50 Simple Soups for the Slow Cooker - Lynn Alley [7]
2 tablespoons ghee or vegetable oil (see here)
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 cups dried black beans
6 cups water
1 cup crushed tomatoes
1 teaspoon cumin seed, lightly crushed
1 (15-ounce) can coconut milk or coconut cream
Salt
1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and thinly sliced
¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves
Heat the ghee in a sauté pan over medium heat and sauté the onion for about 10 minutes, or until lightly browned.
Rinse the beans thoroughly and add them, along with the water, onion, and tomatoes, to a 7-quart slow cooker.
Cover and cook on LOW for about 8 hours, or until the beans are tender.
Add the cumin seed, coconut milk, and salt to taste. Continue cooking for 30 to 60 minutes longer, until all the ingredients are hot.
Ladle the soup into bowls. Top each bowl with a couple of jalapeño slices and some cilantro.
Russian Borscht
Serves 4 to 6
Borscht, or some variation of it, has been a mainstay of peasant food all over eastern Europe and Russia. In the winter, the soup is served hot and may contain beets, carrots, and potatoes or other root vegetables; in the summer, the same soup (usually called chlodnik) may be served icy cold and mixed with cream, yogurt, or buttermilk and garnished with sliced radishes, beet greens, cucumbers, lemon slices, and hard-boiled eggs. Serve this soup hot or cold. Puree it or leave the vegetables whole. Eat it as you like it.
2 tablespoons butter or ghee (see here)
1 medium onion, chopped
3 pounds beets, peeled and cut into chunks
1 large potato, peeled and cut into cubes
1 large carrot, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
6 cups water
Salt
½ cup sour cream or Greek-style yogurt
¼ cup chopped fresh dill
In a large sauté pan, melt the butter over medium heat and sauté the onion for about 10 minutes, or until lightly browned.
Place the onion, beets, potato, carrot, and water in a 7-quart slow cooker. Cover and cook on LOW for about 6 hours, or until the beets are tender when pierced with a fork.
Using a handheld immersion blender, blend the vegetables until smooth. Add salt to taste.
Ladle the soup into bowls. Serve hot, garnished with sour cream and fresh dill.
Variation: For chlodnik, try mixing in 1 quart of plain yogurt and top with a small peeled, sliced cucumber and some chopped fresh dill, hard-boiled egg, and scallions.
Blue Cheese Potato Soup
Serves 4 to 6
My friend Julie and I were discussing the merits of slow cookers (she was about to spring big), and my findings with them. Funny how your ideas can become so much clearer when talking to a friend. “What I want to do is to show people that if they learn a few simple tricks about handling ingredients, they can turn out a delicious first-rate dish with a minimum of effort and without buying a bunch of exotic stuff that they’ll never use again,” I said. I love potatoes and just about any kind of cheese, and this soup is a perfect example of what I was talking about. The soup is made with a few simple ingredients, and you add flavor by sautéing the onion and celery and also by adding garlic. (Adding the garlic at the last minute retains its very pungent, garlicky flavor, which I like. If you prefer a milder garlic flavor, then add it along with the onions at the beginning of the cooking time.)
2 tablespoons butter or ghee (see here)
1 medium onion, chopped
2 celery ribs, sliced
1½ pounds small red or white potatoes, skins on
6 cups water
8 ounces blue cheese (domestic, Roquefort, Gorgonzola, or your favorite)
4 cloves garlic
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Chopped fresh rosemary, for garnishing
In a large sauté pan, melt the butter over medium heat and sauté the onion for about 10 minutes, or until lightly browned. Add the celery and cook for 2 minutes longer. Transfer the onion and celery to a 7-quart slow cooker and add the potatoes (but no water). Cover and cook on LOW for about 4 hours, or until the potatoes are very tender.
Add the water and blue cheese. Using a garlic press,