Mirepoix: yellow onion, celery, carrot, chive. Clams with juice, shrimp with juice, potato, camembert cheese, orange and green bell pepper, cauliflower, egg yolks, ghee, butter, fish sauce, milk, whipping cream, fresh basil, tarragon, dill, cinnamon, garlic.
So now I know that “liaison” is the official word that means adding starch or egg yolks to thicken soup. So today I liaised with yolks–creamy thickness.
Traditional mirepoix. Roasted chicken, canned pumpkin, romano cheese, yam, sweet potato, carrot, Anaheim pepper, green onion, onion, kale, cranberry, mashed potato mix, mushroom pate, truffle oil, ginger, cinnamon, corn starch, chicken bouillon, sugar, white pepper, malt vinegar, molasses, lemon juice, parsley.
Martin had a whole lotta lovin mixed into this one, but the pumpkin was up center. Good stuff.
Mirepoix: yellow onion, celery, parsnip. Ham, broccoli, collard greens, La Tur Italian cheese, Irish cheddar cheese, walnuts, lemon ginger burst juice, oats, garlic.
The La Tur was a groovy find: cheese made with the milk of cows, goats, and sheep. Whodathunk?
Mirepoix: yellow onion, celery, parsnip (let’s call that the “snipoix”). Ham, apple, potato, cauliflower, apple sauce, cream cheese, flour, dill, tarragon, garlic, black pepper.
A zippy fruit and dairy treat, soup style.
“Anyone who has declared someone else to be an idiot, a bad apple, is annoyed when it turns out in the end that he isn’t.” Friedrich Nietzsche
Mirepoix: yellow and red onion, parsnip, celery. Beef top round steak, top sirloin, pork sausage, goat cheese, parsnip, crimini shroom, bean dip bowl, refried beans, black beans, corn, tomato, tomato paste, pineapple, lemon ginger burst juice, garlic, pico de gallo, mild salsa, beef bouillon, tomato bouillon.
This was a hoot to make–the guiding principle was “why not?”
Tri-tip steak, potato, cauliflower, mashed potato, roasted potato, sun-dried tomato, green bell pepper, red bell pepper, goat cheese.
One of the very few times we didn’t have any onions. I’m crying for not crying.
Mirepoix: red and yellow onion, red bell pepper, carrot. Chicken breast, baked brie en croute, potato, milk, fish sauce, garlic paste, herbs de provence, basil, black pepper.
Baked brie in a cream soup? Sounded fun, so in it went. Turned out great.
Mirepoix: yellow onion, bell pepper, carrot. Chicken thighs, mushroom, asparagus, potato, okra, carrot, basil, rosemary, Bengal masala, curry sauce, gherkin mustard, manicotta, ricotta, milk, paprika, vinegar, sugar.
The gherkins were right up front in Martin’s concoction. Let’s say “tamed tartness”.
Mirepoix: red onion, carrot, celery. Pork pistachio pâté, potato, green bell pepper, chopped pistachio, pineapple, salsa, chevre, garlic, oregano, coriander, worcestershire sauce.
“You beat your pate and fancy wit will come. Knock as you please, there’s nobody at home.” Alexander Pope. I suppose he wasn’t speaking of pâté, but it’s fun to think he was.
Mirepoix: red onion, carrot, celery. Grilled chicken breast, chicken pate, crimini mushroom, oyster mushroom, Swiss chard, roasted eggplant, zucchini, fresh mint, tomato bouillon, garlic, cumin, fresh basil, worcestershire sauce, feta cheese, green olive, tomato paste, pesto.
The Greek goddess of wilderness, wild animals, and hunting. Isn’t something wrong when the goddess of animals is also the goddess of hunting?
Mirepoix: yellow onion, parsnip, red bell pepper. Chicken thigh, zucchini, mozzarella cheese, black beans, artichoke hearts, tomato paste, oregano, plum sauce, worcestershire sauce, sugar, habanero sauce, tomatillo salsa, chile negro and hibiscus sauce.
Chuck, a regular at the food bank, spotted the habanero sauce. Had to use it–added a nice soft kick.
“We got married in a fever, hotter that a habanero.” Billy Edd Wheeler and Jerry Leiber, performed with wrong words by Johnny Cash and June Carter.
Onion, carrot, celery, chicken thighs, broccoli, black pepper, Italian seasoning, rosemary, curry powder, rice, cheddar cheese.
Fresh rosemary. Oh so good, and it really added umph. Michele made this classic.
Onion, carrots, celery, asparagus, green bean, black bean, cheese, salt, black pepper, turmeric, coriander, chilpok sauce.
Today’s offering from Michele is full of yumminess.
“How can you govern a country which has 246 varieties of cheese?” Charles de Gaulle
Mirepoix: shallot, yellow onion, celery, carrot. Chicken thighs, zucchini, tomato, mango salsa, gouda cheese, gouda cheese with truffles, lasagna noodles, worcestershire sauce, Italian seasoning, basil, fresh garlic, oregano.
“A disaster of Biblical proportion, Old Testament, the old wrath of God type stuff. Fire and brimstone, 40 years of darkness, human sacrifice, Cubans and Italians living in a soup. Mass hysteria.” Incorrectly paraphrased from Ghostbusters.
Mirepoix: shallot, yellow onion, celery, carrot, red bell pepper. Chicken thighs, feta cheese, roasted peppers, eggplant, green olives, fish sauce, tarragon, parsley flakes.
The feta really brought this off.
“Chicken soup – what a blessing…for the mind to dwell a world away from pain.” Sophocles, Oedipus Rex. Sort of.
Standard mirepoix. Portobello mushroom, crimini mushroom, kale, kumamoto tomato, bacon, canned salmon, sweet mozzarella cream cheese, paprika, garlic, ginger, chive, fresh basil.
Martin crammed so many mushrooms in this that it practically exploded. A really great flavor.
“I’m just some lunatic macaroni mushroom, is that it?” Joe Pesci
Mirepoix: red onion, carrot. Cod, potato, zucchini, cottage cheese, fish sauce, worcestershire sauce, garlic, curry paste, Thai basil, dried basil, coconut milk, lemon thyme, lemon juice, sugar.
Maybe should have put some flour in to thicken, but I’m hoping that when it’s reheated tomorrow the potatoes will break down. That would be nice.
จับปลาสองมือ
Translation: Catch a fish with two hands.
Meaning: You can’t have your cake and eat it too.
Onion, celery, bacon, chorizo, pork pâté, green olive, elbow macaroni, cheese powder, mozzarella cheese, whipping cream, flour.
Pureed the pâté with the onion and celery– a super meaty base. Turned out pretty good. Maybe should have added some tabasco.
“Fettucini alfredo is macaroni and cheese for adults.” Mitch Hedberg.
Onion, roasted corn, potato, cream, cream cheese, prepared mashed potatoes, coconut milk, rosemary, dill, garlic, butter, potato starch.
I first encountered potage in Tokyo, where it’s quite popular. Seemed a nice simple corn soup that I could jazz up a bit.
“I’m old enough to chew my peas and corn without choking.” Taj Mahal
Standard mirepoix. Hot dog, ham, potato, extra onion, cheddar cheese, garlic scape, basil, beef bouillon, milk, black pepper, flour.
“Is it a good hot dog? That’s all I want to know. I don’t think the personal health and purity of my colon is that important compared to pleasure.” Anthony Bourdain
Mirepoix: yellow and red onions, organic rainbow carrot, green bell pepper. Ham, asparagus, egg, milk, romano cheese, asiago cheese, garlic, lots of black pepper, cinnamon, fish sauce.
Thinner than I meant–needed another dozen egg yolks. Lesson learned, but it did taste a bit carbonaraish. Will try some other egg soups in the future.
And pay no attention to the that man behind the curtain, nor the shadow on the soup.
Onion, carrot, potato, tomato, cod, corn,milk, Parmesan, butter, Italian seasoning, dill.
Michele came out swinging with this one. I love the addition of Parmesan cheese and tomato. Num!
Standard mirepoix. Bacon, okra, fennel, potato, pobalano pepper, half and half, fish sauce, parsley, minced garlic, garlic scape, cream cheese, tarragon, glace de poulet, love.
The slick sliminess of okra. Such a joy, such a love.
Had never heard of garlic scape before, but holy smokes this is a killer ingredient. Tanta alegria e tanto amor. Que bom.
“It is impossible to love and to be wise”. Francis Bacon
Made 6/18/19
Mirepoix: yellow onion, red and green pepper, carrot. Sausage, nasty industrial cheese goo, mushrooms, extra red green and orange bell pepper, extra onions, roasted chicken stock, fish sauce, hand-made croutons, oregano, paprika, cumin, lemon juice.
A left-field attempt to make Philly Cheesesteak Soup, but with sausage. Totally winging it on this one. I had the option to use Permesan cheese, but went with the 7-11 nacho goop.
I made the croutons in the oven, but once in the soup they simply became bread again. Lesson learned.
” They say that this is where revolutions begin and nations are born. They say that this is a place where steel rules all and there is something called a cheese-steak sandwich that is supposed to be manna from heaven!” Dylan Callens
Mirepoix: yellow onion, carrot, bok choy. Pre-made meatballs, potato, portobello mushroom, fromage blanc, lemon extract, half and half, fish sauce, tomato paste, tomato sauce, rice wine vinegar, garlic, paprika, black pepper.
Attila blessed it.
Made 8/7/18
Mirepoix: yellow onion, red and green bell pepper, carrot. Roasted mushroom, potato, corn, cream corn, zucchini, parmasen cheese, fire roasted corn salsa, nacho salsa, garlic, fish sauce.
Probably should have added some potato starch.
“The only soup we have to fear is soup itself“.
Mirepoix: yellow onion, celery, poblano pepper. Broccoli, red bell pepper, cheddar cheese, hondashi (bonito bouillon), dill, thyme.
Rutherford B. Hayes was a great admirer of the power of broccoli. Or so I hear.
Made 9/12/18
Standard mirepoix. Asparagus, beef, milk, Niko Niko rice, Greek yogurt, parmesan cheese, lime juice, garlic, butter.
Pureed calrose rice for thickness/silkiness. Had a nice little tang to it. Well received. No codpiece this.
Made 5/22/19
Mirepoix: yellow onion, parsnip, carrot, leek. Broccoli, cauliflower, mushroom, poblano pepper, cheddar cheese, feta cheese, fish sauce, nutmeg.
“Blessed are the cheese-makers”.
We’ve been totally blessed with a plethora of leeks recently. As things go around here, probably won’t see any more for a couple months. Just the way it is at a food bank.
Made 5/1/19
Mirepoix: yellow onion, yellow and green bell pepper, carrot. Smoked salmon, potato, cauliflower, fromage blanc, milk, whipping cream, potato starch, bacon mashed potato mix, fresh dill, tarragon, garlic.
Made 3/6/19
Mirepoix: white onion, carrot. Tomato, fancy salami, ricotta cheese, tomato paste, chive, garlic, sugar.
Sometimes we get donations from Salumi, who make artisan cured meats. Really good, deluxe. expensive meats. Funny how these found their way into a food bank soup.
Around this time we had a few snow storms. The city opened up a shelter at the Exhibition Hall, which is fairly close to us. Thus we had a lot more clients to serve; we averaged maybe 140 customers before, and that went up to 180 during the peak. Thing is, since things got back to normal, our numbers haven’t dropped back to our normal. Some say it’s because they come back for the soup. Would like to think so.
Made 2/13/19
Regular mirepoix. Potato, prepared mashed potato, yellow bell pepper, milk, coconut milk, sweet coconut flakes, corn, mushroom, cauliflower, feta cheese, fish sauce, flour, marjoram, dill, garlic, fried garlic.
Would have been nice to have green peppers to make the color scheme more interesting. Alas we had none.
Made 1/2/19
Mirepoix: yellow onion, red bell pepper, carrot. Kale, chicken, blue cheese, garlic.
Tangy.
Made 11/4/18
Red onion, crimini mushroom, portobello mushroom, oyster mushroom, potato, mashed potato mix, dijon mustard, half and half, cottage cheese, fresh basil.
The portobellos and some of the criminis were roasted. Other criminis were sauteed in butter. Other criminis were pureed with the onions in stock for thickness.
Made 11/16/18, Election Day. Yes I voted.
Standard mirepoix. Chanterelle shrooms, potato, carrots, milk, parmesan cheese, cottage cheese, feta, fresh Thai basil, garlic
To thicken it, I pureed a bunch of shrooms with the mirepoix. It was irritating as a hemorrhoid separating the twigs, pine needles, and whatever from the box of shrooms.
Made 10/24/18
Made 10/24/18
Soup Kitchen Recipes 