Red Coconut Curry Lentil Soup

The ingredients for this recipe went into our slow cooker in less than five minutes, just after breakfast. It was ready by lunch time, and perfect for the cold, rainy day.

Because of the curry paste, it's not vegetarian. However, it's a super low-meat meal, and both hearty and flavorful. It's got a little bit of spice to it--the kind that leaves your mouth gently smoldering--so if you're sensitive to heat, consider halving the curry paste.

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Red Coconut Curry Lentil Soup
serves 3-4


2.5c red lentils
4.5c water
1 15oz can light coconut milk
2T thai red curry paste [ours was from Mae Ploy, but Thai Kitchen has a version, too]


1. Mix all of the ingredients together in the slow cooker, breaking up any large chunks of curry paste.
2. Cook on high for 4 hours. For a heartier meal, serve with rice.

All soups are better with a garnish. Try toasted, unsweetened coconut or strips of homemade naan.
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Slow Cooker: Lentil Soup

When we moved into our own apartment, we quickly realized how great slow cookers are. We have a 2.5 quart super basic model--it has four settings: high, low, keep warm and off. It's a little bit small for two people, but a soup recipe will usually give us two generous dinner servings and one lunch serving.

When we moved out, my parents gave us a collection of beans as a moving out present. Slow cookers and beans are best friends. We use our slow cooker to make batches of garbanzos and black beans for use in salads, salsas and dips. Lentil soup is also one of the first things we made in our slow cooker.

This recipe can be as simple or complicated as you desire. We like to brown all of the aromatics in a big frying pan and then add them to the slow cooker. That takes time, but makes the house smell delicious. For the quick and easy route, chop everything in a big food processor, dump it in the slow cooker and go.

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Slow Cooker Lentil Soup
makes 2.5 servings

2 carrots
2 celery stalks
0.5 onion
3 cloves garlic
2t cumin seed {optional}
3c water or broth
1c green/brown lentils
1 28oz can tomatoes
2-3t cumin

1. {Optional} Chop/mince the carrots, celery, onion and garlic and saute in a pan over low heat until the onions are translucent. (You are trying to mingle flavors first.) Add the cumin seed. Turn the heat up to high and briefly brown the ingredients until things are just about to burn.
2. Dump all of the ingredients into the slow cooker. Turn on high for 3-4 hours or low for 6-8 hours.
3. Garnish with cilantro or parsley, and more cumin seeds.
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Roasted Tomato Soup

Tomato soup is one of my favorite foods. It's warm, tangy, luscious, and pairs well with cheese and basil--two more favorite foods.

I haven't been able to make a proper tomato soup for a while, since we didn't have a blender. However, we are now the proud owners of an immersion blender, and I took full advantage of that opportunity.

I prepped this soup this morning, and by the time I got back from my final dress fitting (!) it was ready to be blended and eaten. I enjoyed it with almost stale Acme baguette and a generous heap of basil.

Let me know what you think by leaving a comment or emailing me at piquantprose [at] gmail [dot] com.

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Split Pea Soup: Peas Optional

In an effort to declutter, I sold a number of old books to our local used bookstore, Moe's. In addition to making space for the books I'll actually read, they gave me Moe's money to spend in the store.

I spent a long time browsing (as I do in all stores), and eventually ended up in the cookbook section. (Somehow, I always end up there--like father, like daughter.) As I flipped through the various books, mostly from long disproven fad diets, I saw the yellowed spine of a small, unassuming, paperback book.

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I'd heard the name before, but never bothered to delve deeper. When I opened the pages, I was immediately enchanted--the recipes were all about the vegetables. They were simple, varied, fresh, savory, delicious.. I bought it.

Of course, it has taken me months to actually read its contents, and select a trial recipe: split pea soup. Dan and I made this last night and it was marvelous. The soup is thick, hearty, filling, and flavorful. 

Due to Dan's dislike of mustard and vinegar, I had to alter the recipe somewhat. If you do not have such an aversion to mustard, a squirt of Dijon upon servings does wonders to brighten the flavors and tickle your tongue.

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Split Pea Soup

serves 4 when served with bread

based on Molly Katzen's Moosewood Cookbook

Equipment

2 qt. slow cooker (or a big pot and lots of time)

sharp knife

frying pan

stirring utensil

Ingredients

1.5c dry green split peas

3.5c water

1 bay leaf

1t salt

2T oil

0.5 onion, minced

3 stalks celery, minced

1 potato, thinly sliced (2-3mm thick)

2c sliced carrots

2 cloves garlic, minced

0.5c chopped tomatoes

0.25t thyme

0.25c freshly chopped parsley

Dijon mustard, pepper for serving

Directions

1. In the slow cooker, combine the split peas, water, bay leaf and salt. Cook on high for 3-4 hours. (If you don't have a slow cooker, simply simmer this, covered, for 3-4 hours.)

2. Saute the onion, celery, potato and carrots in the oil until the potato and carrot begin to brown slightly. Add the garlic and chopped tomatoes; saute for an additional 5 minutes. (This looked good enough to eat plain!!! I may make this for lunch some day.)

3. Add the vegetable mixture to the slow cooker, along with the thyme. Let cook for an additional 15 minute.

4. Just before serving, add the mustard and parsley. Serve with toasted hunks of bread, in warm bowls.

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The ingredient list is long, but you probably have most of the things on the list already. The process couldn't be simpler.

Each serving has just under 400 calories, with around 20g of protein, and less than 10g of fat. (You could cut the fat by using just 1T of oil.)

If you're a carnivore, chorizo would be good in this, as would the more traditional ham. (Great way to use leftover Christmas ham!!!)

Let me know what you think by leaving a comment or emailing me at piquantprose [at] gmail [dot] com.

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Butternut Squash

Maybe your knives are sharper than mine, but I think butternut squash is a pain to prep. Most recipes call for peeled, cubed squash, which just counts me out right away.

So when I came across a recipe in the Moosewood cookbook for butternut squash soup with pre-cooked squash, I went for it. (Especially necessary seeing as I'd already cooked the squash just to get it off my counter.)

One of the biggest problems with butternut squash is its overwhelming sweetness. The flavor is too strong to conceal in sweets, and it's too sweet to hide in savory dishes. (We tried a butternut squash chili--it was too sweet to be hearty chili.)

This recipe counters that with the addition of mushrooms and curry powder.

P.S. No blender required!!!

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Butternut Squash Mushroom Soup
serves 4
adapted from the Moosewood Cookbook

Ingredients
3T butter
0.5 onion, diced
2 stalks celery, diced
1 carrot, diced
6-10 medium brown mushrooms, sliced
1T cumin seeds
2T curry powder
1c vegetable stock
1c water
1 butternut squash, pre-cooked to softness and scooped from its skin
salt + pepper

Directions
1. Melt the butter over medium-low heat in a heavy bottom saucepan. Add the onions and a dash of salt, stirring to coat in butter and cooking until just softening.
2. Add the celery and carrot, stir and cook for an additional 3-4 minutes.
3. Add the mushrooms and cumin seeds, stirring every minute or two, and cooking until the mushrooms are browned and fond is forming on the bottom of the pan
4. Add curry powder, stock and water, scraping the fond off the bottom of the pan. Stir to coat the veggies and mix the curry.
5. Add the butternut squash and stir again. Simmer over low heat for 30 minutes, periodically mashing the squash against the side of the pan with a spatula (unless you want chunkier soup).
6. Add salt and pepper to taste.
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