She calls it a "monster white pepper broth" and she isn't kidding. If you are not a fan of pepper, this soup is not for you, but if you are or you want the power of white pepper, ginger, garlic and onions to clear out your sinuses and lungs, or you just need warming up it is a delicious and healthy pick.
Heidi Says, "This soup is built on a monster white pepper broth. White pepper with jolts of ginger, and stabs of garlic. I like it just shy of scalding, racing down my throat, sweeping through my sinuses in one boisterous, fragrant swoop. This is a soup I make often, particularly when I need a boost. And, while I float other ingredients in the broth, mostly to make a meal of things, that part of the equation is usually an after thought. For me, this soup is all about the clear strong broth, the invigorating way it makes me feel, and the way it lights up my insides. This is a soup for the coldest days, the runniest noses, and the shortest days of winter."
Immunity Soup Broth
Slightly Adapted from Heidi Swanson via 101Cookbooks.com
(Serves 4 to 6)
1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, quartered and thinly sliced
3 celery stalks, thinly sliced
1 medium carrot, thinly sliced
8 medium garlic cloves, very thinly sliced
2 Tbsp grated ginger, peeled
3/4 tsp finely ground white pepper, plus more to taste
2 1/2 tsp fine grain sea salt, plus more to taste
To serve: lots of chopped green onions, sliced watermelon radish, and/or pea shoots, noodles or rice if desired, sesame seeds.
In a large soup pot, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion, celery, carrot, garlic, and ginger and gently sauté vegetables just until soft--making sure not to brown. Add a little water if needed, if the pan drys out in the process.
Stir in the white pepper and 10 cups of water. Increase heat and bring the broth to a simmer. Simmer for about 15 minutes, adding any additional vegetables or protein (Heidi suggests mushrooms and tofu), and salt. Gently simmer for another 5 minutes. Stir well, taste, and adjust flavors by adding more salt or water if needed.
Ladle the soup into shallow soup bowls and top with lots of green onions, pea shoots, and a few watermelon radish slices, or whatever you like or is in season. I added cooked green tea soba noodles. Add a finishing drizzle of olive oil and sesame seeds, and enjoy!
Notes/Results: This is a mighty potent broth and it definitely swept through my sinuses. I am a fairly hard-core pepper fan and found it just a bit much to drink very much of as a broth. However, once I got veggies and noodles into it, it was perfect. A nice peppery burn in the back of the throat. Heidi adds tofu and mushrooms to hers but I was feeling more like something green and lighter so I used some blanched snow peas and added pea shoots, watermelon radish slices and green onions as Heidi recommended. I feel healthier already! ;-) I would make it again but if pepper isn't your thing Heidi Swanson has lots of other healthy broth recipes.
Since you can sip this broth or use it as the base for soup, I am linking it up at I Heart Cooking Clubs where this week's theme is Something to Sip--Heidi Swanson recipes for drinks, teas, smoothies, broths and other sippables. You can see what everyone made by checking out the picture links on the post.
We have good friends in the Souper Sundays kitchen who shared some delicious dishes last week--let's have a look!
Ali of Fix Me a Little Lunch shared Adobo Sweet Potato Soup and said, "Canned adobo chilies lend the adobo sweet potato soup a super smokey flavor. I also used some smoked paprika, which is arguably one of my all time favorite spices. As part of the fridge/pantry clean up effort, I gathered up all the celery I could find, leaves and all, and tossed those in too. The end result is a silky, smokey, soup with a bit of sweet and just the slightest kick from the peppers."
Vicki of I'd Rather Be At The Beach recommends the soup and salad bars at a favorite restaurant and said, "If you’re not familiar with Sweet Tomatoes, they’re a salad, soup, and baked goods restaurant. And their food is oh so yummy. I didn’t get a photo of the salad bar because we got there just as they were opening the door and there were a bunch of people waiting to get in. By the time I tried to take a photo, there were people on both side of the bar and I couldn’t get a good shot."
Melynda of Our Sunday Cafe suggested serving the soup-ish Serendipity Creole Chicken for a Sunday dinner, saying, "Celebrate the family with your own Sunday Supper. Sunday Supper is one of our favorite ways to bring the family together! We offer the following suggestion, and hope you enjoy it as much as we do!"
Finally, it's been a long time since my friend Stephanie of Dispensing Happiness has stopped by Souper Sundays. She shared Lasagna Soup and said, "Because today was National Soup Day (I'm doing this thing where I try to work in as many 'National Day of' food events into my menus as possible this year) and the timing being what it is, decided to post so I could swing by my dear friend Deb's and join her Souper Sundays. ... A tomato-y broth, pasta, and meatballs topped with an amazingly creamy cheese mix. Wow. WOW. So good."
Mahalo to everyone who joined in this week!
Souper Sundays is back with a new format of a picture link each week where anyone interested can post their soups, salads, or sandwiches any time during the week and I post a recap of the entries the following week.)
(If you aren't familiar with Souper Sundays, you can read about of the origins of it here.
If you would like to join in Souper (Soup, Salad, and Sammie) Sundays, I would love to have you! Here's how...
To join in this week's linkup with your soup, salad or sandwich:
- Link up your soup (stew, chili, soupy curries, etc. are fine), salad, or sandwich dish, (preferably one from the current week or month--but we'll take older posts too) on the picture link below and leave a comment on this post so I am sure not to miss you.
On your entry post (on your blog):
- please mention Souper (Soup, Salad & Sammies) Sundays at Kahakai Kitchen and link back to this post.
- you are welcome to add the wonderful Souper Sundays logo (created by Ivy at Kopiaste) to your post and/or blog (optional).
Have a happy, healthy week!
hope you feel better soon!
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