By Emily Moore, JTNews Correspondent
One of my favorite Jewish culinary legends and cookbook authors is Jennie Grossinger, kitchen maven in the 1940s and ‘50s at the famous Grossinger’s Catskill Mountains resort. She begins the section on soups in her classic cookbook, The Art of Jewish Cooking, with the simple statement: “No Jewish-style meal is complete without a soup.” While our current view of a “Jewish-style meal” may be wildly different from the traditional Ashkenazic stuffed derma, veal breast or boiled flanken of Jennie’s era (nowadays think vegetarian Chinese take-out or spicy homemade Thai), the comfort and allure of our fabulous Jewish soups keeps them central in our cuisine and in our kitchens.
It’s possible that most cooks think of most borschts as variations on a beet theme: deep burgundy-red pools of soup in chilled bowls with a snowy sour cream float; or hot, hearty wine-colored broth with shreds of cabbage and tomato and redolent of dill. Our family’s version was cold and shocking pink: beet broth mixed with sour cream, hard-boiled egg, green onion and soft shards of shredded beet. As a kid, I could never bring myself to eat it, although now I’m sure it was quite delicious!
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My grown-up favorite is both vegetarian and beet-less, basically a hearty winter Russian-style cabbage borscht so full of flavors and vegetables it’s more like a full-bowl meal, and by the second or third day it’s even better.
Russian Borscht to Warm Your Soul
This recipe makes more than 10 servings; halve it for a meal for 6.
3 lbs. new potatoes (Yukon or Yellow Finns if available), divided
3 med. onions, peeled and sliced thin, divided
5 carrots, peeled and roughly grated
2 med. parsnips, peeled and roughly grated
2 lbs. green cabbage, cored and shredded
2 cans peeled tomatoes (one 28 oz. and one 14 oz.), whole or diced.
Chop roughly if whole
6 to 8 cloves garlic, smashed and peeled
1/2 cup margarine or butter (if preparing for dairy meals)
3/4 cup flour
1/2 bottle dry white wine (optional)
Tie up in cheesecloth:
2 bay leaves
1 whole clove
5 whole allspice berries
1/2 Tbs. whole peppercorns
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
1/2 cup lemon juice
1 cup orange juice
plus grated rind of one orange
1/2–1 cup brown sugar
3 Tbs. caraway or dill seed, or dried dill weed
2 Tbs. dried thyme leaves, or 4 sprigs fresh, if available
2 Tbs. kosher salt or to taste
Peel and cut half the potatoes into one-inchcubes. Cook in 6 cups of salted water until tender. Set aside, reserving the potatoes and the water.
Meanwhile, melt the butter or margarine in a large (6-quart) stockpot. Add half the onions, the carrots and the parsnips and cook over medium heat, stirring often till wilted and golden, about 15 to 20 minutes.
Add the garlic, stir a couple of times, then add the flour and cook for 5 minutes, stirring to coat the vegetables well.
When the flour is bubbling, stir in the white wine (if using), the cooked potatoes and their water, the tomatoes (not drained) and the cabbage. Stir well to dissolve the flour.
Add the spices in cheesecloth, and the thyme, caraway or dill, salt and enough water to cover the vegetables. Bring to a boil over medium heat and, if you want a really thick and hearty soup, peel and grate in the remaining potatoes.
Cook at a simmer for 45 minutes to one hour. When the vegetables are soft, add the lemon juice, orange juice and rind, the vinegar and the sugar.
Simmer for 20 more minutes and taste to adjust the seasoning, adding more salt, lemon juice, vinegar, sugar or herb flavorings according to your taste. You can simmer the borscht another 20 to 30 minutes to blend the flavors.
Serve as is or garnished with sour cream or yogurt for a dairy meal.
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One soup I feel I must share with you is a variation on Molly Katzen’s “Not-Chicken Soup,” from her Still Life with Menu cookbook. Originally created for vegetarian seders, this is a soup you can use with matzoh balls, as a foil for lentils and split peas, as a base for seafood and meat stews or as a vegetarian stock. In our household, my boyfriend has perfected a slightly more “earthy” version of Ms. Katzen’s wonderful offering and we make it often in all seasons.
“New” Not-Chicken Soup
by Molly Katzen and Mark Solomon
Makes about 2 quarts
8 cups water
2 tsp. kosher salt
1 5” piece of parsnip, peeled and cut into 1” chunks
2 large carrots, peeled and cut into 1” chunks
2 medium onions, peeled cut into eighths
8 to 10 medium-sized garlic cloves, peeled and halved
2 stalks celery, coarsely chopped
2 scallions, cut in 2” lengths
10 to 12 mushrooms, cleaned and dark stems trimmed
10 sprigs parsley, washed
1/2 tsp. turmeric
black or ground white pepper to taste
Combine all ingredients in a large soup pot. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer, partially covered, for 1-1/4 hours. Turn off heat and let the soup cool to room temperature.
Strain out and discard all the vegetables.
Chill or freeze and re-heat to use in any of the applications described above — or in any ways you like! Enjoy!
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From Tel Aviv — via one of the wonderful and undisputed queens of Jewish cooking, Joan Nathan — comes a very simple eggplant soup done in the Romanian style. It’s smoky, hearty and reminds me of many of the roasted eggplant soups that have come from the kitchens of my restaurants. This is sort of like hot, creamy baba ghanouj in a soup bowl, layered with cool yogurt.
romanian Eggplant Soup with Yogurt
Makes 6 servings
3 large eggplants
3 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
3 to 4 cups vegetable broth
(or Not-Chicken Soup!), heated
1 to 2 tsp. white vinegar (cider vinegar or lemon juice will also do the trick)
1 Tbs. sugar
Kosher salt to taste
Freshly ground pepper to taste
1 cup plain yogurt
Roast the eggplants over an open flame or under the broiler, turning often with tongs until they are charred and blackened on all sides. While the eggplants are still hot, place them in a plastic bag to steam for about 15 minutes. This will finish the cooking and loosen the skins.
Cut the eggplants open and scrape the flesh away from the skin. Shake the pulp in a colander to remove excess liquid; discard the skins.
Place the pulp and the garlic in the bowl of a food processor and blend until smooth.
Add 2 cups of the hot stock, puree 3 or 4 minutes more and then pass through a strainer into a medium-sized soup pot.
Whisk in another cup or more of stock to bring the soup to a creamy consistency.
Flavor with vinegar, sugar, salt and pepper to taste.
To serve, put a small ladleful of soup into each bowl, add a couple of dollops of yogurt, add another ladle of soup, dollop in yogurt and repeat the layers until the bowls are full.
The soup will keep frozen about 2 months.
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Winter gives us the best excuse to make rich, meaty stews and casseroles — why not a fragrant, meaty Jewish goulash soup? It takes about three hours to cook, but the process is quite simple and you’ll fill the house with great smells the whole time! This is a 19th-century adaptation of the Hungarian stew; the recipe itself is very old and has wandered with families of Jews throughout Europe for a couple of centuries. So, the possible variations are truly surprising and fun;
I list them at the end of the recipe.
Jewish Goulash Soup
Makes 6 servings
1 large onion, chopped
2 Tbs. vegetable oil
1-1/2 Tbs. paprika (use sweet, mild or hot, depending on your taste)
1-1/2 lbs stewing beef, chuck or shin, cut into 3/4” cubes
1 clove garlic, smashed and halved
2 tsp. kosher salt, or to taste
9 cups hot water or meat or vegetable stock (more or less)
2 lbs. potatoes, cut in 3/4” cubes
3 tomatoes, peeled and chopped or 4 canned plum tomatoes, chopped
1 Tbs. brown sugar
1 Tbs. cornstarch dissolved in 2 Tbs. cold water
Heat the oil in a large soup pot with a lid. Add the onion and cook until golden.
Stir in the paprika, cook 1 minute and add the cubes of beef.
Sprinkle with salt and brown on one side for 2 or 3 minutes, then turn over and brown on the other side.
Add 3 cups of water, turn down the heat, cover, and let simmer over low heat for 1-1/2 hours.
Add the potatoes and tomatoes and 5 more cups of water. Simmer slowly for another hour or until the meat is very, very tender.
Stir in the dissolved cornstarch and bring the soup back to a gentle boil to thicken slightly.
Add the brown sugar and salt and pepper to taste. If too thick, thin with a little stock or water.
Additions and variations:
Add chile powder to increase the heat
Use 2 more cloves of garlic and 1/2 tsp. of caraway seeds with the meat (Viennese style)
Add kidney beans or pasta to the soup in addition to — or instead of — the potatoes
Add sauerkraut or cabbage with the vegetables
Add red or green peppers with the potatoes
Use lemon juice and zest for accent, or add red wine vinegar
Season with dried or fresh marjoram
Garnish with diced pickled cucumbers
Garnish with sliced sausage or cooked chicken liver