Veggin’

We’re coming to the last day of the Vegetarian Tour de France and it’s been a long month of cooking. That’s why I’m still looking for simple recipes. This is a unique soup and is a great use for the summer cucumber crop. The next time I make this, I may play around a little with the amount of butter, cream and egg yolk that is in the soup. I think it could be made much lighter…which means it can be eaten that much more often. (And, that also means no worries about having to schlep extra poundage around on your weekend bike ride!)

Cucumber Soup (Crèm Doria)
adapted from Celtnet.org.uk

• 1 large cucumber
• 1 large shallot
• 2 tbsp butter
• 2 tbsp long-grain rice
• 3 1/2 cups vegetable stock
• 2 tbsp cream
• 1 egg yolk, beaten
• salt and black pepper, to taste

Do not peel the cucumber, as the skin is essential for this recipe. Chop both the cucumber and shallot then melt the butter in a pan. When hot add the cucumber and shallot and fry lightly until soft and slightly browned.

Season well and add the rice to the pot.

Fry for 1 minute before adding the stock.

Bring to a simmer and cook for 30 minutes, or until the rice is tender.

Take off the heat and allow to cool a little before liquidizing in a food processor.

Return the liquid to the pan then add the cream and slowly whisk-in the egg yolk. Allow to warm through, but do not boil (otherwise the egg and cream will curdle).

(Note: Even after processing in the blender, I still had bits of seeds and skin. If you don’t like that…then strain them out before serving.)

.

This Culinary Tour de France would not be complete without a great soup. Trust me, I picked the right recipe…this Zucchini and Curry Soup is really good. By using hot curry powder, you can add an extra “zing” to it. I imagine having some of this soup on hand to help me warm up after a cold bike ride in the winter. It also doesn’t have a lot of added fat making it light yet filling.

Zucchini and Curry Soup
(Potage de Courgettes au Curry)
From: The Paris Cookbook

1 large onion, peeled, halved lengthwise, and cut into thin half-moons
2 Tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons curry powder or to taste (I used hot curry powder.)
Fine sea salt to taste
1 quart homemade vegetable stock
4 small zucchini (about 12 ounces total), rinsed and cut into thin rounds

In a stockpot, combine the onions, oil, curry powder, and a pinch of sea salt. Stir to coat the onions.

Cook, covered, over low heat, stirring, until the onions are sft, 3 to 4 minutes.

Add the stock and zucchini and stir to blend.

Bring to a simmer over moderate heat, cover, and simmer gently for 20 minutes.

Process the liquid in a blender, food processor, or with a handheld immersion blender until emulsified into a smooth-textured mixture. (The soup may be prepared ahead of time up to this point. Cool and refrigerate.)

At serving time, reheat the soup, and serve it in warm shallow soup bowls.

I had purchased a bag of moong dal (split yellow peas) from the Indian grocery store and was looking for something different to make with them. In my search for recipes, I stumbled onto a Hungarian soup recipe that had been adapted from the cookbook Hungarian (Culinaria).

The original recipe called for only 4 cups of stock but I found that as I cooked the soup, the liquid boiled off. So, I estimate I put in an additional 2 cups of liquid…it may haved ended up being a little more that that.

Sárgaborsó Leves (Hungarian Yellow Split Pea Soup)
Adapted by Megabeth from Celtnet

• 1/2 large white onion – chopped
• 1 1/2 cups yellow split peas (moong dal)
• Salt and white pepper – to taste
• 2 Tablespoons olive oil
• 3 Tablespoons whole wheat flour
• 1 clove garlic – chopped
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 6 cups vegetable stock (I used Vegebase)

Combine the onions and split peas in a large pot.

Pour the stock over the top, bring to a boil and continue boiling for 20 minutes then season liberally with salt and black pepper. (Watch the pot to make sure peas do not stick to the bottom of the pan. Stir often and reduce heat as necessary.)

Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a pan, scatter the flour over the top and stir to combine. Continue frying, stirring frequently, until the flour has browned.

Add the garlic and paprika and cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute. Stir-in 1/2 cup of the soup stock and whisk to combine then turn the mixture into the soup. Note: you may have to add some additional water or stock to the peas as the liquid may cook off a bit.

Mix thoroughly and cover the pot. Then return the soup to a simmer until the peas are completely tender. (My soup took over an hour of simmering until the peas were completely tender. I also added some additional liquid as it boiled off.)

Making vegetable stock is actually quite easy. It just takes a little while to simmer on the stove. Some may wonder why make stock when it’s easily found at the grocery store and easy to make with vegetable bouillon cubes or powder. Sure, I’ve used the ready-made stock and cubes, but making it on my own allows me to control flavor, decrease the amount of salt I put in dishes and best of all, get the most out of the vegetable scraps I invariably end up with when cooking.

Save scraps and chunks of leftover vegetable in a ziploc bag in the freezer. See below for ideas of the types of scraps to include. Once there are enough scraps, simply throw them into a pot and then cover with water. Bring water to a boil. Reduce heat and let it simmer for at least an hour but preferably 3-4 hours.

Drain the liquid through a strainer, colander or cheesecloth. Cool the liquid in the refrigerator overnight. (This allows any particles to settle to the bottom.)

Storage options:

- Store in refrigerator and use within a few days.
- Freeze in cup size containers.
- Freeze in ziploc bags. If you use ziploc bags, first lay them on a plate or cookie sheet and place in the freezer. Once frozen, take out the cookie sheet or plate. This way, the bags take up less room in the freezer.
- Pour stock into ice cube trays. Once frozen remove the cubes and store in ziploc bag.

If you use scraps, the flavor does change each time you make the stock. If you want a more consistent taste each time, you can follow a recipe. Otherwise, I’ve consolidated some notes on what’s good to throw into stocks and other notes.

Ideal scraps to use

When prepping these vegetables, make sure they are clean and cut into chunks before freezing.

- onions, peeled
- carrots, carrot peels
- celery, leaves
- leeks
- zucchini and yellow squash
- scallions, both white and green parts
- cucumber
- shallots
- bell peppers
- turnips
- parsnips
- dried mushrooms
- green beans

Can dominate flavor so use smaller amounts:
- broccoli, stems
- cauliflower
- bitter greens (kale, collards, etc.)
- beet greens

Herbs, spices and other flavorings
- parsley
- thyme
- bay leaves
- oregano
- all spice
- dried italian herbs
- garlic cloves, chopped

Notes:
- roast vegetables before putting in pot for a darker stock
- tomatoes give the stock a distinctive taste and darken the stock.
- potato peels give the stock a starchy flavor
- carrots or corn make the stock a bit sweeter
- throw in some white wine for some added flavor

This stock can be used as a base for soup, added to risotto and cous-cous and so much more.