Filtering by Tag: Soups,Private Dining

Roasted Cauliflower Soup with White Truffle Oil

Features Ask Chef Nicole Soups healthy Recipe Comfort Food

Nicole Straight

Uh....It has white truffle oil in it. Need we say more? 

 

Roasted Cauliflower Soup with White Truffle Oil

½ onion finely chopped

2 Tbs. olive oil

1½ C. cauliflower florets

5 C. (40 oz.) chicken stock

1 Tbs. smoked salt (Penzey’s in Norwalk sells one and Whole Foods sells a delicious Chardonnay smoked fleur de sel)

cracked black pepper

¼ c. chives for garnish

truffle oil


Soup's On!! 17 Bean & Barley Soup Mix from Trader Joe's

Features Ask Chef Nicole Soups Recipe Kid Friendly

Nicole Straight

Soup season is upon us bringing to the table a plethora of wonderful Fall dinner options. I am always on the hunt for interesting new contenders for my weekly line-up, so I jumped on a tip from a friend who recommended that I check out the 17 Bean & Barley Mix from Trader Joe’s.

The bag's ingredient list has an interesting assortment of, you guessed it, 17 types of barley and dried beans, including black eyed peas, pinto, lentils and navy. You would certainly enjoy this bean mix up straight, but I decided to throw in some added protein and a little varied flavor with the help of some smoked turkey wings, (although you could use a ham hock or bacon as well).

Here’s my recipe for Hearty Bean & Smoked Turkey Soup.  This soup can also be made vegetarian by omitting the turkey and using vegetable stock. It is a simple weeknight entree everyone will enjoy. 


Ask Chef Nicole: Curried Butternut Squash Soup

Ask Chef Nicole Soups Recipe Farm Fresh

Nicole Straight

Local CT farms are long on butternut squash these days so it is readily and inexpensively available at all your local farm stands and markets. This fruit has a wonderful sweet creamy consistency and nutty flavor, thus lending itself nicely to soups without requiring added fat or sweetener. 

When you are selecting your squash, look for fruit that feels heavy for its size and has a nice hard, deep colored skin free of blemishes. The more orange the skin color, the riper and sweeter the squash. 

This is a very simple recipe that has great nuance from the curry, cumin, and lime zest. It has become a mainstay in my household every Fall. 

 

Curried Butternut Squash Soup Recipe