Butternut Squash Soup Recipe Created by Ruth Paget

Butternut Squash Soup Recipe Created by Ruth Paget

This is one of my coffee table decoration recipes. 

One of my childhood friend’s mom in Royal Oak, Michigan decorated her home with seasonal foods from Western Michigan it seemed.  Even as a young child, I wondered if she used her pumpkin, dried corn, butternut squash, and zucchini squash to make soups out of her fall decorations.

Serves 4

Ingredients:

-1 large butternut squash

-1 large chopped onion

-1 teaspoon dry garlic

-1 tablespoon olive oil

-1 (32-ounce) container chicken broth

-32 ounces water

-1/4 cup quinoa flour

-1 cup milk or cream

Steps:

1-Peel and seed a butternut squash.  Chop the squash into small pieces.

2-Sauté onion and garlic in olive oil for 5 minutes in a soup pot.

3-Add chicken broth, water, pieces of butternut squash, and quinoa flour to the onion mixture.

4-Bring soup to a boil and let boil for 45 minutes or until the butternut squash is soft.

5-Remove the soup from the heat and let it cool.  Insert an immersion blender into the soup and purée the soup until it is smooth.

6-Reheat the soup and stir in cream or milk.

Serve soup with your favorite toast.

Bon appétit!

By Ruth Paget, author of Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France

Click here for:  Ruth Paget's Amazon Books

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Beet Soup Recipe Created by Ruth Paget

Beet Soup (Sorta Borscht) Created by Ruth Paget

My beet soup was inspired by Eastern European borscht (beet soup), but is simpler to make.

You will need an immersion blender to make the soup smooth.

Serves 4

Ingredients:

-4 beets with stems intact

-1 large chopped onion
-1 tablespoon olive oil

-1 cup peeled and chopped carrots

-1 (32-ounce) can of beef broth

-32 ounces water

-sour cream (optional)

Steps:

1-Wash beets and trim stems down to 2 inches. 

2- Place beets in a pot of water and bring to a boil.  Boil beets for 1 hour.  At the end of 1 hour, drain beets and rinse with cold water to stop cooking.  Peel beets, cube them, and set them aside.

3-Sauté the onions and carrots in olive oil for 5 minutes.

4-Place onion-carrot mixture in a soup pot.  Add beef broth, beet cubes, and water to the soup pot.

5-Bring soup to a boil and let boil for 30 minutes.

6-At the end of 30 minutes, remove soup from heat and let cool.  Insert immersion blender and purée soup to a smooth consistency.

Serve warm with sour cream and your favorite toast.

Bon appétit!

By Ruth Paget, author of Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France

Click here for:  Ruth Paget's Amazon Books

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Black Bean Soup Recipe Created by Ruth Paget

Black Bean Soup Recipe Created by Ruth Paget

I love black beans and so do a lot of other people.  I have to order them at the customer service counter at the supermarket usually, because they disappear quickly from the shelves.  (Putting up an app for customer service orders might be an idea for an app developer.) 

The following recipe requires a crockpot and an immersion blender to make it.

Serves 4

Ingredients:

-1 cup dry black beans

-8 cups water for soaking beans

-8 cups water for cooking + water as needed

-1 tablespoon olive oil

-1 large chopped onion

-1 teaspoon dry garlic

-1 (32-ounce) container beef broth

-1 cup salsa or ¼ cup jalapeño peppers

-1 cup grated Monterey Jack cheese

Steps:

1-Soak 1 cup dry black beans overnight in 8 cups water.  Beans will triple in size overnight usually.

2-Drain and rinse beans.  Add olive oil, chopped onion, dry garlic, and beef broth to the crockpot along with the water.  Cover the crockpot and place on high heat for 10 hours or until beans are soft.

3-Cool soup and insert an immersion blender to purée the black beans to a smooth consistency.  Stir in salsa.

4-Ladle soup into individual bowls and sprinkle grated Monterey Jack cheese on top.  Microwave for 1 – 2 minutes.

Serve the soup with tortilla chips.

By Ruth Paget, author of Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France 

Click here for:  Ruth Paget's Amazon Books

 

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Borlotti Bean Soup Recipe Created by Ruth Paget

Borlotti Bean Soup Recipe Created by Ruth Paget

My dad made a soup of these black and brown speckled beans when I was growing up that he called “soup beans.”  I did not like soup beans as a child in Detroit, Michigan.

Now, I am a lover of Italy, so I buy “borlotti beans,” but still make them Appalachian style.  The recipe is easy, but I jazz it up by using an immersion to make the soup a smooth one and cook it in a crockpot.

Serves 4

Ingredients:

-1 cup dry Borlotti beans

-8 cups water for soaking

-8 cups water for boiling + more if needed

-1 (32-ounce) can chicken broth

-1 cup peeled and diced carrots

-1 tablespoon Italian seasoning

-Salt, pepper, and paprika, to taste

Steps:

1-Soak 1 cup dry Borlotti beans overnight in 8 cups water.  Beans will usually triple in volume.

2-Drain and rinse beans.  Put the beans in a crockpot and cover with 8 cups water, chicken broth, diced carrots, and Italian seasoning.  Cook on high heat for 10 hours to make sure the beans are soft.

3-Test to see if beans squash easily.  If so, insert an immersion blender and purée the soup until it is smooth.

Serve with your favorite toast.

Vegans and vegetarians can use a broth made from dried mushrooms instead of chicken broth for this recipe.

Enjoy!

By Ruth Paget, author of Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France

Click here for:  Ruth Paget's Amazon Books

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Broccoli-Monterey Jack Cheese Soup Recipe Created by Ruth Paget

Broccoli-Monterey Jack Cheese Soup Recipe Created by Ruth Paget

I made broccoli-gruyère cheese soup when I lived in Stuttgart, Germany.  I loved how convenient frozen broccoli was to use during what seemed like ten months of winter there.  In Monterey (California), you can use Monterey Jack (a local cheese) or cheddar to make this soup.

You will need an immersion blender to purée this soup to a smooth consistency.

Serves 4

Ingredients:

-3 tablespoons olive oil

-1 teaspoon dry garlic

-1 large chopped onion

-2-3 cups frozen broccoli

-1 peeled and chopped potato

-1 (32-ounce) container chicken broth

-32 ounces water

-1/4 cup quinoa flour

-1 cup grated Monterey Jack cheese

Steps:

1-Add olive oil, garlic, and onion to a soup pot and cook them on high heat for 5 minutes once the olive oil sizzles.

2-Add the broccoli, potatoes, chicken broth, water, and quinoa flour.

3-Bring the soup to a boil and let it boil for 25 minutes.

4-Remove the soup from the heat and let it cool before inserting an immersion blender into it and puréeing the vegetables.

5-Reheat the soup and stir in the grated cheese before serving.

Serve with your favorite toast.

Bon appétit!

By Ruth Paget, author of Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France

Click here for:  Ruth Paget's Amazon Books

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