Monday, January 10, 2011

Garlic Soup, Obsessed with Salad, and More Soup and Garlic


This soup makes a bigger sensation on the taste buds than it does on the eyes, but if you like garlic and are in the mood for a brothy, aromatic soup that clears the sinuses, this soup hits the spot. I like it this time of year as a warming cup or bowl after a long walk in the cold temperatures--warming and satisfying, but not too filling.

The recipe makes about 4 servings, and I used 8 good-sized garlic cloves, because that's the amount Mr D is generally comfortable with...I think I could go a few more cloves if I were making it just for myself. The sherry is optional, but it really does add a rich dimension to the soup, which I love. Also, the saffron is not strictly necessary...but very nice in this if you have it on hand.


Garlic Soup with Sherry and Saffron
8  good-sized garlic cloves, peeled
2 tablespoons olive oil (or veggie broth for fat free)
6 cups veggie broth
salt to taste
pinch of saffron
2-3 tablespoons dry sherry (Manzanilla)
pinch of Spanish paprika to garnish (optional)
1 cup small pasta like orzo, stars, or alphabets, cooked


Put the garlic cloves and oil in a food processor and process until the garlic is finely minced. Alternately, you could put the garlic through a press or plane grater if you want the garlic to be more pureed with no bits. ( I like the bits.)

In a large pot, heat the garlic and olive oil mixture very gently (medium-low) for 2 minutes...just enough heat so it becomes aromatic and warm, not sauteed. Keep an eye on it, because if the garlic gets over heated here it will turn bitter.

Add the veggie broth to the aromatized garlic and bring it up to a simmer. Add the pinch of saffron and salt to taste.  Allow the soup to simmer for another half hour or so.

Meanwhile, cook the pasta in a separate pot, according to package instructions. Drain and rinse until cool.

When ready to serve, add the sherry to the soup and stir through. Scoop some of the cooked pasta into each serving bowl and ladle hot soup over it. Garnish with a pinch of Spanish paprika.

                                                                      
                                                                                          ***********

On to my latest food obsession: spinach and arugula salad. My mom made some with  Christmas dinner, and I've been eating copious amounts of it ever since. The spicy arugula goes so well with the milder, but spongey/leafy spinach. My favorite combo these days is making it with julienned carrot, red onion, and sunflower seeds. Sometimes I toss in some grapes, walnuts, and radish if the mood strikes. I seem to be craving raw onion these days.


I know, I know, big deal: it's just a flippin' salad. But sooo good, and well, it really is a large portion of what we've been eating lately chez Dandelion.  I've been dressing it with a mixture of Bragg's Aminos, sherry vinegar, whole grain mustard and nutritional yeast (v. yum)...a combo I read about on DirtyDuck's blog...here, where you can read about how it came to dress a somewhat unmanageably large salad. :D Thanks for the awesome dressing idea DirtyDuck!!



Another recent dinner was some leek-potato soup with bread rolls, roasted elephant garlic, manzanilla olives, and spicy brown mustard. Maybe, a slightly odd combo, but tasty. (The garlic is in the dish that has the knife sitting on it.)


So, I guess it goes without saying that with all the garlic and raw onions, it's just as well that I'm typing this rather than telling you in person. :0

For dinner tonight, I'm making some of baked onion rings that Sara at Busy Vegan Mama  posted about today...I think they're gonna be good!

Ciao!!!

26 comments:

  1. We had soup and salad last night, too, but maybe not quite as garlicky as yours! The soups and meals sound very homey and delicious. And I saw the onion rings you're making — the ones from Appetite for Reduction. I think the onion rings might make me buy the book! I want to know how they turn out.

    ReplyDelete
  2. "Hello!" (I'm replying to the message in your pretty red bowl). ;-)

    I absolutely love garlic, but would you believe I've never had garlic soup? I must try this! It not only looks and sounds healthy and delicious and perfect for cold weather, but it will also keep vampires at bay! Bonus. :-)

    And your salad looks so delicious and fresh - I often crave greens this time of year too, but haven't made a salad in a while (been snarfing steamed kale and adding spinach to soups, mostly). Thanks for the inspiration. And I must check out DD's dressing recipe. We usually use a similar concoction of tamari and red wine vinegar or lemon juice, so I'm betting we'd love her tasty-sounding version!

    LOL about it being a good thing you're typing this instead of telling us about it to our faces! (I've often wondered if eating garlic and onions helps prevent colds and flu because of natural germ-fighters they contain, or because it keeps other people at such a distance that you don't catch their crud!) :-)

    ReplyDelete
  3. In my house the rule of thumb is that too much garlic is almost enough! ;) That garlic soup sounds perfect for the chilly weather. Plus, I bet it's great for staying healthy during cold season.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Hi Rose,
    that soup looks good but unfortunately I think my heart burn following it might kill me! I love the taste of the stuff, but as I get older I can't handle much quantity. I do want to try the salad and the dressing though, it sounds like a really good combo.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Yum yum yum! I've been in a garlicky mood lately, so that soup sounds perfect. Thanks for sharing!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Thank you for posting! If the soup didn't clear up your sinuses, I'm sure the mustard will! (Your blog is so classy, I'm kinda surprised by the paper towel 'napkin's. Guess it's classy AND casual).

    ReplyDelete
  7. That is my kind of meal.. YUM! I love how grainy the mustard is.. and of course.. garlic.. I just LOVE it

    ReplyDelete
  8. Andrea

    It is definitely soup weather, isn't it. I'll follow up on the onion rings...last night I ended up doing my own version, which was ok, (just coated the rings in flour and cornstarch, then dunked them in oat milk mixed with a little mustard, then coated them in whole wheat bread crumbs) but next time, I'll follow the recipe and let you know. I have a feeling the PPK recipe will make more of a batter effect. :)

    Laurie

    Hellooo, haha. I'm glad you saw that. I wanted to spell out something more clever, but it was so blippin' difficult to sort through the little letters and find the ones you need...also, I couldn't think of anything clever.

    Good point about the vampires...and the colds and flu. We haven't seen any of those around here for some time.

    The salad is so good, there's something about the spinach/arugula combo that just gets me...whatever else goes in.

    Cadry

    That is a brilliant garlic policy! :)

    Jennifer

    Bummer about the heartburn. If you try the salad combo let me know how you like it.

    Kelly

    Garlic is so good, isn't it?

    Shen

    Hey, no problem. You prompted me into it...I get this sort of inertia thing, when I take a break from posting, it gets harder and harder to start up again. Paper towel napkins...yeah, we've go class around here! :)

    ReplyDelete
  9. Melody

    I know, I love how the grainy mustard looks too! :)

    ReplyDelete
  10. I guess I'm not the first one to notice the hello, but those alphabet letters are fun. Kind of like magnetic poetry, you can't find what you want and can't think of what to say anyway.

    Onions and garlic sound good to me, too, especially the first soup. I'm not so sure about a long walk in the cold, though.

    ReplyDelete
  11. I've never had garlic soup, but this sounds like something that I may need to try when my sinuses get all messed up again.

    I love the "hello"! :o)

    You know, I've never tried arugula...I must give it a try very soon though. Your salad looks awesome!

    ReplyDelete
  12. i see the hello! and hey! you liked the dressing idea!! im sorry im so late getting here!!! really glad im not the only one that likes that combo,lol. its so easy and it hits every spot, salty,cheesy,savory and sweet!

    what? cheesy is a taste receptor...right?

    try putting a drop of stevia in it! thats good too!

    "So, I guess it goes without saying that with all the garlic and raw onions, it's just as well that I'm typing this rather than telling you in person. :0"

    HAHAH that got me!

    m

    ReplyDelete
  13. that clear soup sounds good, i just got back from "a walk in the cold" and i want something light like that.

    ReplyDelete
  14. That garlic soup sounds like something I would love! I simply LOVE garlic. That would be a great healing soup come to think of it.

    ReplyDelete
  15. I laughed when I saw the alphabet pasta "hello". Cute!

    Everything looks really tasty. I love garlic & onions, so this is all right up my alley. :)

    ReplyDelete
  16. "Hello" I love that! Nothing wrong with more garlic soup! I am totally down with it. :)

    ReplyDelete
  17. Jessica

    Yes, it's totally like the magnetic poetry! Fun! I used to have a Shakespeare version of it. But the little alphabet pastas are bit more painstaking to find and get in order! :)

    Michelle (LovinLivinVegan)

    Yes, the soup would be perfect for a sniffle or feeling poorly, I think . Arugula is yummy; it's a bit spicy and slightly bitter, but really good as part of a salad...if you try it, let us know what you think.

    Michelle (DirtyDuck)

    Yes, I love it! It is all those things! I agree cheesy is its own taste receptor! I'll try it with the stevia too...I just bought some of the dropper kind...I'd only ever tried the powdered kind before. Thanks for the awesome recipe!

    Carissa

    I'm with you: LOVe garlic!

    Molly

    Thanks, I love onions and garlic too, sometimes I just crave them. :)

    Vic

    Totally! :)

    ReplyDelete
  18. Another gorgeous post. The alphabets are so cute. And please, you're not still taking photographs outside, are you?...say it isn't so, we have five feet of snow here...

    Your table's awesome! And in my books, it's garlic (plus some strategic ginger and hot pepper) that will keep you healthy all winter long :-) And, um, yes, the sherry too, I am convinced. I'll have to eat my words when I finally do catch a cold, but until I do, I have the right to maintain that garlic, ginger, hot peppers, and alcohol are the holy quaternity of health :-)

    ReplyDelete
  19. "I get this sort of inertia thing, when I take a break from posting, it gets harder and harder to start up again"
    Man, I thought it was just me! I was only away from it for a week and I'm having a tough time getting my blogging engine warmed back up, it just sputters and stalls. Maybe I need to pour some garlic soup into my gas tank. ;-)

    ReplyDelete
  20. Zoa

    "garlic, ginger, hot peppers, and alcohol are the holy quaternity of health"

    oh yeah! I am with you on that one!! I have to eat more ginger.

    I take photos, when I can, in our "sun room"...it's basically an enclosed porch with glass sides and ceilings...not exactly warm there this time of year, but great for natural light in photos.

    Laurie

    I know right? I have to do it when I'm in the mood, otherwise it feels like a chore. And actually, this is a little pathetic; I have less time for blogging when I'm not working...lol...I'm not sitting at the computer as much.

    Garlic soup, yeah, it's bound to give you some steam! :)

    ReplyDelete
  21. Bring on the garlic!! Looks good to me. It's best if everyone is eating garlic together, don't you think? Then no one notices the extra...fragrance. Did you make the rolls from scratch?

    ReplyDelete
  22. BlesssedMama

    I really like your idea of everyone eating garlic together!

    No, they're storebought, but I really should start baking more at home.

    ReplyDelete
  23. I need to find some of those little alphabet noodles! Where did you find them? I love both onion and garlic...that soup looks delicious.

    ReplyDelete
  24. This looks amazing! Now I want a salad just like yours.

    ReplyDelete
  25. FoodFeud

    The alphabets are fun. I got them at my local grocery...it's not a fancy chain or anything. I bet you could find them at any place that has a fairly large pasta selection. They're the Eden Organic Vegetable Alphabets.

    Stacy

    Yeah, I agree salad is contagious; when I see pics of other people's salads it always makes me crave one. :)

    ReplyDelete
  26. I always make thick and chunky soups. I would like to try a thin, brothy soup. Plus, I've been trying to add garlic to so many of my meals lately. (I don't get out much so it's okay.) My kids would greatly approve of the letters added, too. My favorite salad dressings don't contain oil.

    And I really like the word copious.

    ReplyDelete

 
Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...