Barbara Kafkas Sorrel Soup Food

SORREL SOUP

Steps:

• In a large saucepan, melt 3 tablespoons butter over medium heat. Add onion and cook, without browning, until softened, 6 to 8 minutes. Add sorrel and season with 1/2 teaspoon salt. Stir over low heat for about 5 minutes.
• Sprinkle in flour and cook, stirring, over moderate heat for 5 minutes. Stir in boiling stock. Simmer for 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
• In a small bowl, beat yolks lightly with cream. Whisking constantly, slowly pour 1 cup hot stock mixture into egg mixture, then return back to saucepan. Do not let soup boil after egg yolks have been added or yolks will curdle.
• Stir in softened butter and serve hot with a dollop of creme fraiche and chervil. If serving the soup chilled, do not add the softened butter.

BARBARA KAFKA'S SORREL SOUP

Steps:

• Melt the butter in a medium saucepan. Add the sorrel, and cook over medium heat for 2 minutes, or until the sorrel has wilted. Add the chicken stock. Bring to a boil. Lower the heat, and simmer, uncovered, for 20 minutes. (The soup base can be made ahead to this point and refrigerated for as long as two days if the finished soup is to be served hot; if it is to be served cold, continue and then refrigerate. The finished soup improves after sitting for a day.)
• Beat the egg yolks and cream in a small bowl. Slowly ladle in some of the hot soup base, whisking constantly, until a third of it has been added. Whisking the remaining base in the saucepan, slowly pour in the egg-yolk mixture. Slowly bring to a boil, whisking constantly, until it is thickened and coats the back of a spoon.
• Remove from the heat. If serving hot, add salt to taste and serve immediately. If serving cold, refrigerate, whisking occasionally until it is fully chilled, to keep it smooth. If it is too thick, thin with a little milk. Add salt to taste before serving.

SCALLOP AND ENDIVE SOUP

Steps:

• Place the connective muscle from scallops, the shallots, the wine, and 3 cups water in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Strain and discard the solids.
• Pour the liquid into a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil. Add the endive and return to a boil. Add the scallops and the tarragon, stir once to separate the scallops. Return barely to a simmer without stirring.
• Add 1/2 cup heavy cream to the soup. Add cornstarch to the remaining heavy cream. Ladle a few spoons of the hot soup into the cornstarch mixture; stir to combine. Pour the mixture into the soup, stirring gently to incorporate. Cover the pan and return to a boil. Uncover, lower the heat and simmer for 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

GOULASH SOUP

Steps:

• Combine paprika and oil in a 5-quart casserole with tight-fitting lid. Form into a mound in the center of the dish. Cook, uncovered, at 100 percent power in a 650- to 700-watt oven for 2 minutes.
• Add onions and peppers and stir to coat with the oil and paprika mixture. Cook, uncovered, at 100 percent power for 3 minutes.
• Remove from oven and stir in 1 cup of the broth with all remaining ingredients except salt. Cover and cook at 100 percent power for 15 minutes.
• Remove from oven and uncover. Stir in remaining broth, re-cover and cook at 100 percent power for 10 minutes.
• Remove from oven and stir in salt, if desired. Serve over noodles.

CIARLA'S FISH SOUP

Steps:

• Place bacon in a 5-quart casserole. Cover loosely with paper toweling. Cook at 100 percent power for 7 minutes. Remove from oven and uncover.
• Remove bacon with a slotted spoon to paper toweling to drain; set aside. Pour off most of the fat from casserole, leaving about 1 tablespoon behind. Add oil and paprika and stir to make a paste. Mound in the center of casserole. Cook, uncovered, for 2 minutes.
• Remove from oven. Add onion and garlic and toss to coat. Cook, uncovered, for 2 minutes 30 seconds. Stir in wine, 1 1/2 cups of the fish broth and lasagna pieces. Cover securely with microwave plastic wrap or with a tightly fitting lid and cook for 5 minutes.
• If using plastic, prick plastic to release steam. Remove from oven and uncover. Arrange clams, hinge-end down around the inside edge of the dish. Re-cover and cook for 5 minutes or until clams open. Prick plastic to release steam.
• Remove from oven and uncover. Stir in tomato puree and arrange mussels, hinge-end down, in the center of the dish. Cover and cook for 5 minutes, or until mussels open.
• If using plastic, prick to release steam. Remove from oven and uncover. Add remaining ingredients and stir to combine. Cover and cook for 4 minutes or until squid is opaque. Remove from oven and uncover. Stir in bacon pieces and serve.

SORREL SOUP

Steps:

• Remove stems from Sorrel leaves, wash in salad spinner and set aside, reserving 2 leaves for garnish.
• Sauté finely chopped onion in butter until translucent.
• Heat broth but do not boil.
• Add sorrel leaves to onions and wilt.
• Add flour, stirring constantly until smooth.
• Continue stirring while adding hot broth.
• Simmer 5 minutes.
• Put through blender 1 cup at a time, or use hand held blender directly in sauce pan, using low speed.
• Return soup to low heat, do not allow to boil.
• Lightly beat egg yolks in a large cup, slowly stirring into them a little of the hot soup.
• Slowly pour the mixture back into the soup while stirring.
• Continue to stir while adding cream.
• Heat through, but do not boil.
• Season to taste.
• Garnish with thin slices of reserved Sorrel leaves and rounds of toasted baguette.

FISH SOUP, CARIBBEAN-STYLE

Steps:

• Wash the fish well to remove any traces of blood. Allow to marinate in the bain Antillais (see above) for one to two hours.
• Heat the oil in a stock pot. Quickly saute all the fish, bones and head (except fillets - reserve them in marinade until the end of the recipe). Add the carrots, leeks, giraumon, igname, turnips and tomatoes. Stir to coat with oil. Add two cups of water and the scallions, thyme, garlic, bay leaf and jalapenos. Simmer over medium heat until the fish is completely cooked and beginning to shred and the vegetables can be easily pierced with the tip of a knife. Strain the soup through a fine mesh. Put the vegetables and fish through a food mill with the fine grill in place. There should be three cups of puree and three cups of liquid (if not, add additional water). Add one cup of liquid to the puree. Stir the tomato concasse and white wine into the puree-liquid mixture. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
• Pour the remaining liquid into a small saucepan. Bring quickly to a boil. Remove from the heat and add the reserved fish fillets. Cover and allow to steep for five minutes, or until just done. Meanwhile, heat the puree-liquid and ladle into bowls. Divide the fish between six bowls and serve immediately with crusty French bread.