January 23, 2005
Potage St. Cloud (and more)
It just sounds wonderful, doesn't it? The name alone drew me in, left me conjuring images of sunny countryside, alpine peaks poking through puffs of white, mirrored in a glinting river. Of course this isn't the reality but it's a nice picture to cling to on these freezing grey days in Germany. Which brings me back to the task at hand -- beans.
At first, I thought of preparing fresh fava beans from the pod in a chilled amuse-bouche. But then I reconsidered -- no, that isn't winter. That isn't what I want now. What I want is a steaming bowl of tasty, comforting legumes to warm me from the inside out. What I want is soup.
To shake things up and break you out of your winter blues, I came up with two, colorful shocks of soup ...these aren't your ordinary ho-hum winter soups! One is fluffy, sweet, yet filling; the other, spicy with bright and smooth flavors. Enjoy!
Potage St. Cloud
According to the dictionary, a potage is a french word for a soup whose texture and thickness "falls somewhere between a consomm� (a clear, thin broth) and a soupe (a thick, hearty m�lange with chunks of food). A potage is usually pureed and is often thickened slightly with cream or egg yolks."
Preparing this soup was simple, yet its lovely chartreuse color, hints of curry, and sweetness earned it a badge of elegance. I couldn't stop admiring how beautiful it was served in a classic white bowl. As for the taste, the sweet peas escorted the curry tingle to your mouth like a lovely princess to a winter's ball.
Ingredients:
3 tablespoons butter
1 1/2 cups chopped white onion
1 garlic clove, minced or pressed
3 medium potatos, sliced
1 medium parsnip, sliced (optional)
1 large carrot, slices
2 teaspoons turmeric
1/2 to 1 tablespoon curry powder
5 cups vegetable stock or water
6 cups green peas, fresh of frozen
2 cups half&half or milk
salt and black pepper to taste
Method:
Saute the onions and garlic in butter until golden. Add the potatoes, parsnips, carrots, turmeric, curry powder, and stock or water and simmer until the vegetables are tender, about 20 minutes. Reserve 1 cup of peas for garnish and add the rest to the pot. Cook frozen peas for 10 minutes, fresh ones for 5. In a blender, puree the hot soup with the half&half or milk until very smooth. Add salt and pepper to taste. Cook the reserved peas until just tender to garnish individual servings. Serves 6 to 8.
Coconut-Bean Soup
At first, I was nervous when I thought about the combination of coconut milk, beans, and rice ... but the soup came together very nicely. It had a fresh taste and a brilliant color. The lemon juice really shines through and the red pepper added just the right bit of crunch to contrast the texture of the beans and the rice.
A note about the rice -- I add a tablespoon of plain lo-fat yogurt and a tablespoon of lemon juice to my leftover rice, as well as salt and pepper, and left it in the fridge overnight. I think this greatly improved the taste of the soup because the rice had its own character.
The recipe called for toasted coconut as garnish, but I didn't like the way it looked - it didn't do anything to improve on the soup's bright color. The coconut quickly sank, too. I've offered some other garnish ideas below.
Ingredients:
1 cup dried navy beans*, soaked
Vegetable stock or water
2 bay leaves
2 large, whole garlic cloves
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
--
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 1/2 cups chopped onions
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons curry powder
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
1 medium green or red bell pepper, chopped
2 medium tomatoes, chopped
1 teaspon salt, or to taste
1 tablespoon brown sugar
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 1/4 cups unsweetened coconut milk
1/2 cup cooked rice
Garnish Ideas: Thai basil; sliced green chiles; sliced green onion; green tabasco
Put the drained beans into a stock pot and add water to cover by 1 inch. Add the bay leaves, garlic, and 1 tablespoon oil and simmer covered until the beans are tender. (About an hour, maybe more) If you need to, replenish the liquid occasionally to keep the beans covered with an inch of liquid. When the beans are tender, discard the bay leaves and garlic cloves.
Meanwhile, saute the onions, minced garlic, and spices in 3 tablespoons of oil on low heat until the onions are translucent. Add the peppers, tomatoes, salt, sugar, and lemon juice and simmer for 10 minutes until the peppers are tender but still slightly crisp. Stir in the rice and the coconut milk and set aside.
When the beans are tender, stir in the vegetable-spice mixture and more stock or water if the soup seems too thick. Heat gently for 10 to 15 minutes to blend the flavors. Adjust the salt and spices, and garnish.
* A navy bean is a small white bean, also known as a pea bean. You can substitute a similar bean, but make sure to adjust the cooking time accordingly.
Both recipes adapted from The Moosewood Collective.
Many thanks to Cathy from My Little Kitchen for hosting this month's edition of Is My Blog Burning!
(I'm off to Tenerife for a week tomorrow -- I'll soon be layering salty prosciutto slices with braids of mozzarella and roasted red peppers on floury loaves of Italian bread, and setting them under a brick for the night. I love unwrapping my sandwich on the plane! Have a great week everyone.)
