Elaine Perlman

View Original

My Life in 3 Soups

How can soups be autobiographical?

  • The Hungarian mushroom soup? I lived in Budapest for 6 years!

  • The corn succotash chowder? I grew up in Central Pennsylvania!

  • The gazpacho? My mom made gazpacho all summer, every summer.

Here are the recipes & the video!

Hungarian Mushroom Soup

inspired by the Moosewood Cookbook author, Mollie Katzen

Ingredients:

  • 2 T. Miyoko’s vegan butter

  • 2 C chopped red onion

  • 1 1/2 to 2 pounds of sliced mushrooms

    Note: Save the mushroom stems for the bouillon.

  • 1 tsp salt

  • 2 T fresh dill

  • 1 T paprika

  • 2 tsp lemon juice

  • 3 T flour

  • 2-3 C mushroom bouillon made from boiling the stems of the mushrooms with 4 cups of water for 10-15 minutes until the water is brown.

  • 1 c Oatly oat milk

  • 1 tsp Better Than Bouillon, No Chicken Base

  • Fresh parsley, coarsely chopped

Instructions:

  1. Melt vegan butter in a large, heavy bottomed pot. Add onions. Sauté for about 5 minutes.

  2. Add mushrooms, salt, dill, and paprika. Stir and cover. Cook for about 15 minutes. Stir occasionally. Add lemon juice.

  3. Gradually add 1 tablespoon of flour at a time. Stir constantly. Cook another five minutes over medium-low heat.

  4. Add bouillon. Cook for ten minutes. lower flame to a low flame. Add Oatly oat milk. Add parley, taste and adjust seasonings.

Corn & Succotash Chowder

inspired by Mollie Katzen’s Moosewood Cookbook

Ingredients:

  • 2 T unsalted Miyoko’s vegan butter

  • 1 medium red onion

  • 1/2 C red lentils

  • 1 potato

  • 1 tsp dried thyme & 1 tsp basil

  • 1/2 tsp red pepper

  • 2 cloves of garlic chopped

  • 1 tsp salt

  • ¼ teaspoon black pepper

  • 2-4 C water

  • 1 cups Oatly oat milk

  • 2 cups corn kernels, fresh or frozen

    INSTRUCTIONS

  1. Melt the butter & saute the onion for 6 minutes. 

  2. Add the red lentils, bouillon, thyme, salt, red pepper, basil, garlic & fresh oregano. Cook with 2 C of water for 15 minutes. Add the corn and spices. Cook for 5 minutes at a simmer.

  3. Add the potato and corn and bring to a simmer once again. Cook until the vegetable are tender to the bite, about 5 minutes.

  4. Add 1/4 of the milk. Slowly add the rest. Bring to a simmer until the chowder thickens and taste for seasoning before serving.

    The Gazpacho

    inspired by the Spanish Sabores

Ingredients:

  • 6-7 super tasty tomatoes

  • 1 green Italian pepper the long type, or a bell pepper, your choice of the color

  • 1/2 to a whole cucumber

  • ½ of a small red onion onion

  • 1 clove of garlic not too big

  • 1/4 cup olive oil

  • A splash of sherry vinegar Vinagre de Jerez

  • A dash of Tajin

  • A pinch of salt

Instructions:

  • Wash & dry all of the vegetables very well. Into the blender, add the:

  • Cut tomatoes

  • Halved, cored, and de-seeded pepper

  • Garlic sliced in half

  • The onion

  • The cut up half cucumber

  • The Tajin salt & vinegar

    Blend the vegetables at a high speed until they are completely pureed.

  • While blending on a slow speed, slowly add the olive oil.

  • Taste and adjust salt, Tajin and vinegar. If the texture is too thick for your liking add some cold water.

  • Refrigerate and serve VERY cold!