50 Simple Soups for the Slow Cooker (2 page)

All recipes in this book were tested in the 7-quart slow cooker.
This means that if you are using a smaller slow cooker, your recipes may take a little longer to cook than the times recommended in the book.
The slow cooker is a very forgiving tool, and while you may have to watch closely at first to see how long the recipes take in your own slow cooker, the cooker times should be fairly accurate. I would caution you that different manufacturers and different sizes, however, can sometimes make a difference in cooking times, so keep your eye on the pot, and if something does not seem to be done by the time it should be (according to the recipe), just keep on cooking.

Handheld Immersion Blender

Here’s a tool I wouldn’t want to be without. Gone are the days when soup or sauce instructions read “puree in batches in your blender.” I don’t know about you, but I always managed to puree unevenly and slop stuff all over the kitchen counter. With a handheld immersion blender, pureeing a soup is but the work of a minute or two. You just hold the head of the blender underneath the surface of the soup (this is very important because if you let the head pop up above the surface, you’ll splatter soup everywhere) and move it from spot to spot until the whole pot full of soup has been pureed to the texture you desire.

Spice Grinder

Many of the recipes in this book call for whole spices that are ground just before you use them on the principle that the spices will taste brighter and fresher if ground just before using, just like the pepper that is ground fresh over your salad at table. This may sound like a lot of work at first, but once you’ve got a system, the rest is easy. I nearly always buy spices whole and in bulk and store them in the freezer. When I want a little freshly ground cinnamon or a spice blend, I simply pull the spices out of the freezer and grind them up in an electric mill or by hand in a mortar and pestle. Either one works well. Within the last year, the ever-inventive folks at
Cuisinart
have come out with a spice and nut grinder made exclusively for this task. It has a heavy-duty stainless-steel blade designed especially for grinding spices and nuts, a dishwasher-safe bowl, and a plastic lid for storing spices in the bowl in case you grind more than you need. (I often store any leftover spice blends in clean baby food jars.) In addition, the booklet that comes with it has some great recipes in it: red chile powder, five-spice powder, chai (for tea), a curry blend, and a blend for pad thai noodles.

You could also use a coffee grinder devoted solely to
spice
grinding. I recommend using separate grinders for coffee and spices because the oils responsible for giving both coffee and spices their unique flavors and aromas will eventually leave residues in the grinder. So unless you enjoy the slight smell of cardamom or cumin in your coffee, devote a grinder to each purpose. When all else fails or if you are truly pressed for time, feel free to substitute commercially ground spices for the whole spices I’ve recommended in the recipes. Substituting 1 teaspoon of whole spice for 1 teaspoon of ground spice should get you close enough!

Preparing a Dish and Minimizing Your Work

Those of us who work a nine-to-five job rarely have time to do the prep work required for a soup before going to work in the morning. And while most of the recipes in this book require very little
preparation
other than browning
onions
, chopping vegetables, and grinding spices, all of these tasks can be done ahead of time to save stress and strain in the morning before you leave for work.

Ingredients can always be chopped up ahead of time and stored overnight in the refrigerator in plastic bags for easy assembly of a dish in the morning. Onions can even be browned and stored ahead of time, and spices can be ground and stored in plastic bags (or in a pinch, you can use already ground spices). Then in the morning, you can consign everything to the pot and turn it on before you walk out the door.

Cooking Times

You’ll find that recipes in this book are fairly evenly divided among 4, 6, and 8-hour cooking times, with a slight emphasis on the 8-hour soups. It is my contention that while the 8-hour cooking time serves us on days when we must be away from home for long periods of time, there are also days when 4 hours with your hands free is just what you need. I, for instance, teach yoga classes, and I am rarely in a mood to cook when I return home after an evening class. I
can
, however, put something in the slow cooker before I go out to class and then come home to a hot soup or meal. I even wrote an article for the November 2010 issue of
Yoga Journal
on how to effectively use the slow cooker to support your yoga practice using a variety of cooking times!

Freezing Soups

One of the great joys of making a big pot of soup is that you often have leftovers to freeze. I frequently freeze individual portions of soup in small plastic containers or glass jars. It’s great to be able to pull out an individual portion of soup when you’re really hungry and too tired to cook. While many of the soups in this book freeze well, potato soups generally do not, so plan to consume them on the spot. And when
freezing
soups that require the addition of cream, milk, or cheese, try freezing the basic soup first, then adding the dairy only after the soup has been thawed and reheated.

Most soups should be good in the freezer for 4 to 6 months, tops, though I think using them within a month of freezing would be best.
Reheating food
in the slow cooker is
not
recommended because of food safety issues such as the possibility for bacterial growth. So, always reheat your soups in the microwave or on the stovetop.

Recipe Yield

In most cases, the recipes here are designed to yield 6 to 8 cups of soup. This should feed 4 to 6 people comfortably, depending upon the size of the serving. You will want a more generous serving of soup for a main course, for instance, than you will for a first course. And there is always the option of serving just a “taste” of soup to guests at a party as an appetizer, in which case a full recipe of soup will go a much longer way. In a couple of cases, as noted in the recipe, the recipe will serve more.

Serves 4 to 6

Although we generally think of them as a favorite Japanese food, adzuki beans are believed to have been domesticated in the Himalayas several thousand years ago. By 1,000 B.C. they appeared in China, then later in Japan, where today they are second only to soybeans. They are small and cook quickly, and the tannins in their skins give the soup added color and flavor. This light soup is perfect for those occasions when you want to take the edge off the appetite without stuffing to the gills, or when you want a lot of broth with just a little bit of substance to it. You could also add some small cubes of tofu for extra protein.

Rinse the adzuki beans thoroughly, then place them in a 7-quart slow cooker along with the water and miso. Stir.

Cover and cook on LOW for about 4 hours, or until the beans are tender. Add the tofu and continue cooking for 15 minutes longer, or until the tofu is hot.

Ladle the soup into bowls. Top each bowl with the sliced scallions and serve.

Serves 6 to 8

Ahhh . . . I love this stuff. This is not your ordinary chili but reflects the rich combinations of ingredients found in real Mexican cuisine. You might even think of it as a bean mole, since it combines many of the spices and ingredients, including both chile powder and cocoa powder, usually found in mole poblano. It’s got guts and flavor, and I love it with or without the
cornbread
crust. It’s best sprinkled with lots of cheese, sliced olives,
scallions
, and
cilantro
.

Rinse the beans thoroughly and place them, along with the water, in a 7-quart slow cooker.

In a spice mill or mortar and pestle, grind the allspice, cinnamon, cumin, coriander, and aniseed. Add the spices, along with the tomatoes, onion, garlic, bell peppers, oregano, chile powder, and cocoa powder to the beans. Cover and cook on LOW for 6 to 8 hours, until the beans are tender.

Turn the slow cooker up to HIGH.

To make the crust, in a food processor, pulse the cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt until thoroughly mixed. Add the eggs, vegetable oil, and buttermilk and pulse until the liquid ingredients are thoroughly mixed in with the dry.

Spread the cornbread mixture over the top of the chili, or drop large spoonfuls around the surface of the chili, and continue cooking on HIGH with the lid slightly ajar for 1 hour longer, or until a toothpick inserted into the crust comes out clean.

Ladle the soup into bowls. Top each bowl with a dollop of sour cream and a sprinkling of scallions, olives, and cilantro.

Serves 4 to 6

Avgolemono is a traditional
Greek
chicken and lemon soup that rarely contains anything but chicken, lemon, eggs, and sometimes rice or onion. I know of few soups that are as redolent with the flavor of lemon—not just a hint, but a real serious draft of lemon. It requires more work than most of the recipes in this book but is well worth the extra effort. Avgolemono makes a great lunch, a first course, or a light supper in itself. The addition of
spinach
is mine, just for color and the flavor of spring. This is one soup that I would not attempt to reheat, as the egg is likely to curdle in a microwave or over a direct flame.

Rinse the rice thoroughly and place it, along with the water, onion, and celery in a 5 to 7-quart slow cooker. Stir.

Cover and cook on LOW for 4 to 5 hours, until the rice is tender.

Using a handheld mixer on medium speed, beat the eggs in a large bowl until quite frothy, then, with the mixer running, slowly drizzle in the lemon juice, followed by the olive oil.

Slowly add a ladle of broth, stirring constantly, to the lemon and egg mixture. If you hold a dipper or measuring cup full of broth above the mixing bowl and pour the broth in a slow, steady stream, you will avoid curdling the eggs.

Slowly add the lemon and broth mixture back into the soup, stirring constantly. Add the spinach and salt and pepper to taste. Let the soup stand until it begins to thicken, just a few minutes. If you allow the soup to boil or you let it stand for very long, the eggs will curdle.

Ladle the soup into bowls. Garnish with the chopped dill and serve immediately.

Serves 4 to 6

Mention black bean soup to most Americans and they form a mental image that we all pretty much share: black beans, ham hocks, celery, carrots, onions, and thyme, or some variation on this theme. But here’s a black bean soup with an Asian twist. The coconut milk adds a touch of sweetness and richness to the soup and makes it appeal to both kids and adults. Serve the soup as is, or puree the ingredients.

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.