2 onions
4 celery sticks
5 cloves of garlic
1 sprig of rosemary
2 bay leaves
1 container of mushroom broth
4 cups of water
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Category: Soups & stocks
Vichyssoise
1 medium onion
3 leeks
1 potato
Chicken broth
Herbes de provence, bay leaf, salt & pepper
- Make sure the leeks are firm, not squishy. The best leeks have longest white part; this soup mostly uses the white, and the pale green insides.
- Saute the onions with herbes de provence until they are translucent.
- Put onions, leeks, and potatoes into a saucepan.
- Add bayleaf, and salt and pepper.
- Pour enough chicken broth (about half a container) to cover the vegetables for cooking.
- Throw solids into the blender and blend, then add the remaining liquid and blend again gently.
Zucchini soup au fromage
4 zucchinis, sliced
1 large onion, chopped
chicken stock
2 triangles of laughing cow cheese
salt and pepper
- Brown onion in olive oil.
- Add the sliced zucchinis and cook until soft.
- Pour into the food processor.
- While processing, add the cheese, salt and pepper.
- Add some chicken stock until desired consistency is achieved.
- Season to taste.
Velouté of carrots with curry
The term “velouté” indicates that the base for the soup is a béchamel sauce. Sometimes a “liaison” – a mixture of an egg yolk and some cream – is added as well.
6 carrots, peeled and sliced
1 large onion, chopped
2 cups of chicken broth
3 Tbsp of butter
2 Tbsp of flour
pinch of curry, salt and pepper
- In a medium saucepan, brown the onion in 1 Tbsp of butter.
- Add the carrots and the curry.
- Cover with the chicken stock, cook until tender (about 15 to 20 minutes).
- Drain the carrots and purée in the food processor.
- Reserve the liquid.
In another saucepan make the béchamel:
- On low heat, melt the remaining 2 Tbsp of butter and add the flour.
- Mix well.
- Slowly add the reserved liquid and bring to a boil.
- Add the puréed carrots and season to taste.
Veloutè de Roquefort
Serve 6 to 8 people.
1/4 cup of butter
1 onion, chopped
1 small head of celery, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
1 clove of garlic, chopped fine
1/4 cup of flour
2/3 cup of milk and 4 ¼ cups of stock
salt and pepper
1 oz of Roquefort cheese
4 Tbsp of cream
8 small slices of French bread, lightly toasted
- Melt three-quarters of the butter in a large pan and sweat the vegetables over a gentle heat for 10 minutes.
- When all the vegetables are soft, remove from the heat and add the flour.
- Return the pan to the heat and cook for 2 or 3 minutes, stirring all the time.
- Add the milk, stock, salt and pepper and simmer for 15 minutes.
- Crush the cheese with a fork and mix with the rest of the butter.
- Remove the soup from the heat and whisk in the cheese/butter mixture together with the cream.
- Taste and adjust the seasoning.
- Place the bread in a warm tureen or in individual soup bowls and pour the soup over.
- Serve at once.
Velouté de Coquille St. Jacques
For 4 to 6 people.
2 Tbsp of butter
1 cup of onions, sliced
2 carrots, some celery
2 cups of dry white wine and 2 cups of water to cover
1 lb of sea scallops (be careful to remove the attachment muscle)
1/4 tsp of curry
4 peppercorns
1 clove of garlic – bay leaf, parsley, thyme and fennel
- Brown the onions in the butter.
- Sweat the celery and carrots.
- Add the wine, the herbs and the water if needed.
- Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and cook gently for 20 minutes.
- Meanwhile clean the scallops.
- Drain the broth and boil it down for 5 minutes.
- Season to taste.
- Cook the scallops in the broth for 3 minutes.
- Remove them from the broth and reserve.
Velouté souboise
3 Tbsp of butter
4 Tbsp of flour
2 cups of milk
Scallops and broth
- Melt the butter, add the flour and cook for a few seconds.
- Slowly pour in the milk to avoid any lumps.
- Bring to a full boil.
- Add the broth and the scallops.
- Reheat without boiling.
- Remove from the heat and add 1 egg yolk beaten in 1/2 cup of whipping cream.
- Serve immediately with parsley.
Veal stock
Brown veal stock (fond brun de veau).
10 lb of veal bones
2 onions, quartered
2 carrots, cut in half
2 stalks of celery 1
leek, cut in half
2 tomatoes, quartered
1 bouquet garni
about 1 gallon of water.
- Preheat oven 450°F.
- Arrange the bones in a large roasting pan and brown on all sides, turning as necessary.
- Brown the carrots and onions for the last 20 minutes of the roasting time.
- Transfer to a large stockpot and add the rest of the vegetables and the bouquet garni.
- Deglaze the roasting pan with some water after discarding the fat.
- Add this liquid to the stockpot and pour in enough water to cover all the bones by about 2 inches.
- Bring to a boil.
- Then reduce and continue cooking for at least 6 hours, skimming and degreasing as necessary.
- Strain off the liquid and reduce it by half in a clean pot.
- Cool and store in covered containers or continue to reduce by half (demi‑glace) or to a syrup (glace).
Soupe aux poivrons rouges
3 Tbsp of virgin olive oil
3 Tbsp of unsalted butter
5 large red bell peppers, chopped
1 medium onion, minced
3 stalks of celery, chopped
1 1/2 quarts of homemade chicken broth
Salt and cayenne pepper to taste
3 Tbsp of fresh lemon juice
Parsley
- Heat the oil and butter in a saucepan over low heat.
- Add the peppers, onion and celery and cook until the onion is soft but not browned.
- Add the chicken broth and season with salt and cayenne.
- Bring to a boil, cover, reduce the heat and simmer for 20 minutes.
- Strain the broth into a bowl.
- Place the vegetables in a food processor or blender with a little of the broth.
- Purée.
- Return to the remaining broth and adjust the seasoning.
- Chill until ready to serve, then stir in the lemon juice and garnish with parsley.
Soupe au pistou
This soup owes its name to the pistou paste (pesto) which is added before serving and consist of fresh basil, garlic and olive oil. In summertime when the tomatoes are good, their pulp can be added to the pistou paste. A traditional dish such as this one does not have a recipe set in stone. Each family has its own variation.
Soup
1/2 lb of beans – a mixture of pinto beans (or red kidney beans) and navy beans
1/4 lb of fresh lima beans if available
1/4 cup of olive oil
1 lb of green beans
4 onions
2 leeks
4 or 5 celery stalks
6 carrots
6 zucchinis
1 small head of green cabbage
2 or 3 potatoes (optional)
3 Tbsp of olive oil
Bouquet garni (thyme, bay leaf and parsley)
Salt and pepper
Parmesan cheese
- Follow the instructions on bean packages since some varieties of beans should be soaked overnight. Dry beans need to be parboiled, so cook them for about 1/2 hour in 8 cups of salted water and let them soak.
- In the meantime, string the green beans if needed, snap off ends and cut into pieces.
- Peel and slice the leeks, the onions, the celery and the carrots.
- Peel and dice the potatoes if you include them.
- Dice the zucchini, unpeeled.
- Coarsely chop the cabbage.
- Heat the olive oil in a large pan.
- Add the onions and the leeks.
- Cook on medium high until golden brown (be careful not to burn).
- Drain the beans and add them to the pot along with all the other vegetables including the fresh lima beans.
- Add enough water to cover the vegetables.
- Add the bouquet garni, salt and pepper.
- Cook slowly, covered, for 1 1/2 hour or until the vegetables are tender.
- Add the pistou to the soup and cook a few more minutes.
- Serve immediately with some parmesan cheese.
Pistou
2 cups of fresh basil
4 to 6 garlic cloves
salt and pepper
1/2 cup of olive oil
Place garlic, basil, salt and pepper in a food processor or a mortar and blend to a smooth paste. Slowly pour in the olive oil. Put in a bowl and cover with a thin layer of olive oil if not used immediately.
Sorrel soup
2 cups of sorrel
3 sprigs parsley
A few sprigs of basil or chervil
1 medium onion
Salt, pepper and nutmeg
3 Tbsp butter
2 Tbsp flour
2 quarts of chicken stock
4 egg yolks
1 cup of sour cream
- Chop sorrel, parsley, basil and onions very fine.
- Cook with spices in melted butter until tender.
- Add flour and stock.
- Simmer for 10 minutes.
- Cool slightly, then add egg yolks and sour cream.
- Serve warm or ice cold.
Chez Monique 