Chilled Pea Soup
Cooking the peas briefly retains their vibrant color, while the addition of fresh herbs keeps the finished soup tasting bright.
Ingredients:
4 cups chicken or vegetable broth, divided
6 cups shelled fresh peas
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 sweet onion, chopped
¼ cup fresh Italian parsley leaves
¼ cup fresh mint leaves
¼ cup crème fraîche or sour cream
2 tablespoons heavy cream or water
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper
Chopped fresh chives (for serving)
Method:
1. Melt butter in a large heavy pot over medium heat. Add onion and cook, stirring often, until softened but not browned, 6-8 minutes. Add 2 cups broth and bring to a boil. Add peas, reduce heat, and simmer gently until tender, about 5 minutes.
2. Remove pot from heat. Add parsley, mint, and remaining 2 cups broth to pot. Purée soup in a blender or with an immersion blender, thinning with water if soup is too thick, until smooth. Season soup with salt and pepper. Chill until ready to serve.
3. Whisk crème fraîche and cream in a small bowl to blend. Serve chilled soup topped with chives, passing crème fraîche mixture alongside for spooning over.
Roasted Pumpkin Soup with Herb Crème Fraîche
This soup is the epitome of fall comfort food.
Ingredients:
1, 2-2½ pound Winter Density pumpkin, quartered and seeded
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons sea salt, plus additional
for seasoning the soup
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
½ cup diced Cipollini onion
1 cup diced Yukon Gold potatoes
1 garlic cloves, crushed
4 cups chicken stock
Fresh ground pepper
For Herb Crème Fraîche:
¾ cup crème fraîche, plus additional for garnish
2 teaspoons each fresh parsley (finely chopped) and thyme leaves
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper
Method:
1. Place pumpkin quarters in a baking dish and drizzle with 1 tablespoon olive oil and season with 2 teaspoons sea salt and fresh ground pepper. Roast at 350° for 45 minutes or until lightly browned. Scoop out cooked pumpkin and reserve.
2. Heat butter and remaining oil in a large stock pot. Add onion and garlic and
season with a pinch of sea salt. Sweat over low heat for about 20 minutes, stirring often. Do not brown.
3. Add the chicken stock, potatoes, and roasted pumpkin and season with salt and pepper. Bring soup to a simmer, and cover, cooking for about 15 minutes or until potatoes are very tender.
4. While soup is cooking, combine crème fraîche with fresh herbs and season with salt and pepper. Once soup is ready, purée it in batches in a food processor (or with an immersion blender). Stir in ¾ cup of crème fraîche. Add more chicken stock as necessary to achieve desired consistency. Garnish each serving with reserved crème fraîche.
Stracciatella Soup
Accented with our kale-hazelnut pesto, this nourishing soup is incredibly light and silky.
Ingredients:
8 cups Farm & Larder chicken stock
3 eggs
4 tablespoons Grana-style cheese, grated
1 jar Farm & Larder kale-hazelnut pesto
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper
Method:
1. Bring chicken stock to a boil in a large sauce pan over medium-high heat. In a bowl, whisk the eggs, cheese and kale-hazelnut pesto to blend.
2. Reduce the heat to medium-low. Stirring the broth in a circular motion, gradually drizzle the egg mixture into the moving broth, stirring gently with a fork to form thin strands of egg, about 1 minute. Season the soup, to taste, with salt and pepper.
3. Ladle the soup into bowls and serve with extra Grana and sliced Italian Rustica bread.
Variation: This soup is also delicious with 1 cup fresh spinach added at the end.
Chilled Tomato Soup
Sweet and deeply flavorful, this chilled soup from Martha Stewart is perfect for a hot summer’s night.
Ingredients:
6 mixed sweet peppers
2½ pounds heirloom tomatoes
1 Walla Walla sweet onion, minced
2 cups chicken stock
½ cup freshly-squeezed orange juice
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper
Fresh herbs for garnish, such as chopped parsley, thyme and oregano
Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 400°. Place the peppers and tomatoes on a baking sheet, and roast until they are slightly charred, about 30 minutes.
2. Peel, and core the peppers and tomatoes. Transfer the flesh to the jar of a blender; set aside.
3. In a medium skillet, heat olive oil. Add onion, and cook until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add to the blender, and purée until smooth. Pass the mixture through a food mill fitted with a medium disk into a large bowl. Stir in the stock, orange juice, vinegar, salt, and pepper. Cover, and refrigerate until chilled. Serve garnished with herbs.
Italian Vegetable Soup
A deeply flavorful soup, thanks to the addition of fresh herbs, Corona beans and our housemade chicken stock.
Ingredients:
2 cups Corona beans, rinsed and soaked in a large stock pot of water overnight
2 leeks, trimmed of tough tops and ends, then diced
2-4 cloves garlic, minced
½-1 winter squash of your choice, peeled, seeded and cut into bite-sized cubes
1 cup Bolero carrots, peeled and sliced
1 cup fingerling potatoes, washed and cut into bite-sized cubes
4 cups canned diced Italian plum tomatoes
4 cups F&L chicken stock
3-4 cups water
½ cup white wine (if desired)
3-6 tablespoons combined chopped rosemary, parsley and thyme
2 cups spinach leaves, washed and torn if large
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
Method:
1. Drain beans, rinse and set aside. Rinse out the stock pot and place it on the stove, turning the heat to medium-high. Add leeks and garlic, drizzling with the olive oil. Cook until leeks are translucent and garlic is fragrant, about 1-2 minutes.
2. Once leeks are cooked, add in beans, water, wine (if using) and chicken stock. Generously season with salt and pepper. Bring soup to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer 30-40 minutes, or until the beans are almost done. Add squash, carrots, potatoes and diced tomatoes and bring soup back to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 15-20 more minutes, until the vegetables and beans are tender. Check for seasoning and add more salt and pepper if necessary.
3. Turn off heat and add in fresh herbs and spinach. Serve with grated Grana-style cheese alongside.
Winter Squash Soup
Top this silky, creamy soup with candied squash seeds.
Ingredients:
2 winter squash, such as Delicata, halved lengthwise and seeded
1 yellow onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
4 cups chicken stock
¾ cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons butter
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper
Method:
1. Preheat oven to 325°. Place the squash, cut sides down, in a baking dish. Add a few tablespoons of water to the baking dish, cover with foil and bake 35-40 minutes or until tender. Cool.
2. In a large stock pot, melt butter. Add the onion and garlic cook over low heat, stirring occasionally until onion is translucent and garlic is fragrant, about 3-5 minutes.
3. Scrape out the squash flesh from each half and add to the pot with the onions. Add the stock and cream. Cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, about 25 minutes.
4. Purée the soup in a blender or food processor, or in the pot using an immersion blender. Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve.
Ginger-Carrot Soup
This bright soup from The Splendid Table is super flavorful thanks to a kick of fresh ginger and orange juice.
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
½ cup chopped yellow onion
4 cups chopped carrots
4 cups vegetable broth
1 cup orange juice
1 tablespoon, plus 2 teaspoons, finely-grated fresh peeled ginger
1 tablespoon lemon juice
14-ounce can coconut milk
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Method:
1. Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the onion and sauté until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the carrots, broth, orange juice, ginger, and lemon juice; bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, covered, until the carrots are tender, about 20 minutes.
2. Remove from the heat. Puree with immersion blender or food processor, until very smooth. Return the soup to the saucepan and stir in the coconut milk, salt, and pepper. Reheat the soup over medium heat until hot. Ladle the soup into bowls and serve.
Vegetable Rice Soup with Sweet Ground Chile Pepper
This soup is incredibly hearty and healthy, full of beautiful vegetables, mushrooms and tender greens.
Ingredients:
1 cup F&L rice blend
2 cups chicken stock
5 cups water
2-3 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
1 cup Cipollini onions, peeled and chopped
1 leek, roots and tough green ends removed, then chopped
2 cups carrots, peeled and sliced
2 cups French fingerling potatoes, scrubbed and chopped
1 cup dried wild mushrooms, reconstituted and sautéed (see enclosed method)
2 large handfuls combined red baby kale and Swiss chard leaves, torn
2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves
2 tablespoons olive oil
½ teaspoon sweet ground chile pepper
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper
Method:
1. In a large stock pot, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat, then add chopped onion and garlic and sauté until onion is soft and translucent and garlic is fragrant, about 2-3 minutes. Add in chopped carrots, leeks and potatoes and continue to sauté until vegetables are slightly softened, about 4-5 minutes. Add in the rice, chicken stock and water, seasoning with the fresh thyme and sweet ground chile pepper, plus sea salt and fresh ground pepper.
2. Bring soup to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes, until rice and vegetables are fully cooked and tender.
3. Turn off heat and add the wild mushrooms and greens to the soup, stirring to combine until greens are slightly wilted. Check for seasoning and add additional salt and pepper as desired.
Chilled Tomato & Peach Soup
This creamy, cold soup is bursting with spicy appeal.
Ingredients:
4 heirloom tomatoes, quartered
2 donut peaches, pitted and quartered
1 garlic clove, minced
1 medium shallot, minced
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 bunch fresh thyme, tied with kitchen twine
¾ cup heavy cream
4 teaspoons sugar
Pinch cayenne pepper, or, to taste
Sea salt
Method:
1. In a large stockpot, sweat garlic and shallots with olive oil over medium-low heat until fragrant and translucent. Add in peaches, tomatoes, thyme and 1 teaspoon salt. Bring to a simmer and cook until tomatoes and peaches break down, about 15 minutes, using the back of a wooden spoon to help mash them up.
2. Remove from heat and remove thyme. Working in batches, purée soup in batches until smooth. Transfer soup back to pot by straining through a fine mesh strainer.
3. Bring heat back to medium-low and add cream, sugar and cayenne pepper. Check for seasoning and adjust cream, sugar or cayenne levels as desired. Simmer on low for about 5 minutes to allow flavors to meld. Then, remove from heat and allow to cool before transferring to the fridge. Serve cold, with chopped fresh herbs over top.
Kale & Potato Soup
This rich, traditional Portuguese soup—called caldo verde (green broth)—would be a lovely starter to this week’s Italian pasta supper.
Ingredients:
1 bunch Lacinato kale
2 pounds baking potatoes
2 quarts water
Olive oil
Salt
Method:
1. Remove stems from the kale, wash the leaves and cut them into a chiffonade. (You should have about 6-8 cups of kale). Peel potatoes and chop very fine.
2. Bring water to a boil in a heavy sauce pan and add salt. Add chopped potatoes, return to a boil and cook for 2 minutes, covered. Add the kale and cook 2 minutes more. Taste for seasoning, adding salt and needed. If desired, top hot soup with a splash of olive oil.
Variations: You can pass this soup through a food mill and serve it as a purée; moisten it with chicken stock instead of water; or enrich it with additional vegetables. One excellent variation is to stew sliced shallots and garlic until very soft and caramelized, then purée with the kale and potatoes.