Foods 30 - Spicy Zucchini Soup and Biscuits

Today the Foods 30 class made zucchini soup and biscuits.  There were mixed feelings about the soup; some students were looking forward to it and just as many were not.  Turned out the soup very tasty and very little was left over. Some of the groups chose to make biscuits to go with their soup.  the biscuits were also cooked very well - golden brown, crunchy on the outside and fluffy on the inside.

Spicy Zucchini Soup

Ingredients

• 4 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 1/2 jalapeno chile (or more to taste, depending on how spicy you would like the soup to be), seeds, stems and ribs removed and discarded, chopped
• 3 chopped garlic cloves
• 2 pounds chopped zucchini (skin on), about 5-6 cups
• 1 1/2 cups chopped day-old bread
• 3 cups chicken broth (use vegetable broth for vegetarian option)
• 1 cup water
• 1/2 cup fresh mint leaves (spearmint), loosely packed, chopped
• 1/2 cup fresh cilantro, loosely packed, chopped (optional)
• 2 teaspoons lemon juice
• Salt
• Pepper

Method

1 Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the onion and jalapeno chile and sauté for 4-5 minutes until the onions are translucent, but not browned. Add the garlic and zucchini and sauté for another 3-4 minutes, stirring often. Sprinkle with salt.
2 Add the bread, broth, and water, and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat and simmer gently for 20 minutes.
3 Remove from heat. Add the mint and cilantro (if using). Purée in a blender or food processor until smooth, working in batches if necessary. Or use an immersion blender.
4 Return the soup to the pot. Add the lemon juice, and salt, and pepper to taste.
Garnish with lemon wedges and sprigs of mint or cilantro.
Serve hot or chilled. Keeps for a week in the fridge.
Yield: Serves 4.

Recipe retrieved from http://simplyrecipes.com/recipes/spicy_zucchini_soup/.


JP's Big Daddy Biscuits

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon white sugar

1/3 cup shortening

1 cup milk

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).               

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar. Cut in the shortening until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Gradually stir in milk until dough pulls away from the side of the bowl.       
Turn out onto a floured surface, and knead 15 to 20 times. Pat or roll dough out to 1 inch thick. Cut biscuits with a large cutter or juice glass dipped in flour. Repeat until all dough is used. Brush off the excess flour, and place biscuits onto an ungreased baking sheet.             
Bake for 13 to 15 minutes in the preheated oven, or until edges begin to brown.

Recipe retieved from http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/jps-big-daddy-biscuits/detail.aspx.