With A Spoon...

Curried Lentil Soup, Ottawa 2015

Red Lentils
Cocunut Milk
Red Onion
Crushed Tomatoes
Ginger
Curry Paste (cumin, tumeric, cinnamon) 


Caribbean Black Bean Soup

1 pound dried black beans
4 tlbs. olive oil
3 onions chopped
1 green pepper, finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 ham hock
2 tlbs. tomato paste
2 tsps. cumin
2 tsps. dried oregano
1 bay leaf
1 tlbs. salt
1 tsp. black pepper
1 tlbs. vinegar or sherry

In a large pot, heat the olive oil. Add the onion, green pepper, and garlic and saute over low heat for 10 minutes. Add beans and ham hock, and enough water to cover. Stir in tomato paste and seasoning (except for vinegar). Bring to a boil, cover, and let simmer for two hours. Let cool slightly.

Using a blender, remove half of the cooked beans and puree smooth. Return to pot. Add vinegar or sherry and stir well. Serve soup over white rice and top with fresh minced onion and fresh cilantro.

Corn Chowder, for Stephanie's birthday, April 6th, 1994

4 ounces sliced bacon, 1 inch pieces
2 tlbs. unsalted butter
2 cups chopped onions
2 tlbs. unbleached all purpose flour
4 cups chicken stock
2 large potatoes, peeled and diced 1/4 inch dic
1 cup cream (half & half)
4 cups cooked corn kernels, drained 
3/4 teaspoons coarsely ground black pepper
Salt to taste
*Garnish, slivered green onion, fresh cilantro

  1. Wilt the bacon in a large soup pot over low heat until fat is rendered, about 5 minutes. Add the butter and allow it to melt.
  2. Add the onions and wilt over low heat for ten minutes. Add the flour and cook; stir for five minutes. 
  3. Add the stock and potatoes. Continue cooking over medium - low heat until the potatoes are just tender 12-15 minutes.
  4. Add the half-and-half, corn pepper, and salt. Cook seven minutes, stirring occasionally.
  5. Add the bell pepper and scallions, adjust the seasonings, and cook for an additional five minutes.
     Serve immediately. Roughly makes 6 portions. 




French Onion Soup - Ottawa, 1998

1 1/2 lbs. onions - thinly sliced
2 tlbs. butter
1/2 cup white wine
4 cups beef stock
1/4 tsp. thyme
1 bay leaf
salt and pepper
2 tlbs. brandy

Garnish: French bread, Swiss cheese
  • Place the onions and the butter in a large pot and loosely cover. Cook on high 12-16 minutes. Stirring occasionally. 
  • Stir in flour and wine, stock, thyme, bay leaf, salt and pepper. 
  • Re-cover the pot and cook on high for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  • Reduce the setting to low and cook a further 8 minutes. 
  • Leave the bowl to stand covered 1-2 minutes. 
  • Remove the bay leaf and garnish!













 Ginger Beet Tomato Soup, Eden Café, Ottawa, 2000

1 tlbs. butter
1 tsp. curry powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1 small yellow onion, diced finely
5 tlbs. fresh ginger root, minced
6-8 beets, depending on size
1 can plum tomatoes
olive oil
1/2 up vegetable stock or water

Begin your soup by preparing your beets. Either boil or bake your beets, then peel and chop into small cubes.

In your soup pot, slowly start to simmer your garlic, onion, and ginger. You can add any other vegetable you think could add flavour to your soup. i.e.: minced carrot, celery, leeks, artichoke hearts. Let this mixture blend and cook until soft and translucent. If it looks dry add some liquid i.e. veg stock or tomato juice.

When the beets are soft, drain them and cut off their heads before adding them to the soup pot, you can then add your tomatoes and soup stock. Using a hand held blender, mix your soup and let it simmer on the stove for a while to blend the flavours and letting the soup simmer down to a rich tasty consistency. Season to taste.

Grount-Nut Stew (Nkate-Nkwan, Ghana), 1976

6 lbs. boiling chicken
4 fresh tomatoes
4 large onions
1/2 cup tomato paste
salt (to taste)
cayenne pepper (to taste)
16 cups water
1 cup (smooth) peanut butter or finely ground peanuts
4 tsps. full ginger root juice obtained by shredding the ginger root and squeezing the juice

1. Wash chicken, cut into pieces.
2. Cut tomatoes, onions into pieces. Set chicken, tomatoes and onions aside.
3. Mix together in a sauce pan with 6 cups of water, salt and pepper.
4. Bring to a boil until tender.
5. Remove tomatoes and onions and blend.
6. Add approx. 2 cups of water to peanut butter and stir until smooth.
7. Add remaining water, peanut butter, tomato paste and ginger juice to the chicken.
8. Stir well and bring to a boil, about 20 minutes.
9. Stir occasionally. Lower heat and let simmer about 30 minutes or to desired thickness.
10. Check seasoning before serving. Serve hot with boiled rice, boiled yams or potatoes.

  * Serves approx. 8 people.

– Mennonite Borsht    November 21st, 1998


Stock:  Inexpensive meat either pork-bone or whole chicken.
Make stock with onion, garlic, dill, bouquet garnis
Strain stock with cheese cloth. While you wait for the veggies to cook,
pick off any meat you’d like to add to the soup, set aside.

To the stock: Add chopped cabbage, leeks, onions, broccoli, one jar stewed tomatoes
simmer, add meat once the veggies are cooked. Salt, pepper and fresh dill to taste.
Add cooked potatoes and or beets separately.

Serve with a dollop of sour cream, fresh dill sprig, and Zwieback on the side.

Jamaican Pumpkin Spice Soup

2 tbsp. oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 inch fresh ginger grated
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. ground coriander
Pinch cayenne
1 tin, 28 oz tin pureed pumpkin
3 cups chicken stock or water or apple juice
1/2 cup sour cream
salt & pepper to taste
A handful of cilantro, chopped

Heat the oil and spices in a large pot over high heat. Cook for a minute, until fragrant, then add the pumpkin and stock. Bring to a boil, stir in the cream. Season and serve with chopped cilantro sprinkled over the top.


– Thai Soup   October 11th, 2000 alive in Ottawa at the Benmore on Cooper Street

If you really want to impress your guests the way I was at Chez May Wong, keep these items in your cupboard: Thai Green Curry Paste, a block of Creamed Coconut, Fish Sauce, and cans of Chicken Stock. May is truly impressive and adds Chicken, Shrimp, fresh Basil/Chinese Coriander, and Red Bell peppers to her soup. This is the basic concept I managed for lunch this afternoon on my day off…

1 can chicken stock
2 tsp. green curry paste
1 tsp. fish sauce
2 blocks of Raymen instant noodles (the ones that are ready in three minutes)
five stems of baby bok choy
five spinach stems
five tasty mushrooms that had barely dried out in my fridge (much tastier than fresh in soups)
two stalks of green onions
black sesame seeds
(Basil, Chinese coriander)


Heat up your stock, in a soup pot as directed while heating up a small frying pan. Wash and chop the veggies. Pour a bit of oil in your pan, once heated add your sliced mushrooms. Once they have softened a bit add your greens, leaving your green onions for the last minute. Once your stock has started to boil turn the heat down to medium, add the green curry paste, coconut cream to your liking, and the fish sauce. (Most chefs would probably have you cook the paste before adding the stock, it didn’t make a difference for this soup.) Add your noodles and let boil for two minutes, for the last minute add your veggies. Pour the soup into bowls and garnish with black sesame seeds. If you follow the basic concept for the soup stalk you can go anywhere with this soup and I mean anywhere.

Other Ideas:

Samosa Soup
Clam Chowder
Peder's Lentil Soup
Bali Pumpkin Soup: Creamed coconut, milk, spices, chili, garlic & fresh lemon grass