Progressive Christmas Tea Party: Coconut Soup with Shrimp and Mushrooms

This is a very simple soup to prepare. Finding the ingredients might be the only difficulty. But remember, this is for a special Christmas tea so a trip to the specialty food store or Asian market isn’t out of line. Your guests will love this soup. It is one of my favorites.

3 cups chicken broth
4 kaffir lime leaves, cut into thin strands
A 3-inch length of lemongrass, finely chopped OR zest of ½ lemon, julienned
2 1/8-inch slices of fresh ginger
¼ cup fish sauce
½ cup fresh lemon or lime juice
3 jalapeno chilies, seeds removed, finely chopped
1 cup peeled shrimp
1 cup shiitake mushrooms, thickly sliced
1 ½ cups coconut milk
2 tablespoons finely chopped cilantro
Salt

Combine the all ingredients except cilantro. Bring to a slow simmer. Simmer long enough to cook the shrimp. Season with salt and top with cilantro.

Progressive Christmas Tea Party: Savory Tomato Soup with Herbed Yogurt

This is a very light soup topped with a low-calorie alternative to the usual sour cream. It makes a very nice way to start the Progressive Christmas Tea Party.

Soup:
1 orange
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 medium onions, sliced
6 garlic cloves, chopped
1 bunch fresh basil, chopped
1 ½ tablespoons dried marjoram
1 ½ teaspoons ground cumin
¼ teaspoon dried crushed red pepper
1 28-ounce can peeled tomatoes, undrained
1 14-16 ounce can peeled tomatoes, undrained
3 cups chicken stock
Salt and pepper

Herbed Yogurt:
1 cup plain yogurt
2 green onions, minced
3 tablespoons minced fresh basil
1 small garlic clove, minced

Using vegetable peeler, remove peel from orange. Reserve the fruit for another use. Heat oil in heavy saucepan. Add orange peel, onions and garlic. Cover and cook until onions are tender and golden, stirring occasionally, about 30 minutes. Remove orange peel.

Stir in herbs, cumin and crushed red pepper. Cook until cumin is fragrant, about 5 minutes. Add tomatoes with their juices and stock and bring to boil. Cover pot and simmer for 20 minutes. Cool slightly.

Puree soup in batches in blender. Return soup to saucepan. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Makes 8 full servings or 16 smaller tea party servings.

For yogurt: Combine ingredients in small bowl. Use to top soup just before serving.

Oktoberfest: Chicken Corn Soup

At our church picnics, this famous Pennsylvania Dutch soup is made in big kettles over real wood fires. It must be stirred constantly with a wooden paddle. It takes two strong men to lift the kettle from the fire. They use a board through the handle and carry the kettle between them. My husband's picnic job is always the soup man. Standing over the fire when the temperature outside is in the 90s, he relies a lot on me, the iced tea and lemonade lady.

This recipe calls for rivels, a kind of dumpling/noodle like spätzel. If, like my mother, you prefer your chicken corn soup without, use 3 chopped, cooked potatoes instead.

1 whole chicken
2 ribs celery, cut in chunks
3 carrots, cut in chunks
1 medium onion, cut in chunks
3 quarts of water or enough to cover chicken
Salt and pepper
2 ½ cups corn, fresh or frozen
2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
2 hard boiled eggs, diced

For Rivels:
1 cup flour
1 egg
¼ milk

Add chicken, salt and pepper, celery, carrots and onion to the water in a soup pot and cook slowly until tender; 2 ½ to 3 hours. Remove chicken, take meat from bones and cut into bite-size pieces; set aside. Strain broth and pour back into pan.

Add corn to the broth and bring to a boil. Turn heat down to low and simmer for 10 minutes. Add chicken, eggs and rivels. Cover pan and heat for another 10 minutes. Garnish with parsley. Yield: 8-10 servings.

Rivels:
Combine all ingredients in food processor or using two forks until the mixture is the size of peas. Drop into simmering soup by rubbing between your hands.

Teacher Appreciation Tea: Spicy Carrot-Ginger Soup

Photo used under Creative Commons Licensing

Be sure to taste the carrots you plan to use for this soup. Carrots that have been in storage sometimes have a musty taste that you definitely don’t want in your soup.

1 teaspoon coriander seeds
½ teaspoon yellow mustard seeds
3 tablespoons peanut oil
½ teaspoon curry powder
1 tablespoon minced peeled fresh ginger
2 cups chopped onions
1 ½ pounds carrots, peeled, thinly sliced into rounds
1 ½ teaspoons finely grated lime peel
5 cups chicken broth or vegetable broth
2 teaspoons fresh lime juice
Plain yogurt for garnish

Grind coriander and mustard seeds to a fine powder. Heat oil in a large pot. Add ground seeds and curry powder; stir 1 minute. Add ginger; stir 1 minute. Add next 3 ingredients. Sprinkle with salt and pepper; sauté until onions begin to soften, about 3 minutes. Add 5 cups of broth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered until carrots are tender, about 30 minutes. Cool slightly. Working in batches, puree in blender until smooth. Return soup to pot. Add more broth by ¼ cupfuls if too thick. Stir in lime juice; season with salt and pepper. Ladle soup into bowl and garnish with a dollop of yogurt. Yield: 8 servings

Going Green Tea Party: Cold Cucumber Soup with Mint

This soup is so easy and so refreshing on a hot day. Don't wait for a tea party to try it. A trick to using cucumbers is to take the seeds out. Just cut the cucumber down the middle and scrape the seeds out with a tablespoon.

3 cucumbers, about 1 ½ pounds, peeled, seeded and chopped
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 tablespoons finely chopped mint
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 ½ teaspoons salt
2 cups organic yogurt
1 to 1 ½ cups cold water

Combine chopped cucumber, onion and garlic in a bowl. Sprinkle the mint leaves with the olive oil and chop them finely. Add the chopped leaves to the soup along with the salt and yogurt. Stir the soup thoroughly. Thin the soup with cold water until it has the desired consistency.

Chill the soup for at least an hour and serve it in cold bowls.

Don't Panic Tea: Soup and Salad

I love using snack sets to serve a soup and salad together. The small cups give just the right amount of soup and the plate offers plenty of room for salad. Snack sets were so popular when I was growing up; my mother had at least four different sets. They were used for serving refreshments after club meetings. They still work great today so look for them at yard sales and flea markets.

Kicked Up Tomato Soup

Start with a box or can of high quality tomato soup. Kick it up by adding:
1/4 cup heavy cream
fresh basil
1 teaspoon or 2 of fresh lime juice
chopped fresh tomatoes
freshly ground black pepper

Mixed Green Salad

Buy bagged salad greens from the grocery store, whatever kind looks freshest. Add yellow peppers, cauliflower and red cabbage for great color. Pick up a jar of salad dressing while you're shopping. A ranch dressing might give a nice contrast with the soup on this plate.

There, the soup and salad courses are ready in the time it took to heat the soup and chop a few veggies. With the addition of the fresh ingredients, no one will know how effortlessly this tea party was put together.

Asparagus Soup

I’m taking a little detour today to include a recipe for Asparagus Soup for Anita. But it can be used instead of the French Onion Soup originally intended for the Tea and Poetry Tea. April and May are the prime months for asparagus so get it while it's here!

4 quarts water
2 pounds asparagus
4 tablespoons butter
2 onions, finely chopped
1 medium waxy potato, peeled and sliced
6 cups chicken or vegetable broth
1 bunch of parsley, about 12 stems, tied with string
½ to 1 cup heavy cream
Salt and pepper

Bring the water to a boil in a 6-quart pot.

Cut off and discard the woody bases of the asparagus. Cut off the asparagus tips and reserve them. Chop the remaining stalks into 1-inch segments and reserve.

When the water boils, put the tips in the water for 2 or 3 minutes, until they are tender but not mushy. Take them out and rinse them under cold running water. Set aside.

Put the stalks in the boiling water and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove the stalks to a bowl full of ice water. Water can be discarded now.

Heat the butter in a 4-quart pot over medium heat. Add the onions and potato and stir every 2 minutes for about 10 minutes, until the onions turn translucent and the potatoes soften slightly.

Add the broth, the cut-up asparagus stalks and the parsley. Simmer for about 15 minutes, until the asparagus and potatoes have softened thoroughly. Puree the soup in a food mill, food processor or blender.

Heat the soup, add the heavy cream and season it with salt and pepper. Add the asparagus tips directly to the soup or heat them at the last minute in a little water and arrange them on top of the soup. A dollop of sour cream can be added and the tips placed on top of it. Makes 8 servings.

Tea and Poetry: French Onion Soup

Ode to the Onion
Pablo Neruda
...
Endowed with abundance,
you break
your fresh globe
in sizzling marriage
with the stew pot;
when you touch hot oil,
crystal slivers become
curled feathers of gold.
...


1 ½ cups thinly sliced onions
3 tablespoons butter
6 cups beef broth
½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
6 slices toasted French bread
1 cup mixed grated Parmesan and Gruyère cheese

Sauté onions in butter until very well browned but not scorched. Add beef broth and pepper. Cover and cook over low heat 30 minutes.

Ladle soup into 6 soup bowls and top each with the French bread. Sprinkle the cheese over the toast.

Heat in a 275º oven about 5 minutes or until the cheese is melted.

Winter White and Spring Green Tea Party: Herbed Potato Soup

I love potato soup. It can be served hot in winter and cold in summer. Make it as chunky or as smooth as you like. Extra veggies can be added or it can be simple as is this recipe. Oh, bacon and cheese add flavor for sure but for a tea party, you don’t want guests filling up on the soup.

8 medium potatoes, peeled
2 onions, chopped
¼ cup butter
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
½ teaspoon crushed basil leaves
¼ cup flour
2 teaspoons salt
½ teaspoon pepper
2 cups cold milk
4 cups scalded milk
2 cups hot potato water

Cook potatoes and onions together until potatoes are tender. Drain but save the potato water. Put about half the potatoes through a ricer or coarse strainer and cut the rest in small chunks. Or if you like smooth soup, put all the potatoes through the strainer. You could use a food processor or blender but this gives the potatoes a slightly gluey consistency.

While the potatoes cook, melt the butter in a heavy saucepan. Add parsley and basil and blend in the flour, salt and pepper; gradually stir in the cold milk. Add scalded milk and the potato water after the potatoes have cooked.

Cook over medium heat; stir constantly until mixture thickens slightly. Stir in potatoes and onions and heat. This soup can be frozen. Makes 12 cups.

Chinese New Year Tea: Sweet and Sour Soup

Of all the many delicious Chinese soups, this is my favorite. This soup is not difficult to make but you can buy it from your favorite Chinese restaurant for this tea if you can't find the ingredients.

4 mushrooms
4 ounces lean cooked pork, thinly shredded
1 tablespoon cornstarch
4 ounces firm bean curd, drained
½ cup canned bamboo shoots, rinsed and drained
4 cups chicken stock
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes, or to taste
1 tablespoon rice wine
2 tablespoons light soy sauce
1-2 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 eggs, beaten
1-2 teaspoons white pepper
Chopped scallion

Combine the pork, a pinch of salt and 1 teaspoon of the cornstarch. Thinly shred the bean curd and bamboo shoots to the same size as the pork.

Bring the stock to a boil. Add the pork and stir to separate the meat; then add the mushrooms, bean curd and bamboo. Return to a boil and add the salt, red pepper flakes, rice wine, soy sauce and vinegar. Slowly pour in the egg, whisking to form thin threads and cook for 1 minute. Combine the remaining cornstarch with enough water to make a paste, add to the soup and simmer until thick. Put the pepper in a bowl, pour in the soup and stir. Garnish with scallion.

Fresh Start Tea: Carrot Dill Soup

2 tablespoons butter
1 onion, diced
2 1/2 lbs. carrots, peeled and diced
2 ribs celery, leaves included, diced
8 cups chicken stock (homemade or canned)
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
1 tsp. salt (or to taste)
1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
Pinch of cayenne

Melt butter in soup pot. Add onion and cook over low heat until wilted, about 10 minutes. Add carrots, celery, stock, 1/4 cup dill, salt, black pepper and cayenne. Bring to boil, reduce heat and cover. Simmer until carrots are tender, 40 minutes. Allow to cool slightly. Puree soup with immersion blender in the soup pot OR, in batches, puree in blender or food processor. Return it to the pot, stir in remaining 2 T. dill and adjust seasonings. Heat through.

A Christmas Tea: Roasted Red Pepper Soup

5 large sweet red peppers
4 cups chicken broth
1 16-ounce can tomatoes
2 cloves garlic, minced
sour cream

Cut pepper in half. Remove seeds and stems. Place cut side down on a foil-lined baking sheet. Bake in 425º oven for 20 minutes. Place in paper bag and close. Allow peppers to cool then peel off and discard skins.

Coarsely chop peppers; place in a large saucepan. Add broth, undrained tomatoes and garlic. Bring to boiling. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, for 5 minutes. Cool mixture slightly. Transfer to blender and process until smooth.

Return soup to pan. Heat through. Ladle into bowls and top with a dollop of sour cream, if desired.

Halloween/Harvest Tea: Cream of Pumpkin Soup in Pumpkin Bowls

If you don’t want to go to the bother of using fresh pumpkin, and I know I don’t, use 1 can (14-ounces) of pumpkin and increase the broth to 4 cups.

2 cans (14 ounces each) vegetable broth
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon brown sugar
2 tablespoons butter
1 large onion, chopped
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground ginger
Salt and pepper to taste
¼ teaspoon fresh ginger, finely slivered
2 tablespoons light or heavy cream
1 pumpkin, peeled, seeded and cut into 1-inch pieces (about 5-6 cups)
Small pumpkins for serving, tops removed and all seeds and fiber cleaned out

Heat butter in saucepan, add onion and cook until tender.

Add broth, oil, brown sugar, cinnamon, ginger, salt and pepper and pumpkin. Heat to a boil. Cover and cook over low heat 10 minutes or until pumpkin is tender.

Place half of the pumpkin mixture in blender or food processor and blend until smooth. Return puréed mixture to saucepan. Repeat with remaining pumpkin mixture. Add cream and heat through. Ladle into small pumpkins. Top each with a spoonful of crème fraîche and tiny slivers of fresh ginger if desired.

Ivy and Lace Tea: Tomato Soup with Parmesan Frico

There are two camps when it comes to tomato soup: those who like it chunky and those who like it smooth. I vote for smooth so I purée mine in a blender. If you prefer chunky, by all means, leave the chunks in. This soup tastes great either way.

Tomato Soup

4 tablespoons butter
½ cup thinly sliced celery
½ cup thinly sliced shallots
3 cups coarsely chopped plum tomatoes, use canned if you don’t have fresh
3 whole fresh basil leaves
Coarse kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

In a large saucepan, melt butter and sauté the celery and shallots until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes and stir in the basil leaves. Simmer for 30 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Purée in a blender until smooth and strain if necessary.


Parmesan Frico

Lacy Frico are easy to make and look so pretty and delicate. They taste delicious, of course. I like them served on a salad plate too.

9 ounces Parmesan cheese, grated
1 tablespoon flour

Toss the cheese with the flour. Heat a non-stick skillet over medium low heat. Sprinkle a bit of the cheese in a circle, about 2 tablespoons. Cook until the cheese is melted but not firm. Flip and cook until firm. Timing depends on how hot your heat is, how well the pan conducts heat and the temperature of the cheese. Make one to test. Remember not to crowd your skillet or you’ll have a mess. When the Frico are done, place them on a paper towel to cool or drape them over a bowl or rolling pin in you want shapes.

The FireFly Tea: Yellow Gazpacho

Serve this cold soup in small bowls. You don’t want your guests to fill up on this before they get to taste any of your other food. You might also serve the gazpacho in stemmed glasses, cordial glasses or sherbet dishes. Garnish the soup with the size of the dish in mind.

3 pounds yellow tomatoes, chopped

3 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped

1 cup coarsely chopped cilantro
2 yellow peppers, seeded and diced
2 medium cucumbers, peeled, seeded and diced
1/2 cup peeled and chopped jicama
1/2 cup diced red onion
1 slice stale bread (crust removed), soaked in water and squeezed dry
2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
1/4 cup white wine
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons kosher or sea salt
freshly ground pepper to taste
Dash hot pepper sauce
Garnish of choice

In a blender or food processor, puree the tomatoes, garlic, cilantro, yellow pepper, cucumber, jicama, bread and onion until very smooth, about 3 minutes. Add vinegar, white wine, olive oil, salt and pepper and combine. Pass through a coarse strainer. Chill thoroughly. Garnish with finely chopped tomato, cucumber, onion and/or herb sprigs of your choice and/or a dollop of sour cream.

The Soup Course: Mixed Vegetable Puree

Make with vegetables from your garden or whatever you have in the fridge. The vegetables in this recipe are merely suggestions. You don't even have to soften the vegetables in olive oil or butter first. Just throw everything you have into the broth and simmer until it is all soft.

¼ cup olive oil or butter
2 onions, chopped
2 celery ribs, chopped
2 potatoes, peeled and chopped
2 quarts of chicken broth
1 10 ounce package of spinach OR 1 cup chopped fresh spinach leaves
¼ cup parsley leaves
¾ cup heavy cream
Salt and pepper to taste
Croutons, recipe below

Heat the olive oil or butter over medium heat. Add the onions, celery and potatoes. Stir the vegetables for about 10 minutes; don’t brown the vegetables. Add the chicken broth and simmer until the potatoes are soft, about 10 minutes more. Add the spinach and parsley. Simmer for about 10 minutes more to cook the green vegetables.

Put the soup in a blender or food processor. Stir in the cream and season to taste. Serve the soup with garlicky croutons on top and a swirl of olive oil.

Croutons

Dice bread into cubes. Drizzle with olive oil or melted butter. Sprinkle with seasoned salt, garlic or onion salt, parsley, basil, oregano or any combination of herbs/spices you prefer.
Place on a baking sheet in a 225°F oven and toast until browned and crispy dry. Stir occasionally so that all sides are browned.

The Soup and Salad Course

Frosty Peach Soup

If you don’t like the idea of using whipped topping, by all means use your own freshly whipped cream. I prefer the whipped topping in the soup because it gives it a bit more thickness but I like the real stuff for decorating the top.

4-5 cups fresh peaches, peeled
½ teaspoon lemon juice
Dash grated nutmeg
8 ounce container of whipped topping
4 ounces sour cream
¾ cup confectioners sugar
1 tablespoon raspberry balsamic vinegar
Splash of rum

For Garnish:
Extra peach slices, whipped topping/fresh whipped cream and mint sprigs

Puree peaches in a blender. Add remaining ingredients and blend until smooth and creamy. Chill in the refrigerator for at least two hours and for really frosty peach soup, put it in the freezer about 15 minutes before serving it. Garnish each serving with a dollop of whipped topping or real whipped cream, a slice of peach and a sprig of fresh mint.

Serve in a small frosted glass bowl or goblet. Makes 8-10 servings.

Summer Salad with fresh greens, yellow tomatoes, sliced mushrooms and red onions, topped with Creamy Poppy Seed Dressing. A Parmesan Poppy Seed Straw graces the salad plate.

Creamy Poppy Seed Dressing

3/4 c. sugar
3/4 c. salad oil
3/4 c. vinegar
1/2 c. mayonnaise
1 to 2 teaspoons poppy seeds

Combine all ingredients. Shake well. Refrigerate.

Parmesan Poppy Seed Straws

1 box of puff pastry dough, defrosted
flour for dusting
4 tablespoons butter, melted
5 ounces Parmesan cheese, grated in a food processor to yield 1 ¼ cups
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon poppy seeds
1 large egg, lightly beaten

Preheat the oven to 425º. Roll out the puff pastry dough on floured surface 1/8” thick, making a 24 x 26” rectangle. Brush the dough lightly with the melted butter. Sprinkle the dough with ¾ cup of the Parmesan, 1 teaspoon of the salt and 1 tablespoon of the poppy seeds.

Fold the dough in half, short sides together. Brush the surface of the dough with the egg. Sprinkle with the remaining 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon poppy seeds and ½ cup Parmesan. Cut the dough vertically into ½ inch wide strips. Transfer to a baking sheet. Stretch and twist each strip. Store unbaked dough in the refrigerator until it goes into the oven.

Bake until golden, about 10-12 minutes. Allow the straws to cool on the baking sheet for about 5 minutes. Carefully remove to a wire rack to finish cooling.