Zucchini Soup (recipe, pareve)

Zucchini Soup P Yield: 9 cups soup

What a perfect way to use up some of that zucchini in your garden! Choose the narrow ones which are more flavorful and not waterlogged. Adding a potato to the soup turns it into a zucchini flavored vichyssoise. Preparing the soup without the potato gives you more of a zucchini broth. Both are delicious and both can be eaten hot or cold. Garnish with home made croutons or fried zucchini.

Ingredients

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 large onion-peeled and chopped

1 ½ pounds zucchini- about 3 medium ones- trimmed, peeled and diced

Zest of small lemon

1 teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon white pepper

Optional-1 large russet potato-peeled and diced

6 cups water (for a meat meal you can use low salt chicken broth)

2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh dill

Equipment

4 quart saucepan

Electric food processor

Directions

1. Heat oil in pot over medium flame. Add chopped onion and cook until onion is translucent.
2. Add zucchini, lemon zest, salt and pepper and optional potato. Stir until zucchini starts to wilt. Add liquid. Simmer mixture until potatoes can be mashed against the back of a wooden spoon- about 15 minutes. Remove from heat and cool.
3. Purée soup- no more than two cups at a time in processor. Pour back into skillet and stir in dill. Taste. Adjust seasoning if necessary. Serve hot or chill several hours and serve cold.
4. Optional garnish: fried zucchini flowers, fried shredded zucchini, homemade croutons

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CREAM OF CUCUMBER SOUP (recipe, dairy)

Chilled and creamy, this soup is a wonderful starter for any Summer dairy meal. You can play around with the proportions of cream and milk to make it as rich or light as you wish.

CREAM OF CUCUMBER SOUP D SERVES: 8

It’s cold, creamy, delicious and fattening! Diet tomorrow.

Prep time; 30-40 min.  Puréeing time: 15 min.  Chilling time: several hours or overnight.

INGREDIENTS                        EQUIPMENT

4 pounds Idaho potatoes            6 quart soup pot

7 cups of water                          electric food processor                      

2 ¾ pounds cucumbers           

2 large white onions

2 ½ cups 1% milk

1 ½ cups heavy cream

2 teaspoons salt

1 large bunch dill

White pepper

DIRECTIONS

1. Peel and chop potatoes coarsely. Put them into soup pot and cover with water. Bring water to a boil and cook potatoes until tender- about 10-15 minutes.
2. While potatoes are cooking- Peel, seed and cut two pounds of cucumbers into small chunks. Peel and chop onions. Rinse and chop dill.
3. When potatoes are tender, reduce heat to a simmer and add cucumbers and onions. Cook ten minutes longer. Remove from heat.
4. Add chopped dill to pot. Stir well.
5. Pour soup, two cups at a time, into food processor. Purée soup so that only occasional bits of cucumber and potato remain. Pour soup into a large bowl. Add milk and cream. Chill. Taste. Season soup with white pepper and salt.
6. Peel, seed and dice remaining ¾ pound cucumber. Pour soup into individual bowl and garnish with a tablespoon of diced cucumber.

BLUEBERRY LEMON LOAF (recipe, pareve)

Whether you serve this for breakfast, lunch or afternoon tea, everyone will be asking for  more. The combination of the sweet blueberries, lemon zest and lemon glaze is just perfect! Enjoy.-

 BLUEBERRY LEMON LOAF P SERVES: 8-10

It’s not too tart and not too sweet- just a perfect end to any casual meal or the perfect start to any day.

Prep time: 15 min.  Baking time: 45-60 min. Glazing: 5 min.  Cooling: 30 min.

INGREDIENTS                                           EQUIPMENT

1 ½ cups + 1 tablespoon flour                      9” x 5” x 3” loaf pan

¼ teaspoon salt                                             electric mixer

1 teaspoon baking powder                            grater

6 tablespoons pareve margarine- softened    baking rack

1 1/3 cups sugar                                             cake tester

2 eggs                                                              long spatula

2 lemons: zest for cake, 3 tablespoons juice for glaze

½ cup water

1 ½ cups (almost 1 pint) fresh blueberries-washed and stemmed

non-dairy baking spray

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to: 325 F.
2. Spray loaf pan and set aside.
3. Mix 1 ½ cups flour with baking powder and salt in small bowl.
4. Put margarine and one cup sugar in bowl of electric mixer. Beat on medium speed until mixture is light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time. Beat well after each addition.

5. Grate lemons directly into mixing bowl. Juice one or both lemons to produce three tablespoons of juice. Set aside for glaze.

6.     Add dry ingredients alternately with water. Beat well after each addition.    Remember to scrape batter down from the sides of the pan.

7. Toss blueberries with remaining tablespoon flour. Fold them gently into cake batter. Pour batter into loaf pan. Bake 45 minutes to an hour or until cake tester when inserted comes out clean. The top should be golden brown. Place cake on baking rack and pierce it all over the top with cake tester.
8. Put lemon juice and remaining 1/3 cup sugar in saucepan. Bring to a boil and stir until sugar has completely dissolved. Pour over top of cake. Cool 30 minutes in pan. Run a long spatula around the edges of cake and then invert onto rack. Cake can be eaten while still warm or when completely cooled. You will have neater slices if the cake has thoroughly cooled.