Day four of the Eating Down the Fridge challenge at A Mighty Appetite and I am behind on posting (but fortunately, eating well). Not only is today’s post a simple and delicious soup, it utilizes a cooking method which I’ve been using lately and am anxious to share with you. It’s energy saving and easier than a crockpot – it’s thermal cooking. This is serious ‘green cooking’.

A few years ago, when Joe’s parents came to visit us in California, they bought us a thermal cooking pot as a house warming gift. I will admit that I had never seen one before. However, the local Asian market stocked them as they are popular outside of North America. We took it home and immediately made a batch of congee.

The thermal cooking unit uses no electricity and is powered only by the heat contained within it. The outer case opens to expose a stainless steel insert, a small pot with a glass lid. Place your ingredients into the insert and bring to a rapid boil on the stove, then place immediately into the thermal encasement and close the lid. The heat is trapped within the unit and it’s this heat which cooks your food.

Here is a photo which illustrates it much better. This is our Zojirushi Stainless Thermal Cooking Pot.

As I went through my pantry yesterday, I came across a small bag of dried soybeans which my mother-in-law had given me a couple months ago. She insisted that they must be used in making bitter melon soup and when we couldn’t find them at the grocery store, she bagged up a bunch for me. I hadn’t used them and decided it was time.

I’ve been buying bitter melon almost weekly and had enough on hand to whip up this recipe. The vegetable is great to have on hand as it keeps well in the vegetable drawer, sometimes more than 2 weeks.

This soup combines the soybeans with bitter melon, a truly bitter vegetable which I’ve grown to love. I recently shared a another favorite bitter melon recipe, bitter melon with egg.

Bitter Melon & Pork Rib Soup
2 bitter melon (Fu Gua)
5 medium tomatoes
1 lb. asian-style pork ribs (cut 1.5″ x 2″)
1/3 cup dry soybeans
2 Tablespoons soy sauce
Water

This recipe is made in a thermal cooking pot but could be adjusted for stovetop cooking.

Slice the bitter melon lengthwise and scoop out pith and seeds. Cut crosswise into 2 inch pieces. Add to the thermal pot.

Cut tomatoes into quarters and add to the pot along with the pork ribs, soybeans, and soy sauce. Fill the pot with water and place over medium heat.

Bring to a boil and simmer uncovered for 25 minutes. Cover and place immediately into the thermal encasement and close the lid. Allow to sit for 12 hours. No peeking!

I put this together yesterday afternoon and just opened the pot, which means in cooked for closer to 18 hours. It’s forgiving. While cooking, the pot doesn’t emit any steam or smell. And, since it doesn’t use any energy source, it’s safe to leave cooking while you run errands.

The soup is delicious and one of our favorites. The tomatoes soften and combine with the ribs to make a rich and slightly acidic broth. The bitter melon melts in your mouth, as do the pork ribs. It’s a filling, yet light and refreshing soup. Perfect for lunch.

Slowly, I’m learning that even when the sun is shining brightly in Vancouver, it doesn’t always mean it’s warm. I’m not complaining because I actually enjoy the chill in the air and the need to wear a scarf (i.e. I love accessories). And most importantly, I love that a heavy and meaty stew is not a craving you can disregard but is instead a downright necessity in order to warm you after a brisk walk.

Continuing on with my recent desire to recreate Mexican foods, I decided combat the cold weather and make ‘lentejas con frutas’ or ‘lentils with fruit’. It’s not a dish that I would immediately associate with Mexican food and for this reason it intrigued me.

I intentionally overlooked the amount of meat in the recipe and tried not to think about the porky combination of chorizo, smoked pork chops, and bacon. I convinced myself that the healthy lentils would compensate and unclog any arteries filled in by the fatty meat.

Lentils with Fruit
adapted from Mexico: The Beautiful Cookbook

2 cups dried green lentils
8 cups water
1/2 lb. bacon, coarsely chopped
1/2 lb. chorizo, casing removed and chopped
1 cup chopped white onion
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 cups fresh pineapple chunks
1 plantain, peeled and sliced
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 bunch green onions
4 smoked pork chops

Place the lentils and water into a large pan, bring to a boil. Cover pan, lowering heat and reducing to a simmer for 40 minutes (add water if needed during the cooking). Drain the lentils and reserve the liquid for later use.

In a large pot or dutch oven, saute the bacon for 2 minutes. Add the chorizo and cook covered for 3 minutes. Add the lentils, pineapple, plantain, salt and pepper. Cook covered for 10 minutes.

Add 2 cups of the lentil liquid. Chop green onions into 4″ lengths and add to the dutch oven. Cover and cook at a low simmer for 30 minutes.

While the dutch oven is simmering, heat a skillet with a tablespoon oil and fry the smoked pork chops for 3 minutes on each side. Once the dutch oven has simmered for 30 minutes, add the pork chops and cook for an additional 5 minutes.

It takes a good 2 hours from beginning to end and does use a good amount of meat. But, it also tastes like it’s simmered for 2 hours and it has all sorts of spicy-smokey flavor. I think it’s worth making on occasion, especially on a cold day.

I’ll admit that during the simmering of the meat and fruit, I didn’t much care for the smell of it. I’m not sure what it was but I feared having to eat it. Surprisingly, it tastes delicious and is of course even better the following day (it took us 3 days, lunch and dinner to finish off the pot).

This isn’t a pretty dish by any means. I tried my best to pretty it up but it remains an ugly duckling, albeit a spicy and delicious ugly duckling. My only complaint would be the plantain … I just don’t get plantains (I only enjoy them fried). I would rather replace it next time with potato or some other root veggie.

And, for all the folks following me on Twitter (@eatingoutloud), this is the dish that caused me to mention bones in my chorizo. It’s likely the fact that I buy chorizo from places like Safeway but I always get at least one bite containing a piece of ground up bone. It’s rather disturbing and can ruin a meal. This round of chorizo did not disappoint and the largest piece found was about the size of a pea.

The next time I attempt this stew, I’ll find a quality chorizo from a better source and see if I have the same issue. The chorizo makes this dish by imparting a wonderful spiciness.

More lentil ideas from other bloggers:
Sweet/Spicy Lentil Sauce with Chicken – What’s cooking?
Sweet Potato, Lentil & Raisin Stew – The Perfect Pantry
Spicy Lentil Soup with Lime – Nami-Nami
Green Lentil and Red Pepper Salad – Kalyn’s Kitchen
Red Lentil Salad with Dried Fruit & Toasted Pine Nuts – EatingWell

My mother loved to make soup and although I didn’t appreciate it at the time, bean soup is now one of my favorites from her repertoire. But my bean soup prowess is limited to my mother’s bean soup recipe and I haven’t explored any other variations, until now.

On my other blog (Recovered Recipes) I am currently hosting a food blog event named “Making History”, where participants select an old recipe card and make the recipe then show both the recipe card and outcome (there’s still time to participate – deadline is October 17th, 2008). A few weeks ago, I shared this recipe for pinto bean soup and have been anxious to make it ever since. So, here it is — my entry for the Making History event!

Unlike my mother’s soup, this recipe uses quite a few spices as well as tomatoes and green peppers. The outcome though is a delicious soup that is hearty and robust. The recipe card is shown below. Although the original owner of the recipe card marked off a few of the ingredients, I followed the recipe as it was written and included all of the seasonings. Be careful to note that I believe the lower case ‘t’ represents a teaspoon while the capital ‘T’ represents a tablespoon.

The soup is easy to make and makes a large batch, enough for 6 people or so. I soaked the beans overnight then drained. I added the beans, 8 cups water, and 2 cups chopped ham to a large pot and cooked over low heat for about 2 hours (a light simmer). Then, I added the remaining ingredients and cooked for another 45 minutes. Using the back of my spoon, I mashed up some of the beans to thicken the soup. Adjust seasonings and serve. I should note that I did omit the MSG and butter.

Although I still love my mum’s soup, this version is also good. I discovered the recipe in an old set of recipes I purchased on eBay. The eBay seller informed me that she bought it from the original owner who was in her 80s and entering a retirement home in Oklahoma. The weathered recipe shows that this must have been a special soup for her family and was likely made often. I’m happy that I had the chance to try it and could share with a few more people!

I need to stop typing so I can go have another bowl of soup. I also made a ridiculously large batch of gingersnap cookies today and will be sharing the outcome of those later this week :-)

I’m cooking for one this week and found my weekly delivery of vegetables a bid intimidating. Being home alone, I feared that I wouldn’t be able to use up all of the wonderful produce. I contemplated how to use the 4 large tomatoes which were at their peak of ripeness and decided I would make this wonderfully simple soup.

We’ve been having a late summer heat wave this past week so a simple and light soup it would have to be, which for me means pureed – no chunks. My inspiration came from Peter of Souvlaki for the Soul who made a Roasted Tomato and Capsicum Soup earlier this summer. I figured roasting the vegetables would capitalize best on the tomatoes and other produce I intended to use – red peppers, onions, carrot, and a few cloves of garlic. The added benefit of this approach is that you chop and drop everything onto a baking sheet – it doesn’t get much easier than that!

As I chopped everything and dropped onto the baking sheet, I debated about how to season the mix. I looked through my spice drawer and the idea of curry popped into my head. A subtle set of warm spices would mix nicely with the roasted vegetables, so selected a bunch of whole spices which could roast along with the vegetables.

The soup turned out to be a success. Honestly, I wasn’t sure if it would be when I started but it worked. The soup is light and sweet with a background warmth from the array of spices used.

Roasted Tomato Curry Soup
4-5 large tomatoes, cored and quartered
1 large onion, peeled and quartered
4 cloves garlic, unpeeled
2 small red peppers, cored and quartered
1 carrot, peeled and quartered lengthwise
1/4 cup olive oil
salt and pepper
1 cinnamon stick
5 green cardamom pods
1 teaspoon coriander seed
1 teaspoon cumin seed
1/2 teaspoon mustard seed
pinch of red pepper flakes
2 cups water (or stock of choice)
1/2 teaspoon garam masala
1/4 teaspoon turmeric

In a large mixing bowl add the tomatoes, onion, garlic, peppers, and carrot. Gently toss with olive oil, salt, pepper, cinnamon stick, cardamom, coriander, cumin, mustard seed and red pepper flakes. Pour onto a large baking sheet and smooth into a single layer. Place into a preheated 375 F oven and roast for 45 minutes.

Remove from oven and discard cinnamon stick and cardamom pods. Using a towel, pick up each garlic clove and squeeze at one end to release the creamy inside, placing into a large mixing bowl. Discard the outer paper. Repeat with remaining garlic cloves.

Place all of the remaining vegetables and spices into the mixing bowl. Add two cups water. Puree the mix using a hand blender or food processor. If using a food processor, you will need to do this in batches.

Pour the puree through a mesh sieve to remove the pulp. The soup will be a rich orange-red color and smooth. Stir in garam masala and turmeric, serve immediately. I increased the garam masala to 3/4 teaspoon but this was my personal preference. I suggest starting with a 1/2 teaspoon and increasing as you’d like.

This recipe makes two large servings or four small servings, which would work perfectly as a flavorful first course.

What happens when you cook up a bunch of leafy greens and peas? Well, I’m calling it my creamy green monster, a quick and delicious soup. It’s flavorful, packed with healthy ingredients, and super filling.

This was my second week of receiving both kale and collard greens in my produce delivery. Last week, I made a side dish utilizing them both, a stewed mixture with tomatoes. Unfortunately, you didn’t see it because I forgot to photograph it … whoops!

Tomorrow is my next produce delivery and I had these greens still hanging out in the fridge. I started to stress today because I think I’m receiving more kale tomorrow. I don’t know why but I haven’t been in the mood for the texture of these greens — they are tough and actually resist becoming soft. For this reason, they work well in soups and stews. I wondered what would happen though if I pureed them. The result was an amazing success!

I used chicken broth as the soup base, then flavored with garlic and onion, as well as herbs and seasonings. Carrots and peas were used to add an underlying sweetness. I finished with yogurt to give the soup a bit of creaminess and tang. Even if you don’t like peas or greens, you’ll likely enjoy this soup.

Creamy Green Monster

6 cups fat-free broth (I used chicken)
1 cup carrot, chopped
1 onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
1 bay leaf
1 tsp. dried thyme
1 tsp. pepper
1/2 tsp. salt
6 cups kale/collard greens, chopped
1 1/2 cups peas
1/2 cup flat leaf parsley
1/2 cup greek-style fat-free yogurt (Oikos)

In a large pot, bring broth, carrot, onion, garlic, bay leaf, thyme, pepper and salt to a boil. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes.

Add kale and collard greens, cover and continue to simmer for another 10 minutes. Add peas and parsley, simmer for an additional 5 minutes.

Using a stick blender or blender, puree the soup until smooth. Stir in yogurt until blended.

Serve with a dollop of yogurt, a sprinkle of parsley, a pinch of smoked paprika or cumin, and a drizzle of olive oil. I also floated a few pieces of roasted tofu in it as well.

If you’ve noticed, I’ve been using Oikos yogurt in nearly every recipe this week. Well, it’s true — I bought a large container and have been trying it out in a variety of ways. Unfortunately, this concludes my container for this week …

Today, I present another mystery vegetable I found over the weekend, the chayote. I’ve seen it before but never bought one before. It’s typically grown in Costa Rica and is of the same family as cucumbers, melons, and squash. It’s firm-fleshed and about the size of a pear.

The chayote can be prepared in nearly every way imaginable, but I opted to use it in soup. Actually, it somewhat thicker than a soup, not quite a stew …

Raw chayote has the texture of a starchy cucumber, like the cross between a cucumber and potato. The flavor is quite subtle and it’s crisp to the bite. It can even be used raw in salads. I ate a few pieces and found it refreshing and light.

The chayote plant and leaves have been used medicinally to treat arteriosclerosis, hypertension, and even to dissolve kidney stones. As a man who has suffered two rather painful kidney stones so far, I can only assume my body instinctually knew to buy these chayote!

I purchased the chayote at my local Chinese market and it reminded me of bitter melon. Joe’s mom made me a bitter melon soup once, so I decided to try the chayote in a similar preparation.

Chayote and beef soup

1lb. cubed beef
1 can butter beans, drained/rinsed
4-6 small tomatoes
2 chayote
3/4 cup fregola (or other small pasta)
1 small onion, finely chopped
8 cups chicken stock
1 bay leaf
1/4 tsp. garam masala
1/4 tsp. smoked paprika
1/4 tsp. ground ginger
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon flour
1/2 tsp. ground pepper

Heat a large pot over medium heat and add oil. Toss cubed beef with flour and ground black pepper. Place into pot and brown on all sides. While meat is cooking, add bay leaf and the whole tomatoes. I used 6 2″ diameter vine-ripe tomatoes. You don’t need to chop them, they will eventually break apart. If they don’t, just use the back of your spoon to pop them towards the end of cooking.

After meat has browned, add onion. Cook until onions start to become translucent, about 2-3 minutes. Add chicken stock and scrape any stuck bits from the bottom of the pan. Cover and simmer for 30 minutes.

The chayote does not need to be peeled. I sliced it in half lengthwise. Toward the bottom is a soft pit. I used a spoon to scoop it out. I then sliced each half crosswise into 1/4″ slices. Oddly, it looked like a pile of granny smith apples when I finished. I read on wikipedia that in Australia there was a rumor that McDonald’s apple pies were made with chayotes instead of apples. I can see how such a rumor might start :-)

After the soup has cooked for 30 minutes add the butter beans and chayote, along with the paprika, garam masala, and ginger. Return to a simmer, then add the pasta. Cook for 10-15 minutes or until chayote becomes tenders. It will retain a firm, potato-like texture but will begin to become slightly translucent.

The pasta and flour will slightly thicken the broth. I served with a sprinkling of fresh thyme leaves and dash of smoked paprika.

The chayote remained firm in texture, although soft to the bite. It developed a slightly stronger flavor and worked well with the other ingredients.

One of my favorite comfort foods is a thick and savory rice porridge. It’s often considered a breakfast item but can be eaten for any meal. It is often called congee or jook and comes in a variety of flavors ranging from plain to abalone and chicken. Joe always orders one that is a mixture of pork parts (tripe, kidney, etc.). Since I’m not a fan of internal organs, I usually opt for something terribly non-exotic like ‘chicken’ or ‘beef’. Regardless, I loved it so much that I started making it at home.

Generally, my congee is made using leftover cooked rice. It can be made from uncooked rice, but takes a bit longer. Last night I made plenty of rice so I could make congee this morning. However, I didn’t think it all the way through and realized this morning that I didn’t have any chicken broth on hand. No worries, congee is versatile and I made a more simple version.

Many of us have had rice in soup, but congee takes rice one step further. The rice cooks until it begins to break apart. The starch thickens the liquid and creates a creamy consistency. The bits of remaining rice are soft and extremely tender. Since it’s easily digestible, it’s often one of the first foods a child learns to eat. Many mothers make it to soothe their sick children when they are at home sick. It’s comforting and nourishing.

I made a plain version today, then dressed it up with a few toppings. I used a ratio of 1 part cooked rice to 2 parts liquid. In this case, I used water. As it cooks, you may need to add more water to reach the desired consistency. I also added 2 tablespoons soy sauce and 2 tablespoons freshly minced ginger about mid-way through cooking. Using 5 cups cooked rice, it took about 30 minutes to reach a thick consistency. It’s important to lightly simmer and stir often. Once the rice seems softened, I run a whisk through the congee which quickly breaks up the rice.

Typically, I would use chicken broth which adds much more flavor. Here is the naked version before toppings are added:

I boiled a few eggs and sliced for the top. I also added some leftover roast pork from last night’s dinner. For a bit of veg, I blanched baby bok choy and drizzled with sesame oil. A bit of chili pepper gives it a nice splash of color and spice!

It made for a nice warm breakfast this morning. Unfortunately, we didn’t have my favorite accompaniment on hand. It’s a long fried salty donut called Yao Tiew — SteamyKitchen has a great pic of them. You slice it up and dip it into the congee — YUM!

Soup is on the menu again, this time inspired by a package of oxtails I found at the local Asian market. My mother made oxtail soup with carrots and cabbage, there was something magical about its taste. I haven’t cooked with them in a long time and felt I was due a nice dose of comfort food.

Instead of cabbage I figured I would replace it with chunks of kohlrabi, a root vegetable from the same family. I also found it at the market and it intrigued me for some reason. I’m a fan of root veggies and this is one I had never used.

The kohlrabi looks somewhat odd, yet beautiful. I like the pale green color of the smooth skin. I’ll admit that I had to look it up and learn more about it once I got it home. I knew absolutely nothing about it when I bought it.

I experimented by using a few seasonings that I’ve grown to love over the past year: bay leaves, caraway seeds, and star anise. Aside from bay leaves, we never used caraway or star anise when we cooked. Maybe this is why the flavors are so meaningful to me now.

Oxtail soup with kohlrabi, carrots and barley

2 lb.s oxtails, trimmed of excess fat
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 bay leaf
2 star anise
1 tsp. caraway seed
1/2 cup flour
2 tablespoons soy sauce
3/4 cup barley
1 large onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 kohlrabi, cubed
1 large carrot, chopped
1/2 cup fresh cilantro

Heat olive oil in a large pot. Dredge oxtails in flour to coat, then add to pot. Brown oxtails on all sides and remove. Add onions and garlic to pot along with 1 tablespoon of the flour. Cook for about 2 minutes, then add the oxtails, bay leaf, star anise, and caraway seed. Cover with about 8 cups water and bring to a simmer. Cover and simmer for about 2 hours, until meat begins to pull away from the bones.

Remove oxtails and set aside to cool. The next step is extremely important — you must skim the fat from the top of the broth. I used a very convenient fat separator. I bought this to use at Thanksgiving when I make gravy one time during the entire year. As you can see, a high amount of fat cooks out of the oxtails. The fat separator also removes the chunks of onion and the bay leaf/star anise leaving a clear broth behind. I discarded the chunky bits.

If using a fat separator, return broth to pot. Remove meat from the oxtail bones and add the meat to the pot (discard bones). Add barley and soy sauce, bring to a simmer. Cook covered for about 45 minutes. Add carrots and kohlrabi, cook for an additional 30 minutes or until veggies are tender. Before serving, stir in the cilantro. As always, season with salt and pepper to taste.

The broth is rich and is balanced nicely by the sweetness of the vegetables and bright flavor of the cilantro. The barley gives it substance and makes it capable of being a ‘meal’. It took an afternoon to make, but it was worth it. I curled up in a chair by the TV and watched the news while I sipped on my soup. Now I’ve got to go clean the kitchen …. ugh.

You might also like these posts:
Pea soup nourishes my soul
Hearty vegetarian barley and lentil soup
Rustic & comforting bean soup

I’ve been hooked on soup the past couple of weeks. I’m going to blame it on Heidi at 101cookbooks.com because she’s always making soup — I’m certain it was her pea soup that set my mind in motion. She’s successfully given me her addiction :-)

Last week, I made a barley-lentil soup, followed by a lentil-squash soup that I never posted to the blog. Now, I’ve pulled out a big bag of split peas and dug through my cupboard trying to find where I wrote down my recipe. Fortunately, I found it — it’s nothing earth-shattering, just my particular notes on ingredients and proportions I like.

The following pic isn’t all that useful, but I really liked the look of the peas. The colors of green are just so cool. Yes, I spent more time taking pictures that I did in making the soup. For every pic you see in this post, there are probably 40 or so more on my hard drive. Thank god Joe is working late tonight – he would totally have freaked over the mess I made while doing my photo shoot.

Even though the soup is perfectly good on its own, but you can garish in many different ways. I added a few cilantro leaves and a light dusting of curry powder. The bowl is rimmed with smoked paprika so I can run my spoon against the edge as I scoop up each bite. Surprisingly, it’s not as messy as you might think. Paprika adheres very well to a damp rimmed bowl. While I was washing dishes I was afraid it might not come off, but it did – whew! Sometimes a nice presentation is worth it.

The recipe creates a luxuriously smooth and rich soup, and the ingredients are completely inexpensive. I’m always pleased when I can make a satisfying meal without spending a ton of money on groceries. I usually purchase all of my dried beans/peas via the bulk bins, so it’s even more affordable.

Although ham works perfectly, the soup is at its finest when made with bacon … it’s bite-off-your-arm good. I didn’t want to add that much fat tonight, so opted for lean bits of ham that I had hanging out in my freezer. The soup still tastes amazing, just not *as* amazing as it could. Regardless, I still feel the urge to put on my slippers and robe to curl up on the couch after eating it. It just nourishes my soul.

Split pea soup
2 cups dried, split peas
7 cups water
1 lb. ham (or 8 slices uncooked bacon, chopped)
2 cups chopped onion
1 cup chopped carrot
1 cup chopped celery
2 bay leaves
salt/pepper

Sort and rinse the peas, then place into a deep pot or dutch oven. Cut the ham into small cubes, and place half of the ham into the pot. Add the remaining ingredients.

Bring to a boil over medium heat, then cover and reduce heat to simmer. Continue cooking for about 1 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally. Remove bay leaves.

Using a stick blender, puree the soup in the pot. Be careful, this can be horrifically dangerous when the soup is still hot. If it splatters, you will have burn marks up and down your arms. As you blend it, the soup will become thick and creamy in texture. Stir in remaining ham and cook for an additional 10 minutes to heat through.

Serve topped with curry powder or smoked paprika. A dollop of sour cream is good on top, unfortunately I didn’t have any on hand. You may also sprinkle with chopped chives or cilantro. Crumble some bacon, dash some cayenne, drizzle some sesame oil, scatter green onions, toss on the croutons — the possibilities are endless!

You might also like these posts:
Purple potato gratin with bacon
Avocado and green pea hummus
Poached egg with basil and meyer lemon confit

I bought a bag of pearl barley last week with the intent of exploring the grain. My mom would occasionally make soup with it, but to be honest I haven’t used it myself. I’ve considered it from time to time, but then stop from buying it since I tend to stockpile dry goods and then don’t use them.

Coincidentally, I noticed the upcoming No Croutons Required food event focusing on vegetarian soups, so I figured my barley would work perfectly for this event. I looked through my cookbooks but didn’t find any interesting recipes for barley (at least, not interesting to me), so my search moved to the web. I found many barley recipes, but one soup recipe caught my eye because it also used lentils …. which are also lurking in my pantry. I figured the recipe would kill two birds with one stone.

And, as with any recipe I had to tweak it a bit to suit my tastes. The soup also called for one of my favorite leafy greens, swiss chard. We ate chard all summer long on the farm, but it didn’t strike me as a strong enough green for the soup. I used a curly leafed kale for the first time a couple months ago while making an Italian wedding soup and I found the texture to work well. I picked up a bunch of it while shopping yesterday in anticipation of making the barley soup. And, kale is known to be one of the most highly nutritious vegetables with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory powers, so it’s a perfect addition to the soup!

I’ve been fantasizing about rutabagas lately, maybe fantasizing is a bit strong … I’ve been craving rutabagas and looking for new ways to use them. I think they are an overlooked tuber who deserve great recognition. It has a great cabbage-like taste and works perfectly in any soup or stew. I reduced the amount of carrot in the original barley soup recipe in order to add rutabagas. And since I didn’t have any canned tomatoes on hand, I omitted them entirely.

My only remaining concern with the soup was the amount of cumin it required. I like cumin but didn’t want the end result to taste like tacos, and with so much cumin, I was afraid it might turn out like bad Mexican food. I decided to go for it and surprisingly, the cumin gives some boldness/depth to the soup and doesn’t dominate in the way I feared. So, have no fear — use the cumin as noted. I added a bay leaf to give just a little more boost to the flavor.

Hearty barley and lentil soup
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 1/2 cups chopped onions
1 cup chopped peeled carrots
1 cup cubed peeled rutabaga
3 large garlic cloves, minced
2 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 large bay leaf (or 2 small ones)
10 cups (or more) vegetable broth
2/3 cup pearl barley
2/3 cup dried lentils
4 cups (packed) coarsely chopped curly-leaf kale
salt/pepper to taste

Place olive oil, onions and carrots into a heated large pan. Cook until onions become transparent, then add garlic bay leaf, and cumin — stir to combine and cook for an additional 30 seconds. Add broth and barley, bring to a boil and simmer partially covered for 25 minutes.

Add lentils and rutabagas, simmer partially covered for an additional 30 minutes. Stir in kale and season to taste. Allow kale to cook for about 5 minutes before serving. This makes a large pot of soup, so I will be having leftovers today.

The soup is hearty and has a rich/warm flavor due to the cumin and bay. The carrots and rutabaga add a slight sweetness that balance nicely with the kale and onion. Overall, I found this soup to be a smash hit.

You might also like these posts:
Rustic bean soup
Jazzin’ up parmesan crisps
How to make pita chips