50 Simple Soups for the Slow Cooker - Lynn Alley [23]
6 cloves garlic
1 bay leaf
Salt
¼ cup olive oil
1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
Rinse the beans thoroughly and place them in a 7-quart slow cooker along with the water, onion, garlic, and bay leaf. Cover and cook on LOW for about 8 hours, or until the beans are nice and tender.
Remove the bay leaf. Using a handheld immersion blender, puree the remaining ingredients to the desired texture. Add the salt to taste.
Ladle the soup into bowls. Drizzle with the olive oil, sprinkle with rosemary, and serve.
Waters Mulligatawny Soup
Serves 4 to 6
My friend Andrew Spurgin is the executive director of Waters Fine Catering in San Diego. Each day, Waters takeout shop offers a different homemade soup. Their mulligatawny, a classic from the days of the British occupation of India, is one of my favorites. Although traditionally made with chicken and chicken stock, I thought I’d try creating a version from the basics alone. The neighbors lined up at the door with bowls in hand. I like using the apple, walnuts, cilantro, and pomegranate as condiments rather than cooking them in the soup. It adds a fresh note to the composition. And although it is not typically Indian, I also love adding a bit of grated very sharp cheddar cheese.
1 cup dried chickpeas (garbanzo beans)
¼ cup uncooked brown rice
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
6 cups water
1 tablespoon curry powder
1 (14-ounce) can coconut cream
½ cup raisins
Salt
1 large Granny Smith apple, cored and finely diced
½ cup chopped walnuts
½ cup grated smoked Gouda or cheddar cheese
¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro
¼ cup pomegranate seeds (optional)
Rinse the chickpeas and rice thoroughly and place them in a 7-quart slow cooker along with the onion, garlic, and water. Cover and cook on LOW for 6 to 8 hours, until the chickpeas are tender.
Using a handheld immersion blender, puree just a few of the chickpeas to add some thickness to the soup, then add the curry powder, coconut cream, and raisins. Add the salt to taste. Cook for 20 to 30 minutes longer, or until nice and hot.
Top each bowl of soup with the apple, walnuts, cheese, cilantro, and pomegranate seeds.
White Miso Winter Soup
Serves 4 to 6
Miso is a traditional Japanese seasoning made with fermented soy, wheat, barley, or rice, or any combination of the above. The textures, flavors, and appearance of traditional miso varies from region to region in Japan. The most typical types of miso found in the Western world are red and white miso used as a base for soups or a seasoning for Japanese dishes. This plain miso soup is enlivened with typical winter vegetables.
6 cups water
1 medium onion, sliced into 8 pieces from pole to pole
2 medium carrots, peeled and sliced
½ small butternut squash, peeled and cubed
¾ cup small broccoli florets
2 tablespoons white miso
½-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled
2 scallions, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
Place the water, onion, carrots, and squash in a 7-quart slow cooker. Cover and cook on LOW for about 4 hours, or until the vegetables are tender.
About 20 minutes before serving, add the broccoli florets and the miso and cook until just tender. Just before serving, finely grate the ginger into the soup.
Ladle the soup into bowls. Top each serving with the sliced scallions and a drizzle of sesame oil.
Metric Conversions and Equivalents
Metric Conversion Formulas
To Convert Multiply
Ounces to grams Ounces by 28.35
Pounds to kilograms Pounds by .454
Teaspoons to milliliters Teaspoons by 4.93
Tablespoons to milliliters Tablespoons by 14.79
Fluid ounces to milliliters Fluid ounces by 29.57
Cups to milliliters Cups by 236.59
Cups to liters Cups by .236
Pints to liters Pints by .473
Quarts to liters Quarts by .946
Gallons to liters Gallons by 3.785
Inches to centimeters Inches by 2.54
Approximate Metric Equivalents
Volume
¼ teaspoon 1 milliliter
½ teaspoon 2.5 milliliters
¾ teaspoon 4 milliliters
1 teaspoon 5 milliliters
1¼ teaspoons 6 milliliters
1½ teaspoons 7.5 milliliters
1¾ teaspoons