Simple Vegetable Soup

Soup, comfort food that I remember eating at almost every meal while growing up.  Cool days are perfect for some hot soup and a simple Vegetable Soup made with vegetables from your very own garden - nothing is better than that.  This soup is just a base for what you can create, change up your vegetables,  add more or less tomatoes, if you like heat add some hot peppers it is so very versatile.

Growing up my Dad made homemade horseradish spread and this is must to eat with Simple Vegetable Soup along with a few tablespoons of dry cottage cheese...fresh homemade bread...

this sure brings back the memories!

It takes me back to my Mom and Dad's table, the smells, the laughter.....FAMILY

Enjoy.

 

 

Simple Vegetable Soup

 

Some of the ingredients you will need.

Butter melting

Onions, celery and carrots sauteeing in the butter, garlic will be added after

The tomatoes and quartered potatoes have been added 

corn will be added in the last 10 minutes (last minute decision)

Barley and steel cut oats are added and all will simmer for about 15 minutes
The corn, beans and diced potatoes are added in.

The quartered potatoes are removed

 

 Potatoes are mashed with the cream and butter, salt and pepper added

 

 

The mashed potato mixture is stirred into the pot and brought to a boil.

Soup is ready.

 

 

VEGETABLE SOUP RECIPE

 

1 medium onion, diced

1 carrot, diced

1 stalk celery, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups tomatoes, fresh or canned (if using fresh, pulse in food processor)

4 medium potatoes, three quartered and one diced

1/2 - 1 cup chopped purple/green/yellow beans

1/2 cup corn, fresh or frozen

1/4 cup pearl barley

1/4 cup steel cut oats (Irish oats)

2 Tablespoons butter

1/4 cup whipping cream (or half and half if you prefer)

Salt, pepper to taste 

In a Dutch oven (or large pot) melt butter over medium heat, add diced onions, carrots and celery.
Saute until onion and vegetables are tender then add in the minced garlic. Saute for 2 minutes then add in the tomatoes, simmer for approximately 10 minutes then add the quartered potatoes and 6-7 cups of water. Bring to a boil then turn down heat and simmer until potatoes are tender enough to put a knife through them. Remove the potatoes to a bowl add  the cream and 1 Tablespoon of butter, salt and pepper, mash and set aside.
Add the barley and steel cut oats to the pot and simmer 15 minutes then add the beans, corn and diced potatoes. Simmer for another 10 minutes then stir in the mashed potato mixture.
Bring this to a boil and turn off heat. 
Soup is done!  I like to make this in the early afternoon and reheat for dinner.
I also pour some into jars and seal, storing them in the fridge until needed.


 

'Friendship consists in forgetting what one gives, and remembering what one receives.'

Dumas, The Younger

 



Rustic Beet Bread

We are getting closer to Fall (some communities faster than others) and with Fall come root vegetables. Beets are one of our families favorites, sweet, colourful and so nutritionally good for you.
We use beets in Borscht, sauerkraut, Vinegrette and other beet salads and dishes,
 today I baked bread with beets.
Thanks to my sister in law Ev Voykin for the challenge which inspired me to create this lovely, colourful loaf! I can see this on the table filled with homemade Cream of Mushroom soup, or a nice bit of colour on the buffet table.  A treat for a Valentine's Day lunch or any special occasion. Enjoy.

RUSTIC BEET BREAD

The beets and milk are blended together.

the blended beets and milk

Flour, yeast, salt, water, yeast and beet mixture all mixed together.

The dough has been kneaded and placed into my greased cast iron pan.

Bread dough after rising for 1 1/2 hours.

A lovely pink loaf fresh from the oven....

Rustic Beet bread sliced and ready for butter etc....such a lovely colour,

a nice light texture.......perfection.

RUSTIC BEET BREAD RECIPE

3/4 

cup warm water

1 1/2 

cups raw beet puree (about 2 1/2 peeled medium beets)*

3 1/2 

cups Gold Medal unbleached all-purpose flour

2 

tablespoons olive oil

2 

teaspoons salt

1 

teaspoon sugar

2 1/4 

teaspoons active dry yeast

DIRECTIONS

*To make the beet puree -- peel 2 large beets or 3 medium beets (discarding or reserving 1/2 of one of the 3 beets, so you have 2 1/2 beets), and chop into 1/4-inch pieces. Puree in a food processor with 1/2 cup milk until mixture is smooth and free of lumps.

In a small bowl, combine yeast, sugar and water. Let rest 5 minutes.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fixed with the paddle attachment, combine flour and salt. Add in yeast mixture, beet puree and olive oil. Mix until just combined.

Knead, by hand or in a stand mixer fixed with the dough hook, about 10 minutes or until dough is smooth and elastic. Place dough in a lightly greased bowl, cover and let rise until doubled, about 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

Remove risen dough from bowl and shape into a round ball. Place dough on a baking stone or parchment paper-lined baking sheet and cover loosely with a lightly greased piece of plastic wrap. Let rise until doubled, about 45 minutes to 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F with an empty broiler pan placed on the rack beneath where you'll put the baking stone or sheet. Before baking the bread, sprinkle the top with a little flour and make an X shape on the top with a serrated knife.

Place the bread in the oven and pour 1 cup hot water into the broiler pan, closing the oven door immediately. Bake 30 to 35 minutes, or until a thermometer inserted in the bottom center of the loaf reads 190 degrees F.

Allow bread to cool completely on a cooling rack before slicing or serving.

 

'Most people are mirrors, reflection the moods and emotions of the times; few are windows, brining light to bear on the dark corners where troubles fester. The whole purpose of education is to turn mirrors into windows.'


Tomato Soup (Baba and Mom's way).....and something more.

On August 26, 2013 I entered a post on Canning Tomatoes.  Today I am adding to the process and making a batch of Tomato Soup - after the tomatoes have been cleaned, blanched, peeled, cored and put into jars.  The tomatoes peels and cores are sitting in a large puddle of tomato juice that ran from my fingers as I peeled and cut the tomatoes.  It would be such a waste to see this go to waste - my Mother and Baba/Grandmother taught me to use what you have and this is the result.....I took this one step further this year by reusing the skins once more by dehydrating them and grinding them into a powder to use later when seasoning soups, sauces or stews.  This year when/if you can tomatoes I hope you try this soup!  Na Zdarovye.

TOMATO SOUP (Baba and Mom's way)

 You will need the tomato peels, cores and excess juice collected from peeling tomatoes for canning.

You will also need onions, garlic and celery stalks.

To finish the tomato soup you will need to add the ingredients above.

Potatoes and celery diced and waiting for the soup pot.



Browned flour for thickening the soup.



The browned flour mixed with milk waiting to be added to the tomato broth.

The browned flour has been added along with the rest of the ingredients.

This Tomato Soup is so tangy, velvety smooth and so delicious!

TOMATO SOUP RECIPE

Peels, cores and juices collected from the blanched, peeled and cored tomatoes.

Put this all into a large pot, add any amount of celery stalk, onions, garlic - to taste.

For a Dutch Oven I usually add 2 onions, quartered

6 - 8 cloves garlic, whole

1 - 2 stalk celery cut in chunks

seasoning salt (optional)

Place all the ingredients into a pot and cover. Bring to a boil, and then turn

down heat to low.  Simmer on low for 4- 5 hours.  After 5 hours removed the tomato skins and flavouring and place into a cheese cloth (or new pantyhose) squeeze out as much juice as you can.

Set aside the peel mixture. (see recipe for these below).

Place the tomato 'broth/stock' into a Dutch Oven and bring to a boil, add in

1/4 cup pearl barley

salt, pepper to taste

1/4 cup spaghetti noodles, broken up to 1 inch lengths

Season with salt and pepper

Simmer for 15 minutes then add:

1 medium potato, diced

Stir in:  1/8 - 1/4 teaspoon baking soda (to keep milk from curdling when added)

Stir in 1 - 11/2 cups milk, 1% or whole, your choice

Bring to a simmer and stir in the Browned Flour* (see method below)

You will notice the Browned Flour will start to thicken the soup and give it a lovely smooth texture.

Bring this back to a simmer, and simmer for 5- 10 minutes.

Remove from stove, season with salt and pepper to taste.

Enjoy!

*Browned Flour

1 cup unbleached flour

Place flour onto a baking sheet and bake at 350 for approximately 10-12 minutes.

You want to see the flour with a nice light brown colour.

Remove from oven and place Browned Flour into a small bowl, break up any chunks and stir in milk to make a smooth runny mixture.

This will be used to thicken the soup and also because of the 'browning' of the flour you will be adding a lovely toasty flavour to your soup.

Taking the peels and flavorings once step further......

The peels and vegetables that have been squeezed of their juices and onto a pan for drying.

(these are the ones you have set aside in the cheesecloth/pantyhose)

Spread these peels out onto a parchment lined pan and bake at 175 degrees C until dry and crisp.

This may take several hours.  If you have a dehydrator you can dry the peels on that.

Once the peel mixture is dry, place in batches in a coffee/spice grinder and grind to a powder.

Yum!

 

The finished product.  Store in a jar in a cool spot.

Look and smells amazing, deep roasted tomatoes......perfect for adding to soups, sauces or stews -

to deepen the tomato flavour!  My Baba would be proud that there was no waste with this Tomato Canning Session of 2014!

'Our BREATH is a profound gift.  Breathe into your dreams.  Breathe through the difficult places.  Breath in JOY.  Just Breathe.'