Peace Soup + Sweet Dreams Carrot Soup: Two Soups in a Blue Moon for a faraway daughter (+ croutons)

Today my Eldest calls from college for two soup recipes.   Because these are her comfort foods:  Peace Soup (fresh peas in a sweet and slightly minty, gingery milk-based broth)  and Sweet Dreams Soup (creamy, slighty spicy, very carrotty carrot soup) ~ both adapted from her childhood favorite cookbook, Blue Moon Soup by Gary Goss, illustrated by Jane Dyer.

Peace Soup

My girl (who is a peacemaker as well as soup maker and at the same time plenty well-versed in savories and spices) likes her soup with a little more emphasis than suggested in the original and so increases the leeks, ginger, curry and mint at least this much.  



Melt in a soup pot over medium heat

2 Tablespoons butter

Add

2 cups leeks, chopped
2 teaspoons fresh mint, minced
2 teaspoons curry powder
1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
¼ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper

Sauté for about 5 minutes, stirring with a wooden spoon.

Add, with enough water to cover (~ 2 cups)

1 (10 oz.) package of frozen peas (or 2 - 3 cups fresh green peas)
1 carrot, chopped
1 stalk celery, chopped

and stir.  Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer, covered until veggies are tender, about 15 to 20 minutes.

In a blender or a large bowl, blend or mash 2 cups of the soup with

2½ cups milk

Return the blended to soup to the soup pot and stir.  Season to taste.  Garnish with

fresh mint, or
carrot curls

Sweet Dreams Soup

The consensus of a discussion on Epicurious suggests at least increasing the number of carrots, leeks and celery and upping the spice amounts for a better Sweet Dream Soup.  We concur.  

One commenter even suggested using coconut milk in place of the bovine variety which we will have to try sometime.  Here are our tweaks of this gently filling soup, guaranteed to turn any hungry lion into a lamb.

Boil

2 cups salted water

Add

2 potatoes, peeled and chopped

and boil until tender, about 15 minutes.  Drain, save the broth, and set the potatoes aside.

Melt in a soup pot over medium heat

2 Tablespoons butter

Add

2 cups leeks, chopped
1 - 2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger
1 teaspoon curry
1 - 2 teaspoons fresh thyme (half the amount if using dried)
¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg (or more to taste)
¼ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper

Sauté for 5 minutes, stirring with a wooden spoon.

Add the cooked potato and the potato broth plus

2 stalks celery, chopped
2 - 3 more carrots, finely chopped

Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer, covered, until the carrots are tender, about 20 minutes.

In a blender or a bowl, blend or mash 2 cups of the soup (or all of it if you prefer) with

2½ cups milk

until thick and silky smooth.

Return the blended soup to the soup pot, and stir.  Ladle into bowls and garnish with

carrot curls
croutons  (see recipe below)

Crusty Croutons

Preheat oven to 325.  Cut

good bread 

into cubes and put in a large mixing bowl.  Add enough

olive oil 

to moisten all the cubes.  Sprinkle with

basil, oregano, or crushed garlic 

Or sprinkle with

grated Parmesan or cheddar

 Place on a cookie sheet, and bake until golden grown and crisp, about 7 to 10 minutes.

Wholegrain Spaghetti with Indescribably Good Sauce

The last of summer, first of fall here in Oregon, is tomato season and hours are spent saving the luscious round globes in paste balls and roasted tomatoes.  But it all pays off when the first day of Februrary rolls around and after a day of digging up bushes in the rain you can sit down to this powerful sauce after a quick half-hour in the kitchen.

I am not usually over-fond of whole-wheat pasta which can be too heavy for weak sauces.  But well-cooked (a little past al dente), well-salted, well-oiled, and then combined with a powerfully zestful sauce like this one they are marvelous.  Topped with  mozzarella, this dish is a little taste of heaven. 

PREREQUISITE RECIPES:

Tomato Paste Balls: (adapted from Joy of Cooking)

Roasted & Frozen Summer Tomatoes

Indescribably Good Sauce

Combine in a large sauce pan and begin to simmer

• 1 Tomato Paste Ball
• 1 qt. Roasted & Frozen Tomatoes
• a generous amount of fresh mushrooms, sliced.

Saute

• 1 large onion, diced
• 1 red or yellow bell pepper

in

• 1-2 Tablespoons olive oil

and add to the tomatoes and mushrooms along with

• 28 - 32 oz. diced canned tomatoes.

Simmer until the roasted tomatoes are completely thawed and the sauce begins to thicken.

Add

• 3 - 4 Tablespoons honey
• salt
• pepper.

Serve over whole wheat spaghetti noodles that have been cooked just beyond al dente in plenty of salted water, drained and then oiled with olive oil.  Top with a bit of mozzarella which will melt beautifully if the sauce and noodles are served nice and hot.

Italian Tomato Paste Balls

adapted from The Joy of Cooking: "This flavorful paste is diluted in a little boiling water or stock and added to sauces and soups. Fine in spaghetti and noodle dishes, as a dressing for cooked vegetables or salads, and as an addition to salad dressings."

Haven't tried it in salad dressings . . . but these tomato paste balls pay back every bit of effort for the delicious & savory depth they add to tomato sauces.

Wash and cut into slices:

• 1 & 1/2 pecks ripe Italian tomatoes (6 quarts)

Add:

• 1 large celery rib, cut up with some leaves
• 3/4 cup chopped onion
• 3 Tablespoons fresh herbs: basil, thyme, sweet marjoram, or oregano
• 3/4 teaspoon peppercorns
• 12 cloves
• 3 teaspoons salt
• 1 two-inch stick cinnamon
• 1 minced clove of garlic

Simmer these ingredients until the tomatoes are soft.

Stir frequently. Put the vegetables through a fine sieve.

Simmer the sieved pulp in an uncovered slow cooker. Stir frequently.

 When the pulp is thick and reduced by half, spread the paste to a depth of 1/2 inch on moist plates.

Cut into the paste to let air penetrate. Place the paste in a 200 degree oven to dry.

When the paste is dry enough, roll it into balls and dip in olive oil. Store refrigerated in airtight sterile jars--taking care to remove one at a time with a clean utensil as needed.