During the rainy season here in Florida, some nights nothing hits the spot like a bowl of soup. Soups are easy to make, affordable and one batch of soup can feed a whole family with some crusty bread and a cold, crisp salad. I add some cultural influences to my soup recipes to make them exotic and fun. Most of these items should be readily available in your fridge or pantry. Here are three I like to make:
Italian – Ribollita Soup
This soup is so hearty and so fulfilling. I hope you’ll give it a try. It’s even better the next day, and it’s a great way to use leftovers. Don’t feel limited by these ingredients. Experiment with the greens. I used beet greens here, but you could use kale, chard, escarole, spinach or collards.
Ingredients
1 TB plus 1/4 cup olive oil
greens (two big handfuls), roughly chopped
1 tsp garlic, minced
1 large onion, diced
2 medium carrots, peeled and diced
2 stalks celery, diced
2 quarts of water or any type of stock
2 tsp sea salt
1 cup of your tomato sauce or a quality jarred version
10 large leaves of basil or 20 smaller ones
1 15oz can white beans
1/4 loaf of REAL Italian bread, sliced
1 tsp garlic hot sauce (optional)
Parmesan cheese
Method
In a large stock pot, add 1 TB olive oil and heat to medium high. Add greens, garlic, onion, carrot and celery. Saute for 5 minutes. Lower the heat to medium and cover for about 10-15 minutes. Add water, tomato sauce, sea salt and basil. Turn up to high and reduce by 1/3. Add basil, white beans and last, the bread. Turn to a simmer until the bread disintegrates. Add 1/4 cup of GOOD olive oil right before serving. Stir. Ladle in bowls and top with Parmesan.
Thai – Red Curry Pork Soup
Ingredients
1/2 to 1 cup shredded pork (use leftover ribs or a roast etc.)
! can light coconut milk
16 oz chicken stock
2 TB red curry paste
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper (or to taste)
1/2 tsp fish sauce (or to taste for salinity)
1 tsp sesame oil
1/2 cup basil leaves
1 package rice noodles, hydrated according to package directions
Method
Combine all ingredients except for the rice noodles and simmer for 15-20 minutes. Add softened rice noodles to the pot and simmer an additional 5 minutes. Serve hot.
Japanese – Red Miso Soup
Ingredients
3 TB red miso paste
7 cups filtered water
1 pint Shitake mushrooms
1 pint Cremini (Baby Bella) mushrooms
1 package silken or soft tofu
4 green onions
1 cup uncooked Jasmine rice cooked to package directions
Ponzu or Tamari Sauce for serving
Sriracha for serving (hot sauce)
Method
In large pot, whisk miso paste in two cups of water. Add the rest of the water. Slice shitake caps (discard stems) and Creminis (you can keep the stems on the Creminis). Dice the tofu into small cubes. Slice the green onions thinly. Put everything in the pot and heat SLOWLY until it is hot. Try not to boil! Allow to heat (not even simmer) until the mushrooms start to shrink a little and soften. Serve in a bowl with a scoop of rice. Add Ponzu and Sriracha to taste (I love both).
