Soup and Salad Recipes:
Ethnic Soups

Quick Chinese Egg Drop Soup
Hot and Sour Soup
Gaisburger Marsch (Brisket of Beef Soup/Stew)
Nigerian Peanut Soup
Tunisian Tomato Soup with Chickpeas and Lentils
Zuppa di Vongole
Thai Style Chicken, Cellophane Noodle and Straw Mushroom Soup
Pungent Thai Sauce For Soups
Rabbit and Ancho Chile Soup with Blue Corn Tortillas
Rabbit Stock

Quick Chinese Egg Drop Soup

Makes 6 servings

Ingredients:

4 cups seasoned chicken broth
1/2 cup frozen green peas
1 egg, beaten
2 to 3 green onions, finely diced

Preparation:

Bring broth and peas to boil in large saucepan. Slowly add egg to boiling broth, stirring constantly. Sprinkle with onions. Serve hot.

Note: You can also add sliced mushrooms to this.

Source: Cynthia Bowan

Hot and Sour Soup

This is an authentic Taiwanese dish, from a Chef friend of mine.

Ingredients:

1/2 pound finely shredded pork or chicken
vegetable oil
1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
2 cloves minced garlic
2 teaspoons chopped green onion
2 tablespoons cooking sherry
2 cups chicken broth
1 can straw mushrooms, drained
1 small can bamboo shoots, drained
2 small blocks plain firm tofu
2 teaspoons cider vinegar
white pepper
dark soy sauce
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1 tablespoon cold water
2 eggs, lightly beaten
sesame oil

Preparation:

Heat a wok or skillet. When hot, add a small bit of oil. Cook meat in hot oil until done. Drain and set aside. Reheat wok, add 1 tablespoon oil. Season with ginger and garlic, stirring well. Add sherry and broth. add bamboo and tofu, which should be cut into small pieces. Bring to a boil.

Flavor soup with vinegar (which gives you the sour) and white pepper (which gives you the hot). Add enough soy sauce to give a nice brown color. Flavor with salt.

Mix cornstarch and water. Bring soup to boil again. Slowly pour in cornstarch. Stir until soup becomes creamy, using a circular motion. Slowly and evenly pour in beaten eggs. Do not stir again until the egg comes to the surface.

Add a small amount of sesame oil for extra flavor and added color. Add mushrooms and onion, heat and serve.

Source: Cynthia Bowan

Gaisburger Marsch (Brisket of Beef Soup/Stew)

Ingredients:

1 pound brisket of beef
1 pound soup (stewing) bones
5 ounces celery
1 small root of parsley
1 to 2 leeks
1/2 onion
1 bay leaf
3 cloves
peppercorns
salt
1/2 pound potatoes
1 to 2 ounces butter or margarine
3 onions
6 to 8 ounces cooked egg noodles

Preparation:

Place meat and bones in a saucepan and cover with water.  Bring to a boil.  Remove froth.  Clean vegetables and add to stock.  Stir in herbs and spices.  Cook for 90 minutes. 

Peel potatoes, wash and cut into small cubes.  Cook potatoes separately in salted water.  Drain when tender.  Remove meat and bones from stock.  Dice meat.  Strain stock. 

Melt butter or margarine in a pan, add sliced onions and braise until golden brown.  Alternately put meat, potatoes, and boiled noodles in a soup tureen layer by layer.  Cover with hot stock.  Sprinkle with braised onions before serving.

Source: Herb Wetenkamp

Nigerian Peanut Soup

Makes 2 servings

Ingredients:

2 packets instant chicken broth and seasoning mix
2 cups water
1 1/2 small, dried green chile pepper, finely chopped
1/4 cup diced green bell pepper
1/4 cup dices onion
3 tablespoons chunky-style peanut butter

Preparation:

In 1-quart saucepan dissolve broth mix in water; add chile peppers and bring mixture to a boil. Stir in bell pepper and onion and return to a boil.

Reduce heat to low, cover, and let simmer until vegetables are tender, about 10 minutes. Reduce heat to lowest possible temperature; add peanut butter and cook, stirring constantly, until peanut butter is melted and mixture is well blended.

Source: Chef David Nelson

Tunisian Tomato Soup with Chickpeas and Lentils

It seems like an ordinary list of ingredients, but when they are combined in this very satisfying soup, the flavors transcend the sum of their parts.

Makes 6 servings (maybe a little more)

Ingredients:

1 cup uncooked chickpeas, soaked overnight (or 1 to 2 15-ounce cans chickpeas)
1 cup uncooked lentils (any kind), rinsed and picked over
1 cinnamon stick
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 cups minced onion
2 tablespoons minced garlic
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon turmeric
11/2 teaspoons cumin seeds
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 to 3 bay leaves
1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
black pepper and cayenne to taste
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (or to taste)

Optional Toppings:

Yogurt
Minced fresh parsley or mint
A few currants

Preparation:

Place the soaked, uncooked chickpeas in a large pot and cover with water by 3 inches. Bring to a boil, lower heat to a simmer, partially cover and cook for 1 hour. (If you're using canned chickpeas, rinse and drain them and set them aside.)

Add the lentils and cinnamon stick, partially cover again and cook for another 30 minutes, or until the chickpeas and lentils are perfectly tender, but not mushy. (If you're using canned chickpeas, just cook the lentils with the cinnamon stick in 7 cups water until tender-about 30 minutes.)

Remove and discard the cinnamon stick, and drain the legumes, saving the water.

Meanwhile, heat the oil in a soup pot or Dutch oven. Add the onion, garlic, salt, turmeric, cumin seeds, ground cumin and bay leaves and sauté over medium heat for 5 to 8 minutes, or until the onions are soft.

Add 6 cups of water (including the reserved cooking water from the lentils) and the tomatoes and bring to a boil. Lower the heat to a simmer, partially cover, and cook for another 15 minutes or so. (The timing does not need to be exact.) Fish out and discard the bay leaves.

Stir in the chickpeas and lentils and cook for only about 5 minutes longer, so the legumes won't become mushy. Season to taste with black pepper, cayenne and lemon juice.

Serve hot, topped with some yogurt, a sprinkling of parsley or mint and currants, if desired.

Notes:

Streamline the preparation time by chopping the onions, mincing the garlic and sautéing them with the seasonings while the legumes cook.

This soup freezes well if stored in an airtight container.

Preparation time: About 80 minutes with dried chickpeas; 50 minutes with canned chickpeas (25 minutes of work either way).

Source: Mollie Katzen

Zuppa di Vongole

Like so many Italian soups, this one is very thick and we would be inclined to call the dish, clams in tomato sauce.

Ingredients:

4 1/2 to 5 pounds of baby clams (you can use mahogany clams or little necks)
salt and pepper
2/3 cup of olive oil
2 cloves of garlic
4 sprigs of flat Italian parsley rinsed dried and coarsely chopped
1 pound ripe tomatoes peeled and coarsely chopped
slices of toasted bread

Preparation:

Wash and dry the clams and soak them in cold, salted water for about 30 minutes to allow any remaining sand to fall to the bottom of the bowl.

Rinse thoroughly in a colander under running water.

Heat the oil in a large heavy pan and sauté 1 clove of the garlic, crushed, until it browns. Discard it. Add the remaining garlic chopped and the parsley.

Fry over very low heat for 2 to 3 minutes, then add the tomatoes.

Season with salt and raise heat to moderate and cook for 15 minutes. Add the clams and lower the heat again and cook for about 10 minutes, or until the shells have opened and the clams are ready.

Sprinkle with freshly ground pepper. Serve immediately over slices of toasted rustic Italian bread.

Source: Chef Giovanni Astronomo

Thai Style Chicken, Cellophane Noodle and Straw Mushroom Soup

This wonderfully pungent soup can be made with almost any cooked poultry.

Makes 6 servings

Ingredients:

1 batch of Pungent Thai Sauce For Soups (recipe follows)
1 1/2 cups cooked chicken meat
3 1/2 cups game chicken stock
1 14 oz. can straw mushrooms
1 1/2 ounces cellophane noodles
8 each baby carrots, sliced thinly
1 stalk celery, thinly sliced on a bias
2 teaspoons red bell peppers, small dice
2 teaspoons red onions, diced
1 each scallions, thinly sliced

Preparation:

Prepare the Pungent Sauce (Recipe Below) the day before

Place the cooked chicken meat in a bowl. Pour 2 tbsp. of the Pungent Sauce over the meat and stir to
coat. Allow to marinate for an hour or so.

Open the can of mushrooms and add the broth to the stock, bring both to a boil in a soup pot .

Once boiling, add the cellophane noodle and fresh vegetable and boil for about 8 minutes or until the noodles succumb to the tooth.

Add the mushrooms. Lift the meat out of the bowl with a slotted spoon and add it to the stock.

Bring the soup back to a boil and remove from the heat. Stir and taste.

You can adjust the intensity of the soup by adding some, or all, of the Pungent Sauce.

Serve this soup in clear bowls if you have them. Serve some of the sauce on the table so your guests can add as much heat as they like.

Pungent Thai Sauce For Soups

Serves 4

Ingredients:

1 teaspoon garlic, finely chopped
1/2 cup Rose's Lime Juice
3 teaspoons cayenne pepper
3 tablespoons fish sauce
2 tablespoons soy sauce
6 teaspoons sugar

Preparation:

Combine the ingredients in a bowl and whisk to incorporate.

Source: Chef David Nelson

Rabbit and Ancho Chile Soup with Blue Corn Tortillas

You can easily substitute a chicken in this recipe

Makes 6 servings

Ingredients:

1 quart rabbit stock  (recipe below)
1/2 cup V-8 juice
1/8 teaspoon white vinegar
1/2 cup tomatoes, chopped
1/2 large jalapeño pepper, ribs and seeds removed
2 tablespoons green bell peppers, chopped
2 tablespoons red bell peppers, chopped
2 tablespoons cilantro, chopped
1/2 cup red onions, chopped
1/8 teaspoon garlic, chopped
2 teaspoons Ancho chile powder
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 pinch white pepper, to taste
8 ounces jack cheese, grated
10 ounces rabbit, boneless, cooked (see rabbit stock recipe)
30 blue corn tortilla chips

Preparation:

Combine the first thirteen ingredients in a two-quart stockpot and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a low simmer and cook for 30 minutes or until vegetables are tender but firm.

To assemble the soup for consumption you will need six 10-12 ounce soup bowls. In the bottom of each put two ounces of rabbit meat from the stock preparation.

Place a nice little pile of grated jack cheese (about 1 1/2 ounces) on top of the rabbit, then crumble (but not too small) 5 blue corn tortilla chips over the top of the cheese and rabbit meat.

When you are ready to serve, pour 6 to 8 ounces of hot soup over the cheese, rabbit and tortilla chips and serve.

Rabbit Stock

Ingredients:

1 whole rabbit, 3-3 1/2 pounds
1/2 yellow onion, skin removed, coarsely chopped
1 carrot, peeled and coarsely chopped
1 celery stalk, coarsely chopped
1 gallon cold water
2 bay leaves
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt

Preparation:

Wash the rabbit thoroughly in cold water, removing the heart, liver, gizzard, and any fat from the cavity. With a sharp knife, remove the hind and forelegs and the rib section of the rabbit and put them into a 1-1/2 gallon stock pot. Reserve the saddle (loin) for another meal.

Add onion, carrot, celery, cold water, bay leaves, salt and pepper. Bring stock to a boil and reduce to a slow rolling boil until the liquid reduces to about 1 quart of liquid (approximately 2 hours).

Remove the meat to cool and strain the stock through a fine mesh strainer. Eat the carrot pieces (they are good for you), and chill the stock.

Once the meat is cool enough to handle, carefully remove the meat from the bones for use in soups, quesadillas, or topping your favorite salad.

Once the stock has chilled, remove any hardened fat which will have risen to the top, and discard. Bring the stock to second boil and then strain through a cheesecloth to remove any vegetable matter and the pepper.

Freeze the stock in sealable containers in one-cup portions.