We are so excited to be a part of the Share Our Holiday Table – a virtual, progressive fundraising dinner being held by bloggers across the country, designed to raise awareness of child hunger in the United States. We’ve never been to a virtual dinner but it’s proving to be so delicious – we get to meet new friends, share recipes and ideas and share some food for thought about child hunger so close to home.
The holiday season is upon us and how lucky we are. It’s time for us to stop and give to those less fortunate – families who may not have food on the table and whose tummies are rumbling because they need feeding. Think Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and those Buckets lying in bed existing on thin cabbage soup.
For our part we were asked to make a family friendly soup – no watery cabbage soup for us – instead we want to share our easy to make Snow White Soup – something we make together regularly and not just for the holidays.
In our house we call any winter vegetable soup a Snow White Soup – this goes back to when Minty was little and in her princess phase. Long before the fashionista’s black phase she wore a different floaty white gown to school every day, topped off with a sparkly tiara. How I miss those days when she’d ask how to get a blue bird to land on her hand or when she’d sing “I know you” as she’d dance around her room with Rémy, who could hardly walk, as her Prince Charming. Snow White and Prince Charming help me prepare a large pot of soup – if they help cook it they are more likely to eat it and once the veggies are all blended together it’s incredible what the kids will eat – carrots, parsnips, onions, turnips, leeks, potatoes, roasted squash. The ingredients may change but it’s always Snow White soup and this has always been a quick and easy way to get them to eat more vegetables.
Rémy peels heirloom carrots
Don’t get too caught up in exact quantities or indeed veggies – if a vegetable at the market looks great buy these to throw in. We liked the look of these rainbow carrots – purple, yellow and orange from Alex at Weiser Family Farms. An interesting fact is that carrots used to be purple – not orange – that’s a modern development – just like tomatoes were more commonly yellow, not red.
Minty draws as Rémy cooks
To serve 6
WHAT YOU NEED:
1 large onion
2 leeks
2 tablespoons olive oil
Carrots – 3 purple, 3 white, 3 orange, peeled and sliced about 3/8 inch thick
[if you aren’t lucky like us and have access to Weiser Farms and all these beautiful colorful carrots orange ones would work]
3 cups good vegetable or chicken stock
Pinch of Herbes de Provence
Salt and pepper
What to do:
1. Chop up the onion, clean the leeks well to get rid of any sand and dirt and slice them about 1/2 inch thick.
Rémy carefully measures out the olive oil
2. Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan and add the onions. When they are beginning to turn trasparent add the leeks with a pinch of salt and sweat for 5 minutes.
Cooking the onions
3. Add the chopped carrots and sweat for a further 5 minutes.
Rémy adds the carrots
4. Heat the stock and add to the pan along with a pinch of herbs and a little black pepper. Stir well and bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer gently for about 15 minutes – until the carrots are soft.
A generous pinch of herbs
5. Use an immersion blender to purée the soup, being careful not to splatter hot soup everywhere.
Oh how he loves a gadget!
6. Cook the blended soup for a little longer, season to taste.
The Artist
7. Serve in bowls with a swirl of good olive oil and lots of warm crunchy bread for dipping.
Yummy!
Piping hot!
If you are a blogger and would like to participate visit the Blogger Resource Center to find out how.
Donate via Share Our Holiday Table – just $25 can help feed a child three meals a day for more than a month.
A special thanks to my friend Gaby at What’s Gaby Cooking for inviting us to this special holiday table – not just a worthwhile cause but a lot of fun – and so delicious!
Happy Happy!!!