As the weather turns cooler, Here & Now Resident Chef Kathy Gunst’s thoughts turn to nice warming soups.
And as she tells Here & Now’s Jeremy Hobson, making a simple soup base or stock is easy and a great way to get rid of leftovers.
“Everything that’s in the vegetable bin that looks like ‘uh,oh, if we don’t use it tonight we’re in trouble’ kind of feeling? Throw it into the pot, boil it up, make a soup.”
She brings in her chicken stock as well as Roasted Fall Vegetable Soup with Winter Pesto and Greek-Style Turkey-Lemon-Rice Soup. Here are her recipes:
- Homemade Chicken Stock
- Kathy Gunst’s Roasted Fall Vegetable Soup
- Greek-Style Turkey-Lemon-Rice Soup (“Avgolemono”)
Homemade Chicken Stock
(printer-friendly PDF of all five recipes)
Kathy’s Note: It’s so easy there’s hardly a recipe.
Instructions:
Clean a whole chicken and place in a pot.
Add 3 carrots cut into 1-inch pieces. Add 3 stalks celery cut into 3-inch pieces. Add 2 large onions, peeled and cut into small pieces. Add 1 bay leaf and 6 peppercorns and salt to taste.
Cover with cold water to almost cover the chicken and vegetables. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to low and partially cover. Cook for 1 hour. Taste the stock for seasoning. Add salt and pepper to taste. If the stock tastes weak simmer for another 15 to 25 minutes without the lid.
The stock can be strained and frozen for up to a year or kept tightly sealed in the refrigerator for a week.
Use the chicken and vegetables in salads, tacos, or added back into the soup.
Kathy Gunst’s Roasted Fall Vegetable Soup
Kathy’s Note: Cubes of winter vegetables – parsnips, butternut squash, celery root, carrots, and celery, along with shallots, leeks and garlic — are roasted until just tender, golden brown, and caramelized and then tossed with a splash of white wine and some good stock. The soup takes less than an hour from start to finish and the results are startlingly complex.
Ingredients:
3 medium parsnips, peeled and cut into ½-inch size pieces
2 medium carrots, peeled and cut into ½-inch size pieces
One 2-pound butternut squash, or any type of winter squash, peeled and cut into ½-inch size cubes
2 stalks celery, cut into ½-inch size pieces
1 medium-size celery root (also called celeriac), about 1 ¼ pounds, peeled and cut into ½-inch size pieces
3 leeks, cut lengthwise, cleaned, and cut into ½-inch size pieces
2 shallots, peeled and cut in quarters
8 cloves garlic, 4 left whole and 4 thinly sliced
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 ½ tablespoons fresh thyme leaves, chopped, or 2 teaspoons dried
2 ½ tablespoons olive oil
6 cups vegetable or chicken broth
½ cup dry white wine
Serve with the Winter Parsley Pesto (recipe below)
Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
Toss the parsnips, carrots, squash, celery, celery root, leeks, shallots, garlic, salt, pepper, thyme, and olive oil together in a large very shallow roasting pan. Place on the middle shelf and roast for 20 minutes. Raise the heat to 455 degrees and roast another 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, simmer the broth in a large pot and bring to a boil over high heat.
Immediately remove the vegetables from the oven and deglaze the pan with the wine, being sure to use a soft spatula to loosen any bits clinging to the bottom of the pan. Pour the vegetables and the liquid from the bottom of the pan into the pot with the simmering broth. Reduce the heat to low and simmer 10 minutes, partially covered. Serve piping hot with the parsley pesto.
Serves 6 to 8.
Winter Parsley Pesto
Kathy’s Note: A vibrant green pesto, made with parsley instead of basil, and ideal for winter when fresh herbs are scarce. This pesto may be made several hours ahead of time. The pesto will keep, covered and refrigerated for 2 to 3 days. It can also be frozen for several months.
Ingredients:
1 packed cup chopped fresh parsley leaves
1 clove garlic, peeled
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
½ cup olive oil
¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
Instructions:
In a food processor or blender, whirl the parsley and garlic with some salt and pepper until finely chopped. With the motor running, slowly add the oil making sure not to over-process the pesto; it should still be a little chunky. Remove to a bowl and stir in the cheese. Season to taste.
Makes about ¾ cup.
Greek-Style Turkey-Lemon-Rice Soup
Kathy’s Note: This soup is a great way to use leftover chicken stock or turkey stock. The stock is simmered with fresh lemon juice, cream, fresh dill, and egg yolks to create a soothing comforting soup. Orzo or rice is added to thicken the soup.
Ingredients:
About 6 cups turkey or chicken broth
½ cup fresh parsley, finely chopped
2 ½ tablespoons fresh dill sprigs, finely chopped
2 cups cooked orzo or white rice, at room temperature
2 cups cooked chicken or turkey, chopped into bite-size pieces
2 egg yolks
½ to 1 cup heavy cream, depending on how rich you want the soup to be
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Juice from 2 large lemons, about ½ cup
1 lemon, preferably organic, scrubbed and cut into paper thin slices with the seeds removed
Instructions:
Place the broth in a large pot and bring to a simmer over moderately high heat. Add half the parsley and dill. Add the orzo or rice to the soup, making sure to break up any clumps. Add the turkey and simmer over very low heat.
In a small bowl whisk the egg yolks with the cream, salt and pepper. Add about ½ cup of the hot broth to the bowl and whisk with the yolks. Add the yolks/broth back to the pot with the broth and whisk until fully incorporated.
Add the lemon juice and season to taste. It is important that you don’t let the soup boil; if it does the egg yolk will begin to cook. Whisk the soup gently to smooth it out if the egg begins to curdle. Add the lemon slices and heat about 5 minutes. The longer the soup sits the thicker it will become; add more broth if necessary. Top with the remaining dill and the thin lemon slices.
Serves 6 to 8.
Guest
- Kathy Gunst, resident chef for Here & Now and author of cookbooks including “Notes from a Maine Kitchen.” She tweets @mainecook.
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