Curtis Aikens Abc Soup Food

CURTIS BROCCOLI SOUP

Steps:

• In a large soup pot, heat the oil and saute the onion until softened. Add the broccoli and saute for one minute. Add the stock and salt and cook covered until broccoli is tender, about 10 to 15 minutes. Puree in a blender until smooth, thin with heated milk.
• TIP:
• LOOKS LIKE BROCCOLI.... BROCCOLI RABE
• Trim off the bottom, tough stems of the broccoli rabe, wash well. Slice stems into 1/2-inch pieces and saute with whole peeled garlic cloves in olive oil. After 5 minutes add florets, saute until slightly tender, add a pinch of Italian red pepper and serve over pasta

ABC NOODLE SOUP

Steps:

• In a large stockpot, saute the onions in the vegetable oil over medium heat until translucent (about 5 to 8 minutes). Add the carrots and chicken stock, cover the pot, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Add the celery and simmer another 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Turn off the heat and stir in the pasta. Cover the pot and let sit for 20 minutes.

CURTIS AIKENS' ABC SOUP

Steps:

• A is for vitamin A. We all know that Vitamin A is found in carrots, but it's also found in green vegetables like Asparagus and Artichokes 1/4 to 1/2 pound asparagus, cut into 1 inch pieces 6 artichoke bottoms (hearts) cut into quarters
• B is for Broccoli. Former President Bush was famous for not enjoying broccoli, but his wife Barbara loved it, and she was dedicated to the cause of reading, all across this country. I hope you'll join me in thanking Barbara Bush for all of her work with literacy. 2 heads of broccoli (and their trimmed stalks) cut into pieces
• C is for Carrots, yummy! I love carrots; they're sweet, crunchy and good for the eyes, teeth and bones. 3 carrots, peeled and cut into pieces
• D is for Daikon, a vegetable used a lot in Asian cuisine. It adds a wonderful flavor to soup. 1 medium daikon, peeled and cut into pieces
• E is for Eggplant, not usually found in soups, but eggplant works, especially if you can find the small green Thai eggplant. You don't even have to peel them, just remove their caps. If you don't find Thai eggplant, purple eggplant will do nicely! 12 small Thai eggplant or 1 purple eggplant, peeled, diced and slightly sauteed in olive oil
• F is for Fungi; that means mushrooms! Any mushrooms will work; White button or Shiitake or Oyster. 2 handfuls of mushrooms, chopped and sauteed with a little bit of olive oil
• G is for Ginger. A fabulous root spice, the best of which comes from our 50th state, Hawaii. 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon Ginger root, peeled and very finely chopped.
• H is for HOT. If you like your soups spicy hot, you can add Habanero peppers, which is the hottest pepper of all. Not everyone appreciates Habanero; in this soup they are optional and should be handled by grown ups only! 2 to 3 Habaneros, seeded and finely diced
• I is for Ingredients. This is what cooks call all of the things that go into a recipe. I have never found a vegetable that starts with the letter I. If you can think of one, please let me know!!
• J is for Jicama, a delicious root vegetable, which is quite popular in the tropical regions of the world, and looks very much like a potato. 1/4 cup jicama, peeled and diced
• K is for Kohlrabi, a great vegetable that comes in red, green and sometimes white. The leafy top and globe shaped bottom are all good to eat. A few diced kohlrabi leaves or 1/8 cup kohlrabi bottom, peeled and diced
• L is for Lemongrass, which is used a lot in Asia. If you can't find it, you can substitute a little lemon juice, or a little of its peel. 1 tablespoon minced lemongrass or 1/2 teaspoon yellow lemon peel, grated
• M is for Maize, the Native American word for corn Kernels of 3 ears of corn
• N is for Nutmeg, a wonderful spice that smells good too! 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

CREAM OF CELERY SOUP

Steps:

• Make up your vegetable broth. I usually use 6 cups of boiling water, 1 pkg of onion soup mix and 1 extra large vegetable boullion cube (that does 2 cups of broth, like Knorr.).
• In a small saucepan, add 1 cup celery, 1 cup carrots and 1 cup vegetable broth. Bring to a boil and cook for about 4 minutes. Set aside.
• In a large saucepan over medium high heat, melt butter. Add onions and saute until clear. Whisking, add flour, cook 2 minutes making sure flour does not brown.
• Add 5 cups vegetable broth and continue to whisk well until mixture boils.
• Add uncooked 1 cup celery and 1 cup carrots. Bring mixture to a boil, reduce heat and simmer covered for about 30 minutes.
• When cooked, use a slotted spoon to strain out much of the vegetables, put in blender with a cup or two of the stock and puree (my family likes a bit extra of the vegetables to remain unblended to add to the heartiness, but original recipe said run through a fine sieve and blend all the vegetables.).
• Stir puree back into the pot with the liquid. Stir in the reserved vegetables and fat-free evaporated milk (original recipe asked for 1 cup heavy cream.).
• Heat and serve.