Bacon, rice, broccoli, zucchini, celery, fresh basil, white pepper, sambal oelek.
The city opened a new cold-weather shelter nearby, and we’ve been swamped. Thus I stayed late and whipped this little devil together. It was extra thick and flavorful, so it likely will be cut into two soups tomorrow.
“I’m not playing the race card. I’m playing the rice card.” Margaret Cho
Mirepoix: yellow onion, celery, orange bell pepper, parsnip, fennel. Tempura shrimp, potato, zucchini, mushroom, green bell pepper, coconut milk, coconut cream, half and half, butter, fresh Thai basil, fresh basil, garlic, sambal oelek (Indonesian hot chili sauce).
The chili sauce added a sly underneath heat. And yay for coconut.
“Are you suggesting coconuts migrate?” Castle guard, Monty Python and the Holy Grail
Standard mirepoix. Ham, pancit noodles, zucchini, Brussels sprouts, verde salsa, pico de gallo, garlic, cinnamon.
In previous posts I said I used fresh ramen, but today Lita, a volunteer from the Philippines, explained that they were pancit, filipino noodles. Most excellent to find this out.
“Give me ten thousand Filipino soldiers and I will conquer the world.” Douglas MacArthur
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.
Mirepoix: yellow onion, green bell pepper, celery. Ham, portabella shrooms, zucchini, elbow noodles, ginger, garlic.
Martin was away on business, so I made two today. Wish we had fresh ginger. Still, even zombies would have liked this. And speaking of Ginger….
Mirepoix: yellow onion, celery, green bell pepper. Chicken thigh, portabella shrooms, zucchini, crunchy peanut butter, coconut milk, cranberries, fresh basil, parsley, lime juice, red pepper flakes.
“If you don’t mind smelling like peanut butter for two or three days, peanut butter is darn good shaving cream.” Barry Goldwater
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.
Standard mirepoix. Chicken, roasted red pepper, zucchini, garlic, Frontera chipotle pineapple marinade, fresh ramen, pineapple.
Mirepoix sweated in ghee.
We’re so used to dry ramen, you know, the staple of every drunk dorm dweller. Having it fresh was totally cool.
Had a fun little cross-border vibe.
“Hell, when I was growing up, I could make a meal out of a package of Top Ramen and a bottle of Windex.” Coolio
Standard mirepoix. Cod, green and yellow zucchini, Tostitos Fiesta Bowl bean dip platter, red and orange bell peppers, yogurt, jalapeno relish, Juanita’s Fiesta Bag of corn chips, cumin, paprika, cayenne pepper, garlic.
Eeek ugly picture. Oh well, at least it tasted good!
And remember, if there’s ever a taco emergency, call 9 Juan Juan.
The title says it all. Seasoned with cumin, liquid aminos, and Italian seasoning. Michele cooked up a good one here.
Liquid aminos? That was a new one on me. Healthier version of soy sauce, seemingly.
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.
Mirepoix: Yellow onion, green and orange bell pepper. Hominy, zucchini, nacho salsa, garlic.
Had next to no fresh vegies. Add can of hominy to zucchini and we’re in business.
“Barriga llena, corazón contento” Full stomach, happy heart. Indeed
Mirepoix: yellow onion, red and green pepper, carrot. Ground turkey, rice, asparagus, poblano pepper, extra onion and pepper, zucchini, radish greens, Cajun spice mix, paprika, lemon juice, dill, marjoram.
Martin commented that the turkey looked a bit nuclear when it was cooking. It reminded me of those flying pizza things that don’t like light and that attacked Spock in that one episode.
Sometimes when we’ve got a lot of customers, the soup makers don’t have access to one or two of the burners, because we need to get a soup heated quickly to get it upstairs to serve out. Thus Martin roasted the mirepoix in the pan I used to cook my sausage. Sometimes pragmatism works well–the mirepoix soaked up the brown bits of the sausage and it tasted great.
Made today, 6/12/19
Mirepoix: yellow onion, green bell pepper, shallot. Ham, yellow and green zucchini, mushroom, fresh ginger, lime leaves, coconut milk, milk, red pepper flakes, Thai basil, garlic, black pepper.
We never have donations of lemongrass, and rarely have curry paste, so I can only try to approximate the Thai flavor. Although I’m unsure if Thais use ham in curry.
Yul Brynner would have dug it.
Made 8/1/18
Mirepoix: yellow onion, carrot, bok choy. Brussels sprouts, zucchini, carrot, soy sauce, cumin, ginger, coriander, garlic, parsley.
Outside the temperature was in the upper 80s. Nothing horrible, but down in the nunnery dungeon it got a bit sweltery.
Made 8/7/18
Mirepoix: yellow onion, red bell pepper, carrot. Rotisserie chicken, canned chicken, zucchini, leek, broccoli, portobello mushroom, hondashi, garlic, Lemon Good Health Vinegar, fresh ginger, fresh basil, soy sauce.
Never start a land war in Asia.
Fresh ginger was the key. Not too bad.
Was pretty sweaty in the kitchen. Had to bring out portable fans to combat the sultry atmosphere.
Made 8/8/18
Yellow onions, potato, zucchini, broccoli, freekah, paprika, garlic, sriracha, fish sauce.
“Awwww freekah, Le Freak, c’est chic”. Nile Rogers helped me with this one.
According to Wikipedia, freekah is ” a cereal food made from green durum wheat that is roasted and rubbed to create its flavor. ” Rubbed? Your guess is as good as mine, but had no protein, so in it went.
Made 8/14/18
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, red and green pepper, carrot. Linguiça sausage, eggplant, broccoli, apple, Japanese pear (nashi), lentil, zucchini, fish sauce, curry powder, turmeric, coriander, cinnamon, garlic.
A fave among the EIC sepoys. I would hope.
Made today, 6/5/19
Mirepoix: carrot, yellow onion, green bell pepper, celery, garlic. Ground turkey, zucchini, corn, fresh mint, fresh basil.
The erosion of judicial power. Sigh. But the mint really brightened things up.
Made 9/5/18
Mirepoix: white onion, poblano pepper, red bell pepper. Chicken, zucchini, corn, cauliflower, flour, sage, lime juice, hondashi bonito bouillon, garlic, black pepper.
I really wish we had more hondashi. It gives such an umami umph.
Made 9/19/18
Mirepoix: leek, yellow onion, orange and red bell pepper, celery, funky-colored carrot. Zucchini, salumeria pepperoni salsiccia, pear, spinach noodles, minced garlic, basil, ginger, parsley flakes.
Chinese spinach noodles–had to use them. Still unsure if dry, hard Italian sausage is a great thing to put in a soup, but it was the protein available, so in it went.
Made 4/30/19
Mirepoix: leek, yellow onion, fennel, carrot, celery, red bell pepper. Chicken, zucchini, portobello mushroom, corn, dumpling, almond butter, worcesterhire sauce, dill, cayenne pepper, minced garlic.
Dumplings were hand-made with milk, flour, parsley flakes, and dried basil.
made 4/24/19
Mirepoix: yellow onion, green and red bell pepper, poblano pepper, carrot, parsley. Roasted zucchini, fresh tomato, kalamata olives, capers, morel mushroom, crimini mushroom, eggplant tapenade, worcesterhire sauce, balsamic vinegar, sugar, fresh oregano, fresh basil, garlic.
” Romanes eunt domus”
More morels. The earth shakes!
Made 4/17/19
Mirepoix: white onion, celery. Ground beef (browned with turmeric and dill), zucchini, baby kale, red pepper, garbanzo beans, cannellini beans, sheep yogurt, mint, lime juice, garlic.
Can only hope Mustafa would approve.
“Istanbul was Constantinople, now it’s Istanbul, not Constantinople”.
Made 4/16/19
Mirepoix: yellow and red onion, red and green bell pepper. Cauliflower, zucchini, penne, green onion, fish sauce, sushi ginger, garlic, red pepper flakes.
Gari, ie sushi ginger, was there on the ingredient shelf. So in it went, added to the mirepoix and pureed. It contributed both acid and ginger flavor. Clients liked it.
An old pond. A frog jumps in. The sound of water.
Made 3/26/19
Standard mirepoix. Beef, garbanzo beans, hominy, roasted zucchini, roasted cauliflower, poblano pepper, red bell pepper, pico de gallo, cumin, garlic, cinnamon, tomato soup starter.
Made 3/27/19
Mirepoix: red onion, celery, red and green bell pepper, roasted zucchini, cauliflower, noodles, penne, Mama Sita’s Palabok Oriental Gravy Mix, red pepper flakes, garlic, fried onion.
Palabok (I learned later) is a Filipino (hence the reference to the shoe lady) noodle dish with a shrimp-based sauce. I had no idea, but it looked interesting. So in it went.
Made 3/20/19
Mirepoix: red onion, green and red bell peppers. Salumi sausage, black beans, corn, zucchini, tomato, salsa, cinnamon, nutmeg, garlic, honey.
Once again we had donations of Salumi sausage–very cool.
Made 3/19/19
Standard mirepoix. Roasted zucchini, turnip, portobello shrooms, red bell pepper, lentil, yogurt, honey, cumin, curry powder, ginger, turmeric, coriander, garlic, cinnamon.
Added cumin and garlic to the mirepoix.
Was aiming at a tikka masala soup, but that train derailed. Oh well.
Made 3/13/19
Mirepoix: yellow onion, celery, yellow and green bell pepper, carrot. Hot chicken sausage, black beans, pinto beans, diced tomato, zucchini, caramelized onion, mango salsa, teriyaki sauce, ginger, soy sauce, sugar, garlic.
Made 3/6/19
Mirepoix: yellow onion, poblano pepper, bell pepper, carrot. Brussels sprouts, roasted corn, roasted zucchini, fresh rosemary, lime juice, garlic.
Doesn’t look like much, but it wasn’t too bad. The lime juice really brightened it up.
Made 1/23/19
Mirepoix: carrot, onion, bell pepper. Roasted zucchini, roasted mushroom, coconut milk, sweet coconut flakes, rice, fish sauce, garlic, dried and fresh basil, ginger, curry powder.
Fish sauce opened up again in my backpack, even though I had wrapped the top with saran wrap. Had to throw it into the wash machine again.
Made 1/22/19
Mirepoix: red onion, carrot, celery. Roasted eggplant, roasted cauliflower, zucchini, marjoram, fish sauce, vinegar.
Gotta get roasting done in the winter, cause in the summer the kitchen gets insufferably hot.
Made 1/16/19
Mirepoix: yellow onion, celery, red bell pepper (the Holy Trinity!). Chicken, roasted butternut squash, roasted zucchini, Brussels sprouts, tomato, raisins, tomato paste, cumin, fried garlic, cinnamon, turmeric, red pepper flakes.
Made 1/2/19
Mirepoix: yellow onion, yellow and red bell pepper, carrot. Roasted eggplant, roasted zucchini, coconut milk, green curry paste,Thai green curry simmer sauce, sweet coconut flakes, cream, fresh basil, chive, fried garlic.
This is the closest I can get to real curry without lemongrass (which we never have) and other Thai spices.
Made 12/26/18
Mirepoix: leek, green bell pepper, fennel, carrot, minced garlic. Roasted zucchini, extra carrot, rice vermicelli, oigatsuo tsuyu soup base, fresh basil, fried garlic, tofu, sesame oil.
Feliz Natal! So cool to have leeks–we don’t often have them.
Made 12/25/18
Mirepoix: yellow onion, carrot, poblano pepper, jalapeno pepper (calientepoix). Ham, tomato, black beans, roasted zucchini, Metro Market salsa, green chilis, tomato paste, balsamic vinegar, cinnamon, garlic, sugar.
Made 12/19/18
Mirepoix: yellow onion, rainbow carrot, celery, poblano pepper. Zucchini, roasted mushrooms, red bell pepper, coconut milk, garlic, lime juice, sugar.
Roasted the shrooms.
It’s “almost” Asian because the coconut milk had practically no taste. Does coconut milk go flat with age?
Made 12/12/18
Mirepoix: yellow onion, celery, those funky organic rainbow carrots. Beef, asparagus, zucchini, tomato, raisin, crimini mushroom, turmeric, coriander, garlic, cayenne pepper, cinnamon, lime juice.
Pureed the shrooms with the mirepoix.
Made 12/11/18
Mirepoix: yellow onion, celery, red bell pepper, parsnip, carrot. Potato, zucchini, clams, white fish, clam juice, milk, fresh basil, chive, dill, thyme.
A hit. Had clients coming back for seconds.
Made 12/5/18
Mirepoix: yellow onion, carrot, celery, bell pepper, jalapeno pepper, fennel. Eggplant, zucchini, fish sauce, garlic.
Made 11/21/18
Mirepoix: red onion, carrot, celery, fennel, red and green bell peppers, jalapeno peppers. Roasted chicken, roasted eggplant, zucchini, banana, peanut butter, cinnamon, cumin, nutmeg, garlic.
Sometime you just gotta say, “what the fuq”.
Made 11/20/18
Mirepoix: yellow onion, carrot, bell pepper, poblano chili. Potato, zucchini, portobello mushroom, crimini mushroom, corn, mild salsa, milk, tomato bouillon, garlic, cumin, nutmeg, clove, tabasco sauce.
Viva sopa.
Made 11/14/18.
Mirepoix: red onions, celery, carrot. Cauliflower, zucchini, garbanzo beans, great northern beans, artichoke hearts, bone stock, lime juice, garlic, fish stock, butter.
On Sundays, periodically my ma used to make New England boiled dinner. I hated the crap out of it. Rutabagas, turnips, parsnips, potatoes, carrots. The only way I could deal with it was to mash all the vegies together and put a pound of butter on it. Hence this soup. Odd how I now love all those rooty vegetables.
Soup Kitchen Recipes 