Ribollita

Cold-weather cabbage soup adapted from Mario Batali.
Ingredients
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 Spanish onion, thinly sliced
1 leek, white and light green parts only, thinly sliced [be sure to cut it vertically first and to wash the layers under running water, or you might get sand in your soup]
2 carrots, cut into 1/4-inch dice
2 celery stalks, cut into 1/4-inch dice
2 to 3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced, plus 1 whole garlic clove
2 sprigs fresh thyme or rosemary or both
1 bay leaf
1 pound roughly chopped cavolo nero (black cabbage)
1/2 pound roughly chopped white cabbage
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 can Cannellini beans, drained (but not rinsed)
4 to 6 cups water (or more, if necessary)
Italian peasant bread or sourdough, sliced thickly
Salt and pepper
Freshly grated Parmesan
Instructions
n a Dutch oven or large pot, heat the olive oil and add the onion, leek, carrot, celery, sliced garlic and herbs. Sprinkle gently with salt, stir and cook until the vegetables are soft but not at all brown. Add the black and white cabbage, sprinkle again with salt, and cook until they’ve softened and the flavors have blended, about 10 minutes. Taste and adjust for salt and pepper. Remove the rosemary, thyme and bay leaf. Add the tomato paste and stir until it’s well distributed throughout the vegetable mixture. Add the beans and enough water to make it look soupy (about 6 cups). (You could also add a Parmesan rind here, if you have one.) Sprinkle again with salt, stir all around and simmer for 30 minutes until the soup thickens slightly and tastes great (you may need to adjust with more salt and pepper). Meanwhile, place the bread under the broiler and toast, on both sides, until deep dark brown. Rub the toasted bread with a raw garlic clove and drizzle with olive oil. Ladle the soup into bowls and serve up with the toasted bread (Mario calls it “garlic bruschetta”) and Parmesan for grating on top

Thai Tofu Noodle Soup with Lemongrass (Vegan/Gluten-free)

Ingredients:
8-10 oz. dried rice noodes, linguini-width
1-2 stalks minced lemongrass , OR
4 Tsp. dried lemongrass
4-6 cups vegetable
1 thumb-size piece of ginger, thinly s
liced into matchstick pieces
1/2 package medium slice tofu into cubes
1 head broccoli, chopped into florets
including stems
1-2 cups cabbage or bok choy, chopped into bite-size pieces
1-2 carrots, sliced
4 Tbsp. soy sauce OR wheat-free soy sauce (or use 3 Tbsp. fish sauce + 1 Tbsp. soy sauce if non-veg.)
1/2 can good-quality coconut milk
3-4 kaffir lime leaves
1/2 cup fresh basil, roughly chopped
Optional: fresh-cut chilies OR chili sauce, to taste
1-2 carrots, sliced
Preparation:
1. cook noodles acording to package directions. Allow the noodles to soften while you prepare the soup.
2. Place stock in a soup pot together with lemongrass (include left-over stalk pieces if using fresh), plus ginger, whole lime leaves, and carrots. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium. Allow to simmer while you chop up and add the remaining vegetables. Simmer until vegetables have softened but are still bright in color (about 5 minutes).
3. Reduce heat to minimum and add the coconut milk, stirring to dissolve. Finally, add the tofu, gently stirring so it doesn't fall apart.
4. Add the soy sauce. If you prefer your soup spicy, add some fresh-cut chilies OR 1-2 tsp. chili sauce - or simply serve it on the side. Do a taste test, adding more soy sauce if not salty enough. If you find the soup too salty (this depends on how salty your broth was to start with), add 1 to 2 Tbsp. lime juice. If too sour for your taste, add 1 tsp. sugar.
5. Check rice noodles to make sure they have softened enough to eat (they should be 'al dente'). Drain the noodles and portion out into bowls. Pour several ladles of soup over each bowl of noodles. Sprinkle over fresh basil, and serve with chili sauce on the side, if desired - either store-bought or my own homemade Thai Chili Sauce (Nam Prik Pao) for an extra kick of flavor and spice. ENJOY!

Autumn Cabbage Soup

Ingredients
1/2 medium head cabbage, chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
4 stalks celery, cut into cubes
1 Potato washed and cut into cubes
1/2lb Rutabaga, peeled and cubed
1 sweet onion, finely diced
4 large carrots, cut into cubes
1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes
3 cups vegetable broth
1 cup water
2 tbsp olive oil
2 bay leaves
thyme
1 tsp allspice
salt and pepper
Pinch of Cayenne Pepper
Coarse kosher salt


Preparation
In a large saucepan, combine olive oil, onion, garlic, celery, carrots and potato. Saute on low for about 15 minutes and add remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to low. Simmer for 30 minutes. Serve piping hot with a slice of your favourite Brick Street Bread.

Creamy Potato-Leek Soup

Makes a perfect cozy fall supper.
Serves 4-6
INGREDIENTS
1 tablespoon extra-virgin Olive Oil.
2 Leeks. , white and light green parts washed and sliced into 1/4-inch slices
2 cups chopped yellow Onion.
1/2 teaspoon Sea Salt.
3 cloves Garlic. , minced
2 large Potato. (about 1 pound), peeled and cubed into 1/2-inch cubes
4 cups Vegetable Stock.
2-3 teaspoons fresh rosemary leaves

1. Heat a 4-quart soup pot over medium heat and add the oil.
2. Add the leeks, onion, and sea salt and saute for about 5 minutes, stirring often, until the onion begins to turn translucent.
3. Add the garlic and stir well. Cook for 1 minute more.
4. Add the potatoes and vegetable stock, cover, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to simmer. Cook 20 minutes.
5. Remove the soup from the heat and use an immersion/stick blender to blend the soup in the pot or ladle the soup into a blender, 1 cup at a time. Blend the soup with the fresh rosemary leaves until smooth and free of chunks. Pour smooth soup into a heat-proof bowl and continue until all of the soup has been blended.
6. Transfer the blended soup back to the original soup pot and warm over low heat until heated through. Serve hot.

Serves 4 - 6.

Cilantro & Chard Soup

Makes 4 main-course servings
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 medium onions, halved lengthwise, then thinly sliced crosswise
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon turmeric
6 cups water
1/4 lb dried linguine, broken into 2-inch pieces (1 cup)
12 fresh chard leaves, stems and center ribs discarded and leaves coarsely chopped (8 cups)
1 (15- to 19-ounce) can kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro
1tsp dill
1tsp parsley
Accompaniments: sour cream; lemon wedges

Heat oil in a 4-quart wide heavy pot over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking. Add onions and salt, then reduce heat to moderate and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden, 15 to 20 minutes. Reserve 1/4 cup onion.
Add turmeric to onions in pot and cook, stirring, 1 minute. Add water and bring to a boil. Add linguine and boil, uncovered, until tender, about 10 minutes. Stir in chard and beans and simmer, stirring occasionally, until chard is tender, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in herbs, and salt and pepper to taste.
Serve soup topped with reserved onion.