soup

Guest Post by Lauren Lee: Fresh Spring Pea Soup With Crème Fraiche & Garlic Croutons

March 19, 2015 by Asharae Leave a Comment

I’m so excited to have one of my dear friends share a fantastic springtime recipe here today! I have looked up to Lauren for a long time for her confidence in the kitchen, her love of cooking and sharing meals with others, and her fabulous restaurant recommendations. Our stories overlap back and forth, starting before she was even in college when we worked at the same camp together, extending to shooting her wedding a couple years ago, with a whole lot in between!

You might remember that I mentioned her family in a post last summer on stovetop popcorn – they get complete credit for inspiring me to learn how to make it!

I absolutely love that Lauren and her husband have ended up in North Carolina, not too far from us. If you’re ever in the Chapel Hill area and need a good restaurant suggestion, Lauren is the person to talk to!

I can attest that this soup is totally fresh and delicious. It’s perfect for these days lately that have been hinting at spring, but still get chilly in the evenings.

Without further ado, I’ll hand it over to Lauren!

Spring has arrived in North Carolina! It’s hard to believe that just three short weeks ago there were several inches of snow on the ground.

In honor of spring, I would like to share a recipe for Fresh Spring Pea Soup. I know that peas can get a bad rap, but this soup is amazingly flavorful, healthy, and shockingly green! It’s also a bit impressive when serving it to friends, but super simple (and quick) to make.

The origin of this soup comes from my favorite chef- Ina Garten, also known as The Barefoot Contessa. I love Ina for her classic and “Foolproof” recipes, and of course for her love of Paris. Paris and recipes aside, I believe my (more than minor) infatuation* with The Barefoot Contessa comes from the way that her food unites my family as we live states apart.

Every week my sister (Chelsy), my mom, and I share food stories over the phone. For me, the joy of making a great meal is only multiplied when I am able to share the details with them. Although we can’t physically sit down to eat dinner together, we love poring over recipes and meal ideas, laughing & learning from each other’s cooking fails, and celebrating successful dinners together.

I can’t quite remember if it was my sister or my mom who sent me this recipe the first time, but we’ve all made it at some point, and have decided to put it in our arsenal of good soup recipes. I hope you enjoy making & eating it, and that you find yourself sharing it with your favorite foodie friend.

*Chelsy and I have (somewhat jokingly) dreamed of going to the Hamptons to stalk Ina at her gorgeous home 🙂

Fresh Spring Pea Soup With Crème Fraiche & Garlic Croutons

Adapted from Ina Garten

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Prep Time 15 mins

Cook Time 20 mins

Total Time 35 mins

Servings 4 -6

Ingredients

2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 cups chopped leeks white and light green parts (about 2-3 leeks) (Asharae's note - if you're unfamiliar with leeks, fear not! They're easy to use - be sure to check out this video on how to clean your leeks before you get started!)
1 cup chopped yellow onion
4 cups chicken stock homemade or store-bought
2 10-ounce packages frozen peas (the freezing process locks in freshness)
2/3 cup chopped fresh mint leaves
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
½ cup crème fraiche
½ cup chopped fresh chives
Garlic croutons for topping (see recipe below)

Instructions

Melt the butter in a large saucepan.
Add the leeks and onion. Cook on medium-low heat for 5 to 10 minutes until the onion is tender.
Add the chicken stock, and turn the heat to high to bring it to a boil.
Add the peas and cook for about 3 minutes, or until the peas are tender.
Turn off the heat, and add the mint, salt, and pepper. Stir to combine.
Next is the fun part- Pureeing the soup until smooth. As Asharae has mentioned in her previous posts, the immersion blender is a great tool for soups like this. If you don’t have an immersion blender, you can use your regular blender or food processor to puree the soup until smooth. Just be careful when transferring the extremely hot liquid.
Whisk in the crème fraiche and chives and add more salt and pepper to your preference.
Serve hot with garlic croutons, a tiny dollop of crème fraiche, a sprinkle of snipped chives, and a drizzle of olive oil.

Asharae’s Note: If you’re looking for the immersion blender I recommend, check out this one. I seriously use it all the time.

Garlic Croutons

Adapted from Martha Stewart

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Prep Time 5 mins

Cook Time 15 mins

Total Time 20 mins

Ingredients

½ loaf of crunchy bakery bread my favorite is a rustic Italian or French loaf, and day or two old works great
2 tablespoons chopped garlic
2-4 tablespoons olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

Heat your oven to 400 degrees.
(You can make croutons in a skillet on the stove or in the oven. If making on the stove, read more about that method here.)
Cut the bread into cubes. I never make mine look perfect- always going for that easy, rustic feel.
Toss the bread cubes in a large bowl with a generous amount of olive oil (I tend to use a lot). Then add the garlic, a heavy pinch of salt, and several cracks of pepper to the bowl and mix it all together.
Spread your croutons on a foil lined rimmed baking sheet (rimmed sheets are great for keeping these little guys from slipping off the pan, and foil makes the clean-up process way easier). You want them spread out and not too crowded.
Bake for about 10-15 minutes until golden brown and crunchy. You will want to give them a good stir or shake about half way through to get all of the sides browned.
Set aside to cool while you make your soup.

Notes

These babies are also awesome on salads (often with a bit of parm melted on them)

This post contains affiliate links, but all opinions are my own.

Butternut Squash Soup with Bacon, Goat Cheese, and Pistachios

December 10, 2014 by Asharae 1 Comment

I’m so excited to share this post with you today! This recipe. You guys. I really thought I knocked it out of the park last week with the most ridiculously delicious pumpkin cheesecake. I gotta be honest though, I’m more of a savory/salty kinda gal than a sweets one. So this butternut squash soup with bacon AND goat cheese AND pistachios is really just the perfect thing.

I’d never worked with butternut squash until my mother-in-law bestowed one upon us after one of our holiday gatherings in Maryland a couple years ago. She ran out to the car as all the kids were packing things into our respective cars, and I caught a glimpse of her placing some sort of squash in our trunk. A couple days later, I got a perplexed text from my sister-in-law in Chicago, “Did you have a butternut squash in your trunk too?”

I’m not sure what she ended up making with hers, but I promptly scoured Pinterest for a recipe for butternut squash soup. Our first attempt a few years back was not nearly as glorious as the recipe before you now. But I do ~~apologize for the unhealthiness~~ accept your gratitude for the deliciousness of this recipe.

The initial inspiration for this recipe came from this one over on Half Baked Harvest – her food photos are simply amazing. I saw one photo of her soup on Pinterest and knew I wanted to try something similar. The flavors I aimed for were quite different, but I always love pointing back to my source of inspiration when I can!

Butternut Squash Soup with Bacon, Goat Cheese, and Pistachios

Asharae Kroll

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Prep Time 15 mins

Cook Time 40 mins

Total Time 55 mins

Servings 4 -6 servings

Ingredients

1 medium butternut squash peeled, seeds scooped out, and diced
2 large carrots peeled and diced
1 onion diced
1 apple peeled, cored, and cubed
2 cloves of garlic minced
1 tsp fresh thyme
1/4 tsp dried sage
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 bay leaf
32 oz vegetable broth
1 c heavy cream
1 package of bacon
4 oz package of goat cheese
Shelled pistachios

Instructions

Place bacon in a cold pan, heat to medium and cook till crispy. Set on paper towels to cool. Reserve bacon grease. Once bacon is cool, crumble into small pieces.
Add 3 Tbs bacon grease to a large stockpot and heat over medium. Add carrots, onion, and diced butternut squash and sauté for 5-7 minutes, or until veggies start to soften.
Add apple, thyme, sage, salt, and pepper, and sauté 3-4 more minutes. (Add another Tbs of bacon grease if necessary.)
Add garlic and sauté one more minute, then add vegetable broth, scraping the delicious bits off the bottom of the pan. Add bay leaf. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer 6-8 minutes, or until the veggies and apples are soft. Remove from heat and let cool slightly.
Remove bay leaf and use an immersion blender to blend the soup to a smooth consistency. Alternately, you can carefully blend the soup in batches in a blender. (Side note - if you don't have an immersion blender, it's a worthwhile investment - perfect for soups, smoothies, salsas, and other things - we use ours all the time!) Once the soup is smooth, stir in the heavy cream.
Serve topped with bacon, goat cheese, and pistachios. Drizzle with a little extra heavy cream to make it pretty. Enjoy!

Notes

To more easily peel your butternut squash, use a fork to poke holes all over. Heat for 1-2 minutes in the microwave. Let cool, cut each end off with a knife, then use a vegetable peeler to remove the skin. To dice, cut your butternut squash in half, separating the taller skinny half from the wide fat end. Place each half of the squash on your cutting board, cut side down, and cut each one in half. Scoop the seeds out and then lay each quarter on your cutting board, flat side down and slice into 1/4 in - 1/2 in slices. Dice up each slice into smaller pieces and you're ready to use it in your soup recipe!

We use this Cuisinart Immersion Hand Blender and absolutely love it!

(Full disclosure – That’s an affiliate link above, so I’ll receive a small percentage of your purchase if you click through the link. I appreciate your help in keeping This Wild Season up and running!)

Simple Vegetable Soup

November 11, 2014 by Asharae 1 Comment

In an effort to save space, I titled this post “Simple Vegetable Soup.” What I actually scribbled down on the scrap of paper as I made the soup was – “Use-What-You-Have-In-Your-Pantry-Veggie-Soup.” I personally like that name a lot better. It’s a much better description of the story of this recipe.

Tim and I have been traveling a lot lately – between our three week road trip to three different weddings, several other short weekend trips away for weddings here in NC, and a roommate reunion with my college friends, we’ve put a lot of miles on the road lately. This means that our eating has been less than stellar. And the state of our fridge is abysmal at times. For being a go-with-the-flow kinda gal, I really love to have my meals planned out. I like shopping the menu to save money and save space in our fridge too. I’m the kind of person that wakes up thinking about dinner, and I love being able to look forward to something I know will be delicious. I think the last time we had that sort of routine was back in the summer. Or maybe late spring. It’s been a busy one.

All that being said, the other night Tim and I were wrapping up our editing for the day and looking towards dinner. It was one of those stare-at-the-fridge-hoping-something-will-appear nights. I scrounged around a bit and found we had enough ingredients in the fridge and few staples in the pantry to whip up a batch of soup. (Sidenote – I highly recommend keeping cans of beans and veggies, and a couple cartons of vegetable or chicken broth in your pantry for just such an occasion.)

Nights are getting chillier here in NC and the sun is setting unreasonably early, so a bowl of warm soup is the perfect antidote to the dark and cold outside. And I rejoiced at how this seemingly thrown-together soup turned out – it’s hearty and delicious with just the right amount of spice. We served ours with grilled cheese on the side – so good.

This soup has a little kick to it – you’re more than welcome to leave out the jalapeños and can of green chilies if you don’t like spicy food. I recommend adapting this recipe to whatever you have on hand. I’m sure it would be great with a can of corn, some potatoes, perhaps some celery. Feel free to add more vegetable or chicken broth (or water) if you like your soup to have more broth than veggies, just adjust your salt and pepper accordingly.

Simple Vegetable Soup

Asharae Kroll

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Prep Time 10 mins

Cook Time 40 mins

Total Time 50 mins

Servings 4

Ingredients

1 Tbs butter
1 Tbs olive oil
1 yellow onion diced
4 medium carrots sliced
2 jalapeños diced and seeds removed
1/2 bell pepper diced (use a yellow one if you're looking to make this soup pretty)
3 cloves garlic minced
1 7 oz can green chilies
1 15 oz can diced tomatoes with juice
1 32 oz carton of chicken or vegetable broth
1/2 lb pasta we used elbow pasta
1/4 tsp oregano
Salt and pepper to taste
Optional: Garnish with parsley

Instructions

Cook pasta according to package directions, rinse in cold water to stop the cooking. Add 1 Tbs olive oil, stir, and set aside.
While the pasta is cooking, heat oil and butter in a large stock pot over medium heat. Add carrots and peppers, cook about 3 minutes. Add onion, green chilies, and jalapeños, and cook about 5 more minutes or until tender. Add garlic, cook for one minute.
Add broth and tomatoes and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 20-30 minutes. Add oregano, and salt and pepper to taste.
Place noodles in bowls, ladle soup over the top, and serve. Garnish with parsley if you wish (or if you have leftovers in your fridge like me!)
I store leftover soup and noodles separately so the noodles don't get too soggy in the fridge.

Flour sack towel from The High Fiber – check out more of her gorgeous work at her Etsy shop!

Carrot Soup with Quinoa and Feta

April 23, 2014 by Asharae Leave a Comment

In honor of the fact that we’re still teetering on the edge of winter one day and spring/summer the next, I thought I’d share a spring-timey (but still comforting) soup recipe with you! I came across this one on Gourmet Traveller and adjusted it slightly for what we had in the kitchen and how many people I was feeding. My younger brother joined Tim and I for dinner and he couldn’t stop raving about how good the soup was – my brother is a man of few words, so I take all his compliments to heart. We enjoyed topping our soup with quinoa, feta (a good addition to pretty much any meal, in my opinion), chopped parsley, mint, and a drizzle of olive oil. To go with this I also made focaccia in our bread machine and baked it in the oven, drizzled with olive oil, rosemary, kosher salt, and parmesan cheese. I’ll have to share that recipe with you soon! Until then, it would be great served with this bread!

Carrot Soup with Quinoa and Feta

Adapted from Gourmet Traveller

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Servings 4

Ingredients

1 lb carrots grated
1/2 yellow onion diced
2 cloves garlic minced
2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp paprika
Zest and juice of 1 lemon
2-3 c vegetable or chicken stock
1 c quinoa
1 tsp sherry vinegar or to taste
Feta
Chopped parsley and mint
Olive oil

Instructions

Heat olive oil in a large sauce pan or stock pot over medium high heat. Add onions and garlic and sauté for 2-3 minutes, until tender.
Add carrot, spices, and lemon zest, and stir occasionally, 4-5 minutes, or until carrot softens.
Add 2 c stock and 1 c water, season to taste and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and simmer until flavors have combined, 5-10 minutes.
Meanwhile, cook the quinoa according to the package directions. Set aside when finished.
Remove soup from heat, add lemon juice and a handful of feta. Using a hand-held blender, process the soup until smooth. At this point you can add the additional cup of chicken or vegetable stock if your soup is too thick. (Instead of using a hand-held blender, you can also use a regular blender. Carefully ladle the soup into the blender, leaving plenty of room at the top so the hot soup doesn't spill over while blending. Process the soup in two or three batches until it's all smooth.) Add vinegar and stir.
Serve topped with quinoa, feta, herbs, and drizzled with olive oil.
This is delicious served with focaccia or some other crusty bread as well - I'll give you a good recipe for that soon!