Five Potato Soups That I Love for Souper (Soup, Salad, & Sammie) Sundays

I won't bore you with why I didn't make soup today--although a lack of sleep and the fact I took a two hour nap at 10:00 AM played a roll.  I even had a soup lurking around in my head to make, a variation of potato soup and I am planning on making it soon. Until then, here are some fabulous potato soups from our I Heart Cooking Clubs featured chefs to enjoy!

It's the topping that elevates Mark Bittman's Creamy Potato Soup with Rustic Chive Pesto:

And in Nigel Slater's Potato and Parsley Soup with Herb-Caper Pesto:

Jamie Oliver's Baked Potato Soup is simple, rich and satisfying and great with blue cheese sprinkled on top:

Donna Hay's Creamy Potato and Sauerkraut Soup with Hot Smoked Salmon is unique and so good!:

And you can't go wrong with Ruth Reichl's Hot Vegetarian Vichyssoise (I made it vegan):

All of these are great potato soups and you can find manymore by searching for "potato soup" on my blog. Since it's a favorite comfort food I make variations of it a lot!

Linking up with IHCC where it's September Potluck this week. 

Now let's check into the Souper Sundays kitchen and see who is here. 

Tina of Squirrel Head Manor shared Nigella Lawson's recipe for Chicken Cosima, a stew, saying, "This one is highly recommended. A healthy dish which is easy to prepare and easy on the budget. If you like sweet potatoes and chickpeas I think you will enjoy this recipe. Grab a spoon and ladle up a serving or two!"

Judee of Gluten Free A-Z Blog brought Baby Spinach and Kale Soup--Oil Free and said, "My first fall soup of the season is simple, green and soothing. It's easy to make in either the Instant Pot or on the stove top, and it is nourishing, filling, and tasty. I used a frozen spinach and kale mixture (from BJ's), but it I've seen similar fresh mixtures in the produce isle for baby spinach and baby kale. Frozen or fresh greens will work perfectly in this recipe."

Thanks to Tina and Judy for joining me this week! 

(If you aren't familiar with Souper Sundays, you can read about of the origins of it here.
 

If you would like to join in Souper (Soup, Salad, and Sammie) Sundays, I would love to have you! Here's how...

To join in this week's Souper Sunday's linkup with your soup, salad or sandwich:

• Link up your soup (stew, chili, soupy curries, etc. are fine), salad, or sandwich dish, (preferably one from the current week or month--but we'll take older posts too) on the picture link below and leave a comment on this post so I am sure not to miss you. Also please see below for what to do on your blog post that you link up to Souper Sundays in order to be included in the weekly round-up.
• Although we are pretty wide on what defines a soup, sandwich or salad, entries that are clearly not in the same family (ie: desserts, meats, random main or side dishes that aren't salads, etc.) are meant for another round up and will be deleted. 

and 

On your entry post (on your blog):

• Mention Souper (Soup, Salad & Sammies) Sundays at Kahakai Kitchen and add a link back to this post. (Not to be a pain but it's polite and only fair to link back to events you link up at--so if you link a post up here without linking back to this post or my blog on your post, it will be removed.)
• You are welcome to add the Souper Sundays logo to your post and/or blog (completely optional).

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

Have a happy, healthy week!

 

Five Favorite Greek Soups for Souper (Soup, Salad, & Sammie) Sundays

I have had the workweek and weekend from hell and so Sunday finds me laying about and not in the kitchen. Because I Heart Cooking Clubs' theme this week is Go Greek!, I am going to bring you five favorite Greek Soups from our IHCC Featured Chefs.

Tahinosoupa (Tahini Soup) from Tessa Kiros is a classic from the Cycladic Islands

Tessa's Soupy Bakes Chickpeas aren't technically a soup, but they are soupy so I am counting them. 

Jamie Oliver takes his Greek Salad and whirls it in the blender for this Greek Salad Gazpacho, excellent on hot days.

I have featured Ruth Reichl's Avegolemono Soup a couple of times all ready, but it's a classic.  

And Mark Bittman's blender-frothed Avgolemono Soup is an easy way to enjoy this favorite. I made mine with pearled couscous instead of orzo. 

You can't go wrong with any of these, or check out Tina from Squirrel Head Manor's Greek Lentil Soup from Tessa Kiros which I don't know how I have escaped making but will remedy soon.

Linking up with IHCC and the Go Greek theme this week. 

Now let's check into the Souper Sundays kitchen and see who is here. 

Melynda of Scratch Made Food shares another 3 dishes this week, starting with her BBQ Chicken Salad for Sandwiches. She says, "This is a delicious sandwich! BBQ Chicken Salad is crunchy, not too sweet, and delicious between a couple of slices of bread, or open-face style. Be sure to add some bread and butter pickle slices and a few black olives, on the side!"

Her second dish is Moroccan Carrot Salad which she says is a "another delicious non-lettuce salad to enjoy. With good quality organic carrots available year-round making this salad is so easy! Feel free to adjust the spices listed to satisfy your own tastes."

Finally she shares her Green Bean Soup, saying that it "might sound unusual, but...it is easy to make, delicious, and light! Also perfect for the warm autumn days ahead as well as the cold winter on the way. This delicious recipe uses green beans from your own garden, or from the local Farmers Market!"

Tina of Squirrel Head Manor shares two dishes this week, first up a tasty Side Salad of "Vine ripe tomatoes, sliced green onions, red onions, lettuce, cucumber and fresh corn. A bit of salt and pepper and your preferred dressing."

And the Lentil Soup from Tessa Kiros, saying, "From Food from Many Greek Kitchens I made a lentil soup chock with carrots, garlic and onions. The longer it simmers the thicker it will get. A bit of flour can help with that too."

Judee of Gluten Free A-Z Blog shared Leek, Chickpea, and Spinach Noodle Soup, saying "Noodle soup is one of my favorites, and I love it in this healthy combination with leeks, carrots, spinach and chickpeas. The soup is simple, flavorful, and nourishing. It feels cozy on a cool night and can satisfy as a meal in a bowl for lunch. 

Thanks to Judee, Tina and Melynda for joining me this week! 

(If you aren't familiar with Souper Sundays, you can read about of the origins of it here.
 

If you would like to join in Souper (Soup, Salad, and Sammie) Sundays, I would love to have you! Here's how...

To join in this week's Souper Sunday's linkup with your soup, salad or sandwich:

• Link up your soup (stew, chili, soupy curries, etc. are fine), salad, or sandwich dish, (preferably one from the current week or month--but we'll take older posts too) on the picture link below and leave a comment on this post so I am sure not to miss you. Also please see below for what to do on your blog post that you link up to Souper Sundays in order to be included in the weekly round-up.
• Although we are pretty wide on what defines a soup, sandwich or salad, entries that are clearly not in the same family (ie: desserts, meats, random main or side dishes that aren't salads, etc.) are meant for another round up and will be deleted. 

and 

On your entry post (on your blog):

• Mention Souper (Soup, Salad & Sammies) Sundays at Kahakai Kitchen and add a link back to this post. (Not to be a pain but it's polite and only fair to link back to events you link up at--so if you link a post up here without linking back to this post or my blog on your post, it will be removed.)
• You are welcome to add the Souper Sundays logo to your post and/or blog (completely optional).

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

Have a happy, healthy week!

 

Jamie Oliver's Hot & Sour Soup for Souper (Soup, Salad & Sammie) Sundays

Since Friday was Chinese New Years and I was craving Hot & Sour Soup, I adapted a Jamie Oliver recipe this week.I think you can't go wrong with tangy and spicy.

Hot & Sour Soup

Slightly Adapted from JamieOliver.com

(Serves 4 to 6)

2 cloves of garlic
1-2 fresh red chillies
sea salt
freshly ground white pepper
1 thumb-sized piece of ginger
250 g (about 9 oz) shitake mushrooms, cleaned
225 g (about 8 oz) bamboo shoots , drained
groundnut oil , or vegetable oil
low-salt soy sauce
rice wine vinegar
1 tsp runny honey
1.5 litres (about 6 cups) hot organic vegetable stock
150 g (about 5 oz) firm tofu (I used whole 1lbpackage)
2 spring onions
1/2 bunch of chives
1 large free-range egg 

(I added 1 tsp toasted sesame oil)

 

Peel the garlic and deseed the chillies, then roughly chop and place into a pestle and mortar. 

Bash with a pinch of salt to a rough paste. Peel, finely chop and add the ginger, then bash until broken down and combined.
 

Finely slice the mushrooms and bamboo shoots. Heat a lug of oil in a large wok or heavy-based saucepan over a medium-high heat, add the mushrooms and fry for 4 minutes, or until lightly golden. Stir in the chilli paste and bamboo shoots and fry for a further minute.
 

Meanwhile, mix together 3 tablespoons of soy, 4 tablespoons of rice wine vinegar, the honey and a good pinch of white pepper. Stir the mixture into the pan and cook for a minute, then pour in the hot stock and bring gently to the boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes, or until slightly reduced. Meanwhile, chop the tofu into 1cm cubes, finely slice the spring onions and chives and whisk the egg well.
 

Once reduced, remove the soup from the heat. Using a chopstick, stir the soup in a clockwise direction until you get a little whirlpool, then slowly add the beaten egg, stirring continuously to form thin ribbons. Stir in the tofu and return to the heat for 1 minute to warm through. Season to taste with soy and vinegar, then serve immediately with the spring onions and chives scattered on top.

 

 

Notes/Results: For some reason, my egg never made it into ribbons so maybe I left the soup of too long, otherwise this was great--rich, tangy, slightly spicy and lots of flavor. I stirred in a little toasted sesame oil at the end, which I really like. A nice way to make your dinner instead of relying on take out, I would happily make it again. 

 

Linking up at I Heart Cooking Clubs where we are celebrating Chinese New Year!

 

Now let's check out the Souper Sundays kitchen and see who is here!

It's nice to have my friend Tina of Squirrel Head Manor back at Souper Sundays this week. Tina made Veggie Soup and said, "Not too much new in the kitchen this month but as we cleared out our fridge and freezer, useing leftovers and partial frozen bags of veggies so there is minimal waste. Roasted corn from Trader Joe's store. ... We tried it as a side dish and I have to say, it wasn't remarkable.  Perhaps I added a bit too much water in the cooking method. ... I gave the corn another try adding it in a pot of soup. It was a good addition there. Leftover roasted potatoes and carrots, sliced onions rounded this out. Thickened with a bit of flour and broth and you have a hearty lunch for a cool day."

Simona of briciole is here with Vegetable and Quinoa Salad, saying "Since I am the only one in the family eating quinoa and I don't eat a lot of it, I cooked 1/4 cup / 50 grams at a time for each of my experiments. Every time, I found that I needed more liquid than the 1:2 ratio usually found in recipes. Finally, using part water and part broth made for a tastier result. As for the vegetables, use what's in season, like tasty salad turnips (a favorite, also featured in a recipe last year⁴). If you buy a bunch, save the tasty greens and cook them. I liked the addition of steamed broccoli in one version. I liked using the last persimmon in another. And in terms of dressing, choose what goes well with the vegetables: nut butter and broccoli, mayonnaise (maionese) and baby salad greens (from my garden). The overall idea is that you can cook some quinoa and have it handy to compose a salad."

Shaheen of Allotment2Kitchen shared Sriracha Butternut Couscous Salad and said, "I had some left over butternut squash that I roasted and tossed into some couscous making this rather simple Salad. It was perked up a little Sriracha and baby spinach from the garden for colour. Okay, I am off to have a lazy weekend, which may mean sitting on the sofa under my blanket watching TV and reading. But one thing for certain, I am turning off the computer screen. Have a good weekend."

Finally here at Kahakai Kitchen, I made a (Mostly) Classic Tuna Salad Sandwich for a book review.  It reminded me of how good a simple tuna sandwich on soft white bread with potato chips can be.

Thank you to Tina, Simona, and Shaheen for joining me this week!

 

(If you aren't familiar with Souper Sundays, you can read about of the origins of it here.
 

If you would like to join in Souper (Soup, Salad, and Sammie) Sundays, I would love to have you! Here's how...

To join in this week's Souper Sunday's linkup with your soup, salad or sandwich:

• Link up your soup (stew, chili, soupy curries, etc. are fine), salad, or sandwich dish, (preferably one from the current week or month--but we'll take older posts too) on the picture link below and leave a comment on this post so I am sure not to miss you. Also please see below for what to do on your blog post that you link up to Souper Sundays in order to be included in the weekly round-up.

and 

On your entry post (on your blog):

• Mention Souper (Soup, Salad & Sammies) Sundays at Kahakai Kitchen and add a link back to this post. (Not to be a pain but it's polite and only fair to link back to events you link up at--so if you link a post up here without linking back to this post or my blog on your post, it will be removed.)
• You are welcome to add the Souper Sundays logo to your post and/or blog (completely optional).

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

Kung Hei Fat Choi and have a happy healthy week!

 

Jamie Oliver's Baked Potato Soup: Giving Me Fall Feelings for Souper (Soup, Salad & Sammie) Sundays

We are channeling fall at I Heart Cooking Clubs even though it's about 82 degrees F. here today. No matter, I can eat potato soup no matter what time of year and it always outs me in a fall frame of mind. 

This Baked Potato Soup is by Jamie Oliver and you can leave it classic with sour cream and chives or gussy it up with bacon and cheese. I went in the middle with sour cream, chopped gives, black pepper and some crumbled soft blue cheese.

Baked Potato Soup

From JamieOliver.com

(Makes 4-6 Servings)

3 large baking potatoes

about 3 Tbsp butter

1 sweet onion

1 Parmesan rind, whatever size you have in the fridge, optional

6 cups chicken or veggie stock

sour cream, chives, blue cheese to garnish 

 
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Wash the potatoes and dry well, then prick each one with a fork and wrap in foil. Put on a rack in the middle of the oven and cook for about 1 hour 15 minutes. The exact time depends on the size of your potatoes, but to check, give them a quick squeeze, bearing in mind they’ll be hot: the potato should just give under your fingers. Remove from the oven then, when cool enough to handle, cut them into quarters. Leave to cool completely.

Peel and dice the onion. Melt the butter in a large saucepan over a medium-low heat and cook the onion for 10 minutes, or until soft. Cut the potatoes, skin and all, into chunks. Add the potato and Parmesan rind to the pan, season, then cook for 5 minutes. Add stock, bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 30 minutes. 

Remove the rind, then purée the soup until smooth with a stick blender or in a blender. Return to the pan, check the seasoning, and thin with the remaining stock, if you like. Serve garnished with a dollop of sour cream, snipped chives and a pinch of black pepper. Delicious with crumbled Lancashire cheese and crisp, crumbled bacon on the side for the whole baked potato experience.

Notes/Results: Simple and satisfying. I think the tang of the sour cream and blue cheese are what elevate this soup, so I recommend them to garnish and stir into it. I would happily make this soup again. 

This soup gives me Fall Feelings so I am sharing it with IHCC this week.

 

Let's see who is here in the Souper Sundays kitchen this week!

Judy of Gluten Free A-Z Blog is here with a vegan Fall Potato Dill-Vegetable Soup and says, "I have used dill in potato salad before, so I decided to make a potato based soup. I just went with the flow of what I had purchased. I had potatoes, onions, garlic, zucchini, fresh dill and fresh kale- all from the organic farmers at the market!  The only vegetable I added to the soup from my refrigerator was some carrots."

Thank you to Judee for joining me this week! 

(If you aren't familiar with Souper Sundays, you can read about of the origins of it here.
If you would like to join in Souper (Soup, Salad, and Sammie) Sundays, I would love to have you! Here's how...

To join in this week's Souper Sunday's linkup with your soup, salad or sandwich:

• Link up your soup (stew, chili, soupy curries, etc. are fine), salad, or sandwich dish, (preferably one from the current week or month--but we'll take older posts too) on the picture link below and leave a comment on this post so I am sure not to miss you. Also please see below for what to do on your blog post that you link up to Souper Sundays in order to be included in the weekly round-up.

and 

On your entry post (on your blog):

• Mention Souper (Soup, Salad & Sammies) Sundays at Kahakai Kitchen and add a link back to this post. (Not to be a pain but it's polite and only fair to link back to events you link up at--so if you link a post up here without linking back to this post or my blog on your post, it will be removed.)
• You are welcome to add the Souper Sundays logo to your post and/or blog (completely optional).

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

Have a happy, healthy week!

 

Watercress & Sweet Leek Soup with Horseradish & Crème Fraîche Croûtes from Jamie Oliver for Souper (Soup, Salad, & Sammie) Sundays

I had Jamie Oliver's Ultimate Veg on hold from back in March and the library opened up enough to pick up holds by appointment so I was able to pick it up this week. You don't go inside, you and the librarian wear masks and they have gloves, and anything returned is kept in quarantine for 4 days and then cleaned so it feels fairly safe. Anyway I went to the soups section and decided on his Watercress and Sweet Leek Soup as the first recipe I wanted to try.

I thought the watercress would add the peppery notes needed to keep this soup from feeling too heavy for June weather and I was salivating a bit over the Crème Fraîche Croûtes that are served on top. Sometimes the topping really makes the soup. Watercress is easy to find here as it is used in a lot of local Asian dishes which is always a benefit. I also think you could eat this soup cold or room temp if you wanted.

Watercress & Sweet Leek Soup with Horseradish & Crème Fraîche Croûtes
From Jamie Oliver Ultimate Veg
(Serves 4)

1 onion
2 cloves garlic
1 large leek
olive oil
1 lb potatoes
4 cups vegetable stock 
3 1/2 oz watercress
2 tsp creamed horseradish
2 heaping tablespoons crème fraîche
1/2 a baguette
extra virgin olive oil

Peel and finely chop the onion and garlic, halve, wash and roughly chop the leek, then place in a large casserole pan over a medium-low heat with 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Fry gently with the lid on for 20 minutes, or until soft with no color, stirring regularly and adding a splash of water, if needed.

Peel the potatoes, chop into 1/2-inch cubes and add to the pan. Pour in the stock, cover, then bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 15 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender. Season to perfection with sea salt and black pepper and stir in most of the watercress. Blitz a third of the soup with an immersion blender (or in a regular blender) and stir through.

Mix the horseradish with the crème fraîche, then finely slice the baguette (if beautifully fresh I leave untoasted, but toast if you prefer), adding a spoonful to each piece. Serve the soup topped with the croûtes and the remaining  watercress. Finish with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and a sprinkling of pepper.

Notes/Results: This soup has a nice balance of sweet, savory, peppery and bright from the various ingredients--especially when you layer on the croûtes--which are delicious enough on their own. I think I underuse horseradish as an ingredient--it mixes nicely with the crème fraîche and you could use labne, yogurt or sour cream if crème fraîche is hard to find. I'm looking forward to enjoying this for lunches this week and would happily make it again.

I'm linking it up to I Heart Cooking Clubs where we are still doing Needs Must cooking along with Julia Child and 19 other featured chefs including Jamie Oliver.

Let's see who awaits in the Souper Sundays kitchen this week:

Tina of Squirrel Head Manor shared a Simple Garden Salad with Homegrown Tomatoes, saying, "The salad is a basic type but the star was the tomatoes as we grew them.  Honestly, I wish we were more successful in the garden because there is nothing like a home grown tomato.  The taste is so fresh and there is the satisfaction of having grown it yourself."

Shaheen of Allotment2Kitchen brought Garlicky Rainbow Chard Pasta Salad and said, "This pretty Rainbow Chard Pasta Salad was heavily flavoured and scented with garlic, but I don't mind having garlic breath. It was splendid to tuck into during the busy working week. For those of you who may be interested in the recipe, there is not much to it really. This is really a tarted up version of Aglio Olio." 

Thank you to Tina and Shaheen for joining me this week!

(If you aren't familiar with Souper Sundays, you can read about of the origins of it here.
If you would like to join in Souper (Soup, Salad, and Sammie) Sundays, I would love to have you! Here's how...

To join in this week's Souper Sunday's linkup with your soup, salad or sandwich:

• Link up your soup (stew, chili, soupy curries, etc. are fine), salad, or sandwich dish, (preferably one from the current week or month--but we'll take older posts too) on the picture link below and leave a comment on this post so I am sure not to miss you. Also please see below for what to do on your blog post that you link up to Souper Sundays in order to be included in the weekly round-up.

and 

On your entry post (on your blog):

• Mention Souper (Soup, Salad & Sammies) Sundays at Kahakai Kitchen and add a link back to this post. (Not to be a pain but it's polite and only fair to link back to events you link up at--so if you link a post up here without linking back to this post or my blog on your post, it will be removed.)
• You are welcome to add the Souper Sundays logo to your post and/or blog (completely optional).

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

Have a happy, healthy week and be well.