Simple Lentil Soup with Brown Butter (Dispatches from French Cooking Class)

I started taking French cooking classes at my local community college, and it’s been the calorie-rich highlight of my weeks. Because the course is conducted in German, I not only get to learn the finer points of butter and egg yolks, I can also practice my umlauts. It’s been a great experience, and I wanted [...]

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Roasted Pumpkin Cream Soup

Seasonally, this pumpkin soup is probably better suited to mid-October than mid-March, but no matter.  It’s irresistible any time of year.  Do not pass go; do not collect $200. Get in my belly! Apologies.  That must have been my Id talking. What my unconscious is trying to say is, you should make this soup happen. [...]

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Chili con Carne with Pan-fried Polenta

It’s official:  all this cold, dark weather has put me on a comfort food kick.  If the forecast is to be trusted, sunset hits Berlin at about 4:30pm. Honestly, I haven’t seen the sun make an appearance on any recent afternoon.  It’s just been gray, gray, gray.  Then pitch dark. As close to a sunny [...]

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Chunky Potato Cream Soup

Image via The Big Blend Cool weather just screams out for hearty, homey food, don’t you think? The weather dropped a good 15 or 20 degrees (Fahrenheit…have to specify now!) this past month in Berlin, and I’ve been craving comfort food. This chunky, creamy potato soup fits the bill without being a total fat-bomb. It’s [...]

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Brenda’s Cannelini Bean, Kielbasa, & Kale Soup

  Image via: www.mariquita.com My friend, Brooke, loves greens, and she says they’re amazing in this soup her mom makes.  It’s a simple recipe, and simply delicious.  Add your choice of herbs to taste.* -2 cans (16 oz.) cannellini beans [drained] -1/2 large bag kale (pre-washed), large stems removed if necessary -1 onion, chopped -2 [...]

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“Skyline” Cincinnati Chili, Redux

Superbowl Sunday seemed like the perfect weekend to perfect a classic Cincinnati chili recipe.  And how:

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Italian Wedding Soup

This soup is all mine, and is pretty damn good, if I say so myself. Base: -2 c. soffrito (small-diced carrot, celery, onion)– about 2 lg. celery ribs, 2 medium carrots, 1/2 an onion -olive oil for sauteeing -2 bay leaves -2 small cloves garlic -1 tsp. Italian seasoning -salt and pepper to taste -dash seasoned salt [...]

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Cream of Broccoli-Potato Soup

This soup manages to be creamy without adding loads of heavy cream. My Uncle Joe invented it when I was a kid, and he called it “Low Cal No Cow Soup.” My version is inspired by his (although there’s a little “cow” thanks to the butter.) This could easily be made vegetarian by substituting vegetable [...]

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Lentil Soup

This is a great hearty soup for the chilly months. You could halve this recipe, as it makes a ton. Or, invite people over -2 Tbsp. olive oil -1 Tbsp. butter -1 med/lg. onion -1/2 lg. shallot -2 cloves garlic -3 medium carrots -3 stalks celery -1 parsnip, peeled (optional) -1 1/2 Tbsp. tomato paste [...]

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Tortelloni & Kale Soup

A good way to use up the turkey carcass stowed away in your freezer after the holidays.   -6-8 cups turkey or chicken broth (homemade with leftover carcass, innards, celery, carrot, shallot, water, seasoned salt, pepper, bay, sage, thyme and rosemary, parsley — or good quality prepared broth) -1/2 yellow onion, peeled -1 med. shallot [...]

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