Fresh-Pressed Olive Oil Club
Explore Recipes Soups Page 5

Lentil Soup

Posted on by The Olive Oil Hunter

You likely have everything you need in your pantry to make this hearty and filling soup. Feel free to use green French lentils or the more common (and less expensive) brown variety. Blending a portion of the soup gives it a creamy texture.

Ingredients

  • 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
  • 1 medium yellow or white onion, chopped
  • 2 carrots, peeled and chopped
  • 4 garlic cloves, peeled, then pressed or minced
  • 2 teaspoons ground cumin
  • 1 teaspoon curry powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
  • 1 large can (28 ounces) diced tomatoes, lightly drained
  • 1 cup brown or green lentils, picked over and rinsed
  • 4 cups vegetable broth
  • 2 cups water
  • 1 teaspoon salt, or more to taste
  • Pinch of red pepper flakes
  • Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
  • 1 cup chopped fresh collard greens or kale, tough ribs removed
  • 1 to 2 tablespoons lemon juice (1/2 to 1 medium lemon), to taste

Directions

Step 1

Warm the olive oil in a large Dutch oven or pot over medium heat. Once the oil is shimmering, add the chopped onion and carrot and cook, stirring often, until the onion has softened and is turning translucent, about 5 minutes.

Step 2

Add the garlic, cumin, curry powder and thyme. Cook stirring constantly, about 30 seconds. Add the diced tomatoes and cook for a few more minutes, stirring often.

Step 3

Pour in the lentils, broth and the water. Add 1 teaspoon of salt, a pinch of red pepper flakes and freshly ground black pepper. Raise heat and bring the mixture to a boil, then partially cover the pot and reduce the heat to maintain a
gentle simmer. Cook for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the lentils are tender but still hold their shape.

Step 4

Transfer 2 cups of the soup to a blender. Securely fasten the lid, protect your hand from steam with a tea towel placed over the lid, and purée the soup until smooth. Pour the puréed soup back into the pot.

Step 5

Add the chopped greens and cook for 5 more minutes. Remove the pot from the heat and stir in 1 tablespoon of lemon juice. Taste and season with more salt, pepper and/or lemon juice until the flavors really sing. For spicier soup, add another pinch or two of red pepper flakes. Drizzle with olive oil.

Step 6

Add the chopped greens and cook for 5 more minutes. Remove the pot from the heat and stir in 1 tablespoon of lemon juice. Taste and season with more salt, pepper and/or lemon juice until the flavors really sing. For spicier soup, add another pinch or two of red pepper flakes. Drizzle with olive oil.

Serves 4 — Recipe adapted from cookieandkate.com

Calabrian Pumpkin Soup

Posted on by The Olive Oil Hunter

Simple but sublime is the pumpkin soup my Merry Band of Tasters and I were served when visiting the Librandi family, one of Calabria’s outstanding olive oil producers. “Mama” Librandi shared the recipe with me.

Ingredients

  • 1 3-pound pumpkin or butternut squash, peeled, with seeds and membranes removed 
  • 2 medium Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled
  • 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus more for serving
  • 2 tablespoons water 
  • Sea salt
  • Croutons for garnish (see the “Healthy Ingredient Spotlight” below) 

Directions

Step 1

Using a sturdy knife, cut the pumpkin or butternut squash into roughly 1.5” cubes. Do the same with the potatoes.

Step 2

In a medium saucepan, combine the pumpkin, potatoes, the 3 tablespoons of olive oil, and the water. Cover and cook over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until tender—50 to 60 minutes.

Step 3

Transfer to a blender jar and purée until smooth (don’t fill the blender more than half full—work in batches if necessary). Salt to taste.

Step 4

Divide the soup between warmed soup bowls. Drizzle generously with additional olive oil, and garnish with croutons. 

Yields 6 appetizer or 4 main course servings

Squash and Carrot Soup

Posted on by The Olive Oil Hunter

This dish is easy to make yet tastes complex with layers of flavor and, even better, is also comforting on a cold day. I recommend roasting your vegetables—before puréeing them—for maximum flavor and enhanced natural sweetness.

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
  • 2 pounds squash, such as butternut, acorn, or Hubbard, halved, seeded, and cut into large pieces
  • 4 large carrots, scrubbed and quartered
  • 1 onion, quartered
  • 1-1/2 cups chicken or vegetable broth, homemade or low-sodium canned
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon, preferably Vietnamese, plus more to taste
  • 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg, plus more to taste
  • Freshly ground black pepper to taste

Yields 6 servings.

Directions

Heat your oven to 425°F. Coat a large baking sheet with the olive oil and add all the vegetables, with the squash pieces skin side up. Roast for 30 minutes, flip the vegetables with a spatula, and roast for another 20 minutes. Once the vegetables are cool enough to handle, scrape all the squash flesh from its skin and transfer to your food processor along with the carrots, onions, 1 cup of the broth, and the spices. Pulse a few times, adding more liquid as needed until it reaches a purée consistency. Taste and add more cinnamon and/or nutmeg as desired.

Sweet Potato Soup with Sage Pesto

Posted on by The Olive Oil Hunter

A cornucopia of seasonal flavors comes together in this creamy vegetarian soup. It’s homey, yet you can serve it to the most sophisticated palates in your best china or rustic soup bowls. It gets a double hit of fresh-pressed olive oil, which is used in the vibrant, herbaceous pesto as well as the soup.

Ingredients

For the soup:

  • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 shallots, peeled and thinly sliced
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme
  • 3 tablespoons salted butter
  • 4 cups vegetable broth, plus more if needed
  • 3 cups peeled and cubed sweet potatoes (3 or 4 potatoes)
  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
  • 1 pinch cayenne, or to taste
  • Coarse salt (kosher or sea) and freshly ground black pepper
  • One 14-ounce can full fat unsweetened coconut milk
  • 8 ounces burrata cheese

For the pesto:

  • 1/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons extra virgin
  • olive oil
  • 1/2 cup fresh sage leaves, coarsely chopped
  • 1 cup chopped Tuscan kale
  • 1/4 cup shelled green pistachios, toasted
  • 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
  • Coarse salt (kosher or sea) and hot red
  • pepper flakes

Directions

Step 1

Make the pesto: Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. When the oil shimmers, add the sage and cook for 2 minutes until fragrant and crisp. Remove from the heat.

Step 2

In a food processor, pulse together the remaining 1/3 cup of olive oil, the kale, pistachios, and Parmesan until finely chopped. Add the sage and season to taste with salt and hot red pepper flakes. Pulse to combine.

Step 3

Make the soup: Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. When the oil shimmers, add the shallots and cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the thyme and butter and cook another 30 seconds. Pour in the broth. Add the sweet potatoes, cayenne, nutmeg, and a pinch each of salt and pepper. Bring the soup to a boil over medium-high heat and then reduce the heat to medium-low. Cover and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender.

Step 4

Using an immersion blender, blend the soup directly in the pot until smooth. (Alternatively, use a blender to puree the soup in batches.) Stir in the coconut milk and 2 tablespoons of the sage pesto and cook another 5 minutes. If the soup is too thick, thin with additional broth.

Step 5

To serve, ladle the soup into bowls. Swirl each bowl of soup with a spoonful of the sage pesto. Break the burrata and spoon some over the top of the soup.

Serves 6 — Recipe from halfbakedharvest.com