Pumpkin Soup

     I was visiting with my sister-in-law and she asked me to post my pumpkin soup recipe.  Although usually thought of as a fall soup, I suppose it can be made year round.  Fresh pumpkins are not available, to my knowledge, at this time of the year but I am sure canned pumpkin would do as long as it is NOT the pumpkin pie filling that is sweetened. Most pumpkin soups use heavy cream.  This one does too but not until the very end. So why not?  I may even have a can of that pureed pumpkin in the pantry. It is most decidedly soup weather today! So here goes...warning; a couple of the ingredients may appear unusual but trust that it will all be good in the end.  Enjoy Linda!

1 tsp EVOO and 1 tsp of butter  (to melt in the bottom of a soup pot)
1 med. sized onion diced
3 cloves of garlic minced
1 small  dried red pepper
1 small green apple diced with skin off or a couple of Tbsp of apple sauce
4 cups of chicken stock
1 cup of apple juice  (unfiltered non sweetened organic is best)
1/4 cup of Marsala wine  (sherry will do too)
4 cups of pureed pumpkin canned (or bake pumpkin pieces brushed w/ EVOO in oven @ 400 for 30 min. scoop out pulp)
s/p to taste  In this case I use white pepper.

1 tsp of fresh thyme

2 or 3 saffron threads

1 fresh large sage leaf     Leave whole.  

3 Bay leaves

1/4  tsp of freshly grated nutmeg ( a generous pinch)

1/4 cup of heavy cream at room temp.

Garnish
Whip 1 cup of heavy cream for a dollop or swirl on the top of each bowl. I have also used Greek style yogurt instead.
 2 TBSP chopped parsley

1.  Add the first 5 ingredients to a soup pot.  A light sprinkle of salt over the top of the onion, garlic, apple & red pepper.  Stir until onion and apple are limp.
2.  Add the next 3 liquids. Stir and bring to a hard simmer. (Just below a boil.) Simmer for about 5 min.
3.  Lower heat and  slowly pour in the pumpkin and stir until completely incorporated.
4.  Add the herbs  Stir.
5.  Lower heat and simmer for about 20 minutes.
6.  Taste and adjust salt and pepper.
7.  Remove Bay leaves and sage leaf.
8.  Turn off the heat and let mixture cool for about 10 min. IT IS IMPORTANT AT THIS POINT THAT MIXTURE HAS COOLED DOWN. In small batches pour into blender and blend until smooth.
9.  Return to pot and slowly pour in the heavy cream  (you can also use whole milk) and simmer for about 10 min. If you are afraid soup is not cool enough temper the cream by adding a few tbsp of the soup to it before you add it back into the soup.
10.  Grate  nutmeg into soup and stir to mix.
Garnish with whipped  unsweetened cream or Greek style yogurt and parsley.

Cindy's Gotcha Covered Cure It All Hot Tea

    So many people have been sick that I am inclined to share this very old special "tea."  My great- grand mother "Abuelita" made it and then my grandmother, " Mamaita" and finally my momma Carmen. I have changed, deleted and added a few ingredients. In Mexico this might be referred to as a "ponche."  It's "medicinal" but does appear at parties sometimes.  Any alcohol will do but we always used tequila.  Today all I had was gin.  Never used that before.  I honestly like it even when I am not sick without the booze.  The most important ingredient is the grapefruit rind.  In a pinch I have used grapefruit juice. I like it made with jasmine tea best.  I think any tea will also work. Trevor just had some today and said he could drink this pretty much every time he got sick.  He also said he felt better. Most often I am told that it is bitter.  I think it's spicy. Make sure to drink it very hot.
     Enjoy and get better really quick!

Makes about two large cups of "tea."
1. Wash and cut in 1/4s an orange, a grapefruit, a lemon and a lime
2. Put in a pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil for about 10 min. Squish and stir. Reduce to simmer.
3. Grate about 2 Tbsp. fresh ginger root. Add to pot. Stir.
4. Add a cinnamon stick a couple of inches long and 1 dried red chili
5. Continue to simmer then add about 1/4 cup of fresh mint.
6. Add 4 tsp. of honey. Simmer for about another 10 min. Fruit should be very mushy.
7. Remove from stove and add a couple of green tea bags. Steep for 3 min.
8. Add 2 ounces of tequila. Any alcohol will work!
Strain into a cup...drink it very hot!

White Bean and Kale Soup

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   I was reminded recently that I had not posted lately.  The truth is, I want to be able to post with pictures but I am experiencing difficulties doing this.  Now my camera has a little battery flashing but I don't know where the charger is hiding. So...anyway.....
   Soup....I love soup!!!! I especially like soup when it's blustery and stormy outside. My mom ALWAYS had soup on the stove. Her soups were what I grew up thinking all soup was supposed to be, leftovers appearing one last time. There were some exceptions.  Albondigas (Mexican meatball soup,) posole (imagine a soup with a salad on top,) caldo de lentejas (lentil soup made an appearance during Lent,) caldo de res (beef soup) and menudo (the famous Mexican hang over soup.)  These soups had defined ingredients and tasted pretty much the same each time. My Tia Vet, (my mother's sister) made a soup that I still can't duplicate.  My son Jason remembers it fondly.  It had chicken and cabbage and then, by season, the veggies changed. But dang, it was so good! The other soups differed because they were made with leftovers and those changed every time.
   A few years ago, I discovered pho that delicious Vietnamese soup. My husband and I eat this after mass every Sunday.  A mom of one of the kids I was teaching many years ago taught me to make Greek Lemon Soup. This was the soup my kids got after  they had been sick with a tummy bug. I make soups, all kinds of soups but this recipe is for a soup that has the wonder food kale in  it.  Admittedly, I had not used kale when cooking.  Other greens appear often in my cooking but kale ...not so much. I like kale a lot and I am including it in more of my recipes. Since we are expecting  a mother of all storms  tonight, I started a pot of soup.  Enjoy!!!!

1 tbsp of EVOO to cover bottom of a large pot.
1 bunch of kale coarsely chopped (easiest to clean if you soak it in water and let the grit sink to the bottom)
1 large onion coarsely chopped
1 red bell pepper coarsely chopped
4 stalks of celery coarsely chopped (use the little tender inside stalks with the leaves)
1/2 of a fennel bulb coarsely chopped  (You can chop the ferny top part and save for garnish.)
5 cloves of garlic chopped pretty fine
4 bay leaves
1 tsp. of dried oregano ( double if using fresh)
1 pinch of cumin (I use ground)
a pinch of nutmeg (I use fresh)
1 heaping TBSP of chili powder (I used cayenne)
1 cup of ham bits (I used leftover ham although you could use a ham hock.)
2 cans of white beans (If you want to soak beans overnight use about 2 cups dry beans. You can do a quick soak.  Follow directions on the bean packaging.)
6 cups of liquid... mix it up ( use broth, water, wine etc.) This time I used 4 cups broth, 1 cup of white wine and 1 cup water
s/p to taste
Optional
1/4 cup plain yogurt
1/4 sour cream
fennel fronds


1.  Coat the bottom of a pot with oil. Heat should be med/high flame.
2.  Add the next 6 ingredients. Stir until kale is limp.  Takes awhile.  (5 to  10 min.)
3.  Add next 5 ingredients.  Stir before you add the next.
4.  Add the ham
5.  Add the cans of beans with the liquid.  Stir.
6.  Last, add your 6 cups of liquid. Stir. Bring to a boil.  Boil for a couple of minutes.   Lower heat and simmer for  as long as you'd like. The soup is ready to eat now but tastes best if allowed to sit and get all comfy with itself.  Taste and adjust the salt and pepper.
I like to garnish this with some sour cream, Greek plain yogurt (equal parts) mixed with a little s/p and then fennel fronds. Just a tad on the top.
Serve with crusty bread.