Harira (hearty beef and lentil soup)

September 17th, 2014

chef morgan a table

Harira
(hearty beef and lentil soup)

This soup is a tradition in the Maghreb (North Africa). It was Ramadan when we were in Marrakech, a time when this soup is eaten not only to break the fast after the sun has set but also eaten in the morning before the sun rises. My daughters love lentils and this soup was their favorite. The soup is often thickened with flour or eggs as well as rice or vermicelli. I add none of these. Instead, the soup is thickened with the aide of crushed tomatoes (rather than puréed or strained), more beef, and more lentils. I also add fresh herbs (but we all know how I like my fresh herbs). This is a hearty, perfect soup for autumn and winter. It is wonderful because you can also freeze it for those rainy days when you are short on time.

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green vegetable and lentil soup

January 13th, 2014

chef morgan

New Year, Detox You

green vegetable and lentil soup

This week’s green vegetable and lentil soup, with only 254 healthy calories, is the perfect way to undo the indulgences of the holidays and start 2014 off right. 

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terre à terre

January 14th, 2013

mushrooms, black truffles and terre à terre; mushroom soup with truffled straws

mushrooms, black truffles and terre à terre; 
mushroom soup with truffled straws

It became our holy grail; a sort of “Da Vinci Code” chase by default. I am not talking about a religious relic or an art piece. I am talking about soup. Over the holidays, the daily soup special on every Parisian menu seemed to be velouté de champignons (cream of mushroom soup). Miam ! The problem was this: by the time we headed out to eat, the mushroom soup was gone. It happened a few times. Even twice in one evening. Frustrated, we became obsessed (and I vowed not to cook for the week, at least I tried). Finally, we managed to get our rumps in gear earlier and we finally had the sought-after mushroom soup. As I watched my friend, a Paris first-timer, enjoy his soup, made with French butter and fresh cream, I was inspired to recreate it (a bit healthier and vegetarian) and combine it with another one of his new favorite things and that thought inspired this week’s simple pleasure: mushroom soup with truffled straws.

girl with mushroom earring Read the rest of this entry »

mushroom soup with truffled straws

January 14th, 2013

 

chefmorgan mush soup1

mushroom soup with truffled straws

 

 

makes ~ 32 ounces

what you need:

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 pound sliced and trimmed mushrooms
⅓ cup sliced leeks (whites only)
½ cup sliced shallots
½ pound diced and peeled Yukon or Russet potatoes Read the rest of this entry »

satisfying hunger and putting your heart in a bowl: harvest minestrone with autumn vegetables and farro

November 9th, 2012

harvest minestrone soup with autumn vegetables and farro 

 satisfying hunger and putting your heart in a bowl:
harvest minestrone with autumn vegetables and farro

In her book, The Gastonomical Me, M.F.K. Fisher explained that she wrote about food (rather than other topics) not only because she was “hungry” but also because:

 “[O]ur three basic needs, for food and security and love, are so mixed and mingled and entwined that we cannot straightly think of one without the others. [W]hen I write of hunger, I am really writing about love and the hunger for it, and warmth and the love of it and the hunger for it … and then the warmth and richness and fine reality of hunger satisfied… and it is all one.“

Nowhere are Ms. Fisher’s words more poignant or demonstrative than when it comes to a bowl of hot soup. Nutritious, filling, and restorative, soup provides warmth to our body and comforts our soul.

Recently on the news I saw one easterner give a fellow easterner (a victim of Hurricane Sandy) something hot to eat. As she handed her the food, she placed her other hand on the recipient’s arm. It was a moving moment. I thought of Ms. Fisher’s words about the co-mingled needs for food, security and love and this week’s simple pleasure was born: harvest minestrone with autumn vegetables and farro. 

Child looking into kitchen pot

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it’s hot; it’s cold; it’s both: zucchini and sorrel velouté

April 29th, 2012

 

Healthy Soup warm or cold

it’s hot; it’s cold; it’s both:
zucchini and sorrel velouté

Raining one day; hot and sunny the next. While the calendar says spring, the weather weaves in and out of winter (and apparently this will continue). Unpredictable weather can be problematic when menu planning (and ordering) because the temperature necessarily affects how and what we eat. You would not want to eat cassoulet in July any more than you would crave a tomato-based gazpacho on a cold December day. Generally speaking, the beauty of nature is that if we eat seasonally, the food “in season” mirrors what our bodies need and crave: heavier, more filling foods in the winter to keep us warm (i.e., winter squashes and cauliflower) and lighter, hydrating foods in the summer (i.e., watermelon and tomatoes). But the climate change is throwing off our “food-dar.” It was the need to create meals that combine chilly-weather comfort with the lightness of spring (and that can be enjoyed whatever the temperature) which inspired this week’s simple pleasure: zucchini and sorrel velouté (served hot or chilled). Read the rest of this entry »

zucchini and sorrel velouté

April 29th, 2012

zucchini and sorrel velouté, simple soup by chef morgan

zucchini and sorrel velouté

yields 16 ounces (4 cup servings)

what you need:

1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 pound chopped zucchini, trimmed
2 cups water
2 handfuls sorrel, stems removed
1-2 tablespoons nonfat Greek yogurt
1-2 tablespoons olive oil
1 bouquet garni (fresh Italian parsley, thyme, 1 bay leaf) 
½ teaspoon kosher salt (and to taste)
4 turns on a pepper mill (and to taste) Read the rest of this entry »

winter tomato soup au gratin

February 10th, 2011

winter tomato soup au gratin

winter tomato soup au gratin

stats:

yield:  approximately 28 ounces

what you need:

soup

1 1/2-2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons minced garlic
4 tablespoons  minced shallot
2/3 cup diced carrot
2  28 ounce cans of whole San Marzano tomatoes with juice Read the rest of this entry »

roasted red pepper and tomato soup (video)

October 22nd, 2010