Soup for those April Shower days

There's nothing quite like sharing a steaming bowl of soup with the ones you love on a chilly Spring evening.  Here are some of our current favorite recipes, all delicious and pretty easy for our hectic lives.

Luscious 30 Minute Mushroom Soup

 
1 sliced Onion                               1 sliced Leek                                      2-3 minced Garlic cloves
1 tb Butter                                    1 tb STM Garlic EVOO                     1lb mixed Mushrooms, sliced
2 tb Flour                                     2 c good Veg or Chicken Stock          2 c Milk (or cream)
1.5 tb STM Kharcho spice          
  Melt the butter in the oil.  Saute the onion, leek, and garlic a few minutes until soft and translucent.  Add the mushrooms and Kharcho, saute about 5 minutes.  Stir in the flour and cook two minutes.  Slowly pour in the stock.  Simmer for 20-25 minutes.  Add the milk and return to a simmer, season to taste.  Serve hot with warm scone biscuits or with a grilled brie & veggie sandwich!  Yummers!

French Onion Soup

3 tb Butter & 3 tb STM Garlic EVOO                                        3 lbs Sweet Onions, thinly sliced
1 tsp Sugar                                                                                 1-2 minced Garlic cloves                        3-4 tb Flour                                                                                5 c very good Beef stock
3 c dry White Wine (April's wine of the month is prefect!)           1/4 c STM Port * Optional                                                        
2 tb STM Herbes des Paris                                                        1 c grated Gruyere cheese
  Melt the butter in the EVOO in a large oven proof dutch oven style pot.  Add the onions and garlic, stir to coat them. Cover and sweat the onions over low for 15 minutes, stirring once or twice.  Uncover and raise the heat to medium.  Sprinkle in the sugar.  Cook for 30 minutes, stirring often to soften and caramelize.  Do not let them burn, reduce the heat if they get too brown.  Stir in the flour and cook 5 minutes, keep stirring!  Now stir in the stock, wine and the herbs.  Bring to a simmer and cook uncovered 40 minutes.  (this can be done ahead of time.)  Add the port if using.  Ladle into individual crocks if desired.  Sprinkle the gruyere evenly over the top of the soup.  Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.  Run the soup under a hot broiler for 30 seconds to brown the cheese.  Serve with crusty bread or scones and a fresh green salad.

Spanish style Vegetable Soup

2 tb STM EVOO                                    1 sliced Onion                                   3 minced Garlic cloves

2 sliced Carrots                                       2 diced Turnips                                 1 diced Potato

2 diced Parsnips                                      2 tsp STM Piri Piri spice                   3/4 c sliced Chorizo sausage

2 c diced Tomatoes                                 1 tb Tomato paste                             3 pints good Stock                                          1/2 c Lentils                                            1-2 tb STM Harissa, Baharat or Moroccan spice                                           1 c shredded greens: kale, cabbage, spinach or collard greens

  Saute the onion and garlic in the EVOO until translucent.  Add the other vegetables, Piri Piri and chorizo.  Saute for 5 minutes.  Add the tomatoes, tomato paste and the stock.  Bring to a simmer.  Add the lentils and Harissa (or spice of choice)  Simmer for 30 minutes.  Stir in the greens and cook 5-10 minutes.  Serve with crusty bread and a nice omelet.

Sausage and Lentil Bake

8 slices thick Smoked Bacon                             8 good Sausages                          4 sliced Onions

3 tb STM Lemon-thyme                                    1 c Lentils                                    4 minced Garlic cloves

1 1/4 c Beef Stock                                            1 c Red Wine

  Dice the bacon and cook it until the fat has rendered.  Remove the bacon to a plate.  Brown the sausages and then add them to the plate.  Saute the onions in the bacon fat until golden.  Add the garlic and lentils, stir to coat them in the fat.  Pour in the stock and wine and stir in the thyme.  Simmer gently until lentils are cooked, about 20 minutes.  Stir in the bacon and top with the sausages.  Serve with braised kale or collard greens and crusty bread.