Category: Soups, Stocks + Sauces

Adapted from Emeril

2 bunches of ramps, trimmed and thoroughly washed
1 quart beef broth
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup heavy cream
a handful of parsley, finely chopped
salt and pepper

1. Make quasi-blond roux. Combine the vegetable oil and the flour in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Cook, stirring constantly, about 6 minutes. Whisk in the broth and the cream. Bring to a boil and then reduce the heat to medium-low.
2. Lightly grill 6 of the ramps. Cut the remaining ramps into 1-inch pieces. Add the chopped ramps to the soup, season with salt and pepper, and simmer for about 40 minutes. Remove from the heat and using a blender, purée the soup until smooth.
3. Ladle the soup into shallow bowls, garnish with the grilled ramps and the parsley.

I love making my own tomato sauce in the summer because the plump and juicy tomatoes are available in the market. Once transfered to a covered container, your tomato sauce keeps a week in the fridge. You can also store them in the freezer to make them last for several months. Just make sure that the sauce is completely cool before you cover and transfer them to store.

A lot of pasta dishes with tomato sauce are so easy to make. When I know I want pasta for dinner, I just take out my frozen sauce from the freezer and let it sit in the fridge. I just completely heat it up with my favorite ingredients.

Ingredients:
5 vine-riped tomatoes, quartered
1 small carrot, peeled, shredded
3 sprigs of fresh thyme
4 cloves of garlic, minced
1 red onion, sliced thinly
olive oil, salt, pepper

1. In a large saucepan, heat some olive oil over medium heat. Sauté garlic until light brown and cook onions until transparent. Add the thyme and carrots and cook for about 5 minutes.
2. With your hands, add the tomatoes while crushing them with your hands. Get all of the tomatoes and their juice to the pot. Simmer, stirring often and cook until the sauce is thick. Season with salt and pepper.
3. Set aside to let cool. When cool enough, transfer to a sealable container.

Related post/s:
If tomatoes are not in season, try the hydroponic ones from Shushan Valley Hydro-Farms
Your own tomato sauce will be awesome with some octopus

I got this recipe from Cameron who got it from epicurious.com. It’s one of our favorite cold-weather soups. I’ve done several versions of this, and actually like it better without the beans. Sometimes, I use orzo or leftover boiled white rice if I don’t have tortellini available. Because I usually make my own chicken stock, I end up cooking this soup as soon as I’ve removed all the impurities that float to the top.

Ingredients:
1 9-ounce package cheese tortellini
1 packaged fully-cooked smoked kielbasa sausage, thinly sliced
1 15-ounce can cannellini, or white kidney beans, rinsed, drained
1 bunch kale, thoroughly washed, roughly chopped
1 medium-sized fresh fennel bulb, roughly chopped
1 onion, roughly chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 tbsps fresh thyme, chopped
1/2 tsp dried crushed red pepper
10 cups chicken stock
1 cup Asiago cheese or Parmesan cheese, shaved
salt, pepper, olive oil

1. Heat oil in heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Sauté garlic until golden, onions until translucent, fennel until soft and kielbasa is brown, about 12 minutes.
2. Add broth and bring to boil. Stir in thyme, kale and cannellini. Reduce heat to low and simmer until kale is wilted, about 4 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
3. Add tortellini to soup. Simmer until pasta is just tender but still firm to bite, about 5 minutes. Ladle soup into bowls. Serve and let your guests top it with cheese.

Adapted from a Gourmet Magazine recipe using kabocha squash

Ingredients:
1 butternut squash, halved and seeded
1 cup vegetable oil
20 whole fresh sage leaves plus, 1 1/2 tsps chopped fresh sage
1/4 pound sliced pancetta, coarsely chopped
1 large onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
3 1/2 cups chicken broth
3 1/2 cups water
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
salt, pepper, olive oil

1. Preheat oven to 400° and roast squash, cut sides down, in an oiled roasting pan in middle of oven until tender, about 1 hour. Set aside to cool. When cool enough to handle, scrape flesh from skin.
2. Fry sage leaves while squash roasts. Heat vegetable oil in a deep saucepan and fry sage leaves in 3 batches until crisp, about 3 to 5 seconds. Transfer leaves with a slotted spoon to paper towels to drain.
3. Cook pancetta in a 4-quart heavy pot over moderate heat, stirring, until browned. Transfer pancetta with slotted spoon to paper towels to drain. Add olive oil to pancetta fat remaining in pot, then cook onion, stirring, until softened. Stir in garlic and chopped sage and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add squash, broth, and water and simmer 20 minutes to blend flavors.
4. Purée soup in batches in a blender, transferring to a bowl. Return soup to pot and reheat. If necessary, thin to desired consistency with water. Stir in vinegar and salt and pepper, to taste. Serve sprinkled with pancetta and fried sage leaves.