Quick and Easy: Cider, Onion and Parsnip Soup

Ahem… well now. It's Valentine's Day and I, as a blogger and a female, am supposed to be swamped with romantic notions and the mad desire to blog about chocolate, strawberries and more chocolate. I did give it some thought actually but as I am a 44 year old woman who is daily tallying the marks of time on her skin and is trying to teach others how to eat healthy on the cheap, Valentine's indulgences should be avoided. As well, I just don't do Valentine's Day. Never have and more than likely never will. I look around at all the oozing romantic cuteness spreading like a bad rumour and wonder why we do this? I can understand wanting to recognize the importance of a romantic side to our lives, really I can. But I would much rather have a mad, grand passion and be made to feel sexy and interesting 365 days a year than be told rather clumsily that golly, gosh and gee what a swell gal I am, once a year. I'm just sayin'.

I know both genders are conditioned to believe that all women are standing there with their hands out for some goodie today but you would be surprised how many don't actually care about this day at all. The giggling young ones and the unsatisfied middle aged married ones may be the easiest to convince that a gift on a day in February guarantees true love and appreciation, forever. The rest of us however, realize that it is a commercial day designed solely to play on the ever-present feelings of inadequacy and uncertainty we all feel at some point in our relationships and on the guilt we feel that we may have spent the previous year taking our partner for granted or worse, on the premise that you are buying the continued love and support for another year with a trinket. Since these feelings are part of the human condition, we are all going to fall victim to purchasing proof of our feelings, or fall victim to expecting to be gifted as proof of others feelings towards ourselves. There is nothing wrong with being extravagant on Valentine's Day, if you can afford it figuratively and literally, just look to your motivations for giving or receiving. If what you are considering buying/doing or what you are about to get has a price tag that makes your heart skip a beat, maybe reconsidering the relationship you are in is in order. Again, I'm just sayin'.

Now that I have said it, I will offer up a few tips for this day. I do believe that a simple demonstration of appreciation is all that is required, if you wish to be a part of this day. A simple meal, a single flower, a REAL connecting gaze that shows that you are really seeing your partner in all their facets and you love what you see, time spent doing what they like to do, or if what they would really love and cherish from you on this day is your absence, well, then, bugger off for a while. 

It's a little late for breakfast in bed - and a healthy, non-indulgent one is the way to go - but if you are the type to leave mid-week celebrations for the weekend, keep it in mind. One important detail to remember when gifting your loved one with a meal, whether cooked by you or catered in some way, is to try to avoid foods that are strong smelling like garlic and onions or heaven forbid, are gas producing! That is hardly the atmosphere you wish to create. The cliché is candles and roses, not candles and explosions…

Another important point about cooking for someone on this day, is to have everything prepared ahead of time. Choose a meal that is quick, easy, non-messy and able to sit without spoiling in case plans get derailed for a bit (wink wink, nudge nudge).

If you are going out, choose an activity you both will enjoy that is relaxed and stress-free. Surprising her with a night out is a lovely idea but to be practical, a woman has to know how to dress for the evening. It is very stressful to get ready for an evening out without knowing the destination. A few hints about formality or the meal being served can help her decide without giving it all away. I was once surprised with a charity dinner with Chef Michael Smith and knowing it was semi-formal with a sit-down meal was very helpful.

However you choose to celebrate this day, if you do at all, remember the principle of KISS… Keep It Simple Sunshine…

Well, for those of us not into this day, we still have to eat. The soup I have for you today is light-tasting, filling and definitely has a flavour not discovered everyday. The onion flavour is a wee bit strong so I wouldn't recommend serving it on Valentine's Day unless you've been together for a while. Certain smells seem to dissipate and not have the same impact after a few years together.

The soup is meat-free, gluten-free, and vegan so it is a soup to pull out on those occasions that you have a number of guests who dispositions you are unfamiliar with.

Putting it all together

butter

olive oil

4 large sweet onions, thinly sliced or chopped small

2 garlic cloves, minced

4 medium parsnips, washed, peeled and chopped

2 granny smith apples, peeled, cored and chopped

2 celery stalks, chopped

4 cups chicken broth or flavourful vegetable broth

2 1/4 cups apple cider - not mulled!

salt and pepper

1 tbsp fresh thyme

2 rounded tsp curry powder

Sauté the onions in the butter and oil until browned and aromatic. You are not caramelizing but frying the onions for this recipe so a higher heat and no sugar is used. When they are almost done, add the parsnips, garlic and celery. Cook for 5 minutes. Add the apple and seasoning and cook for 3 minutes more. Add the broth and cider. Cook for fifteen minutes at simmer until parsnips are soft. Process with an immersion blender. Adjust seasonings. Serve with pumpernickel bread.

To fancy this up to serve for a special occasion, make croutons out of the pumpernickel and very finely slice some apple and finely chop some more fresh thyme for garnish. Choose a white dish to serve in as the colour of the soup can look garish and unappetizing if you choose the wrong coloured dish. A simple arugula salad tossed in some balsamic vinegar is all that is necessary to accompany this soup.

all text and photos ©michelle levasseur The Groaning Board 2014

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Quick and Easy: Sweet Potato and Caramelized Onion Soup

Soup. You may well wonder, as you look through my recipes, why I focus so much on soups and stews. It's really rather simple. It is inexpensive, easy, can be made to feed many people and next to pizza, is the perfect meal. Pizza? you ask. Yes, but let's be clear here. I am talking about pizza done right; in perfect balance. Where we go wrong is in our choice of pizza, how much of it we eat and how often. Otherwise, pizza in and of itself is a balanced meal choice.

When we indulge in pizza we tend to go for items such as pepperoni, bacon, sausage and extra cheese which translates into nitrates, nitrates, nitrites and fat, not to mention all the extra fillers found in dry sausage-style cold cuts and in sausages themselves. We also seem to drop the word 'vegetable' from our vocabulary when ordering our pizzas. If we choose vegetables that are as fresh as possible, meats such as chicken and ground beef and lighten up on the cheese, we can have a slice or two and greatly diminish the possibilities of another lecture on how bad pizza is for us. 

This soup packs all the flavour of a great pizza, costs less to make than it does to order a pizza and is so very good for you and not to mention but I'm gonna anyway, it is incredibly easy to make. Consider whipping up this smooth, velvety, flavour seduction for your lovely one after a romantic day of ice skating this Valentine's Day - it's one way to warm up.

If you read my previous article with the Red Pepper Chipotle Soup, you'll know a bit about lycopene in red vegetables. Sweet potatoes also have some lycopene as well as beta-carotene which is found in orange coloured vegetables. It is extremely high in vitamin C making this soup a powerhouse for boosting your immune system and the overall health of your skin and body. I attribute only suffering from a bad cold for three days to the week I've spent developing and making these soups. Not a testimonial, more of an opinion :)

What you need to know

This easy-to-make soup requires no special know-how at all especially if you've followed along so far and are clear on caramelized onions. I encourage the non-cooks who want to make something special to give this a try. Not only will you impress people with an elegant presentation of this golden yumminess, you will be able to add to your repertoire of go-to dishes and put this in a place of honour right beside PB&J's and Kraft Dinner. Of course, if making toast makes you sweat, you may want to consider going out to eat.

Putting it all together

Caramelized Onions

1/4 cup butter

1 tbsp olive oil

4 large sweet onions, chopped or sliced

1 tbsp packed brown sugar

1/2 tsp allspice about 3 berries if using whole, crushed in mortar and pestle

pinch salt

This will have to been done in batches so make sure to divide the sugar and spices between the batches. Increase your butter/oil as needed. Cook over medium heat for 20 minutes until golden brown and soft.

Soup

While your onions are caramelizing, prepare the soup pot with the following:

5 medium sweet potatoes, chopped

2 boxes of beef broth 900mL each (approx 4 cups each)

1 tsp dried thyme

3/4 tsp allspice about 5 or 6 berries, crushed

salt and pepper to taste

scallions or green onions for garnish, greens only

As the onions are cooked, add to pot. When the last batch goes in, bring soup to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes or until the potatoes are soft. Process with immersion blender. It is not necessary to add cream to this very thick soup. If you find the consistency is too thick (?!) add some hot beef broth until you're happy.

This will make enough soup for a large family to be full and satisfied so there will be leftovers if you're a couple or a single. The soup freezes, thaws and reheats well so I suggest making the recipe as is and freezing the rest but you can divide the recipe evenly in half for a smaller meal.

Coming up next is, yes, another soup that will not only tempt your tasty buds but make them want to sin again and again (naughty tasty buds), but then we step it up a bit in time for Valentine's Day with a meal that is nicely presented and manly enough to please everyone. I don't post 'gourmet' recipes often as my goal is to provide meal ideas for the everyday, but I do love to experiment on special occasions. The recipe in question was the result of a need to challenge myself to present an elegant dish with seasonal and local ingredients only. As I've only made it once before, I will be retesting this dish this weekend to ensure my memory is as good as I believe it is :)

all text and photographs ©michelle levasseur The Groaning Board 2014

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