For saving some equipment, I was recently awarded a KitchenAid Hand Blender. So far, it has contributed to the production of hummous (ordinary, garlic, red pepper, and sun-dried tomato), mashed potatoes, and ice-blended drinks. Do readers have any other ideas for blended foods? My culinary skills are quite modest.
Given the deepening chill outside, I am hunting for recipes for thick creamy soups, possibly involving squash. Giving my abiding love of beans, blended bean recipes would also be appreciated.
Author: Milan
In the spring of 2005, I graduated from the University of British Columbia with a degree in International Relations and a general focus in the area of environmental politics. In the fall of 2005, I began reading for an M.Phil in IR at Wadham College, Oxford.
Outside school, I am very interested in photography, writing, and the outdoors. I am writing this blog to keep in touch with friends and family around the world, provide a more personal view of graduate student life in Oxford, and pass on some lessons I've learned here.
View all posts by Milan
1) Winter Squash Soup with Gruyère Croutons
2) Spicy Roasted Squash Soup with Pumpkin Seed Pesto
3) Quick Winter Squash Soup with Spicy Toasted Pumpkin Seeds
More
A lot of curry pastes are best made in a food processor, but I don’t know if a blender would suffice. I also use my food processor to make falafel & salsa (often cheaper than buying fresh salsa).
one of my faves:
saute some garlic and 1 tsp of fennel seeds in olive oil
add a can of tomatoes (28 oz, whole or diced)
stir for a couple of minutes
blend
not rich and creamy, but very very tasty. and fast.
The blender includes a food processor attachment. That’s what I have been using to make hummous.
There is a lovely carrot soup that can be blended. Make stock by boiling celery and onions (or buy a litre of organic vegetable stock). In a pan saute in olive oil one onion, 6 cloves of garlic and a 1 inch piece of ginger finely minced. Add diced carrots(8) and cook until slightly tender. Put everything in blender and puree. Bring to a gentle boil and add 1T of curry masala and grated cheddar cheese (1/2 cup) if you want the soup creamy. Serve with baked pita chips. Enjoy!
My ususal food processor go-tos are hummous, salsa, and smoothies.
Try vanilla yogurt, frozen blue berries, a couple bananas, and soy milk for a delicious, cool smoothie. I like melons, orange juice, and desert tofu for variation.
If you like beans, try this:
Black Bean Soup
* 2 cans (16 oz ea) black beans, undrained
* 1 cup chicken broth
* 1 small onion, peeled and chopped
* 1 teaspoon minced garlic
* 1 jar (16 oz.) Salsa
* 4 teaspoons lime juice
* 2 teaspoons ground cumin
* 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper (optional)
* 1/3 cup plain yogurt (optional)
* 12 fresh cilantro leaves
Place half of beans with liquid and broth in blender or food processor; cover. Blend until smooth. Coat large saucepan with nonstick cooking spray. Heat over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic; cook for 4 to 5 minutes or until onion is tender.
Add blended bean mixture, remaining beans and liquid, salsa, lime juice, cumin and crushed red pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low; cover. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 25 to 30 minutes. Serve topped with yogurt. Garnish with cilantro.
Thanks for the suggestions.
I will make a note here when I try them. I appreciate their simplicity.
Not related to blending, but related to food:
One thing I miss about Vancouver is the miso gravy at the Naam. It is so much tastier than normal gravy, and it doesn’t leave you feeling slimy afterwards.
Here is a recipe from someone who has imitated it:
Mix all ingredients except flour and water in a small saucepan. Heat on medium until just before boiling. Turn the heat down, mix the flour and water together well until smooth, then slowly add to the gravy while whisking gently. Continue to stir until the gravy reaches a good thickness, then serve.
I am a big fan of immersion blenders, and the model you have in particular. Immersion blenders are especially good for soup:
The first basic choice is “is this a clear soup or a cream soup?”
if clear: choose what’s going in, put some oil or butter in the pan, saute the aromatics (onion, garlic, celery, etc) to soften and add whatever will take the longest to cook (potatoes usually first), then add liquid (tomatoes in can with liquid, stock, water and bouillon), add a bit of rice if using, bring to a boil and lower to simmer. cook adding veggies as it goes along from the longest to cook to the shortest to cook. Or if you’re going to blend it all together and you’re feeling lazy you can just put everything in at the beginning. When it’s cooked (veggies al dente or soft, depending how you like them. Rice usually takes ~20mins of simmering to cook, brown rice more like 50) get that blender out and have at her. NOTE: take the pot off the heat before blending! ideally wait a couple minutes for things to cool. also you don’t have to make everything creamy smooth. sometimes it’s nice to pour out half the soup into another container and only blend half, that way the soup is thick but still has nice chunky bits.
If cream: Start by making a roux. Put a pot on medium/medium-low heat. You’ll need equal amounts of fat and flour. I usually use earth balance (vegan margarine) but butter or margarine or even olive or peanut oil would work. You can do this two ways:put the flour in the pan first and still it around for a couple minutes until it has a slightly toasted smell, or put the fat in first. either way you combine the fat and flour in the pan and mix it into a paste-ish thing. (You’ll want to use between a tablespoon and 1/4 cup of each, depending on how much soup you’re making) one the paste is well mixed, golden brown and doesn’t smell like raw flour anymore start adding your liquid. this could be broth, stock, milk, tomato juice, cooking liquid from some vegetables, whatever. Add just a little bit at first and mix it into the roux, when that’s incorporated, add another bit, continuing until all the liquid is incorporated. The slower and more bit-by-bit you do this the less lumps you’ll have. (SIDENOTE: this is a great basic way to make gravy. Make a roux, add your stock and some herbs and spices, maybe some sauteed mushrooms and some mushroom broth. cook it until it reaches your desired thickness. Tada! Gravy.) Ok now add whatever you’re putting in your soup, as before. if you are using milk (animal or soy, or rice or nut…) don’t bring the soup to a boil, it won’t turn out well. One option is to use stock originally and then add some milk/cream/whatever nearer to the end.
So yeah, that’s the basics of soup.
Hilary,
You have a truly impressive knowledge of soup. Thanks for sharing it.
baba ghanouj is a favourite at my house.
roast three eggplants in the oven until they’re quite visibly wilted (maybe about 45 min at 350F), peel them (carefully, they’re hot!) and squeeze out all of the bitter juices (i usually place them one at a time in a bowl and press down over the sink with a second bowl).
add a generous measure of tahini, olive oil, salt, pepper, some chili flakes if you like, something green (chopped parsley is fine), crushed garlic and maybe a quarter of a minced onion. then, take your hand blender and go at it until it’s pretty smooth.
it’s generally best served at room temperature, but i usually don’t have the patience to wait for it to cool.
add some pita and a sliced tomato and maybe a bit of feta cheese on the side and you’ve got a fantastic meal. perfect when you’re tired of hummus.
also, try this with some steamed pumpkin or butternut squash meat…perhaps with some garam masala too. i tried this once as a stuffing for mushroom caps, but i bet it’s just as tasty on its own.
Roasted Butternut Squash-Yam-Lentil Soup
Preheat your oven to 375 F
Cut some butternut squash and yam (orange sweet potato) into chunks. Use about equal amount of each. Put the chunks of squash/yam into a roasting pan. Cut an onion into quarters or eighths, add it to the pan. Peel some cloves of garlic and throw them in whole. Drizzle (olive) oil over the top and toss to coat. (You can also put some salt if you like.) Place the pan in the oven and roast for 30-45mins, stirring it up every 10 to 20 mins. Check for “doneness” when you stir. Turn off the oven when everything’s roasted, you won’t need it again.
Put your biggest pot on the stove. (Better to have a pot that’s too big than one that’s too small…) Dump all the stuff from the roasting pan into the pot. Drain and rinse a can of lentils and dump those in the pot. Add water&bouillon or stock until covered. Add some curry powder. BLEND BABY BLEND!!!!!!! The ‘soup’ will probably be so thick you could stand a spoon straight up in it. So, add water or stock until it reaches your desired consistency. Simmer on medium-low heat for as long as you want, making sure to stir it from time to time so the bottom doesn’t burn.
Eat. (Maybe with some crusty bread. Or with chopsticks if you decided not to thin it out at all…..)
You could also make this soup with other root vegetables, or perhaps with other beans, or perhaps with other spices. You could even make a totally different soup.
(I think the stuff I’m posting seems complicated, but I swear it’s not. I think it’s just because I’m describing every step in detail…)