When my kids were little, one of their favorite books was Stone Soup, which was based on an Eastern European folk tale of two hungry soldiers (or peasants or wayfarers depending on which version you subscribe to) who enter a village with a large empty cooking pot. They ask the villagers for food, but the wary people are loathe to give. Then the clever soldiers (or peasants or wayfarers) fill the cauldron with water and put a stone (washed, I hope) in the bottom. They extoll the virtues of Stone Soup but muse on how much better it would be with a carrot. Soon, someone appears with a bunch of carrots. Then the chefs (who are soldiers, peasants or wayfarers) expound on how delicious it is but would be just that much better with a few potatoes. And guess what appears magically from someone's root cellar? And then it's turnips and celery and a chicken and salt and pepper, etc. You get the picture. When the soup is all done, everyone shares, and it's a great lesson in cooperation....or Stronger Together, to borrow from a recent campaign theme that still keeps me going through my post-election despair.
Of course, we made Stone Soup at home, many times, and for years my kids were convinced that it was the (well-scrubbed) stone that made it so yummy. I think they believed that right up until the time they stopped believing in the Tooth Fairy and Santa Claus (we were an ecumenical family).
Anyway, it's mid-January and freezing here in Maine, definitely soup weather. The first recipe is a really easy one. You wouldn't believe how good it is, and it doesn't even need a recipe, but it does need a secret ingredient (NOT a stone). This process also helps you clean out your refrigerator (but do not add anything unrecognizable from that Tupperware hidden in the back of the fridge).
Of course, we made Stone Soup at home, many times, and for years my kids were convinced that it was the (well-scrubbed) stone that made it so yummy. I think they believed that right up until the time they stopped believing in the Tooth Fairy and Santa Claus (we were an ecumenical family).
Anyway, it's mid-January and freezing here in Maine, definitely soup weather. The first recipe is a really easy one. You wouldn't believe how good it is, and it doesn't even need a recipe, but it does need a secret ingredient (NOT a stone). This process also helps you clean out your refrigerator (but do not add anything unrecognizable from that Tupperware hidden in the back of the fridge).
Leftovers Soup
Take some recent leftovers ( in the photo I used some duck, collard greens, potatoes, and some onions and sauce from last night's chicken schwarma) and put them in a pot with organic chicken broth (I use Imagine low sodium brand). Then add a few big forkfuls of sauerkraut (the secret ingredient ) and heat up to make an easy lunch. You can use those wilted carrots in the vegetable bin and that slice of onion that will just sit there until you end up throwing it out...you get the picture. If you use raw vegetables, you'll just have to cook it a little longer.
Winter Borscht
6 or more main dish servings
This is a beautiful ruby, red color, and when you mix in the Paleo sour cream, it turns pink. And did I mention that it's also delicious? Especially if you love beets, which I do. Oh, and it's really, really healthy. Which makes the fact that it's a bit labor intensive well worth it.
Ingredients
4 lbs. meaty soup bones
10 cups water
4 TBS ghee (clarified butter)
2 large onions, chopped
2 lbs fresh beets, peeled and grated in a food processor
1 medium celery root (celeriac), if available, peeled and grated in food processor
4 large carrots, grated in food processor
Small head green cabbage, cubed
4 cups canned tomatoes, crushed, with juice, or 4 cups fresh tomatoes, chopped
2 tsp coconut sugar
1 TBS sea salt
Freshly ground pepper
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
1 bay leaf
3 TBS fresh dill, plus more for garnish
1 lb boiled potatoes
Paleo sour cream for serving ( use the cream from top of can of organic full-fat coconut milk and mix in lemon juice and sea salt to taste)
1. The night before you are going to serve the soup, place soup bones in large pot, add 10 cups of water, and bring to a boil. Then turn down heat and simmer, covered for about 3-4 hours until meat is tender. Cool and refrigerate. The next day, scoop off the hardened fat and discard, reserving the meat and broth.
2. Melt the ghee in a large soup pan and then sauté the onions over low heat, about 10 minutes until soft and translucent.
3. Add the grated beets, celery root, carrots, cabbage, tomatoes, coconut sugar, salt, pepper, vinegar, bay leaf, dill, and all of the broth that you cooked the night before (but not the meat). Bring to a boil, lower the heat, and simmer for 45 minutes, uncovered.
4. Cut the meat from the bones, and add meat to the borscht. Heat for a few minutes until meat is hot. Remove the bay leaf.
5. Place a boiled potato in a soup bowl. Ladle borscht over it, dollop with Paleo sour cream and garnish with chopped dill.
4 lbs. meaty soup bones
10 cups water
4 TBS ghee (clarified butter)
2 large onions, chopped
2 lbs fresh beets, peeled and grated in a food processor
1 medium celery root (celeriac), if available, peeled and grated in food processor
4 large carrots, grated in food processor
Small head green cabbage, cubed
4 cups canned tomatoes, crushed, with juice, or 4 cups fresh tomatoes, chopped
2 tsp coconut sugar
1 TBS sea salt
Freshly ground pepper
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
1 bay leaf
3 TBS fresh dill, plus more for garnish
1 lb boiled potatoes
Paleo sour cream for serving ( use the cream from top of can of organic full-fat coconut milk and mix in lemon juice and sea salt to taste)
1. The night before you are going to serve the soup, place soup bones in large pot, add 10 cups of water, and bring to a boil. Then turn down heat and simmer, covered for about 3-4 hours until meat is tender. Cool and refrigerate. The next day, scoop off the hardened fat and discard, reserving the meat and broth.
2. Melt the ghee in a large soup pan and then sauté the onions over low heat, about 10 minutes until soft and translucent.
3. Add the grated beets, celery root, carrots, cabbage, tomatoes, coconut sugar, salt, pepper, vinegar, bay leaf, dill, and all of the broth that you cooked the night before (but not the meat). Bring to a boil, lower the heat, and simmer for 45 minutes, uncovered.
4. Cut the meat from the bones, and add meat to the borscht. Heat for a few minutes until meat is hot. Remove the bay leaf.
5. Place a boiled potato in a soup bowl. Ladle borscht over it, dollop with Paleo sour cream and garnish with chopped dill.
Turkey Soup
Makes 4-6 servings
Turkey is not just for Thanksgiving. I cook several turkeys throughout the winter months, mainly for what follows: Turkey Soup, made from the meaty carcass, skin, leftover gravy and a bunch of winter vegetables. This recipe makes lots, so you can freeze some for those night when you just don't feel like cooking. And yes, even Paleogram has lots of those.
Ingredients
Carcass from a roasted turkey, with some meat still attached
Skin and drippings or gravy from the turkey
3 quarts organic chicken broth (I use Imagine low sodium broth)
2 large onions onion, chopped
4 carrots, sliced
2 stalks celery, sliced
2 leeks, white part only, chopped
3 parsnips, peeled and sliced
2 cups cooked turkey meat, cubed
1 bunch parsley, chopped
2 large potatoes, cubed, optional if you do not include potatoes on your Paleo diet
2 TBS chopped dill
2 TBS chopped parsley
Salt and pepper to taste
Don't be put off by the two-day process. The first day you put all the makings of the broth in a pot, bring to a boil and simmer, covered, for about 6 hours. Then skim the scum off, let cool, and refrigerate over night. The next day, you strain the broth, add some reserved turkey meat and a bunch of cut up vegetables, and cook for an hour or two. And that's it.
1. The day before you are planning to serve this, make the broth. Place cooked turkey carcass, skin, gravy or drippings in a large soup pot and add three quarts of chicken broth. Bring to a boil, lower the heat and simmer for about 6 hours. Let cool and refrigerate overnight.
2. The next day, skim the fat from the broth (but leave a little for flavor and richness). Heat the soup until it liquifies and then strain through a colander into another large soup pot. Discard the carcass and skin , but if there are large pieces of meat, you can put them back in the pot.
3. Add all the rest of the ingredients to the broth, bring to a boil, lower heat and simmer until vegetables are tender. Serve hot.
Carcass from a roasted turkey, with some meat still attached
Skin and drippings or gravy from the turkey
3 quarts organic chicken broth (I use Imagine low sodium broth)
2 large onions onion, chopped
4 carrots, sliced
2 stalks celery, sliced
2 leeks, white part only, chopped
3 parsnips, peeled and sliced
2 cups cooked turkey meat, cubed
1 bunch parsley, chopped
2 large potatoes, cubed, optional if you do not include potatoes on your Paleo diet
2 TBS chopped dill
2 TBS chopped parsley
Salt and pepper to taste
Don't be put off by the two-day process. The first day you put all the makings of the broth in a pot, bring to a boil and simmer, covered, for about 6 hours. Then skim the scum off, let cool, and refrigerate over night. The next day, you strain the broth, add some reserved turkey meat and a bunch of cut up vegetables, and cook for an hour or two. And that's it.
1. The day before you are planning to serve this, make the broth. Place cooked turkey carcass, skin, gravy or drippings in a large soup pot and add three quarts of chicken broth. Bring to a boil, lower the heat and simmer for about 6 hours. Let cool and refrigerate overnight.
2. The next day, skim the fat from the broth (but leave a little for flavor and richness). Heat the soup until it liquifies and then strain through a colander into another large soup pot. Discard the carcass and skin , but if there are large pieces of meat, you can put them back in the pot.
3. Add all the rest of the ingredients to the broth, bring to a boil, lower heat and simmer until vegetables are tender. Serve hot.
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