I always think we’re in the clear for getting sick once spring rolls around, and then inevitably, there’s one last flu that makes the rounds through our house. When we’re feeling under the weather I like to give make soup with a little extra kick using three “secret” ingredients, all in large quantities: garlic, ginger and lemon!
One of the easiest soups I made recently consisted of leftover wild rice, some sauteed garlic and onion, chicken broth and a whole box of spinach (you could use any greens you have on hand though). Sprinkled with a little Parmesan it was so soothing and delicious, and all those good greens felt so nourishing. Coming into spring we may even be getting some baby spinach and roquette from our own garden, making this the perfect spring soup.
But for banishing the flu, the ginger and lemon is really the ticket. And surprisingly, the flavors work well with a lot of broth-based, root vegetable soups. Carrots, potatoes and onions love a little garlicky kick and the heat from the ginger is a nice, round, warming flavor. I love the extra layer of flavor some lemon gives it (My husband doesn’t actually like the citrus, so I guess it’s not for everyone…), you can take it out partway through cooking to give it a less intense flavor, or just add the juice, not the peel too. You’ll be surprised at just how much ginger you can grate into it; keep on shredding that little root into the pot, stirring and tasting until you feel just enough heat to clear your sinuses; then it’s perfect!
Do you have a special soup recipe you make when everyone’s coming down with something? Any magic secret ingredients?
Do you have a recipe I can add to the PTE Blog for this?
You know, because it is so open to individual preference and interpretation, I didn’t include a recipe this time. But if you wanted some general guidelines to input into your account it would look like this:
saute a couple onions, add celery and carrot if desired.
Add a TON of minced garlic (maybe a whole head?), cover with chicken stock (or veggie)
Add about two cups leftover rice, barley or some other grain (or add it dry (half the amount) and wait for it to cook)
Grate in a bunch of ginger (several inches of root).
Slice a lemon or two and add that. Let it simmer for awhile.
At the very end, add lots and lots of greens. Remember that greens really cook down to look like a lot less, so I would say that you could even chop up a whole potful of greens and dump them in.
Cook that until the greens are wilted (this doesn’t take very long, let them get tender, but don’t cook past the point when they are still nice and bright green), then serve it piping hot (with a little parmesan cheese if you like!).
Enjoy!
I make this recipe minus the soup mix: http://www.food.com/recipe/kick-it-immune-boosting-chicken-soup-276420
It’s seriously labor intensive but amazing! I frequently make 2 pots so I can freeze lots of leftovers; that way there’s some in the freezer for when I get sick – I can only muster the energy to make this before I catch whatever from the rest of the family.
I did something similar to this last week to use of veggies. I made the mistake of using up the red cabbage and ended up “Pink Soup!” I’ll try this again with the lemon ginger addition.
This looks great! I’m going to try it! I got a spring time carrot soup at Kneaders last week and I’m really loving fresh, springy soups right now!! (as opposed to the hearty, winter soups we’ve been eating)
We loved Amy’s recipe so much we posted it on our own site. We made it with shitake mushrooms and a homemade veggie broth including leeks, carrots, the peel of onions, and the kitchen sink. Before it gets hot out this is a great soup for the soar throat I woke up with… from the crazy high pollen count in our neck of the woods.
http://www.mommyser.com/myblog/recipe-weekend-healing-spring-soup-discovered
Thanks for this recipe! I woke up yesterday with a sore throat, and cooked up this soup. It was delicious, and I’m feeling better. No more sore throat…it’s all just drainage. Some of my co-workers were out with strep throat this week, and I’m thankful to have dodged the bullet.