soup

Keep it simple with soups from scratch

January 19, 2021 By marketeditor

By Madison Jackson

Whether you spend your days working from home or out and about, these long winter months are hard on us all. What could be more comforting than a warm bowl of soup full of fresh and nourishing ingredients after a long day? Soups are generally healthful with benefits including high nutritional value and low fat. They are also easy to prepare, inexpensive, and delicious!

January is National Soup Month, so we encourage you to put together a simple soup by stocking up on vegetables, meats, and herbs at Saturdays’ farmers’ market. You will be all set to enjoy a satisfying meal on Sunday or a busy weeknight when you are low on time. Soups are easy to customize to your liking; make a simple soup a bit heartier with some noodles, beans, or rice. Or if you’re looking for something light, you can keep it basic with broth and vegetables. Just follow this introductory method and tailor it to your preferences and available ingredients.

Start with stock – preferably homemade, by simmering chicken or beef leftovers in water, or utilize vegetable parts like onion skins, root vegetables, and herbs. A good quality stock can make a good soup great! Then choose your aromatics such as carrots, celery, onion, garlic, leek, etc. For a little smokiness, add an item like a hambone or bacon. Saute your aromatics in a big stockpot with oil or butter until softened, then stir in herbs and spices to enhance the flavor. Bay leaves and thyme rarely goes wrong.

Shushan Valley Hydro Farms, photo by Emily Meagher

Add a carb if desired, like vermicelli or potatoes. And then, lots of vegetables to add nutrition and bulk to your soup. Seasonal vegetables to consider are kale, chard, and mushrooms. Add the stock and let simmer until ingredients are tender. You can optionally puree your soup after simmering for a silky smooth finish. Finally, add any extra meats, garnishes, and flavorings (like cream, lemon juice, or even hot sauce) for added fullness and flavor.

We’re sharing a recipe aptly called “Whatever Soup”, because it lets you use whatever you have in your pantry. It features produce from Gomez Veggie Ville’s “soup bags,” which you can pick up every Saturday at the farmers’ market. If you pick up a soup bag from the market, you’ll have several options, including carrots, onions, beets, potatoes, turnips, and cabbage.

This week’s recipe: Whatever Soup

Whatever Soup

January 19, 2021 By marketeditor

Recipe by Samin Nosrat for New York Times Cooking, shared by My Saratoga Kitchen Table
Serves: 6 to 8

Ingredients
*Ingredients currently available at the farmers’ market
● 4 Tablespoons of olive oil
● 2 medium onions*, sliced
● 3 garlic cloves*, sliced
● 6 to 8 cups diced vegetables*
● 1½ pounds raw boneless chicken*
● 6 to 8 cups of chicken stock
● Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions
1. Set a large Dutch oven or stockpot over medium-high heat and add 4 tablespoons oil. When the oil shimmers, add onions and garlic.
2. Reduce the heat to a medium and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are tender, about 8-10 minutes.
3. Place the chicken and vegetables in the pot. Add enough chicken stock to cover. Season with salt and pepper. Increase heat to high and bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer.
4. Cook until the flavors have come together and the vegetables are tender, about 20 minutes more. Remove chicken from the soup once it’s cooked through, allow to cool enough to handle. Shred and return it to the soup.
5. Add more hot liquid if needed.
6. Serve hot.

*Note: Currently in season at the farmers’ market: cabbage, carrots, celeriac, collard greens, kale, kohlrabi, leeks, mushrooms, potatoes, rutabaga, sweet potatoes, turnips, winter squash, and more.

French Onion Soup

December 14, 2020 By marketeditor

Recipe by The Kitchn, shared by My Saratoga Kitchen Table
Serves: 8

Ingredients
*Ingredients currently available at the farmers’ market
● 2½ pounds yellow onions*
● 3 Tablespoons unsalted butter
● 2 Tablespoons olive oil
● 1 teaspoon salt
● Freshly ground pepper
● ½ teaspoon sugar
● 8 cups of beef, chicken, or vegetable broth
● 3 Tablespoon flour
● ½ cup white wine*
● 8 baguette slices, toasted*
● 1½ cup to 3 cups of shredded Gruyere cheese (1/4 to ½ cup per serving)

Instructions
1. Cut onion into thin evenly-sized half-moon slices. Should yield about 6 cups of onion slices.
2. Melt butter with oil in a pan over medium-low heat.
3. After the butter foams up and then settles down, add the onions and stir to coat with the butter.
4. Cover the pan and cook for 15 minutes on low heat.
5. Remove the lid. The onions should have wilted down. Stir in salt, a generous amount of pepper, and sugar.
6. Turn the heat up to medium and cook, uncovered and stirring every few minutes, until the onions are deeply browned.
7. As the onions turn a deep walnut color, heat the broth in a separate pan.
8. Add 3 Tablespoons flour to the caramelized onions and cook, stirring for about 1 minute.
9. Add the hot broth to the caramelized onions and bring to a boil. Add wine if using. Lower the heat and partially cover the pan. Cook gently over low heat for at least 1 hour or until the broth is slightly reduced.
10. Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Divide the soup between oven-safe bowls or use a deep casserole dish. Top each with a slice of toasted baguette and sprinkle grated cheese in a thick layer over the bread and up to the edge of the bowl.
11. Place the bowls on a baking sheet or in a casserole dish, if not using oven-proof bowls. Bake until the cheese is thoroughly melted.
12. Turn the oven from bake to broil and broil the soup for 1 to 3 minutes or until the cheese is browned and bubbling. Remove from the oven and let cool for a few minutes before serving.

Notes:
Top with minced shallots, onions, or crispy bacon. Add thyme with wine and sprinkle over the soup before baking.

Out of the frying pan and into the Instant Pot

July 3, 2020 By marketeditor

By Madeline McCarthy

*Healthy Gourmet Kitchen, photo provided*

“What are we having for dinner?” This daily asked question requires a different answer each time, but the response must always sound delicious, nutritious, and most of all, be easy to make.

These exact requirements crossed Mary Song’s mind before she started Healthy Gourmet Kitchen. Prior to opening her business, Song worked as a business analyst designing large scale computer applications. She helped improve life for people around the world, but she never met any of them. She was working long hours and found it challenging to cook healthy dinners. This inspired Song to create her business selling packaged seasoning blends, dips, soup mixes, and meal starters that can be made in a slow cooker, pressure cooker, or simmered in a saucepan for those who are too busy to spend much time cooking.

“I’ve loved to cook my entire life,” says Song, recalling how living in the Middle East and France influenced her cooking style. In the Middle East, she lived in an international expat community, where cooking was “like an art with a lot of heart.” While in France, she was taught traditional French cuisine and to use the freshest ingredients, stating that the process was “a bit fussy – but this was the 1980s after all!”

Song learned to combine the Middle Eastern and French food cultures and not to be afraid of spices, herbs, and flavor. She advises her customers to step outside their comfort zone when it comes to food, so rather than offering bland mixes, Healthy Gourmet Kitchen invites you to make flavorful and exciting dishes like a “Coconut Curry Chickpea Stew” or “Chicken Marengo”.

Everything is blended and mixed by hand and packed into clear packaging so customers are able to see the ingredients they are buying. Plus, there are no unnecessary added ingredients like you find in store-bought mixes. “When I first started Healthy Gourmet Kitchen there were few or no low sodium, low-fat options that also tasted great,” says Song, “I felt there was an opportunity to create healthy, delicious meal starters that didn’t rely on salt, sugar or chemicals for flavor.”

When she created her business, Song knew she wanted to participate in the Saratoga Farmers’ Market to finally be able to meet the people she helps. Healthy Gourmet Kitchen attends the market on Saturdays and will be back at the Saratoga Farmers’ Market on July 11!

This week’s recipe: Instant Pot Bolognese

Turnip, Sweet Potato & Carrot Soup

October 14, 2019 By marketeditor

*Photo by Catherine Morba, Plate of Mind*

Recipe by Catherine Morba, Plate of Mind

Ingredients
*Ingredients currently available at the farmers’ market
● 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil*
● 3 large turnips*, peeled and chopped
● 2 large sweet potatoes*, peeled and chopped
● 3 large carrots*, peeled and chopped
● 1 large yellow onion*, chopped
● ¼ tsp nutmeg
● 1 tsp cinnamon*
● 1 tsp cumin
● ¼ tsp paprika
● ¼ tsp cayenne
● ¼ tsp black pepper*
● Salt to taste
● 2 cups vegetable stock
● 2 ½ cups of water
● 14 ½ oz can of coconut milk

Instructions

Heat the olive oil in a large stock pot. Add the onion and sauté until soft, around 5 minutes. Add the vegetables, spices, stock, and enough water to cover the vegetables in the pot, around 2 ½ cups. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer on low for 25 minutes uncovered.
When vegetables can be pierced, remove from heat and let cool for at least 10 minutes. Use a food processor to puree in batches to create a smooth mixture. Transfer back to the pot. Add the coconut milk, stir, and reheat.

Sea Scallop Stew

February 12, 2019 By marketeditor

*denotes ingredients currently available at the farmers’ market

INGREDIENTS:

2 carrots,* finely chopped

Minced garlic,* shallot,* and/or onion,* to taste.

1 tablespoon fresh ginger, finely chopped

1-2 stalks celery, finely chopped

16 ounces fish stock* (or chicken or vegetable broth)

1 sprig fresh thyme* or another fresh herb* such as rosemary

1 dozen clams*

1/2 lb mussels*

1/2 lb sea scallops*

1/2 lb firm local fish, such as monkfish* or steelhead trout*

Salt and black pepper to taste

Olive oil

INSTRUCTIONS:

Wash clam and mussel shells to remove any residual debris.
Heat olive oil in a soup pan, and add carrots, celery, ginger, garlic, herbs and other seasonings. Sauté on medium heat for about 3 minutes.
Add stock and bring to a boil. Lower heat and allow mixture to simmer until vegetables are soft. Add additional water, stock, or white wine, if desired.
While vegetables are cooking, steam clams and mussels open. Remove from shells.
Add sea scallops and any additional fish to stew, along with clams and mussels.
Cook on a medium-low heat until scallops start to split at edges, about 7 to 10 minutes.
Remove from heat and enjoy with rice, oyster crackers, or a toasted baguette.* If desired, garnish with a sprig of fresh parsley* or a few micro greens,* as pictured.

Variations:

Feel free to vary the types of vegetables and seafood in this recipe. You can obtain fresh fish stock from Pura Vida Fisheries at the farmers’ market or at their Moby Rick’s Seafood store on Lake Street.

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