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Winnipeg Free Press - PRINT EDITION

Easy, economical, healthy soup

By: Alison Gillmor

Posted: 02/8/2012 1:00 AM | Comments: 0 (including replies)

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Light broccoli soup (WINNIPEG FREE PRESS)

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Thick and hearty red lentil soup (WINNIPEG FREE PRESS)

THIS week we have more soup, and I have to say, whenever I make soup I wonder why I don't make it all the time. It's easy, economical, healthy and there's such a range of flavours. This week we have a hearty beef and lentil soup from Helen Pitura and a creamy broccoli soup from Beausejour's Edna Mroz.

We have a request in for vegan baking recipes -- that means without eggs or dairy products, which can be a bit of a challenge. If you can help with a recipe request, have your own request, or a favourite recipe you'd like to share, send an email to recipeswap@freepress.mb.ca, fax it to 697-7412, or write to Recipe Swap, c/o Alison Gillmor, Winnipeg Free Press, 1355 Mountain Ave., Winnipeg, MB, R2X 3B6. Please include your first and last name, address and telephone number.

Thick and hearty red lentil soup

500 ml (2 cups) whole red lentils

75 ml (1/3 cup) pot barley

2.5 L (about 9-10 cups) reduced-sodium beef broth

450 g (1 lb) lean ground beef

1 large onion, chopped

2 carrots, chopped

2 celery stalks, chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

1x798 ml can (1x28 oz can) diced tomatoes, with juices

2 ml (1/2 tsp) salt

1 ml (1/4 tsp) pepper

dash cayenne pepper

1 bay leaf

In a large pot, combine lentils, barley and beef broth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and simmer for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, in a large pan, brown the ground beef, breaking up with a spoon, until no pink remains. Add drained beef, onion, carrots, celery, garlic, tomatoes and seasonings to the stock pot. Bring to a boil and simmer, stirring occasionally and breaking up tomatoes with a spoon, until vegetables are tender and soup has thickened. Remove bay leaf before serving.

Tester's notes: This is a very satisfying soup with robust flavours. Helen writes that you can enjoy it as a main dish, and it would make a great supper with biscuits or maybe corn bread. I used split red lentils because I happened to have some on hand, and they worked out well.

Light broccoli soup

1 bunch broccoli (about 450 g or 1 lb)

1 onion, chopped

500 ml (2 cups) potatoes, peeled and sliced

1 garlic clove, minced

375 ml (1 1/2 cups) chicken stock or water

2 ml (1/2 tsp) dried thyme

1 ml (1/4 tsp) pepper

375 ml (1 1/2 cups) whole milk

salt to taste

Separate broccoli into florets. Peel any tough skin from the stems and chop coarsely. In a large pot, combine broccoli, onion, potatoes, garlic, stock, thyme and pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium to medium-low, cover and simmer for about 10 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Puree soup in batches in a blender or food processor until smooth, return to pot and add milk. Heat through without boiling, and add salt to taste.

Testers notes: This tasty vegetable soup is creamy but not too rich, getting its silkiness from the potatoes rather than a lot of cream. I needed a bit more than 375 ml of stock to cover the vegetables, but that didn't seem to be a problem. I used my immersion stick blender to puree the soup, because the cleanup is easier, but I had to be very careful not to let the hot liquid splatter. You could serve garnished with croutons or a little grated cheese.

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition February 8, 2012 C5

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