Simple Measure

I don’t have anything against winter, really. But on this gray, mopey Monday I found myself thinking (this is right around when my feet got soaked in ice slush for the THIRD time): February, why you gotta be so rough?

I decided to interpret it as a sign. That tonight was the night to pull out this one recipe – one that always brings back the spring and sunshine. (Well, for about a 30-minute window. But I’ll take it!)

So what makes pea soup such a perfect fix for February?*

It’s warm. And it’s sure cold enough outside.

It’s easy. You didn’t really feel like making a whole production out of dinner tonight, did you? Me neither.

It’s super healthy. Extra vitamins can’t hurt after catching the packed, sniffly train home, right?

It’s pretty. Ahh, that bright, beautiful greenness is better than any full spectrum light bulb!

*This claim has not been approved by a) weather men b) weather-predicting rodents or c) seasonal disorder therapists. Unless Jared counts as that last one…

Fresh Pea Soup
Adapted from Vegetarian

When you give this one a try, make sure you use fresh or frozen peas to get the freshest taste.

2 Tbs butter

2 cups vegetable stock

2 shallots, finely chopped

3 cups fresh or frozen peas

4 Tbs milk or soymilk (you can use heavy whipping cream too, if that’s more your dairy scene.)

Salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

1. Melt the butter in a deep sauce pan over medium heat and sauté the shallots until they soften, about 3 minutes.

2. Add the veggie stock and peas and stir in a dash of salt and pepper.

3. Simmer for about 12 minutes if you’re using frozen or young fresh peas. Add an extra 5 minutes for large or older peas.

4. Taste a pea to make sure it’s tender. Ladle the peas into a food processor with just enough of the cooking liquid to get a silky but still thick consistency.

5. Return the soup back to the sauce pan and stir in the milk. Gently heat it back up without boiling. Add more salt and pepper to taste

That’s it! Serve with a crusty baguette.

Serves 2

I have so many memories that involve this soup. Kinda hard not to, since it’s the first recipe I dreamed up after trading the woods of Maine for the wilds of Vermont (OK, so by “wilds” I mean “gentle college town with good coffee and a falafel stand”…).

Believe me, back then I had NO idea how to cook. Once I got the hang of this, it was a long long time before I added anything else to the do-it-yourself repetoire.

Let me see…

There are all the times I trudged to Onion River for the simple ingredients (zukes, peppers, tomatoes and Mama Rosie’s). Back when the co-op was a tiny and unpolished store crammed up to the bulk bins with things I didn’t recognize as actual food (errrr, what is this textured soy protein you speak of?).

And when I’d make it for the boys when we all lived in that apartment crammed full of dented cans from Mr. G’s food salvage warehouse, cats we didn’t own, and people who had nothing else to do on a Tuesday night.

Or the time I made it for Meg to liven up that one quiet Valentine’s day.

Oh yeah, and when a pot of it sat simmering on the stove while we dug the car out from a 4 foot snow pile. (Don’t park your car right under the eaves of your apartment building, OK? Especially when you live in Vermont.)

One thing all the memories have in common – it was cold as hell out, every time.

So, I’m pretty sure you need this soup right now. It’ll warm you up, takes less than 30 minutes, and is guaranteed to make all your vegetarian friends glad they know you.

Tomato Ravioli Soup

One 28 oz. can crushed tomatoes

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 medium onion, diced

1 large green pepper, diced

1 large red pepper, diced

1 medium zucchini, chopped

3 cups water

1 cup vegetable (or chicken) stock

One 6 oz. can tomato paste

One 14 oz. package cheese ravioli

1 Tbs. olive oil

1 tsp oregano

Fresh parmesan

Red pepper flakes

Salt and pepper to taste

1. Heat the oil in a large, heavy-bottomed pot. Sauté the garlic and onions until fragrant, about 3 minutes. Add the peppers and sauté for another 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

2. Add the tomatoes, water, veggie stock and tomato paste and stir. (Jared and I have a stockpile of Parmesan rinds in the freezer, throw one in if you got it, or great some fresh Parm in.) Simmer over medium heat for about 15 minutes.

3. Add the zucchini, oregano, and raviolis. Bring to a light boil and cook until raviolis are tender. The pasta tends to soak up a lot of the liquid, so just add a little extra water or veggie stock if things start looking a little too thick.

4. Add salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes to taste. Let the soup cool for about 10 minutes. It’s hot!

Serves 4 - 6

In the mood for more squash? Good, because we still haven’t put a dent in our stockpile, which is now overtaking three full pantry shelves. Time to thin the herd. This week I got started with a recipe I’ve seen kicking around food magazines and the web for a few years.

I think it’s the words “sizzled sage” that make this one so appealing (yep, I’m a big sucker for alliteration). Plus it’s pure fall stuff: orange-y pumpkin soup decked out with nutmeg and crunchy sage leaves.

What’s not appealing? Scorched sage. Turns out the line between “sizzled” and “burnt-to-a-crisp” is mighty fine. I swear, I only took my eye off the stove for one second — and suddenly my little sage leaves shriveled up into smoking black crisps. Blech! Curses!

Luckily, I had enough sage on hand to attempt a second batch, this time ready to snap off the heat the second the leaves began to darken and curl.

A dab of goat cheese was another in my series of last minute inspirations. Because really, you just can’t go wrong with goat cheese.

Pumpkin Soup with Sizzled Sage

1 medium pie pumpkin (about 3 lbs), peeled, seeded, and cubed

1 medium onion, chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced or pressed

20 sage leaves, sliced diagonally

2 tsp. cider vinegar

5 cups vegetable stock

3 Tbs butter, plus 2 tsp

¼ tsp ground nutmeg

Salt and black pepper, to taste

Fresh goat cheese for garnish

1. Melt 3 Tbs of butter in a large, heavy-bottomed soup pot. Saute onions and garlic over medium heat until translucent and fragrant, about 3 – 5 minutes. Add the vegetable stock and cubed pumpkin and bring to a light simmer.

2. Simmer until the pumpkin is very tender and pierces easily with a fork, about 15 – 20 minutes. Stir in the salt, cider vinegar, nutmeg and lower the heat. Cook for another 5 minutes while you get your food processor ready to go.

3. Puree the soup in batches. You’re aiming for a silky, slightly thicker soup, so it’s ok to have some extra broth left over. Transfer the pureed soup back into a soup pot and keep warm over low heat.

4. Melt 2 tbs of butter in a small pan over medium heat. Add the sage leaves and gently sauté them, stirring occasionally, until they are JUST beginning to darken and curl up a little.

5. Serve garnished with sage leaves, nutmeg and fresh goat cheese.

Serves 2 - 3

I really wanted to make this recipe when David was in town the other weekend. The temperature had dipped below 70 degrees for the first time, and a creamy potato soup would have been the perfect “real food” for a traveler tired of eating out.

But in between all the running around and me being a little under the weather, the home-cooked meal thing just never happened.

Well d., I don’t want you to miss out completely. I found time to cook a couple days after you left, and went ahead and made the recipe I had in mind for you. Here it is, I hope you enjoy!

Potato Kale Soup with Seitan

You can find seitan in your grocer’s cooler next to the tofu. Often used as a meat substitute, seitan is made from wheat gluten – making it a great option for people who can’t (or don’t like to) eat soy products. It’s got a beefy, stringy texture that makes it a nice, cholesterol-free substitute for red meat.

1 large bunch of kale, chopped (with the stems and ribs discarded)

1 medium onion, chopped

2 cups well-scrubbed red potatoes, chopped (with skins on)

8 oz. seitan, chopped (bacon or pancetta would be a good substitute in this dish, if you’d prefer something meatier)

3 cloves garlic, minced

4 cups vegetable stock

1 Tbs vegetable oil

1 cup milk (or half and half if you want a richer soup)

1 tsp. cider vinegar

1 tsp. summer savory

Salt and pepper to taste

1. Heat the oil in a large, heavy-bottomed pot and sauté the onions and garlic over medium heat until translucent, about 3 – 5 minutes.

2. Add the seitan and sauté, stirring frequently, for about 5 minutes.

3. Add the vegetable stock, potatoes and kale and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, covered, for 20 minutes or more, or until the kale and potatoes are very tender.

4. Add the milk, vinegar and savory, and stir. Smash several potatoes with a fork to slightly thicken the soup.

Serves 4

Wow wow wow. Jared and I just got back from a special wedding in a very amazing place. This Sunday, Kyle and Rivkah got hitched among the Redwoods of Monte Rio, California, the Russian River winding lazily in the background.

Great people, crazy dancing, breathtaking surroundings. Somewhere during it all, I had this revelation: Oh my god, I’m getting married in exactly ONE year. What? The ideas… the details… it all started mushrooming. Suddenly, just knowing the where and the when wasn’t enough anymore.

Time to get to work. Right now Jared’s sitting next to me, sketching out some ideas (sorry, top secret for now). I know one thing: it’s gonna be a great party.

While we start mulling over the details, here’s a recipe that uses up the last of summer’s fresh tomatoes and corn. A nod to grilling season’s end (although don’t think we won’t try sneaking a few more cookouts in), the special ingredient in this soup is smokey barbecue sauce.

Don’t forget to grab a bag of blue corn chips to sprinkle on top!

Texas Two-Bean Soup

From Moosewood Restaurant Daily Special

2 cups chopped onion

6 garlic cloves, pressed

2 Tbs olive oil

½ tsp. salt

1 cup diced celery

2 cups chopped mix of red and green peppers

1 small jalapeno, minced

1 tsp. dried oregano

½ tsp. dried thyme

2 tsp. cumin

½ tsp. ground black pepper

2 cups water

3 large tomatoes, chopped, with juice reserved if possible (or one 15 ½ ounce can)

1 ½ cups black eyed peas, cooked

1 ½ cups black beans, cooked

(if you don’t want to take the time to cook dried beans, use one 15 ½ ounce can, drained and rinsed)

¼ cup of BBQ sauce (we used Smoke Daddy’s Sweet and Smokey sauce)

salt to taste

Garnish with crushed blue corn tortilla chips and grated Monterey Jack cheese (we used Cabot’s Pepper Jack). Sour cream would also make a nice topping.

1. In a large soup pot, heat the oil and salt over medium. Add the onions and garlic and cook, covered for 8 – 10 minutes. Stir occasionally until the onions are soft.

2. Add the celery, bell peppers, jalapeno, oregano, thyme, cumin and black pepper. Saute for another 10 minutes – don’t forget to stir it now and then to prevent sticking.

3. Pour in the water and tomatoes and simmer, covered, until the celery is tender, about 10 – 15 minutes.

4. Add the black eyed peas, beans, BBQ sauce and stir well. Slap the cover back on and enjoy a beer while the soup enters it’s final 10 minute simmer. Remove from heat and add salt to taste. Add your choice of garnish and enjoy.

Serves 4

As cooks, Meg and I aren’t too fussy. Sure, we’ll follow a recipe every now and then, but we don’t get caught up in precise measurements (unless Meg’s baking), and we’re real quick with a substitution if our pantries fall short.

But that’s kinda where the similarity ends, wouldn’t you agree Meg?

I’m always amazed at the latest wonders she pulls from her oven. Baking is as mysterious to me as algebra. In addition to Meg’s baked creations, she has a stable of tried and true recipes. If Meg’s making minestrone, you better drop what you’re doing and run over there.

As far as my kitchen goes, Meg’s described it as a laboratory. It’s a place of constant experimentation. I come up with new dinners regularly. In fact, I don’t have many repeats. Jared and I will fall in love with that night’s new recipe, but it’ll be just a one hit wonder, and then we’re on to something else.

“You have Eureka! moments all the time,” says Meg. “The only problem is, you always say you’ll make it again for me but you never get around to it.”

Luckily Meg happened to be hanging around last Saturday when I was up to my usual kitchen tinkering.

It was really too humid for hot soup, but that’s what I felt like making out of all the fresh tomatoes and corn that had come in my box that day.

This meal is typical of what I’ve been up to lately: quick, spontaneous and satisfying. Both Meg and Jared asked me not to forget this soup, they enjoyed it so much. So here it is, the recipe stored safely for repeating.

Summer Corn and Tomato Soup

Serves 2 – 3. This soup goes well with a light green salad, crusty bread, and Cat Stevens on the stereo.

2 large tomatoes, seeded and chopped

2 cups vegetable stock

1 package Light Life “Fakin Bacon” tempeh strips (Or um, real bacon)

2 ears fresh sweet corn, cut into about 2 cups of kernels

1 medium green pepper, chopped

1 medium sweet white onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 Tbs butter

2 tsp vegetable oil

1 small Parmesan rind (or ¼ cup grated Parmesan)

1 tsp. dried summer savory

A couple hearty shakes of red pepper flakes

Salt and pepper to taste

Alternatives: Sub tempeh for real bacon or 1 cup black beans. For a more Mexican flavor, add chipotle powder or diced jalepeno.

1. Melt the butter in a heavy, deep saucepan over medium heat. Add the onions and garlic and sauté until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add the green pepper and sauté for 1 more minute.

2. Add the tomatoes, Parmesan rind and vegetable stock and stir. Bring to a boil and then lower the heat and let the broth simmer for about 15 minutes.

3. While the soup’s cooking, heat the vegetable oil in another pan and cook the tempeh bacon according to the package directions. Chop cooked tempeh into 1 inch strips.

4. Add the corn kernels, tempeh and spices to the soup and stir. Simmer for another 10 minutes.