Monday, August 24, 2009

Summer Soup

I've never really understood the whole soup-as-winter-food thing. A light and fresh veggie soup is best enjoyed when all the ingredients are in season — like, um, now. Nearly every ingredient in my Summer's Bounty Veggie Soup came from the Memphis Farmers Market:

Whole, fresh tomatoes were cooked down to make the base, and then I added summer squash, okra, potatoes, onions, corn, carrots, celery, and purple hull peas (that I shelled with my very own hands). I even made the broth from scratch by cooking down odds and ends of veggie scraps.

The full recipe is going in my cookbook, but this is a meal I only recommend for summer or early fall. It just wouldn't taste the same with yucky old winter tomatoes and crappy canned corn.

On the side, I baked a loaf of my Whole Wheat Beer Bread:

I'd intended on purchasing a crusty whole wheat baguette to dip into my soup. But I couldn't find a purely whole wheat loaf without driving all the way out to Whole Foods. I had a few extra beers in the fridge and figured a beer loaf would be the quickest route to carb heaven.

I've posted the beer bread recipe before, but I've made a few changes since then. Here's the revised version.

Whole Wheat Beer Bread
------------------------------

3 cups whole wheat pastry flour
3 tsp. baking powder

1/2 Tbsp. evaporated cane juice (or white sugar if you please)

1/4 tsp. sea salt

12 ounces of tasty vegan beer (I used New Belgium black English ale, but PBR will work too!)

1 Tbsp. soy margarine


Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix dry ingredients. Add beer. Stir to combine. Pour into a lightly greased loaf pan. Bake for 30 minutes, and then brush margarine over the top. Bake an additional 20-25 minutes or until a tooth pick inserted in the center comes out clean.

13 comments:

The Voracious Vegan said...

That looks SO good! I totally agree with you, winter doesn't get a monopoly on soup, I'm making it year round. What a beautiful bowl of vegetable yumminess.

Lisa said...

I'm kind of intimidated by baking bread, but I might be able to handle this recipe! Thanks!

Chocolate-Covered Katie said...

I'm with you: why should soup only be for the winter?!

:)

nora said...

I want that beer bread! I don't think I've ever had anything like it!

Mary said...

I love soup, but I haven't been eating it because it's been hot and humid. I'll bet you have air-conditioning that far south, though. Looks very tasty and fresh!

Happy Older Hippie Woman! said...

OOoooo, Summuh Soup! Beer Bread! You make the greatest combinations of your meals. YUM!!!

Sheridan said...

YUMMMM!!!! This looks and sounds amazing. I love you....and Chunky Bryor loves you too.

Anonymous said...

I am a HUGE soup fan--love it!--and would love to make it now with all the fresh veggies. However...I don't have AC, and there is NO way that I am turning on the stove to boil and simmer soup! So maybe THAT is why they say soup is more of a winter thing? It looks delish, though!

Courtney

Sarena Shasteen - The Non-Dairy Queen said...

My family loves beer bread!!! So easy and so good! Now I am craving some soup and bread!

Gina said...

My husband will be a fan of anything that involves beer. And I'm with you on the soup, I've been craving it lately..sounds yummy!

Lindsey said...

Awesome! It's so cool to see what came of the trip to the farmer's market. Looks super healthy! And yum, I'll have to try making that beer bread some time.

Sal - AlienOnToast said...

the weather is crap today so soup is perfect but i agree, i love it all year round too, even when it's hot!

that does look like a perfect summer soup.

Joseph said...

you mentioned vegan beer....isn't beer already a vegan product? *confused*