After a warm February and snowy March, it’s officially spring — a time when chefs eagerly await tendrils, shoots and other tempting ingredients for seasonal soups.
“It’s all young. It’s all new. It’s all fresh,” said executive chef Tim Courtney of EatNic – Urban Farmhouse Eatery & BYOB in Paoli. “It is the break in the winter doldrums. We’ve been staring at the same color palette since November.”
As the landscape greens, enjoy his equally vibrant spring pea soup with mint, morels and creme fraiche.
“It’s one of my favorite vegetables. It’s one of those vegetables I look forward to every year,” Courtney noted. “We don’t just cook seasonally. I call it ‘micro-seasonally.’ There are transition moments.”
While he searches for “what’s coming out that week,” so does chef Jenny Young, who partners with her son, Morgan, in The Red House Catering and Love in a Bowl, Soups from The Red House – a Kimberton-based delivery service.
“It’s a wonderful time of the year,” she said. “Take advantage of what’s out there.”
Young teaches a springtime soup class at Cooking Spotlight in Phoenixville next month. Her top picks: watercress, asparagus, leek and baby turnip.
“When the turnips are very small and new and about the size of a golf ball, they’re absolutely delicious,” she explained. “I wouldn’t make it with big turnips. It is definitely a spring small-turnip soup.”
Green, of course, isn’t the only color of spring. Personal chef Lynn Lampe Lindquist of Cook on Call suggests a beautiful orange-hued Thai carrot and ginger soup.
“I think it’s the color that really strikes me as ‘wow,’ vibrant, and should we use the term? Pretty,” she described. “If I want to brighten the color a little bit, I’ll add some turmeric to it.”
And that’s not all. “I always finish it with a little coconut milk, so it’s not cream-based, but it does have a little richness,” added Lindquist, also an instructor at Delaware County Community College and Valley Forge Flowers.
Soups are “so versatile, and they’re very satisfying,” she said. “Sometimes we have that chilly spring when you still need a little comfort food.”
Thai Carrot and Ginger SoupIngredients
2 tablespoons grapeseed oil1 large onion, small dice
1 shallot, small dice1-inch slice of fresh ginger, peeled and grated
11/2 teaspoons curry powder or Thai red curry paste
1 teaspoon salt3 to 4 cups chicken or vegetable stock or water
2 pounds carrots, peeled, chopped in small dice
1/4 cup coconut milk1 to 2 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice
InstructionsPlace a stockpot on medium heat. Once the pot is warmed, add the oil. Add the onions and shallots and cook for 5 to 10 minutes or until becoming translucent. Add the spices and salt to the onions and stir to coat them evenly. Add the stock or water and the carrots. Bring to the soup to a boil and then simmer for 15 minutes or until carrots are tender throughout. Add coconut milk and stir until blended well. Add the lemon juice and stir to blend well. Blend the soup with a blender stick or do it in batches using a blender. If you do it in batches, let it cool first for a bit. I leave my soup a bit lumpy, but you can blend it until it’s completely smooth too.
Notes: Using the Thai red curry paste will make soup a bit spicy. Adjust to your liking. Adding 1/2 teaspoon of turmeric will do well medicinally and add color. I like to use rainbow carrots, just not the purple. Using vegetable stock or water will make this vegan. Serves 4 to 6.
RECIPE COURTESY OF CHEF LYNN LAMPE LINDQUIST
Spring Pea Soup with Mint, Morels & Creme Fraiche
Ingredients2 pounds shelled peas, blanched and shocked (reserve 1/4 cup for garnish)
1 medium shallot, minced 2 ounces soft butter
1/8 cup olive oil, extra-virgin
2 quarts chicken or vegetable stock, hot
8 morel mushrooms4 leaves of mint
4 ounces of creme fraicheSalt and white pepper
InstructionsStart with a large saute pan over moderately high heat. Saute the peas and shallots in butter and olive oil and season aggressively with salt and pepper. Set the heat to high. As soon as the peas are hot and the shallot becomes fragrant, add the hot stock. (If using canned broth, omit the salt from the previous step.) Bring up to a boil. Allow to simmer no more than 1 minute. Immediately transfer into a high-powered blender and puree until very smooth. (Depending on your peas, you may need to adjust the consistency with a little more stock or water)
In the same pan you used before, saute off the reserved peas, morels and mint until soft and fragrant. Pour a generous portion into decorative bowls. Divide mushroom, mint and pea garnish evenly between each bowl and drizzle with creme fraiche
RECIPE COURTESY OF EXECUTIVE CHEF TIM COURTNEY
Asparagus Leek SoupIngredients6 small leeks
4 tablespoons unsalted butter1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
3 shallots3 cloves garlic, minced
Large bunch of asparagus trimmed (about 1 1/4 pounds)
2 large handfuls baby spinach leaves, washed and drained
4 cups vegetable or chicken broth (plus extra for finishing if needed)
Extra-virgin olive oil for drizzling
Freshly ground white pepper and sea salt
InstructionsPrepare asparagus. Remove and reserve asparagus tips. Cut off woody tough ends of stems and peel about 1 1/2 inches of remaining stem. Chop stems into 1/2-inch pieces. Set aside. Clean and chop leeks, white and light green parts. Peel and chop shallots. Heat butter in heavy pot, add leeks, shallots and a good pinch of salt and cook over moderate-to-low heat, stirring occasionally until tender. Add garlic; cook until softened. Do not allow to brown. Add asparagus stems and 4 cups broth. Bring to a boil, turn down to a simmer and cook about 5 to 7 minutes until asparagus is tender but still bright green. Stir in spinach, cook 2 to 3 minutes until wilted. Season to taste with pepper and salt. Set aside to cool.
Bring to a boil a cup of water in a small pan, add asparagus tips and a pinch of salt. Turn down heat. Simmer 1 minute. Drain well and cool in ice water. Blend soup in batches until smooth. Add more broth if needed to make consistency you prefer. Taste for seasoning. Serve with asparagus tips sprinkled on top. Drizzle with a few drops of olive oil if you like. Serves 4 to 6.
RECIPE COURTESY OF CHEF JENNY YOUNG
Baby Turnip SoupIngredients2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 pounds baby turnips, washed and diced
1 medium leek or medium onion, diced
2 bay leaves2 to 4 cups water, chicken or mild vegetable broth
Sea salt & fresh ground white pepper
1/2 cup half & half Big handful of turnip greens
2 tablespoons butter2 tablespoons tamari
InstructionsHeat oil in large pot over medium heat. Add leeks or onion with a good pinch of salt and cook gently. Stir often until vegetables are translucent; do not allow to brown. Add turnips, bay leaves and 3 cups broth and season with salt and freshly ground white pepper to taste. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium-low. Cover and cook 15 to 20 minutes or until turnips are very tender. Take off heat and remove bay leaves. Add cream. Put in blender and puree until very smooth. Add more broth if needed to achieve desired consistency.
In a small pan, melt butter with tamari and whisk gradually into the pureed soup. Taste and adjust seasoning. Pick over turnip greens, choosing the greenest and best looking, wash and chop. Bring small pot of water to a boil and blanch greens briefly until just tender. Drain well and stir into the soup, reserving a few leaves for garnish. Serves 4 to 6.
RECIPE COURTESY OF CHEF JENNY YOUNG
MinestrinaIngredients1 pound potatoes, peeled and diced small
3 tablespoons butter 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3/4 cup celery, carrot and onion, chopped fine
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
1 cup whole milk2 cups chicken or vegetable broth
Sea salt and fresh ground black pepper
Chopped parsleyInstructionsPut potatoes into heavy pan (large enough to hold all the finished soup) with cold water just enough to cover. Add a big pinch of salt, bring to a boil and cook until very soft. Take off heat, do NOT drain. Mash potatoes with their liquid with a potato masher. Set aside.
In heavy pot, heat butter and oil, saute onion until pale gold, add diced carrot and celery; cook, stirring often, 2 to 3 minutes, until slightly softened. Off heat, add the entire contents of pan to the potatoes. Put on medium heat and add milk, broth and grated Parmesan. Cook at a low but steady simmer, stirring often, about 5 to 8 minutes, until soup thickens a little and comes together. Taste and adjust seasoning. Add more broth and milk if the soup is too thick for your taste. Off heat. Stir in chopped parsley and serve with more grated Parmesan. Serves 4 to 6.
Note: It is REALLY important to use freshly grated genuine Parmigiano-Reggiano for this delicious, gentle soup.
RECIPE COURTESY OF CHEF JENNY YOUNG
