February 2010
Superior Soups for Supper
by Mary Gerlach, R.D.
Registered Dietician
There have been record breaking freezing temperatures all over the nation for the past two months. What better to serve for supper than a hearty, nutritious steaming hot soup with crusty bread and a salad!
Making soup is not just a matter of tossing a few ingredients into some water. Making soup teaches you how to think about the compatibility of different foods, how they interact with each other, and how the flavors of solids and liquids meld together as they simmer. Making soup uses a variety of cooking techniques, such as caramelizing and deglazing, julienning and mirepoix, thickening, and using bouquet garni. Soups are also a way to use up leftovers. It’s easy to rely on fresh, frozen and canned foods when making soups, as well as prepared broths, bottled fish and clam juice.
So think about making hot soups for dinner this month, especially when you come back inside from a cold day of snow shoveling.
French Onion Soup with Beef and Barley
1 cup boiling water
½ ounce dried shiitake mushrooms
1 Tb. dark sesame oil, divided
2 medium onions, each cut into 8 wedges
½ cup chopped shallots or onion
2 tsp. peeled, chopped fresh ginger
4 garlic cloves, minced
3 cups sliced button mushrooms
1 tsp. brown sugar
1 (12-ounce) lean boneless sirloin steak, cut into 2-inch strips
4 cups water
²/? cup uncooked pearl barley
3 Tb. low-sodium soy sauce
1 (10½-ounce) can beef consommé
1/? cup dry sherry
12 (¼-inch-thick) slices diagonally cut French bread baguette
¾ cup shredded Gruyère or Swiss cheese
Combine boiling water and shiitakes in a bowl; cover and let stand 30 minutes. Drain in a colander over a bowl, reserving liquid. Slice shiitakes, discarding the stems.
Heat 2 teaspoons oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add onion, shallots, ginger, and garlic; sauté 10 minutes or until lightly browned. Add the shiitakes, button mushrooms, sugar and beef. Sauté 10 minutes, scraping pan to loosen browned bits.
Add reserved mushroom liquid, 4 cups water, barley, soy sauce and consommé; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 50 minutes or until barley is tender. Remove from heat and stir in 1 teaspoon sesame oil and sherry.
Preheat broiler. Ladle 1½ cups soup into each of 6 ovenproof soup bowls; top each serving with 2 bread slices and 2 tablespoons cheese. Broil 3 inches from heat 1 minute or until cheese melts. Serve immediately. Makes 6 servings.
Note: This soup freezes well for up to two months in an airtight container, leaving an inch or two at the top for expansion. To reheat, place thawed contents in a saucepan over low heat, adding some beef broth if necessary. Add bread and cheese to each bowlful; broil until cheese melts.
Nutrition information per serving: Calories 351; Carbohydrate 40 gm; Protein 25 gm; Fat 11 gm; Cholesterol 50 mg; Sodium 676 mg.
Curry Thai Shrimp and Chicken Soup
3 cups fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
1 cup bottled clam juice
1 Tb. fish sauce
2 tsp. minced garlic
1½ tsp. bottled minced fresh ginger
¾ tsp. red curry paste
1 tsp ground red chile
1½ cups sliced mushrooms
½-pound skinless, boneless chicken breast, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 small carrot, thinly sliced diagonally
2 cups trimmed snow peas
¼ cup fresh lime juice
2 Tb. sugar
2 Tb. sliced green onion tops
2 Tb. chopped fresh cilantro
½-pound peeled and deveined large shrimp
1 (13.5-ounce) can light coconut milk
3 Tb. chopped fresh cilantro for garnish
On stovetop in large Dutch oven, whisk together the first 7 ingredients. Add mushrooms; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 4 minutes. Add chicken, carrots and snow peas; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat and simmer 8-10 minutes.
Stir in lime juice and remaining ingredients. Cook 4 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Top with chopped fresh cilantro. Makes 2 large servings.
Nutrition information per serving: Calories 524; Carbohydrate 36 gm; Protein 60 gm; Fat 14 gm; Cholesterol 242 mg; Sodium 1,946 mg.
Chipolte Black Bean Soup
1 Tb. olive oil
½ large green sweet pepper, chopped
½ cup chopped onion
1 clove garlic, minced
1 (15-ounce) can black beans
1 (14-ounce) can vegetable broth
½ cup chopped fresh tomato
1 Tb. snipped fresh cilantro
1 tsp. snipped fresh thyme or ¼ tsp. dried thyme, crushed
1 tsp. snipped fresh oregano or ¼ tsp. dried oregano, crushed
1 (6.5-ounce) can chopped canned chipotle pepper in adobo sauce
Garnish. Sour cream and fresh cilantro sprigs
In a large saucepan, heat oil and sauté green pepper, onion and garlic for 3-5 minutes, stirring frequently. Stir in black beans, broth, tomato, herbs and chipotle pepper. Cover and simmer for 30 minutes.,
Mash beans slightly with potato masher, or for smooth soup, process in blender until smooth. Garnish with sour cream and cilantro sprigs. Makes 2 servings.
Nutrition information per serving: Calories 207; Carbohydrate 37 gm; Protein 16 gm; Fat 4 gm; Cholesterol 1 mg; Sodium 911 mg.
Hearty Steak and Potato Soup
2 tsp. olive oil
¼ cup chopped onion
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
½ cup chopped celery
½ cup chopped carrots
½ cup sliced mushrooms
½ pound beef boneless round steak, cut into 1¼ inch pieces
2 cups sliced small red potatoes (¼-inch slices)
2 cans (14.5 ounces each) low sodium beef broth
½ tsp. freshly ground pepper
½ cup water
¼ cup flour
In large Dutch oven, heat oil and sauté onion and garlic about 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Add celery, carrots and mushrooms; sauté another 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Add beef, potatoes, beef broth and pepper; mix well. Simmer 1½-hours or until vegetables are crisp-tender, and beef is tender.
Mix water and flour in small bowl; gradually stir into soup until blended. Simmer another 10 minutes until slightly thickened, stirring frequently. Alternately, place all ingredients except water and flour in slow cooker. Cover and cook on low heat 8 to 9 hours.
Thicken with mixture of flour and water; cook on high heat another half hour. Makes approximately 4 servings.
Nutrition information per serving: Calories 250; Carbohydrate 18 gm; Protein 15 gm; Fat 5 gm; Cholesterol 25 mg; Sodium 600 mg.