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.