I must admit that I spend a huge amount of time in the summer buying in bulk and “putting things up” for the winter. It can be time-consuming. But eventually the days become shorter and cooler and I want to eat a nourishing bowl of soup. This is when the work during summer pays off in a big way for me.
Going to the freezer to pull out some herb and olive oil roasted tomatoes, peppers, onions, roasted corn and steamed butter beans to make a hearty bowl soup is quite satisfying. More than half of the work has already been completed and now it will take little more than 1/2 hour to put everything together to have a vegetable beef soup on the table with a grilled cheese sandwich made with local bread and cheese. How good does that sound? Just imagine how good it makes you feel?
Tomorrow I’m going to demonstrate how to make two very easy soups at a local Raleigh Farmers Market with “preserved” and fresh foods. I’ll put up pictures when I get back from the market but I wanted to give you the recipes ahead of time so you can buy what you need to make these soups this weekend. They are both inexpensive, healthy meals that can easily feed 4 people and you can feel great about supporting local sustainable agriculture.
Tomorrow all of the real food I am using is local! Only the pasta is store-bought. I’ve got lots of goodies from: Piedmont BioFarm, Cohen Farm, Edible Earthscapes, Cedar Rock Farm, Robeson’s Rocky River Farm, Wild Onion Farm, S&L Farm, & Chapel Hill Creamery.
Enjoy eating well and please thank your local farmers for getting up in the chilly mornings and the heat of summer to pick out fresh veggies for you to eat all year-long.
Vegetable Beef Barley Soup
Beef & Barley Vegetable Soup
- 2 cups water 1 lb leftover beef roast cut into ½” cubes (hamburger works too)
- 16 oz roasted tomatoes with herbs
- 12 oz roasted tomato juice (or vegetable juice)
- 2/3 cup pearl barley
- 1/3 cup dried green split peas
- ½ cup chopped onion (can use dehydrated onions)
- ¾ cup chopped celery with leaves (fresh or frozen)
- 14 oz beef stock
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- ½ teaspoon basil
- ½ teaspoon oregano
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 Tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce
- About ¾ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup roasted corn (frozen)
- 1 cup green beans or butter beans
- 1/3 cup roasted carrots (frozen)
Saute onions and celery in olive oil until translucent on medium low heat. Add water, beef stock, tomato juice, barley, peas, spices, Worcestershire sauce and cook for 30 minutes. Stir in carrots, corn, and beans. Simmer 15-30 minutes. Remove bay leaf and serve.
Broccoli Carrot & Orzo Soup
Broccoli, Carrot & Orzo Soup
- 4 cups chicken (or vegetable) stock
- 1 cup chopped carrots ( ¼“ slices)
- 2 cups chopped broccoli (including stems peeled and chopped into ¼” slices )
- 1/3 – ½ cup orzo (or other small pasta or quinoa)
- 2 eggs, beaten
- 2 Tablespoon Chapel Hill Creamery Calavander Asiago cheese, grated (or Parmesan)
- Salt and pepper to taste
In a large pot, heat the broth to boiling and add the pasta, carrots and the stem slices of the broccoli. Cover and cook for 10 minutes on low simmer. Pasta may tend to boil over if the pot is not large enough or the heat is too high.
Stir in the remainder of the broccoli florets and cook 5 minutes on low simmer.
Bring the soup up to a boil again and slowly drizzle the beaten egg into the soup so it cooks as it hits the liquid. Stir constantly as you add the egg to get threads in the soup.
Add the cheese and season to taste with salt & pepper.
Copyright 2010 Susan Walter Sink & Tarheel Foodie, LLC
