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I love tortilla soup, but most restaurants and recipes use a chicken base, so I searched for a recipe online with the intent of either finding a vegetarian version or making one meatless. Part of the allure of this particular recipe was the short cooking time, and the ingredients sounded tasty, so I prepared a double batch for a Wow we hosted recently.

Recipe Source: Emeril Lagasse

Notes and Substitutions: I used the poblano pepper for this recipe. Substituted veggie broth for chicken broth, veggie chicken strips in place of real chicken. I also added a a little extra garlic, a can of corn kernels for a little more chunkiness, and used bagged tortilla chips instead of homemade (but only because I was running behind; I’d probably prefer the latter). Topped with avocado and the chipotle crema, which is so tasty and so easy to make. After having a taste after the 20-minute simmer, I confess to being a little disappointed — there was certainly something missing. But after adding the final ingredients–cilantro, lime, and a bit of the Essence seasoning–really made everything come together beautifully.

A few notes for next time:

• wear gloves when cutting the chili peppers;
• add black beans as well, and maybe pump up the spices a little to compensate;
• try baking the tortilla strips as well as frying to see if baking is an option;
• blend half the soup to make the base a little thicker.

Verdict: Quick, hearty, and flavorful. I was slightly skeptical about getting good flavor our of a 25 minute simmer, but was pleasantly surprised. It got thumbs up from all who tried it, and we’re definitely adding it to the regular soup rotation.

OK, not really Moroccan (it uses Indian spices) but it’s still a favorite of mine.

Recipe Source: Grace and Mae at allrecipes.com

Notes and Substitutions: I don’t deviate much at all from this recipe. I tend to like this with a bit of salt added, but beyond that usually prepare this as written. Sometimes cannellini (white kidney) beans are hard to find. I’ve tried Great Northern and White beans as substitutes, but both tend to lose their structure. I now think that red kidney beans or navy beans might be better substitutions.

Verdict: This is a great soup. It’s spicy, thick and hearty, and wonderfully aromatic–the house smells wonderful as it’s simmering. Yum yum yum.

Another recipe from a blogger. Although I don’t like squash, I do like squash soup and it sounded good enough to try.

Recipe Source: Becky Stern at Craftzine.com

Notes and Substitutions: Squashes are tough little buggers, and the recipe calls for the squash to be peeled, seeded, and cut into chunks. The skin is smooth and hard, and coupled with it’s rounded surfaces I felt the need to be very careful indeed while cutting it. Next time I make this, I will seriously consider using a reciprocating saw to do the cutting. I later spoke with a pal of mine and she says she asks grocery stores to cut the squash for her (at least halved to get it started).

I mis-read the recipe when I wrote out my shopping list and thought the half and half was optional. Whoops. Substituted with sour cream thinned with water to make “cream.” I used acorn squash and 8 cups of broth, 2 bay leaves (I like bay leaves), and scallions for garnish. I topped it with small cubes of browned tofu seasoned with salt and pepper.

Verdict: A very nice, aromatic soup. The flavor is savory and spicy and lightly sweet. The second night we ate this I forgot to add the browned tofu bits, at which point I realized the texture of this soup is a little odd on its own: it’s not creamy enough to be a bisque, and not quite chunky enough to suit my tastes, so the addition of the tofu was a pretty important for my enjoyment. Still, the flavor is terrific and I’d definitely make it again, just with the understanding that additional chunky bits and/or more cream/blending are essential rather than optional (for me).

I saw this recipe linked from another blog and was enticed by the short cooking time and the nice variety of vegetables it contained.

Recipe Source: Lost Button Studio, based on a Martha Stewart Vegetable Soup recipe

Notes and Substitutions: I replaced the chicken stock with veg, substituted broccoli for one of the zucchinis, and combined basil, oregano, and bay leaves for the “Italian seasoning”

Verdict: This was a little too bland for my tastes. I think the short simmering time contributes to this; certainly the veggie stock substitution changes things significantly, too. It was a nice, chunky mix of vegetables that retained much of their texture (which I did like) but I think I prefer minestrone that has stronger flavors.

This recipe is from the packaging for Trader Joe’s Green and Yellow Split Peas (sadly, they don’t offer this product anymore, but you can find the green and yellow split peas separately at your local market).

Recipe Source: I looked for this recipe on-line and could not find it reproduced anywhere. However, it’s very similar to this recipe from Bon Appétit.

Notes and Substitutions: Made with vegetable broth, veggie bacon instead of pig (chopped in small bits instead of large chunks), and fresh rosemary from the garden instead of dried.

Verdict: This is a wonderful split pea soup–simple, and really tasty. Veggie bacon is one of those products that’s pretty awful when eaten by itself, but terrific when added as a flavoring agent in a dish. It’s a delicious addition to my regular soup rotation.

I never used to be a soup person, but as I’ve gotten older I have come to realize it may be one of the most perfect foods. It’s warm and comforting, extremely flexible, economical, easy to make and even easier to share. And really, there aren’t many dishes I don’t like that are served in a bowl.

The seeds were sown in childhood, which is funny because I didn’t really like eating soup as a kid. Every year around Halloween, my dad used to make this Polish pumpkin soup that I thought was pretty horrible. We’d have homemade vegetable soup on occasion, and soups from the can, but my kid’s palate rejected most.

Childhood Dining Tip #1: ladle up a bowl full of the stuff you like (dumplings) with as little of the stuff you don’t (everything else) as you can get away with.

But I loved the idea of soup. Stories like Stone Soup and Little Bear’s Birthday Soup resonated with me. Something about individuals coming together, taking an assortment of humble ingredients, and combining them to create an end result greater than its parts for all to enjoy. I think these stories may be part of the reason why I now think of soup as a dish made in batches to feed a crowd.

Now that the weather has cooled down (a little) I’ve been reacquainting myself with this wondrous dish, cooking old favorites and trying new discoveries. Since I typically cook soups only in the fall and winter, I’ll be posting notes and results of my attempts here to remind myself in future of what worked and what didn’t, and what to try next time around.

I didn’t originally intend for this to become a blog series, so the first attempts were not photo-documented, but I will try to add pictures in subsequent cooking sessions.

Ted and I joined some friends this Saturday to check out the latest Machine Project mega-event at LACMA. A full-scale invasion of the site, this group of artists, musicians, and other technologically creative folk set up installations and gave performances in galleries, elevators and stairwells, balconies, within sculptures, outside windows, and many other sites throughout LACMA’s campus.

It was goofy and fun and wonderful. Here are some of the highlights of our day…

Who loves all the little chickies on the string?

Ginormous chickie

Ted in Urban Light

A place to nap

Kinetic solar sculpture

Unicorn

A clue from Le Hunt, a murder mystery puzzle

Peeping netsuke

Musical pots

Spreading cheer in the loneliest gallery at LACMA

Building birdhouses for the Art of the Americas building 3rd floor balcony

Linda interacts with a performance

Holly Vesecky’s Sam Frantasy (based on this)

Working on the IFF’s plastic exploding inevitable reef

Kinetic sculptural response to a Mondrian

Urban Light at night

Napping kitten

For viewing the Gothic Arch Speed Metal demonstrations

Figuring out whodunnit

moo.

Looking back on November 3, 2008… (Link from Ann-thanks!)

Wait in line.

Support families.

Make history.