September is nearly over. The nights are cold enough now that I’d rather not brave the outdoors without a jacket, sweater or decent buzz. The leaves are starting to change color, the farmers have started or finished pulling their crops and our Thanksgiving is right around the corner. It is nearly autumn, or as I think of it, soup season. God willing, as soup blogging is indeed the path of the righteous man, I will manage to post about as many of my favorites as time permits: and that’s a great many soups.
Butternut Squash and Sweet Corn Soup…

…or How I Learned to Stop Hating and Love the Mango

The first time I bit into a mango, I hated it. If you’re a mango lover, I know what you might be thinking, and yes, I did peel it first. That wasn’t the problem. Immediately after biting into it I was overwhelmed with this mushy taste of sweetened hairspray. Having on at least one occasion in memory sprayed my mother’s hairspray in my mouth, I took mangoes to be a bad thing filled with a vile substance akin to eating grooming products. I then shelved the idea of eating mangoes entirely as my palette became more refined and I established (and verified with a Wikipedia search on “mango”) that they actually taste of varying degrees of turpentine. Dr. Strangelove…

1 pound lean ground beef
2 medium onions, chopped
1 small head cabbage, cored and chopped
5-1/2 ounces tomato paste
6 cups beef broth
1/2 cup long grain rice
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon brown sugar
salt and pepper

1. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the ground beef and fry until no longer pink, then add the onions and cabbage and a pinch of salt.
2. Reduce heat to medium and cook until cabbage is softened, about 10 minutes.
3. Transfer contents to a soup pot and add tomato paste and beef broth. Bring to a boil and add the rice, cinnamon and brown sugar. Cook until rice is tender, then season to taste with salt and pepper.

Makes 8 servings

2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
2 medium carrots, peeled and chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
2-4 veal shanks
1/2 cup flour
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup dry white wine
28 ounces canned plum tomatoes
1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
1 tablespoon dried basil or sage
1/4 teaspoon sugar
2 cups veal or beef stock
8 ounces fettuccine
1/4 cup Parmesan, grated
salt and pepper
water

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
2. Heat a dutch oven or other ovenproof pot over medium heat. Melt butter with olive oil, the add onions and carrots, sautéing until onions are translucent. Stir in the garlic, then remove from heat.
3. Meanwhile, heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Season veal shanks with salt and pepper and dredge with flour. Shake off excess flour, then add olive oil to the skillet and brown shanks on both sides. Transfer to the dutch oven on top of the vegetables.
4. Deglaze the skillet with wine and the juice from the canned tomatoes and reduce the liquid by half. Crush the tomatoes and add them to the skillet, along with the parsley, basil or sage, sugar and veal stock. Season to taste with salt and pepper, then pour over the veal shanks.
5. Cover the dutch oven and put into the oven, cooking until veal is tender, about an hour and a half.
6. Transfer the veal shanks to a warmed plate and keep warm. Bring the remaining sauce to a boil and reduce until thick.
7. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add a generous pinch of salt, along with the fettuccine.
8. Cook pasta until al dente, then drain and add to the thickened sauce. Serve pasta and sauce on a plate, topped with the veal shank and a generous portion of freshly grated Parmesan cheese.

Makes 4 servings

1 teaspoon olive oil
1 small apple, peeled, cored and chopped
1/2 medium onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, crushed
1/4 teaspoon cumin seed
1 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup apple juice
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
3/4 cup couscous
salt and pepper

1. Heat oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Sauté the apple, onion and garlic until tender.
2. Stir in cumin seed and sauté until fragrant, then add the chicken broth, juice and vinegar. Season with salt and pepper,
3. en bring to a boil.
4. Stir in the couscous, remove from heat and cover. When couscous has absorbed all of the liquid, fluff with a fork to
5. rve.

Makes 4 servings

1 pound pork tenderloin, 1" thick slices
1/2 medium onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 chipotle in adobo
3/4 cup apple juice
salt and pepper

1. Season pork with salt and pepper. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and fry the pork in batches, flipping once,
2. til cooked through to the center. Remove from the pan and keep warm in the oven.
3. Add the onion, garlic, chipotle and apple juice to the skillet. Bring to a boil, and cook until sauce is reduced and
4. ick. Serve along with pork and on top of Cumin Apple Couscous.

Makes 4 servings

2 tablespoons corn oil
2 medium carrots, peeled and chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, crushed
2 red chilies, seeded and chopped
6 cups chicken broth
19 ounces canned diced tomatoes
1 tablespoon ground cumin
2 teaspoons paprika
1 teaspoon cayenne
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 pound lean ground pork
1 cup masa (corn flour) or 10 corn tortillas
4 ounces cheddar, grated
4 ounces Monterey jack, grated
4 ounces mozzarella, grated
1 cup milk
1 cup tortilla chips
salt and pepper

1. Heat oil in a large soup pot over medium heat. Sauté carrots, onions, garlic and chilies until tender.
2. Add chicken broth and bring to a boil, then stir in the tomatoes, cumin, paprika, cayenne and oregano. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
3. Stir in the pork and masa or corn tortillas and cook until pork is done and masa is thoroughly incorporated, stirring occasionally.
4. Reduce heat and stir in milk and 3/4 of the cheese. Serve garnished with tortilla chips and remaining cheese.

Makes 6 servings

2 pound pork tenderloin, trimmed
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon black peppercorns, crushed
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup onion confit

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
2. Rub pork tenderloin with olive oil and press salt and pepper into the flesh. Slice into pieces small enough to fit into a skillet.
3. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and sear all sides of the tenderloin. Transfer to the oven to finish cooking until a meat thermometer can be inserted into the center and register around 160 degrees, about 20-25 minutes.
4. Allow meat to rest before slicing and serve with onion confit. See Dinner Entry for possible recipe!

Makes 8 servings

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon ghee
1 medium onion, sliced
2 pounds skinless chicken pieces
6 medium tomatoes, chopped
1/4 cup ground cashews or almonds
1 dried red chili
1 teaspoon garam masala
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
4 green cardamom pods
1 teaspoon ginger puree
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 bay leaf
2/3 cup plain yogurt
salt and pepper

1. Heat olive oil and ghee in a large pot over medium heat and add the onion, sautéing until tender.
2. Add the chicken and fry until lightly browned on all sides, then add the tomatoes and a generous pinch of salt.
3. Grind together cashews, chili pepper, garam masala, cloves, cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, garlic and bay leaf. Stir the spices into the yogurt.
4. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook until sauce has thickened and chicken is tender, about 45 minutes.
5. Serve over rice and garnish with fresh cilantro, if desired.

Makes 4 servings

1 pound lamb, cubed
1 small red onion, minced
2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and minced
1 cup dry red wine
1 cup butter, cubed
3 cloves garlic, crushed
2 teaspoons turmeric
2 black cardamom pods
1 tablespoon ground coriander seed
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon cayenne
1 tablespoon brown sugar
salt and pepper

1. Combine lamb, onion, jalapeno and red wine and marinate for about an hour.
2. Meanwhile, melt butter in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil and skim off any solids that float to the surface.
3. Add the garlic, turmeric, cardamom, coriander seed, red pepper flakes, allspice and cloves. Remove from heat and allow to solidify.
4. Return the butter to the heat to liquify, then pour through a fine mesh strainer lined with cheesecloth to remove any solid matter.
5. Pour flavored clarified butter into a large soup pot or dutch oven over medium-high heat. Stir in the cayenne and brown sugar.
6. Remove the lamb from the marinade and pat dry, reserving marinade. Brown the lamb in batches, then return all the lamb to the pot and add the marinade, bringing to a boil.
7. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook until lamb is tender, about an hour. Simmer longer for flavors to meld.
8. Pull apart lamb chunks with a fork and season to taste with salt and pepper and serve garnished with freshly chopped jalapenos.

Makes 4 servings