soup!

kelly and erin have inspired me to crave soup. of course my poor mother will probably be making all the soup i'm craving since i am still a little less than functional thanks to a fetus with a very strong heartbeat.

so, here are two of my favs. please to enjoy:

Ristorante della Fontana Minestrone Soup “B”

makes 6 qts of soup
at the end of this recipe it calls for pasta, but pasta is not listed in the ingredients. add whatever small pasta you like and as much as you like. tiny shells are good.

1 c medium diced onion
1 c medium diced celery
1 c medium diced carrots
1 T oregano
1 T basil
1/2 t salt
1/4 t black pepper
2 T granulated garlic
1 cube chicken base bullion
1 cube beef base bullion
1 c green beans
1 28oz can crushed tomatoes
1 c kidney beans
1/3 c pearl barley
2 c water
1/4 c chopped spinach
1 c chopped cabbage
5 – 14 1/2 oz cans beef broth
pasta

in a sauce pan, put just enough vegetable oil to coat the bottom of the pan. put onion carrot and celery in pan and sweat on medium heat until carrots and celery are tender and onions are translucent.

in another pot add barley and cover with 2 cups of water, bring to a boil and let simmer until barley is tender all the way through; strain off excess water and set aside.

in the same pot put cabbage and spinach, cover with water and cook on high until cabbage is tender. strain and set aside.

in a 6 qt sauce pan combine all ingredients, but pasta, adding beef broth last. bring to a boil stirring frequently. simmer until flavors are blended (about 25 min).

meanwhile, cook pasta until al dente in salted boiling water. add pasta to soup just before it is served.


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Creamy Tomato Soup

this is the very best tomato soup recipe i have ever found! no salt, doesn't need it. don't spend a lot of time chopping the ingredients, they go into a food processor in the end.

3 lbs. peeled and seeded tomatoes or 28 oz can
1 T unsalted butter
1T extra virgin olive oil
1 medium diced onion
2 minced garlic cloves
1 diced carrot
1 diced celery stalk with leaves
1/2 c sun-dried tomatoes in olive oil, drained
1/4 c finely chopped fresh parsley
1/3 c slivered fresh basil or 2 t dried
1 bay leaf
3 c chicken stock
1 c heavy cream

In a large heavy-bottomed soup pot heat the butter and oil over medium-high heat. When hot, add the onion, garlic, carrots and celery. Saute until vegetables are softened, about 5 minutes. Add fresh tomoatoes and their juice, sun-dried tomatoes, parsley, basil, bay leaf, stock and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Remove bay leaf. In a blender or food processor, puree the soup in batches until smooth. Return soup to pot and stir in cream. Taste and adjust seasonings, and simmer until heated through, about 5 minutes. Do not boil.

Taken from "The Schwarzbein Principle Cookbook" (It's a diet book (with cream and butter, yes) I haven't read it yet, but the recipes are yummy)