RECIPE: Make this soup for mom this weekend
One of my greatest joys has been my involvement with Soup Sisters and being one of the founders of the Kelowna chapter.
An extraordinary organization, founded by one of my heroes, Sharon Hapton, in Calgary in 2009, it brings community together to create nurturing soup for local women and children in need. Group soup making sessions were organized and orchestrated with great fun to produce a bounty of soup to be delivered to our local Women’s Shelter each month. With Mother’s Day upon us, let us remember those mothers in need at our local shelters.
Soup Sisters and Broth Brothers has grown to 27 cities across Canada and launched into the U.S. Each location is run by local volunteers in their own community. With COVID entering our lives, the group sessions came to a halt, however Sharon’s innovative nature created a new way of organizing soup-making virtually. For every ticket sold to The Virtual Pot online event series, Soup Sisters delivers a (4 lb) family size bag of freshly made flash frozen soup to a local shelter. In the past decade, Soup Sisters proudly delivered over three million servings of delicious and comforting soup to agencies nationwide and they say they “have no plans of stopping!” Read more about Soup Sisters and the Virtual Pot here.
I am proud to lead a soup making virtual class this Saturday online and will be making the soup recipe that I contributed to one of the must-have Soup Sister’s Cookbooks. Order a book HERE.
RECIPE:
Okanagan Orchard
This recipe is a celebration of my local orchard roots. Born and raised on a fruit orchard in East Kelowna, and coming from a long line of farmers, I am proud to celebrate the almighty apple in this recipe. The Ambrosia apple has a very interesting history as well. The original tree was first cultivated by the Mennell family in the Similkameen Valley after discovering it growing in their orchard and were able to name. it.
Ingredients:
1 head celeriac (celery root), peeled and diced
2 Okanagan Ambrosia apples, peeled, cored and diced
1 onion, diced
10 fresh sage leaves
5 sprigs fresh thyme, leaves only
2 Tbsp olive oil
6 cups chicken or vegetable stock
Salt to taste
Blue cheese crostini (baguette, blue cheese, walnuts)
Method:
In a large pot over medium heat, sauté the celeriac, apples, onion, sage and thyme in the oil until the onion is softened.
Add the stock. Bring to a boil over high heat and then reduce heat to medium low.
Simmer, uncovered, until the celeriac is tender, about 15 minutes.
Puree the soup until smooth, Reheat and add salt to taste.
Ladle up bowlfuls of the steamy, handsome soup and float a beautifully bouyant blue cheese crostini on each one.
Crostini:
Slice rounds from a small baguette. While still hot, top with blue cheese and top with a piece of walnut.
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