of popularity, the Roasted Vegetable sold 28 quarts, earning it a first place ranking.

After that, there's the Pumpkin Black Bean with 24 quarts, Cowboy Beef Stew (23) then Cheddar Corn Chowder and Turkey Wild Rice (both 22).

I have done many, if not most, of the soups in the repertoire, and you can expect to see repeating in January. If you have requests, they are always welcome.

November 6th: Roasted Root Vegetable

The name is descriptive, but unfortunately not very glamorous! This soup is organic butternut & white acorn squash, white & sweet potato, pumpkin, parsnip, shallots and carrots, slowly oven-roasted with a touch of brown sugar to bring out the natural sweetness in the veggies. After roasting, the ingredients are pureed with chicken broth and a little low-fat milk.

I added some nutmeg as Kim had suggested as well ground black pepper and sea salt. The shallots were roasted with a touch of balsamic vinegar. The butternut squash are especially sweet now, so if you want to add a little acid, a touch more balsamic would be a nice complement. You could also add some garlic croutons for a finishing touch.

Here's the rest of the month:
November 13th will be Black Bean & Ham (meatless by request) order by 11/7, please.
November 20th: NO SOUP
November 27th: Potato Leek (orders due by 11/14)

October 30th: Beef & Bean Chili

Oh, it's perfect weather for chili!

I like my chili on the spicy side, topped with a little shredded cheddar cheese. If you find it a little too hot for your taste, you can do one of the following:

• Add a dollop of sour cream (I seem to make this suggestion a lot!) or plain yogurt.


• Add an 8 ounce can of plain tomato sauce to the pot when you heat it up and let it simmer 5-10 minutes.


• I know in some places they eat chili over white rice. This would also mellow the flavor.

If you have tips or suggestions of your own, feel free to post them at the comment link below.

My favorite side to go with the chili is cornbread (some of you will remember the early days when I was able to bake it for you!) but I have been known to eat chili using tortilla chips instead of a spoon.

Next week will be Roasted Root Vegetable. It's winter squash, white & sweet potato, pumpkin, parsnip and carrots, slowly oven-roasted and then pureed with chicken broth (vegetarian is available upon request) and a little low-fat milk. Orders are due by 10/31.

October 23rd: Creamy Turkey & Wild Rice

As the weather turns fall-like once again, the creamy richness and nutty rice of this soup seem to warm the soul.

But despite the rich mouthfeel, this soup is surprisingly good for you. The creaminess is the result of a flour-thickened homemade broth and the turkey is roasted breast meat.

There's not a thing I can suggest you do to this soup, except maybe get a nice crusty bread to accompany it and wipe the bowl with!

Next week will be Beef & Bean Chili. After that, probably Roasted Root Vegetable.

October 16th: Beef Stew "Cowboy" Style

I've been at home at the range (sorry!) to bring you this latest recipe.

It's kind of a cross between a classic beef vegetable stew and a beef bourguignon. Big chunks of meat, veggies and potatoes, reduced with red wine... The inspiration recipe appears at left, again courtesy of Food Network.

As you can see, it's not quite thick enough to eat with a knife and fork. But close. The original recipe included okra, which I omitted. Add it back if you like. Or try it with mushrooms, if you have some.

Next week (10/23) will be Creamy Turkey with Wild Rice. Followed by Beef and Bean Chili. I'm willing to do some of the chili without meat, so if you're interested, please let me know as soon as possible. As usual, orders are due no later than the preceding Wednesday.

October 9th: Split Pea with Ham

This is NOT your grandmother's split pea soup!

Peas, celery, onions, carrots and ham make this a hearty meal. A slow-simmered ham bone makes a rich, flavorful broth. Balsamic vinegar adds a touch of acid and lightens the soup, adding a fresh flavor.

The soup does thicken upon standing, but you can thin it with a little water or broth. It also freezes well.

The soup for October 16th will be Hearty Beef Stew, cowboy style. Orders are due by 10/10 please.

October 2nd: Pumpkin & Black Bean

Julie alerted me to the recipe for this soup on Food Network. She and the boys were kind enough to test it (along with the PNS teachers) and everyone pronounced it a winner.

You can get the original recipe in the sidebar at left. The important modifications I made were increasing the amount of broth, doubling the beans and switching heavy cream for a much lesser quantity of half-and-half. The pumpkin is rich and creamy enough on its own!

If you find the spicing a little too much, a dollop of light sour cream does wonders!

The soup for October 9th will be Split Pean with Ham. Orders are due by 10/3!

September 25th: Classic Minestrone

The September 25th soup is Minestrone. It's both vegetarian and gluten-free. A selection of fresh vegetables is combined with cannelini beans and simmered in a broth redolent with the heady aroma from Parmesan rinds.

It's already a satisfying, healthy meal. But you can always add your choice of cooked pasta and extra Parmesan. My favorite addition, as you can see above, is hunks of day-old baguette, and a dollop of pesto on the top.

The soup for October 2nd will be Pumpkin & Black Bean. See the sidebar for the recipe. Note that I have made modifications to make it much lighter than recommended, so it's good for you too!

September 18th Soup: Cheddar Corn Chowder

SOLD OUT!!!!!

Ah, Cheddar Corn Chowder when the corn is fresh-picked and cooked at the height of sweetness!

It's a meal within itself; fresh local corn, with the flavors of bacon, baby potatoes and freshly shredded cheddar cheese. It might not be the best for you, but it sure does taste good!

The corn today is just gorgeous! I just love that it was in the field in the morning and in the pot before lunchtime!

Please feel free to add your comments by clicking the link below, and don't forget to rate the soup in the upper left of this page.

The soup for September 25th will be Minestrone.

September 11th Soup: Gumbo

The first soup of the season will be available for delivery on Tuesday, September 11.

The soup will be Gumbo with Chicken, Shrimp, Sausage & Okra.

Gumbo is traditionally served with a scoop of white rice on top. The seasoning is designed to account for this, so do try it if you can. I love the Success "boil-in-bag" rices for just these occasions. I think that the Gumbo has great Creole flavor, but it really isn't very spicy. You can always add more cayenne or black pepper if you like it hot

Feel free to post your comments here!

9/17/07-- Survey results: 2 voters rated this soup Excellent.

Soup Listing from the 2006-2007 Season

Last season's soups included the following. I'll post some statistics another day.

Black Bean
Carrot Ginger
Cheddar Corn Chowder
Chicken Noodle
Chicken Pot Pie Soup
Chicken Tortilla
Chili
Cream of Asparagus
Cream of Tomato
Gazpacho
Gumbo w/ Chicken, Sausage, Shrimp & Okra
Lentil & Sausage
Minestrone
Mushroom Barley
Pasta Fagioli
Potato Leek
Roasted Winter Vegetable
Snap Pea, Fennel & Garlic
Split Pea & Ham
Tomato & Roasted Garlic
Tomato, Orzo & White Bean
Turkey & Wild Rice
Tuscan White Bean
White Bean w/ Rosemary & Sausage

No bags for you!

Just a note to tell you that my supplier is out of the bags that I deliver the soup in. I'll have them for the Corn Chowder, but not next week for the Gumbo.

Soup 2007-2008: Policies & Procedures

Much to my disappointment, my ingredient costs have not stopped increasing. Due to this, the soup prices will increase to $8 for one quart. Two quarts or more will be priced at $7 per quart. So for those of you who have been on a 4-week payment schedule who order 2 quarts per week, the amount will be $56. Please let me know if you are interested in "subscribing" monthly.

Additionally, since I am running so close to my 25 quart capacity, orders will be filled in this manner:

First orders will be filled for those people who pay monthly.

After that orders will be filled in response to my emails on a first-come-first served basis. The deadline for guaranteed soup will be the Wednesday before, rather than the Saturday (e.g. 9/5 for the soup of 9/11) This allows me to shop and plan and find the freshest, best-priced ingredients. If there are extra quarts available for purchase I will email on Monday night.