Here is part 2 of Chef Laura’s Italian Rosh Hashanah menu. Find part one - an apple cake with apple cider honey zabaglione - here. Yes, yes, we’re featuring two soup recipes in a row on The Jew & The Carrot - but what is fall without an abundance of warm, creamy soups?!
Autumn in Tuscany looks a lot like the neighborhood pumpkin patch I remember visiting when I was a kid - with pumpkins of all shapes, sizes and colors piled high. This versatile vegetable stores well for winter, is easily canned and is frequently featured in savory dishes. And this luxuriously textured soup is a perfect example of cucina povera, which is the practice of using what is readily available and seasonal.
Btai Avon!
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This morning, Google let me know that it was fall - with the second “g” and “l” in Google turned into gracefully falling red leaves. I felt a bit stunned, and a bit embarrassed that I had to rely on the computer to remind me of the changing season. Then again, unlike spring which teases and flirts for weeks before settling into place, fall has a way of sneaking up and surprising me - in the sudden smell of crisp leaves and crackling fires in the air, and in the way the high holidays suddenly appear on the calendar even though I already knew they were coming.
Sometimes this suddenness feels unsettling - as if I am Philippe Petit tiptoeing across a tight rope when suddenly the wind picks up. But because of this sudden energy, fall also has a way of sweeping me off my feet in a more metaphorical (and significantly more pleasant) way. There’s a certain rapture that rushes in, clearing the stagnant summer air and demanding that I pay attention and enjoy. I think I actually tend to feel most alive during the early weeks of fall. Knowing that winter is slowly lumbering near, I get all the more energized to actively soak up the last rays of warm sunshine, eat the last red tomatoes, and enjoy the last few days of sandal weather before I shroud my feet, once again, in socks and shoes.
I also feel a renewed urge to cook! And with a whole new palate of flavors to choose from at the farmers’ market, how can I resist? Below, find a recipe for Delicata Squash Soup with Apple Croutons - the perfect celebration of fall, and a lovely alternative to Rosh Hashanah chicken soup. Read more »
Thanks to Aaron Kagan for this guest post. Aaron maintains the blog Tea and Food.
Last January I interviewed my first cousin once-removed about his experience surviving the Holocaust as a child in a Siberian labor camp. At one point he mentioned a “sour leaf” that his family used to make a soup called schav. Soon after, while visiting the Culinary Institute of America in Sonoma, I surreptitiously pinched a leaf of French sorrel from the herb garden, feeling strangely drawn to that particular plant above the others.
The moment it hit my tongue, the sharp tang of the oxalic acid triggered some vast, dormant cultural memory which I could not yet place. Still, I felt transformed by it. It wasn’t until months later, while researching an article for the Forward, that I discovered the connection in schav, the cold, Russian soup with many variations but one common theme: sorrel. It was then that the words of my cousin came floating back into my mind. I now knew what that sour leaf was, and I knew that I had to use it to make some schav.
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I am a little embarrassed to admit that The Jew & The Carrot went the entire summer last year without sharing a recipe for gazpacho. Of course gazpacho - a cold soup which has its roots in Southern Spain - does not obviously belong in the “Jewish food” category. Still, as Tamar rightly pointed out, when summer rolls around, the last thing you want is a pot of cholent steaming up the kitchen. Or at least, as someone who lives sans air conditioning, I don’t want no stinking pot of cholent.
In these moments of mid-summer heat, Gazpacho boldly comes to the rescue, offering a flavor-packed soup without the shvitzing. It also begs you to head to the farmers’ market (or your backyard) and buy the ripest heirloom tomatoes (like the ones I found above) and crispest bell peppers and cucumbers possible.
Shame on us for neglecting to share the wonders of summer gazpacho with you last year - we hope you accept the recipe below along with our deepest and most sincere apologies.
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Thanks to Rhea Kennedy for this post. Rhea blogs over at You Are Delicious.
As a kid growing up in New York’s Hudson Valley, I learned a lot about the Iroquois, the group of Native American tribes indigenous to that area. I loved to hear about the stories, beliefs, language, and everyday practices that made up the traditional Iroquois way of life. But what fascinated me the most was, not surprisingly, their food. “They used every part of the animal,” I remember an elementary school teacher explaining to my class. “The meat, the hide or the feathers, the bones—everything!”
Now that I think of it, this was probably my first lesson in sustainable eating. And I was mesmerized. Those traditional Iroquois, as far as I was concerned, were the coolest thing ever.
More and recipes, below the jump…
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Cantaloupe-Jalapeno Gazpacho
This is an easy soup course or palate-cleanser. The flecks of green against the orange make for a lovely presentation.
1 medium cantaloupe, seeded, rind removed, and cut into chunks
1 cup seltzer
1 Tbs. lemon juice
1-2 jalapenos, seeded and finely diced (you may want to wear a plastic bag or latex glove over the hand that will come in contact with the pepper)
In a blender or food processor, combine cantaloupe, seltzer, and lemon juice. Puree, then transfer to serving bowl or individual bowls. Sprinkle with the diced jalapeno.
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Creamy Mushroom Soup with Walnut Bread Croutons
Serves 4
This soup isn’t overly rich and is hearty enough for a main course, with a salad or a green vegetable. To cut the time, use a food processor to slice the mushrooms.
INGREDIENTS:
1/2 ounce dried wild mushrooms
1/2 of a 1-pound loaf of walnut bread, such as from Acme Bread, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 tablespoon olive oil + more for croutons
Salt to taste
2 tablespoons butter
1 onion, thinly sliced
1 1/2 pounds cremini mushrooms, or a mix of cremini and wild mushrooms, trimmed and thinly sliced
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup low-sodium beef, chicken or vegetable broth, plus more as needed
2 cups milk
Pepper to taste
INSTRUCTIONS:
Preheat the oven to 350°.
Place the dried mushrooms in a small bowl. Pour 2 cups boiling water over the top and allow to soak.
Place the walnut bread in a medium bowl. Toss with a drizzle of olive oil and some salt, then spread out on a baking sheet. Bake until crisp and toasty, about 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil and 2 tablespoons butter in a Dutch oven. Add the onion and saute on medium heat until wilted. Add the fresh mushrooms and some salt to taste and saute until the liquid is released, stirring constantly, about 3 minutes. Add the flour and stir until well distributed and slightly cooked, 1-2 minutes.
Squeeze the dried mushrooms to release all of their liquid, then pour the liquid into the soup with the broth and milk. Bring to a simmer, whisking constantly, then simmer for 10 minutes, whisking often. Meanwhile, roughly chop the dried mushrooms and add to the soup. If the soup gets too thick, add more broth.
Process with a handheld blender or food processor until pureed but still a little chunky. Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve immediately with croutons.
Per serving: 410 calories, 20 g protein, 50 g carbohydrate, 14 g fat (6 g saturated), 25 mg cholesterol, 478 mg sodium, 6 g fiber.
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Creamy Root Vegetable Soup with Honey-Crisped Walnuts
Serves 4 to 6
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 pound onions, roughly chopped (about 4 cups)
4 to 6 peeled garlic cloves
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh ginger
Sea salt or kosher salt
2 pounds assorted winter root vegetables, such as rutabaga, carrot, parsnip, turnip, celery root, and sunchokes, peeled and roughly chopped (about 8 cups)
2 teaspoons fennel seeds, lightly toasted and finely ground
1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric
6 cups water or vegetable stock
1 cup heavy cream or half and half ( from a grass fed cow please)
Freshly ground black pepper
Chopped fresh parsley, for serving
Honey-Crisped Walnuts, for serving
1. Heat the oil and butter in a heavy, 4 to 5 quart saucepan over medium heat. Add the onions, garlic, ginger, and 1 teaspoon salt and stir well. Cover the pan and simmer over medium-low heat until the garlic and onions are soft and juicy, 15 to 20 minutes.
2. Add the root vegetables, ground fennel, and turmeric. Raise the heat to medium-high and cook, stirring, for 2 to 3 minutes. Pour in the stock or water and bring to a boil.
3. Reduce the heat to low and simmer until the vegetables are completely tender and crush easily against the side of the pan, 30 to 40 minutes. Add the cream and simmer 3 to 4 minutes. Using an immersion blender (or working carefully in batches in a food processor or stand blender), purée the soup until smooth, then season with black pepper and additional salt, as desired.
4. Serve hot, garnished with chopped parsley, and honey-crisped walnuts.
Honey-Crisped Walnuts
Sweet, crunchy roasted walnuts are the perfect accompaniment to everything from breakfast yogurt to salads, cheese platters, and creamy root vegetable soups.
Makes about 1 cup
1 teaspoon unsalted butter
1 cup walnut halves and pieces
3 tablespoons honey
Fine sea salt
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Rub a small baking dish or pie plate with the butter. Add the walnuts and drizzle evenly with the honey. Roast, stirring every 5 minutes, until golden brown, 13 to 14 minutes.
3. Scrape the walnuts onto a plate, season lightly with salt, and let cool. The walnuts will keep in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 3 months.
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Mushroom Soup with Chives
This recipe is adapted from the NYTimes Jewish Cookbook, which adapted it from Design Cuisine.
2 1/2 pounds fresh mushrooms (caps & stems)
(I used porcini, shitake, button and portobello, but you could use a nice combination of almost anything.)
5 tablespoons olive oil (but really, who measures olive oil?)
2 garlic gloves, crushed
3 large shallots, finely chopped
2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley leaves
1 quart vegetable broth (water will do, but it won’t be as tasty)
1 cup firmly packed pureed cooked white potato
Salt to taste
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
1. Rinse mushrooms quickly and drain immediately. Dry and finely chop in food processor, leaving a couple of mushrooms sliced. With hot oil in large sautee pan, sautee the mushrooms, in batches a single layer deep. When all the mushrooms are cooked, including the sliced ones, return them to the pan, add garlic and shallots and satuee for two minutes longer.
2. In a separate pot, bring the broth to a simmer, Add the pureed potato and stir. Add the mushrooms and slices and any juices to the broth; add the parsley and season with salt and pepper. Allow to steep for a few minutes and serve!
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Fava Bean Soup
2 or 3 pounds fava beans
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
3 leeks*
2 or 3 stalks green garlic*
2 cups vegetable broth
1 lemon
Salt and pepper
Boil some water. While waiting for water to boil, remove fava beans from their pods. When water is boiling, add favas for three minutes. Strain, and run cold water over them. Put each bean between your fingers and squeeze gently, to remove fava from its shell.
Chop dark green tops off leeks. Chop off the bottom, cut lengthwise, and wash carefully to get rid of any dirt. Chop remaining light green and white parts into slices about half inch thick.
Chop the bottom off the green garlic, as well as the darkest green part. Finely chop the rest.
Coat bottom of a medium-sized saucepan with olive oil. When hot, add green garlic and leeks. Add a good shake of sea salt. Saute about 10 minutes, until soft and fragrant. Then add broth and fava beans. Bring to a boil, and then lower heat and cover, for about 10 minutes.
Turn off heat. Allow soup to cool a bit, and then either put it into a blender, or use an immersion blender. (I highly recommend this, if you don’t have one!) Season with salt and pepper to taste. Ladle into bowls, and squeeze a bit of fresh lemon juice over each one.
** Regular garlic and onions can be substituted for green garlic and leeks.
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Jerusalem Artichoke Soup with Lemon and Saffron
This soup, from The Foods of Israel Today, originated with Chef Moshe Basson of Jerusalem’s Eucalyptus Restaurant.
Yield: 6-8 Servings
2 medium onions, diced in 1/2-inch pieces
2 Tbs extra virgin olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1 1/2 lbs Jerusalem artichokes, peeled and quartered
4 cups chicken broth / veggie broth
10-12 blanched almonds
2 Tbs water
Pinch saffron
Juice of 1/2 lemon
2 Tbs chopped fresh Italian parsley, with stems
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
1. Using a heavy casserole with a cover, saute the onions in the olive oil over low heat, covered, about 20 minutes. (This is called “sweating” the onions.) Uncover, add the garlic and artichokes, and increase heat. Continue to saute for a few more minutes.
2. Add the chicken broth and salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a boil and simmer, covered, for 30 minutes.
3. Grind the almonds in a spice grinder and mix with the water. Whisk the mixture into the soup along with the saffron strands and the lemon juice. Reheat, sprinkle parsley on top, and serve.
Note: You can replace the Jerusalem artichokes with artichoke hearts; or make a dairy soup by replacing the chicken broth with a vegetable broth and substituting 1/2 cup of heavy cream for the almonds and water. The vegetables may also be pureed before serving.
