As the temperature drops and it officially becomes winter, we turn our palate to this comforting and convenient genre. Soup’s been trending of late on a national scale, perhaps fueled by the increase in popularity for pho and ramen or simply because chefs are now integrating more interesting ingredients and combinations—making soup a farm-to-ladle experience.
We surveyed some local restaurants to get the scoop on soup. Overall, and it comes as no surprise, folks found that as it gets colder, soup gets more popular—especially the heartier/creamier ones. However, there’s definitely a healthy overtone as well, with non-dairy or vegetarian options and even substituting yogurt for cream. Many restaurants are also regularly changing up the menu based on what’s at the market/in-season and to continually keep customers surprised. See a sampling after the jump of what’s on offer around town and get souper excited. Continue reading →
Warning: This is not your traditional tomato soup.
Sure, it’s hearty and comforting, and it is definitely chock-full of tomatoes, but it also offers a unique richness that allows it to stand apart from others of the variety.
Thickened with creamy coconut milk and protein-packed chickpeas, this soup is just right for a rainy afternoon, lazy evening meal, or any time you need a few spoonfuls of home.
Ingredients:
1 tablespoon coconut oil
1 yellow onion, chopped
4 medium garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons pepper
1 teaspoon paprika
2 teaspoons red pepper flakes
Extra virgin olive oil
1 can of diced tomatoes
1 can of cooked chickpeas
1 can of full-fat coconut milk
1/2 cup water (more if you want soup to be thinner)
Kale
Instructions:
Heat oil and add onion and garlic. Saute for 2-3 minutes and then add salt, pepper, and paprika.
Stir in tomatoes, then add chickpeas, coconut milk, and water.
Add red pepper flakes and any additional seasoning.
Simmer on low for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Transfer contents to blender and pulse until soup turns thick and creamy.
If you’re like me and enjoy a little crunch with your meals, you can lightly coat some small pieces of kale with extra virgin olive oil and put them in the broiler on high for four to six minutes. Top your bowl of soup with crunchy kale and enjoy.
Hearty beef & Guinness stew with carrots and mushrooms, over mashed potatoes
My mother is born-and-raised solid country stock from County Westmeath, Ireland. She remembers St. Patrick’s Day celebrations as chiefly religious, with the country going to mass with freshly-picked clovers pinned to buttonholes to honor their patron saint. Then there would be a shared family meal with special-occasion ingredients like beef or lamb, usually presented in roasts or stews.
Regardless of how you choose to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day (or whether you want to avoid all related shenanigans entirely), this traditional Irish dish is straight-forward, nourishing, rich, and perfect for spooning out among any group of friends and family (though with all due respect to my grandmother and her preferred method of just dumping everything in a big pot and leaving it, I’ve added and tweaked some steps to improve texture and flavor).
Stew served with a side of blue corn chips for dipping.
Slow cooker veggie stews top my list of minimal effort, maximum nutrient recipes. Not to mention they are extremely delicious.
This one uses seven different vegetables with a focus on the roots, including my personal favorite, rutabaga. Rutabaga is the child of turnip and cabbage, and when cooked, it is sweet and savory with the texture of a potato. (Turnip and cabbage are also in this stew, because who am I to separate a family?) I have found rutabaga at the McCarren Park Greenmarket recently, and it is always available at the Union Square Greenmarket.
I use arrowroot powder to thicken my stews as a healthier alternative to corn starch. It is flavorless and very nutritious.
We raised $526 for The Greenpoint Soup Kitchen & Food Pantry, a local organization that feeds hundreds of hungry Greenpointers. Today they are busy making over 30 turkeys for homeless and hungry neighbors.
If you couldn’t make it out to the fundraiser on Sunday, why not make a donation in any amount to this important organization at this very special time of year.
Today marks the start of the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia, and what better to celebrate the opening ceremony than with a big bowl of borscht? I’ll admit that I until recently I never really thought too much of this blood-red soup. But a trip to the McCarren Park Greenmarket last fall changed all that. They were hosting their own Borscht Olympics of sorts, and in the lineup were Greenpoint strongholds such as Karczma and Lomzynianka, but there was also a submission from Eat, that gorgeous little vegetarian restaurant on Meserole. From one spoonful to the next, each soup was so unique and delicious—some more vinegar-y, some more vegetal and garlicky—but it was Eva Schmidt (of Eat) whose beautiful borscht I wanted to give the gold medal to. I asked her if she would share the recipe for it with us, and she graciously sent it over– a party-sized recipe at that! Continue reading →
Hey– is anyone else feeling lately that they’ve really gotta squeeze back into their pre-December clothes? Ahhh, January. The new year, the new resolve to be healthy. This time of year presents the perfect opportunity to get back into the kitchen and make some healthy food, and nothing satisfies in this cold weather like a big bowl of soup. It’s warming, hyrdrating, comforting, and, generally speaking, a really nutritious option for those wanting to detox a little after weeks of nog sluggin’ and beer chuggin’. Holed up in my apartment, hiding from this week’s bracing cold winds, I searched for a soup recipe that would utilize the pantry staples I had on hand…which wasn’t much really, and an odd mix of things to boot. I came across the following recipe for MisoTahini Soup on 101cookbooks.com, and thought Huh, now there’s a couple of delicious flavors that I wouldn’t have thought to combine. And how delicious a combination it turned out to be! Continue reading →
On Sunday Greenpointers hosted one of my favorite of all the events that we organize, first because it supports my favorite local cause the Greenpoint Food Pantry and Soup Kitchen and secondly because it’s the most chill event we do and I actually get to talk to people and not run around like a lunatic. And we raised over $700! Continue reading →
Clams have feelings too, you know…maybe? Disturb them and they’re liable to spit right in your eye. Such an action, so uncouth, so impulsive, warrants a long vacation in the soup pot, if you get my drift. What I’m saying is Ahoy! It’s time to make chowdah. And I’m not talking about that silly Manhattan version that some people have to mention when the word “chowder” comes up. You don’t live on that island across the river, do you? So why would you make a stew that bears its name? The choice is clear (actually the choice is opaque, but whatever). This week’s recipe, New Amsterdam Clam Chowder, will keep you pleasantly fortified, as you brave the cool and craggy Brooklyn coast line. It has all of the traditional New England version’s flavor, but less of the cream—using more broth and potatoes to attain that silky-smooth texture. And while your simmering, maybe you can make some of these too, for dunking. Otherwise, a nice, hearty slice of Balthazar multigrain boule works perfectly as an accompaniment. Continue reading →
On Sunday 11/17/13 from 3-5pm at EAT(124 Meserole St) Greenpointers is organizing our Annual Soup Bowl Fundraiser and we need your soup bowls!
Diners buy a bowl, get a bowl of soup from The Splendid Spoon and a Brooklyn Brewery Beer for $25 – with all proceeds donated to Greenpoint Soup Kitchen!
If you can donate a handmade bowl – please email me greenpointers (at) gmail.com so we can arrange a drop-off.
As the temperature drops and it officially becomes winter, we turn our palate to this comforting and convenient genre. Soup’s been trending of late on a national scale, perhaps fueled by the increase in popularity for pho and ramen or simply because chefs are now integrating more interesting ingredients and combinations—making soup a farm-to-ladle experience.
