Thayer in the Kitchen

This soup is a combination of a number of recipes that I found online. I originally found one that called for you to roast a bulb of garlic, but I didn't have that much garlic and truthfully didn't want to want to go to that much trouble. Penzey's spices has a bottled spice "Roasted Garlic" that will substitute quite nicely. Another one that I found but haven't tried called for fresh sage which sounds delicious. Many of them call for either dry or fresh ginger. I use bottled ginger in my soup and it worked well. Now to the basic recipe. Preheat oven to 400 degrees:  3-4 lb. butternut squash, peeled and cut into chunks 1 medium to large sweet potato, peeled and cut into chunks 1 large carrot (or 2 medium), peeled and cut into chunks  1 apple Honeycrisp is good or what you have available, cored and roughly chopped 1 medium onion, peeled and roughly chopped Mix with 3 T. olive or avocado oil and small amount of cracked black pepper.  Place on baking pan, use 2 if...

This is my favorite tomato soup recipe made with all fresh tomatoes in the height of the tomato season in summer. It is easy and tastes delicious! It has been adapted from the blog, Feasting at Home by Sylvia Fountaine which I highly recommend. INGREDIENTS 4 tablespoons  butter or olive oil (I usually use butter)  1  extra-large onion, diced (the author did not give a measurement for     the onion), I found with research it was 2-3 cups 1   cup  carrots,  thinly sliced  (or one red bell pepper) or use both; I have not tried the pepper, but I think it would be good 2   lbs.  fresh tomatoes  1   cup   chicken or vegetable broth 2 tablespoons honey  or sugar  1 teaspoon salt or  more to taste 1/2 teaspoon  pepper 10 – 15  basil leaves 1/4-1/2 teaspoon Aleppo pepper (optional, but good) 1/2   cup heavy cream  or half-and-half 1 – 2  tablespoon sour cream -– optional! ...

I had some fresh corn on the cob but the kernels were overly filled out and not as tender as I prefer for eating as corn on the cob. I thought they were a bit starchy, but I decided they would be perfect for soup. I found this great recipe online. Ingredients: 1 tablespoon butter 1/4 # bacon, diced 1 cup chopped onion Kosher salt and black pepper 3/4 cup chopped colored pepper (red or green) 1 tablespoon minced garlic 2 tablespoons flour 3-4 cups chicken broth 4 cups diced potatoes (I didn't peel mine) 1 1/2 cups chopped carrots 2 cups fresh or frozen corn kernels (preferably fresh) * 1 cup half and half 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme (or 1 teaspoon fresh thyme) Pinch cayenne pepper 2 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley Note: We got enough corn from 2 ears of corn for the soup. Directions Melt the butter in a large pot and cook the bacon until crisp. Remove. Add the onions and peppers; season with salt and pepper. Cook until soft; add garlic. Cook for about a minute. Sprinkle in t...

This recipe is a vegan version of the soup joumou that Haitians devour on New Year’s Day.  This was a great soup to make because we got so many of the ingredients in our winter storage share.  It is a delicious soup! Ingredients 1# kabocha squash, seeded and cut into 8 pieces (I used a baby dumpling squash from our CSA farm) 1 can whole coconut milk (not lite) 2 quarts vegetable or chicken broth, divided 2 tbsp sunflower oil or olive oil 1 cup diced carrot 1 cup diced celery 1 cup diced yellow onion 3 tbsp chopped fresh thyme, divided (dry can be used if fresh is not available--use less) 1 tbsp minced garlic (about 3 cloves) 1 tbsp sea salt, divided 2 cups shredded green cabbage (1/2#) 1 cup chopped leek or green onions 1 cup peeled and diced sweet potatoes 1 cup diced potatoes (2 potatoes) 1 cup diced turnips 2 tbsp garlic powder 2 tbsp onion powder 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes Pinch of cayenne pepper 1/4# small ...

I noticed that I have previously posted a number of cucumber soups.  However, this is a new recipe and Arthur encouraged me to post it.  Probably so that I could make it again.  Otherwise, I tend to lose the recipe and then he's out of luck.  This one does not require cooking.  It is improved by spending some time aging in the frig.  It mentioned 8 hours.  It didn't get that at our house and it was still very good. This was a handy soup to make because we got quite a few cucumbers in our CSA box, plus the dill.  I have parsley and tarragon growing on my deck. Ingredients: 2-1/4# cucumbers  halved and seeded—1/2 cup finely diced, the rest coarsely chopped 1 1/2 cups plain yogurt 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice 1 small shallot, chopped 1-2 garlic cloves 1/3 cup loosely packed dill 1/4 cup loosely packed flat-leaf parsley leaves 2 tablespoons loosely packed tarragon leaves 1/4 cup olive oil Salt & pepper 1/4 cup red onion, fin...

In my last box from my CSA farm, I got a lovely head of broccoli.  I happened to find this interesting recipe on the internet.  The herb garden on my deck is doing very well and I was able to get enough basil to make the soup.  I served the soup warm.  I think it would also be tasty at room temperature or chilled. 2 tablespoons sunflower or olive oil 1 cup chopped walnuts 2 medium yellow onion (about 1/2 cup) roughly chopped 1/4 teaspoon salt 3-4 cups fresh broccoli roughly chopped 3-4 cups chicken or vegetable broth 4 small cloves of garlic, peeled  2 cups loosely packed basil leaves juice of 1 small lemon Freshly ground pepper Shaved Parmesan cheese (optional) Warm the oil and saute the onions, walnuts, and salt until the onions are tender.  Add the broccoli and the broth.  Bring the broth to a boil.  Reduce the heat, cover the pan and simmer until the broccoli is crisp-tender or about 10 minutes.  Let cool slightly and then b...

I found this recipe on Chowhound and think it is the best recipe for corn chowder I've ever made.  Its thick, rich and creamy with lots of fresh corn.  I'm sure you could also make it in the winter with frozen corn. Ingredients: 2 oz. thick cut bacon diced small 1 medium onion yellow onion, chopped 3 cups fresh corn kernels (this took 5 ears of our corn) 3 cups whole milk (or mix 1% milk with some 1/2 and 1/2) 1 pound potatoes, diced (I didn't bother to peel mine) 1-2 teaspoons kosher salt 1/2 teaspoon black pepper 1/2 cup heavy cream Chopped chives Instructions: Brown the chopped bacon; then remove and set aside.  Add the onion to the bacon grease, season with salt and pepper and cook until softened--about 5 minutes.  Meanwhile place 1 cup of the corn and 1 cup of the milk in a blender and blend until smooth. Add the corn milk puree, remaining 2 cups of corn and 2 cups of milk, potatoes, and additional salt and pepper.  Stir to combine; bring ...

The combination of fish and potatoes in a creamy broth makes a very comforting meal for a winter night.  I found this recipe in a copy from a page of a cookbook: Blue Plate Specials.  Apparently it was a special on Friday at a cafe in Portland.  I have adapted it somewhat for our tastes. 3 tablespoons butter 1/2 cup onion 1/2 teaspoon black pepper 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder 1/2 teaspoon salt 4 cups diced potatoes (1/2") no need to peel if the potatoes are organic 1# cod fillets or haddock if available chicken broth 1 can evaporated milk 1 cup whole milk or 1/2 & 1/2 3 strips bacon, cooked and crumbled Melt butter and cook onion until transparent.  Add pepper, garlic powder, salt and potatoes, plus enough chicken broth to barely cover the potatoes.  Boil until potatoes are tender, about 10 minutes.  Check to make sure there is enough broth and add more if needed.  Lay the fish on top of the cooked potatoes and onions.  No need to ...

Our last gourmet dinner was an upscale soup and sandwich supper with appetizers and desserts.  I made this chicken noodle soup and thought it was excellent. Stock 1 (2 1/2 to 3-pound) fryer chicken 3 1/2 quarts water 1 onion, peeled and diced 1 1/2 to 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning 1 teaspoon lemon-pepper seasoning 3 cloves garlic, minced 4 bay leaves 1 tablespoon chicken stock base Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste Soup: 2 cups sliced carrots 2 cups sliced celery, with leafy green tops 2 1/2-3 cups uncooked egg noodles 2 cups sliced mushrooms 3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves 1/3 cup cooking sherry 2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary leaves 1/2-1 cup grated Parmesan, optional 3/4 cup heavy cream, optional Seasoning salt Freshly ground black pepper For the stock: add all ingredients to a soup pot. Cook until chicken is tender, about 35 to 45 minutes. Remove chicken from pot and set aside to cool. Remove and discard bay leaves. You should have approxima...

We joined Sitka Salmon Shares http://sitkasalmonshares.com this year.  "We home deliver fish-loving Midwesterners high quality, responsibly-sourced seafood direct from small boat family fishermen in Southeast Alaska through our Community Supported Fishery."  In July we received Pacific Cod and Rockfish.  This chowder was a good solution for an easy dish that combined some of our fish plus quite a few vegetables. 2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil or sunflower oil 2 medium carrots, thinly sliced 2 medium stalks celery, 1/4-inch pieces 1 medium onion, chopped medium 1/2 - 1 medium red bell pepper, diced Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste 2 Tbsp. flour 2 cups milk (fat free or 1%) 1 cup or 1 small bottle clam juice (water or broth can be substituted) 2 large unpeeled red potatoes, diced into 1/2-inch pieces 2 tsp. Old Bay Seasoning 1 cup half and half (fat free is OK) 1 cup frozen yellow corn 1 pound cod or tilapia fillets, ski...

I grow sage in my container herb garden but don't use sage nearly as much as some of the other herbs (such as basil).  This is an excellent soup that uses one of my favorite vegetables, asparagus, but also lots of sage.  The soup is thickened by using a little bit of rice which you'll never notice. Fried Sage Leaves Oil (sunflower oil is a good choice) for frying 24 sage leaves Soup 2 tablespoons butter 1 large onion, chopped 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons lightly packed and coarsely chopped fresh sage 4 cups chicken broth 2 tablespoons white rice (I used arborio rice which is the only kind of white rice I have) 2 tablespoons grated lemon peel, divided 2 lb. asparagus, ends trimmed and sliced in 1/2-1" pieces 3/4 teaspoon kosher (coarse) salt 1/2 cup (2 oz.) shaved Parmesan cheese (available in large square jar at Costco) or you could do it yourself with a vegetable peeler Fry sage leaves in hot oil until sizzling stops.  Drain on paper towels. Melt butter ...

Our extended CSA winter share was coming to an end along with all the wonderful sweet potatoes we got in our boxes.  When I was a child I was convinced I hated sweet potatoes except for the sweet potato puffs we had for Thanksgiving.  I never make those anymore but I have come to really appreciate sweet potatoes and their versatility. This recipe is for a hearty winter soup which features sweet potatoes. Sweet Potato Corn Chowder 2 sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed     1 tablespoon   oil  (sunflower oil which we get from our CSA farm is good)                                      12 oz. frozen corn kernels, thawed                1 cup water 1 tablespoon oil 1 ...

We subscribed to a Winter Veggie Lover's Share again this year from our CSA Farm Driftless Organics.  This share is a regular season-sized CSA box delivered every other week and stuffed full of potatoes, carrots, sweet potatoes, a head of cabbage or kale; and a small assortment of roots like beets, turnips, winter radishes, parsnips and garlic. 7 total boxes are delivered over the course of 14 weeks.  We did this last year and really liked prolonging our CSA season a bit longer.  Their carrots are beautiful and we got a lot of them--not a bad thing. This was one of the soups that I made which we both agreed was excellent. 1 medium onion, chopped 1 rib celery, chopped 1 garlic clove, minced 1 teaspoon vegetable oil 1 lb carrots, cut into 1-inch pieces 3 ⁄ 4 inch fresh gingerroot, peeled and sliced thin 1 ⁄ 8 teaspoon hot red pepper flakes 3 cups chicken broth 1 1 ⁄ 2 tablespoons soy sauce 1 1 ⁄ 2 tablespoons peanut butter 1 te...

Some time ago I posted a recipe for Cream of Broccoli Soup on the blog.  At that time I was still looking for an even better recipe.  This recipe that I found on Mel's Kitchen Café website is excellent.  Give it a try when you've got a bunch of broccoli and are craving a warm thick comforting soup.  The author said it was hearty and delicious.  I also like this soup because it has other vegetables besides the broccoli and I'm all about using vegetables! 3 cups low-sodium chicken broth 1 cup peeled and chopped carrots, diced small 1 cup chopped celery, diced small 3 cups chopped potatoes, diced small 1/2 cup finely chopped onion 4-5 cups coarsely chopped broccoli; peel the outside of the tough stalks before using 4-6 slices bacon, chopped 3 tablespoons butter 1/3 cup flour 3 cups milk (I used 1/2 skim milk and 1/2 half and half) 3-4 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese   1 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon pepper 1 teaspoon dry mustard In a ...

We got a bunch of radishes in our first CSA box of the season which had the radish greens with the radishes.  The radish tops were much too nice to just toss into the compost.  I found this recipe for Radish Top Soup on allrecipes.com that I adapted.  It is a tasty soup that's very easy to make.  Another use for the green tops are in green smoothies.  I tried it today with a another bunch of radish tops that I had.  I used the greens (about 2 cups), 1 cup each of mango and pineapple (frozen), 2 bananas and some vanilla almond milk.  The greens added color but didn't change the flavor of the fruit. 2 tablespoons olive or sunflower oil 1 cup (approx.) chopped onions 3 green onions or you could use 1 or 2 green garlic stalks 3/4 cup chopped celery 2 medium potatoes, coarsely chopped 4 cups raw radish greens (if you don't have enough you could add turnip tops or spinach) 3 cups of chicken or vegetable broth 1/3 cup heavy cream (or...

I love sweet potato soup.  I wanted to try this recipe because I had spinach from the farmers market as well as a jar of harissa.  Harissa is also known as Tunisian chili paste. This spice mixture originated in Tunisia. It contains chilies, cumin, garlic, coriander, caraway seeds, cinnamon, olive oil and sometimes tomatoes.  The harissa that I have is quite hot.  The first time I used it, my husband said he couldn't eat the dish.  I didn't think it was quite that hot, but now I use less then the recipe calls for and add more after tasting.  This recipe originally called for 1 1/2 tablespoons of harissa.  I cut it in half and used 2 teaspoons.  Your harissa may not be as hot as mine or you may have a higher tolerance than Arthur. 2 tablespoons olive oil 2 medium leeks, white and light green parts thinly sliced (about 2 cups) 3 tbsp tomato paste 3 tbsp creamy peanut butter (chunky is OK too) 2 teaspoons harissa paste (read...

This is a copycat recipe for the soup served at Olive Garden where it is described as a soup of spicy sausage, fresh kale and russet potatoes in a creamy broth.  I made a few adaptations to the many recipes that I found online.  It is a delicious soup which could probably be made a bit more healthy but that's up to you if you decide to try it. Ingredients 1# bulk Italian sausage 2 slices bacon 1 cup yellow onions, diced 4 cloves garlic, chopped 1/4-1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes 1 (32 oz.) container chicken broth (4 cups) 4 cups potatoes (no need to peel) cut into large cubes 4 cups chopped kale 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon black pepper 1 1/2 cup heavy cream (or substitute 1/2 and 1/2--it just won't be quite as rich) Garnish: shredded Parmesan cheese Directions Roughly chop the kale.  First remove the stems which are very tough and don't get tender.  I know because I tried cooking kale one time without doing this.  I have not repeated that exp...

This recipe does not adhere to my usual local produce and ingredients focus.  However, yesterday the Fabian Seafood truck came to Madison with their delicious, fresh shrimp, oysters, etc.  We decided to make oyster stew.  I used the recipe from Simply Recipes and made a few changes.  It is quick easy and lovely comfort food. 5 Tbsp unsalted butter 1 pint oysters with their liquor 1/4 cup flour 2 celery stalks, minced 1 medium onion, minced (about 1/2 cup) 1 3/4 cup milk 1/4 cup cream (can use all milk if you want) Splash of hot sauce Salt (if needed) Freshly ground black pepper 1/2 cup parsley, minced 1 Strain the oyster juice through a fine-meshed sieve into a bowl to remove any grit. Reserve the juices. 2 Melt the butter in a pot over medium heat. Saute the celery and onions until tender.  Add the flour and stir to make a roux. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook the mixture for a few minutes, stirring often. 3 Add the oyster juice fro...

I know a lot of people don't like beets.  Arthur and I both like them.  Now I'm not sure if you dislike beets this soup will convince you that you do.  However, if you think they're OK or really enjoy them, then I recommend you try this tasty soup.  Arthur voted it a definite keeper. It is good served either hot or cold. 6 medium sized beets (1 1/2#) 1/4 cup butter 1/4 cup flour 3 cups of chicken broth 1 cup sour cream (lower fat is OK) 1-2 tablespoons lemon juice (taste after adding 1) 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon pepper 2 tablespoons fresh chopped dill (if you don't like dill you can substitute chives) Cook the beets, covered in boiling salted water or in the microwave for 45 minutes or until tender.  Drain and peel when cool enough to handle.  Chop the beets, reserving 1/2 cup.  Place the rest of the beets in a blender.  Melt the butter, stir in flour and cook for 2-3 minutes.  Stir in the broth until smooth....

I have had problems making dishes with the bunches of pea shoots that have come in my CSA box.  I've made the mistake of not getting rid of the stems.  That was definitely not good.  It was like chewing on a bunch of little sticks.  No matter what the dish is, this is an unpleasant experience. The most recent thing I tried was this soup. Good!  I avoided using the stems in the soup. I'd make it again which is why I'm posting it. •1 Onion •3 Slices Bacon •1-2 Medium Potatoes •1 bunch of Pea Shoots •2 cups Chicken Stock •Sour Cream •1-2 tbsp chopped fresh chives Chop the bacon and chop the onion finely.  Fry in a saucepan together until the bacon and onion are starting to brown. Chop the potatoes coarsely. Add the potato and the chicken stock to the saucepan. Boil for 10 minutes until the potato is soft. Place the contents of the sauce pan into a blender, and blend until smooth.  Then add the pea sho...