Entry 31: Foods of Thedas - Butter Soup

Image Description: A white bowl with hot Butter Soup garnished with chopped green onions and Bac'n Pieces.

Fall is here! Time to unpack the sweaters, bring in the harvest, enjoy the changes in the trees, and huddle up to the fireplace, preferably with a bowl of soup. Soups and hot beverages are some of my favorite parts of this season. Last month, I showed you how to make and serve the Anderfels drink, Nordbotten Fruit Stew, from World of Thedas Vol. 2. I illustrated how to serve it cold for summer and hot for fall. This month, in anticipation of colder temperatures and longer, darker nights, I made up World of Thedas' Butter Soup. 

This deliciously wholesome soup lives up to its description:

"This is a simple, tasty soup that is both inexpensive and easy to make."

Ultimately though, this kitchen mage made plans to level this cooking quest up from its bare-bone basics. There are a few ways this soup can be served to satisfy any soup-lovers pallet. 

To start, I gathered my ingredients: potatoes, half of one yellow onion, cinnamon sticks, bay leaves, salt and pepper, coconut milk, vegan butter, large elbow macaroni, Not-Chicken Broth cubes, and green onions. Not pictured: arrowroot, Bac'n Pieces and vegan sour cream. The full recipe and serving suggestions are listed below.

Image Description: An assembly of Butter Soup ingredients arranged aesthetically on a clean, white dish towel accented with rainbow stripes. 

This soup starts as all good recipes do: with chopped onions cooked in oil.

Image Description: Chopped white onion resting on a well-worn teak cutting board.

Once onions are slightly golden, I stirred in seasonings and spices. I allowed everything to heat through for 2-4 minutes.

Image Description: Slightly golden chopped onion stirred with salt, pepper, cinnamon stick and bay leaves in a
well-worn, ceramic pot.

Then I added the potatoes, water and broth cubes.

Image Description: A close-up of diced potatoes, cooked, chopped onions, and a cinnamon stick.

I placed a cover on the pot and brought it to a boil, then simmered it down. While the potatoes cooked, I prepared my pasta. The Butter Soup recipe has frustratingly scant flavor and texture details. So the choice of pasta is yours to make. I chose large elbow macaroni because I had it in my pantry and I must say I liked it considerably. I highly recommend it. Other pastas that work well in soups with chopped vegetables include farfalle, penne, rigatoni, and ziti. This soup can be blended to make a creamier soup. If blending, use large elbow macaroni or rigatoni.

Image Description: A white colander filled with cooked large elbow macaroni over a sink in evening sunlight.

Once potatoes and pasta were cooked, I combined them with the vegan butter, Not-Chicken Broth, and coconut milk. I found I added too much coconut milk so I have some suggestions for adjusting the amount listed below in the full recipe below.

Image Description: A large, heavy bottomed, black pot with cooked Butter Soup and a white ladle.

To help the soup thicken, I added some arrowroot. Corn starch can also be used, but I prefer the silky texture that arrowroot provides.

Image Description: A tablespoon of water poured into a small, white ingredients bowl holding arrowroot powder.

And done!

Image Description: A ladle full of cooked potato dices and cooked pasta over a backdrop of hot, yellow Butter Soup.

Simple, inexpensive, and thoroughly delicious.

Image Description: A white bowl filled with Butter Soup, garnished with chopped green onion and fresh cracked
black pepper.

You can enjoy Butter Soup with whole vegetables and pasta if you are in the mood to dine with Charter and Scout Harding. If you want to dine with Vivienne and Dorian, though, we need to bring this recipe to the next level.

As stated above, this is a soup that can be blended into a creamier concoction. A standing blender or an immersion blender work well for the job. And then you can garnish with green onions, Bac'n Pieces (or Bacon Bits - yes they are vegan) and additional salt and pepper to your liking.

Image Description: A white bowl of blended Butter Soup, garnished with vegan sour cream, chopped green onion
and fresh cracked black pepper.

I hope you give this hot and filling Thedosian soup a try!


Butter Soup

Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 30 minutes
Yields: 12-14 services

Ingredients:
10 cups water
4 large potatoes, diced
1/2 medium yellow onion, diced
1 cinnamon stick
2 bay leaves
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 Not-Chicken Broth cubes
8 ounces large elbow macaroni or pasta of your choice (see recommendations above)
7-13 ounces full fat coconut milk
1/2 cup vegan butter
2 tablespoons arrowroot and 2 tablespoons water

Garnish:
Green onions, chopped
Bac'n Pieces
Vegan sour cream


Directions:
Add one tablespoon of vegan butter to a large, heavy bottomed cooking pot and melt over medium heat. Add onions and stir. Cook until slightly golden brown. Add spices and seasonings, allow to cook another 2 to 4 minutes or until fragrant. Add potatoes, water and broth cubes. Stir well. Cover and bring to boil, then reduce heat to simmer. Cook until potatoes are tender, about 15-20 minutes.

While potatoes are cooking, prepare pasta according to package instructions. Once potatoes are cooked, add cooked and drained pasta, the remaining vegan butter, and coconut milk. Stir gently over low heat until butter and milk are well mixed. If serving whole, add 7-8 ounces of coconut milk. If blending, add 10-13 ounces of coconut milk.

Remove pot from heat. Add arrowroot and water to a small bowl and stir gently. Then add arrowroot mixture to soup, stir gently to combine. Serve immediately.


To Serve:
Ladle cooked soup into bowls or soup cups, garnish with your choice of Bac'n Pieces, vegan sour cream, chopped green onion and/or salt and fresh cracked black pepper. And serve!

To blend, add soup to a blender in batches. Blend thoroughly. If using an immersion blender, blend soup in pot. Ladle creamy soup into bowls or soup cups, garnish with your choice of Bac'n Pieces, vegan sour cream, chopped green onion and/or salt and fresh cracked black pepper. And serve!

Store soup in an airtight container in refrigerator. Soup will keep, blended or whole, for 5-7 days. For longer storage, store soup in an airtight container in freezer. Soup will keep for 2-3 weeks. To thaw, set in refrigerator overnight, or defrost in microwave. Then add to a cooking pot, heat through over medium-low heat and serve.


If you make and enjoy this wholesome soup or try out any of my other Dragon Age-themed recipes, please post and share pictures on social media. Use the hashtag (#)FoodsofThedas!

Walk always in the Maker's light.


Like what you are reading? Great! Come back for a new entry on the third Thursday of each month (mostly). And have a look at my previous entries for other recipes, and Dragon Age-related trivia and oddities!

Have any friendly suggestions or cool ideas? Want me to veganize your favorite recipe? Please comment below. You can also email me at foodsofthedas@gmail.com, message me at AGSamuels on Reddit, or tweet me at @FoodsofThedas on Twitter. You can also follow me on Instagram, @foodsofthedas.


Foods of Thedas, formerly Gourmet Vegan Thedas.

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Source:

Dragon Age: World of Thedas Volume 2. www.darkhorse.com/Books/22-389/Dragon-Age-The-World-of-Thedas-Volume-2-HC
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