Brrr..can we have some soup?

Since the first blizzard back in December, snow keeps coming and coming with no end in sight. We desperately need something to keep us warm, and what better than soup.

Ahh delicious hearty hot soup in a bowl between your hands while you watch the snow come down from your window, all wrapped in the warmth of your house..
There are many kind of soups I can offer you, but I think that we should start with a soup that will really keep us warm and will also be so nutritious that it can be a meal on its own.

LENTIL SOUP

                                                    

This is the winter storm soup par excellence. It has lots of vegetables with the lentils, which makes it a perfect complete meal and it is also so creamy and smooth that it will satisfy all your needs and senses in this weather. Some people think it's a hassle to make, but I don't think so. You can simplify the recipe and eliminate the added fat , just as I did, and you will have an easy to cook delicious soup. The idea of it being difficult to cook came from the fact that back in the day, when blenders were not so easy to come by, my grandma used to process the soup in a vegetable mill that she operated by hand. So it took forever, and we had to wait for the really really cold days to have this soup. Now, with a blender in every kitchen, and also with the upright hand-held new blenders, you'll make it in minutes and will not even have to use a lot of pots because, as you'll see, it can all be made in the same pot. You'll need:

- 2 cups red lentils, picked, rinsed and drained
- 1 large carrot or 2 medium, chopped
- 3 to 4 stalks of celery, chopped
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 2 cloves of garlic, chopped
- 1 large potato, peeled and chopped
- 1 medium tomato, chopped
- 2tsp ground cumin, more to taste
- salt and pepper to taste
- chicken stock, or vegetable stock if you want it vegetarian, (optional)

- 1 handful of angel hair pasta or vermicelli, crushed

- plain croutons, or toasted pita wedges for serving

In a large pot, at least 5.5 qt, cover the lentils with water. Chop the vegetables, they don't need to be chopped in any special way, they'll cook and be pureed with the soup later. Add the vegetables to the pot, add salt and pepper and the cumin. Bring to a boil uncovered over high heat. Next comes the only difficult part: when your soup starts to boil, reduce the heat to medium and keep stirring frequently because it has a tendency to stick to the bottom, and we don't want to have lumps or burnt pieces in it.
Also check constantly to see if you need to add some more liquid to it. You can add water or the chicken or vegetable stock. I usually add chicken stock, but water is also fine. When all the veggies are done, (the lentils cook faster and will become just an orange soup around the vegetables, please don't worry about that) remove from the heat and let stand until it cools down so you can handle it more easily. If you have an up-right blender, go ahead and puree the soup in its pot until all vegetables disappear and you only have a creamy heavy consistency. If you use a regular blender, puree the soup in batches in the blender, transfer to another pot or bowl and continue pureeing until it's all done. Return the soup to the stove, and over medium high heat stir it constantly until it comes to a boil. During this process, make sure that nothing is sticking to the bottom or sides of the pot, you can add more liquid, because it will be very thick. Add the crushed angel hair pasta, and keep stirring. When the pasta is done, adjust the seasoning by adding more salt and cumin to taste. You should feel the presence of the cumin but not in an overwhelming way. Your soup should be smooth and have a creamy consistency.
Serve with some croutons on the side or toasted pita wedges. I usually cut the pita bread in small triangles, put them on a baking sheet and toast them in the oven, with no oil or fat added, just wait until they are golden brown and remove them from the oven, and let stand.
TIP: sometimes I don't have chicken stock on hand, so I simply add a cube or two of chicken or vegetable soup while I am stirring the soup in the final phase. Just remember that these cubes are rich in salt, so do that before you adjust the seasoning and wait until they are completely dissolved.

POTATO VEGETABLE SOUP

I first had this soup in a small Polish restaurant near my office. I liked so much, I kept coming back for it. But it was very heavy, so I thought of a way to replicate it without all the fat. I hope you'll like it too. You'll need:

- 3 to 4 potatoes peeled and diced
- 1 large carrot or 2 medium, chopped
- 3 stalks of celery, chopped
- 1/2 bunch of fresh dill, chopped (about 1/2 cup)
- 1 cup skim milk, or 1/2 cup sour cream
- 2 tbsp flour
- chicken or vegetable stock, enough to make the soup

In a large pot, pour 1 and 1/2 cup of stock, add the carrots and celery and bring to a boil. ( Please note that this time you should chop the vegetables in bite size, and try to make them all the same size as much as possible. Celery can be smaller). After 4 to 5 minutes add the potatoes and more liquid. Boil until all the vegetables are tender. In a small bowl, combine the skim milk and the flour, and beat with a fork until all the lumps are dissolved. Add the milk mixture to the soup and keep stirring to avoid any new lumps from forming. You will be happily surprised to see that the skim milk will thicken and form a creamy soup without any added fat. Stir for 5 more minutes, until the flour is fully cooked and you don't have this strange taste of uncooked flour. (You can use the sour cream instead of the milk and flour, stir it in the soup and let it cook over medium heat). Cut the dill sprigs and chop the fringes. add the dill to the soup, stir and remove it from the heat.

CHICKEN POTATO SOUP

This is another version of the potato vegetable soup. I first had it in Minneapolis, and for the first time I had the courage to ask the chef for the recipe. It was rather easy, but had a lot of fat ( I was sick all night that evening). So when I devised the way of cooking the potato soup without adding any fat, I thought: why not try it with the chicken potato soup? It worked. And here it is:

- 1 cooked chicken breast cut into small cubes
- 2 potatoes, peeled and diced
- 1 carrot diced
- 2 stalks of celery, diced
- 1/2 cup wild rice
- 1 cup skim milk
- 2 tbsp flour
- chicken stock enough to make the soup

Rinse and drain the wild rice and boil it in a small sauce pan until the grains open up. Drain and keep it on the side. In a large pot, pour about 1 cup stock, add the carrots and the celery and bring to a boil for 5 minutes. Add the potato cubes, and some more liquid, and continue cooking. Before the vegetables are completely done, add the wild rice. Mix the flour with the skim milk and add to the soup. Stir to avoid any lumps. Add the chicken cubes, and stir. You will have a creamy soup with visible bits of vegetables and chicken. Adjust the seasoning to taste.

NOTE: All these recipes can be adjusted to your taste, put less carrots, more celery or potatoes, it's up to you. They can also be doubled in size or reduced to serve one or two people.