Good soup is a treat on any day of the year, but there is something about the onset of autumn, with its brisk early-morning temperatures hinting at the bone-cold weather to come, that get the belly yearning for a bowlful of warming comfort.
So come October, Front Range cooks — whether amateur or professional — start thinking about hauling out their pots and loading up the larder with vegetables and meats that evoke the season.
At Vert Kitchen, a popular sandwich shop at 704 S. Pearl St., chef-owner Noah Stephens routinely has two soups on his menu. Right now he has rotated between cool-weather favorites: a curried carrot soup and another that combines corn and winter squash.
“I like a little bit of spice and warmth in the mouth that makes your whole body warm up,” Stephens says. “I also like a sort of citrus bite, which is why I enjoy using curry and coriander.”
Stephens is also an advocate of seasonal color in his soups. Come autumn, that means yellow, reds, golds and oranges. In short, the color of turning leaves on hardwood trees.
“Color is important,” he says. “Squash and corn kind of look like fall.”
During cooler months, he also enjoys making seasonal garnishes for his soups. One he’s using now is a mix of shaved and pickled apples and beets.
We asked some Mile High chefs to share some of their favorite cold-weather soup recipes from their restaurants.
William Porter: 303-954-1877, wporter@denverpost.com or twitter.com/williamporterdp
Recipes
Curried Carrot Soup
Noah Stephens of Vert Kitchen usually has a rotating duo of soups on the menu of his sandwich-driven shop at 704 S. Pearl St. Serves 6-8.
Ingredients
¼ cup vegetable oil
1 medium yellow onion, diced
2 pounds of carrots, cut into ¼-inch slices
3 cloves of garlic
cup raw cashews
1½ tablespoons yellow curry powder
1 teaspoon ground coriander
¼ teaspoon whole black peppercorns
1 tablespoons kosher salt
2 tablespoons white sugar 1 can of coconut milk (13½ ounces)2 quarts vegetable or chicken stock
2 cups of water
Directions
Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat and add the onions. Cook for 5 minutes until they are translucent and beginning to caramelize. Add the carrots and cook for 10 minutes stirring occasionally. Add the garlic, cashews, spices, salt, and sugar and stir occasionally for 5 minutes. Pour in the coconut milk and stir to combine. Add the stock and bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until the carrots are soft and tender. Add the water and turn off the heat.
Ladle the soup into a blender, filling half full, and blend in batches until smooth. Combine all the soup together, reheat and season to taste.
Serve in bowls and garnish with julienned apples and a squeeze of fresh lime.
Roasted Butternut Chowder
This is another popular autumn soup at Vert Kitchen. Serves 4-6.
Ingredients
1 medium butternut squash
2 teaspoons kosher salt1 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, diced
2 Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and diced
¾ cups corn (2 ears)
1 tablespoon flour
½ teaspoon turmeric
Pinch red chile flakes
1 cup of dry white wine
1 cup of cream
2 quarts of chicken stock
6 ounces shredded roast chicken (optional)
Directions
Cut the squash in half lengthwise. Place cut side up on baking sheet and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place the pan in a 375-degreee oven and bake for 45-60 minutes or until tender. Set aside to cool, then scoop out the seeds with a spoon and peel away the skin. Cut into ½-inch cubes and set aside in a bowl.
In a large pot or Dutch oven heat the butter and oil over medium-high heat. When the butter begins to bubble, add the onions. Cook for 5 minutes until translucent and beginning to caramelize. Add the potatoes and corn, and brown for 10 to 12 minutes stirring occasionally without letting it burn. Reduce the heat if needed. Add the flour, spices and salt and stir for 1 minute. Add the wine and scrape up any brown bits on the bottom of a pan with a wooden spoon, for about 1 minute.
Incorporate the cream and allow to thicken, then add the stock and bring to a boil. Simmer on medium heat for 30-40 minutes until the potatoes are cooked through. Stir in the butternut squash and chicken, and continue simmering for 20 minutes. Adjust seasoning to taste with salt and pepper.
The soup is best if you let it cool to room temperature and then reheat before serving. Garnish with baby arugula and freshly ground black pepper.
Wedding Soup with Smoked Brisket
This soup was a hit when Session Kitchen launched at 1518 S. Pearl St. in late 2013. With the arrival of cool weather, chef Scott Parker is putting it back on the menu. Parker smokes his own brisket, but you can buy yours at most barbecue restaurants.
Ingredients
1 tablespoon butter or olive oil
1 bunch black kale, washed and torn into 1-inch pieces
1 diced yellow onion
2 diced carrots
2 tablespoons chopped garlic
3 tomatoes — blanched, seeded, and chopped
3 quarts beef stock
1 pound smoked brisket, cooled and chopped in large pieces
1 pound cooked pork meatballs
½ cup wild rice, boiled in beef stock until fully cooked2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives
3 tablespoons crème fraîche or sour cream mixed with 1 tablespoon finely grated fresh horseradish
Red wine vinegar
Pork Meatballs
1 pound ground pork
1 cup ice water
1½ tablespoons kosher salt
2 teaspoons sugar
1 tablespoon black pepper
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon grated Parmesan
1 egg
1 teaspoon crushed pepper
1 teaspoon toasted fennel seed, ground
Directions
For the meatballs: Add all ingredients until sticky and mixed (Chef Parker uses a paddle attachment on a KitchenAid mixer for the job). Scoop small meatballs, to the size of your liking, and bake on a rimmed baking sheet at 300 degrees for 15 minutes or until just done.
For the soup: Saute the kale, onions, carrots and garlic in butter or olive oil until soft. Add tomatoes. beef stock and pan drippings from the brisket (if you cooked it). Add the chopped brisket, meatballs and rice and season with salt, pepper and a vinegar of your choice just to brighten it up before serving. Garnish the soup with the fresh chives and horseradish cream.
Avgolemono Soup
This classic Greek soup is served at Volta, a Boulder restaurant that offers inspired — and inspiring — Mediterranean food. Jon Deering owns the restaurant with his chef-wife, Eleni. He notes that this nourishing could be the “original chicken noodle soup,” given its soul-feeding virtues. Serves 10.
Ingredients
2 quarts chicken stock
¼ cup grated carrot
teaspoon white pepper
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 tablespoon water
2 eggs
¼ cup lemon juice
½ cup cooked diced chicken
1 cup cooked rice
½ cup chopped parsley
Directions:
Bring stock to a boil with carrots and pepper for 10 minutes and remove from heat. Mix cornstarch with water and add to stock.
In large bowl, beat eggs for 1 minute and then slowly mix in lemon juice. Add 1 tablespoon of stock at a time to egg mixture while whisking vigorously. When eggs are warm, add back into the remaining stock slowly while whisking vigorously.
Add chicken, rice and parsley to stock and return to heat. Stir until soup returns to a boil. Remove and serve.
Yellow Split Pea Soup with Beer and Bacon
Canadians are fond of using yellow split peas in soups rather than the drabber green kind. This recipe is from “Soup of the Day,” a new cookbook by Ellen Brown. (Running Press, $20). Serves 6-8.
Ingredients
¼ pound bacon, diced
1 large carrot, chopped
1 large onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 celery rib, chopped
1 12-ounce can lager beer
4 cups chicken stock
1 pound yellow split peas, rinsed and picked over
2 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley
2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves
1 bay leaf
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Directions
Cook the bacon in a 4-quart soup pot over medium-high heat for 5-7 minutes, or until crisp. Remove the bacon from the pot with a slotted spoon; drain on paper towels. Set aside. Discard all but 3 tablespoons of bacon grease from the pot. (Do not put down drain or disposal.)
Add the carrot, onion, garlic and celery to the pot. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring frequently for 3 minutes or until the onion is translucent. Add the beer, stock, split peas, parsley, thyme and bay leaf. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally.
Reduce heat to low, cover the pot, and cook for 1 hour or until the split peas have disintegrated. Remove and discard the bay leaf and season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve immediately, garnishing each bowl with the reserved bacon.
Note: The soup can be prepared up to two days in advance and stored in a sealed container in the refrigerator.
