Cuisine: Soup

Greek Lemon Chicken Soup

This Greek Lemon Chicken Soup is from the Silver Palate Cookbook, an old '80s standby. This is one of the cookbooks that inspired me to cook.

The most difficult part of the recipe is tempering the egg so it doesn't curdle. Otherwise, it's not much different from boiling rice and tossing in some lemon. But somehow, this soup tastes much more luscious and creamy than it has any right to be. It tastes good both hot and cold, but I prefer it hot. I have included 2 recipes, the Instant Pot version and the stovetop version.

By Leslie Blythe

Curried Carrot Soup

This Curried Carrot Soup recipe with puréed sweet carrots, curry, cashews, coconut milk, and apple is not your run of the mill carrot soup. A splash of fresh lime juice transforms this carrot soup into a sophisticated indulgence.

By Leslie Blythe

Tortilla Soup

WARNING: This is gonna be hot!

There are hundreds of recipes for tortilla soup. I found on in the Los Angeles Times years ago and have been making ever since. The first time I made this soup, I made a very big mistake. Instead of putting one chipotle chile packed in adobo sauce, I put the whole 4 ounce can of chiles in! This is REALLY not a good idea. We manage to eat it anyway…. I won’t go into details!

The reason that I like this recipe is that it is not roux* based, which makes it lower in fat. When I open a can of chipotle chiles packed in adobo sauce, I put one in the recipe. The rest I wrap individually in plastic wrap and put them in a zip-lock bag and freeze them for the next time I make soup.

*Roux is a cooked mixture of flour and a cooking fat, like butter, that is used to thicken sauces and gravies.

By Leslie Blythe

Potato, Broccoli, and Cheddar Soup

This Potato, Broccoli, and Cheddar Soup is a wonderful meal to warm you up. It's velvety and smooth and is perfect with this crusty cheesy bread.

By Leslie Blythe

Pork Ramen

Upgrade your ramen noodles and throw out those seasoning packets, which have enough sodium to make you dry up like a prune. The FDA recommends the average American consumes no more than 2,300 mg of salt per day. A package of Top Ramen’s noodles contains more than half of this. Ramen is the ultimate Japanese comfort food, and it's nowhere near as hard to make as you might think. Try these Pork Ramen noodles at home.

By Leslie Blythe

Spring Vegetable Soup

This Spring Vegetable Soup is the perfect thing to “spring clean” your diet. Fruits and Vegetables that are in-season reap the most nutritional value. This Since lima beans are difficult to find fresh, I used frozen beans. You can substitute fresh fava beans in this soup.

By Leslie Blythe

“16 Bean” Pasta e Fagioli

This “16 Bean” Pasta e Fagioli is from Ina Garten’s new cookbook, Cooking for Jeffery. Pasta e fagioli, meaning "pasta and beans", is a traditional Italian dish. Pastafazoola, a 1927 novelty song by Van and Schenck, capitalizes on the Neapolitan pronunciation in the rhyme, "Don't be a fool, eat pasta fazool", and the Dean Martin song "That's Amore" includes the rhyme "When the stars make you drool, just like pasta fazool, that's amore".

By Leslie Blythe

Chicken Noodle Soup

I have made chicken noodle soup for many sick clients over the years. There is something so cathartic about making soup.It's easy on the stomach and it is just what your body needs. Grandmother’s chicken soup was and is the ultimate cure for colds and new medical research says that chicken soup really does work just like Grandma always said it did.

By Leslie Blythe

Rangoon Racquet Club Peanut Soup

There was a time in the 70s and 80s when the cognoscenti in Beverly Hills eschewed the Polo Lounge, Bistro, et al, and headed for the real hot spot, the Rangoon Racquet Club, a restaurant reinventing the last days of the Raj with a Rodeo Drive vibe. Anglo-Indian food topped the bill of fare and the favorite starter was Peanut Soup. A silky smooth chilled soup of creamy chicken broth with creamy coconut and peanuts, this dish was served in a small cup nestled in a bed of crushed ice, with a half a lime on the side to squeeze over it before eating. The acidity of the tart lime cuts through the unctuous richness of the cream, coconut and pureed peanut and creates the perfect medley of flavors.

By Leslie Blythe

Lemony Chicken & Rice Soup

The fresh lemon juice adds a nice citrus note to this Lemony Chicken & Rice Soup. It goes really well with dark rye bread and butter. Also, this soup freezes well.

By Leslie Blythe