50 Simple Soups for the Slow Cooker - Lynn Alley [15]
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
½ medium onion, coarsely chopped
6 cloves garlic, peeled
1-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and minced
2 cups dried black beans, rinsed thoroughly
8 cups water
⅓ cup low-sodium soy sauce
1 tablespoon honey
2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
Salt (optional)
2 tablespoons sliced scallions (green parts only)
4 teaspoons toasted sesame seed
In a large sauté pan, heat the vegetable oil and sauté the onion for about 10 minutes, or until lightly browned. Add the garlic and ginger and cook for 2 minutes longer.
Transfer the mixture to a 7-quart slow cooker and add the beans, water, soy sauce, and honey. Cover and cook on LOW for 6 to 8 hours, until the beans are tender.
Using a handheld immersion blender, puree the beans. Stir in the sesame oil. Check the seasoning and add the salt if needed.
Ladle the soup into bowls and garnish each with scallions and sesame seed.
Indian Spiced Fresh Tomato Soup
Serves 4 to 6
At a motel in Davis, California, I noticed that beans, eggplants, peas, tomatoes, basil, and cilantro had been planted around an outbuilding. Suspecting the handiwork of some Italian gardener, I was surprised one morning to discover an elderly lady dressed in a lovely sari tending the garden. She was the proprietor’s mother. Wonderful and very unique dishes can be created using the same ingredients, just in different parts of the world with slightly different signature seasonings. This is one such dish.
2 tablespoons ghee or butter (see here)
1 medium onion, chopped
1½-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and finely chopped
6 large tomatoes, quartered and stemmed
1 teaspoon cumin seed
1 teaspoon black mustard seed
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 cloves garlic, chopped
Salt
¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro
¼ cup unsweetened shredded coconut
½ serrano chile, seeded and minced
In a large sauté pan, melt the ghee over medium heat and sauté the onion for about 10 minutes, or until lightly browned. Add the ginger and cook for 2 minutes longer.
Transfer the mixture to a 7-quart slow cooker and add the tomatoes, cumin, mustard seed, and cinnamon. Cover and cook on LOW for about 4 hours longer.
Just before serving, use a garlic press to mince the garlic into the soup, and add the salt to taste. Using a handheld immersion blender, puree the soup to the desired texture. I like to leave some texture.
Ladle the soup into bowls. Garnish each with cilantro, coconut, and a sprinkling of chile.
Spiced Lima Bean, Spinach, and Basmati Rice Soup
Serves 4 to 6
Here is a lima bean soup with an Indian twist to it. This combination of rice and limas provides a source of complete protein and is easy to make. In case you hadn’t noticed, I love to juxtapose the textures, colors, and flavors of cooked ingredients with raw. Doing so makes for a more interesting dish. It makes me feel as if I am getting something that is nourishing (because it is hot) and very healthful and exciting (the raw, crunchy stuff).
2 tablespoons ghee or butter (see here)
½ medium onion, chopped
1 cup dried lima beans
¼ cup uncooked brown basmati rice
½ teaspoon mustard seed
½ teaspoon ground turmeric
½ teaspoon ground coriander seed
1 cup sliced carrots
6 cups water
3 ounces fresh spinach
¼ cup chopped fresh dill
Salt
¼ cup Greek-style yogurt or sour cream
In a large sauté pan, melt the ghee over medium heat and sauté the onion for about 10 minutes, or until lightly browned.
Transfer the onion to a 7-quart slow cooker and add the beans, rice, mustard seed, turmeric, coriander, carrots, and water. Cover and cook on LOW for about 6 hours, or until the beans are tender.
Stir in the spinach and dill and add the salt to taste.
Ladle the soup into bowls. Serve each with a dollop of yogurt.