Trivia… The Cambell Soup Company invented condensed soup in 1897, in the US.. Tomato, Cream of Mushroom, & Chicken Noodle, Americans still consume approx 2.5 billon bowls of these soups alone each year.
There is nothing quite like a hot bowl of soup on a cold winter’s day, a bit like today.. so why not get cracking at brewing up some batches of Heartwarming Soups..?
A soup is basically a warm food that is made by combining ingredients such as meat and/or veggies with stock, juice or water. Traditionally, soups are classified into two main groups: clear soups and thick soups. So you’ve got the French Classification of clear soups buillion and consommé.
Thick soups are more filling soups and in some cases there is little to distinguish soups from a stew, except that a soup will have more liquid, therefore making soups extremely good on the purse strings.
Some ingredients used to thicken & make more robust soups include, potatoes, rice, eggs, lentils, beans, grains, pasta, milk, cream, coconut milk.
Soup or Chowder? - Chowder is a generic name for a wide variety of seafood or vegetable stews and thickened soups, often fortified with diced potatoes, milk or cream; however some healthier varieties use a mixture or cream and tomatoes.
Were not sure where the name chowder came from however it is possible it came from the French Chaudière, the type of pot in which the first chowders were probably cooked.
Examples: Seafood Chowder, a mixture of diced potatoes, sauted onions, mixed seafood, milk & cream
Smoked Haddock & Leek Chowder – mixture of leeks, butter sautéed, with a little flour, milk, cream and smoked haddock…
Heartwarming Soups
The great thing about making soups is that you do not have to follow any recipe, you can make it up as you go along with the ingredients & leftovers you have at hand…
The Very Basics.. Mixture of Veggies + Liquid which can be water, stock, tomato juice+ flavourings = herbs, spices, seasoning.
Pop the mixture of veggies into a pot completely cover with a liquid, bring to the boil, simmer until tender, blend with a hand blender. Soups can be lumpy, very thick in consistency or simply very drinkable.. its your choice, just add some more stock or water if you want it to be thinner in consistency…..
Additional Flavourings – honey, ginger, fresh chilli, chilli powder, cumin, coriander fresh & ground,
- Carrots, potato, veggie stock cube, honey, salt & pepper
- Leeks, 2 potatoes, veggie stock, salt & pepper
- Sweet Potato, carrots, veggie stock, pinch of chilli.
- Thai Curry Paste, coconut milk, leftover chicken
- Can of tomatoes, 3 cups of water, 1 pinch of chilli powder, 1 cup of pasta, 1 cup of Bolognese meat sauce
Dress them up….
Croutons, toasted pita bread, a scattering of chopped herbs or roasted pine nuts and serve with a basket of mixed breads for an extremely economical dinner, and how easy is it when you can prepare them well in advance and simply heat and serve.
Turnip & Wholegrain Mustard Soup
This is really a great tasting soup…
1 medium sized turnip peeled & cubed
4 medium potatoes cubed
1 white onion chopped
1 tbls of chopped garlic
1 litre of veggie stock
1 tbls of wholegrain mustard
3 tbls of cream
Cracked black pepper & a little salt
Couple of glugs of Olive Oil to saute
Sauté the onions in some olive oil until nice and translucent. Pop in the garlic and cook for about another min before adding the turnip & potatoes, cook for about 5 mins before adding the veggie stock. Continue to cook the veggies until when pierced they are quite soft.
Whizz with hand blender or food processor when cooked. Return the pot to the heat, add the cream & wholegrain mustard stirring until well combined. Season to taste with cracked black pepper…
This soup is delicious with a good loaf of wholesome brown bread.
Thai Chicken, Lemongrass & Coconut Soup
Serves 4
3 chicken breasts or chicken thighs, thinly sliced
2 carrots finely chopped
1 cup of frozen peas
2 teasp of red curry paste
1 can of coconut milk (reduced fat)
1 cup of chicken stock
2 stems of lemongrass, white part finely chopped
4 cloves of garlic
1 teasp of black peppercorns
6 kaffir lime leaves finely chopped
1 small red chilli thinly sliced
1 tbls of fish sauce
2 tbls of lime juice
1 teasp of soft brown sugar or palm sugar
Coriander leaves as garnish
Pop the curry paste, lemongrass, peppercorns & garlic into a food processor/blender and process until they all blend together to form a smooth paste.
Transfer the paste to a non stick saucepan, gently heat on low temperature, gradually adding the coconut milk and stock , bring to the boil.
Add the thinly sliced chicken, carrots and kaffir lime leaves, bring back to the boil and simmer for 10 mins. Add the peas, Stir in the lime juice, fish sauce, sugar and chilli.... Enjoy
You could also add some noodles just remember to use a bigger pot!
Donellis Roast Carrot & Parsnip Soup
With a drizzle of honey
Serves 4
4 carrots peeled and cubed
2 parsnips peeled and cubed
2 potatoes roughly cubed
2 cloves of garlic
1 tablespoon of olive oil
2 tbls of honey
1 litre of veggie stock
Salt n pepper to season
1 tablespoon of chopped fresh herbs
Heat oven to 180 – place carrots, parsnips, potatoes , garlic & honey on a baking tray and drizzle with the olive oil. Cook for about 15 mins until veggies are soft.
Transfer to a pot with warmed veggie stock cook for a further 5 mins and then puree with a hand blender to your desired consistency… season to taste, Transfer to bowls with some freshly chopped herbs. Delicious served with brown bread or try pita bread.
Asiany Sweet Potato, Roast Cashew & Chilli
6 sweet pots peeled and cubed
1 litre veggies stock
1 teasp butter
1 tsp chopped red chillies
1tbls chopped ginger
1 tbs chopped garlic
3 carrots peeled and cubed
1 white onion
2tbs soy sauce
1 can of coconut milk
few sprigs of coriander plus extra garnish
10 cashew nuts
Melt butter in largish pot pop the chillies, ginger, garlic, carrots and onions sauté for 5 mins. Add the sweet pots and veggie stock and bring to the boil for 15 mins or until soft.
Blend the sweet pots mixture until smooth. Add the soy sauce, coconut milk and coriander. Pop the cashew onto a non stick pan to toast gently.
Serve the soup in bowls with a sprinkle of cashews & Coriander.
Delicious with a chilli garlic bread…. Combine 2tbs of butter with 1 clove of finely chopped garlic and a red chilli finely chopped. Slice a French bread stick (not quite the whole way thru) & spread the butter mixture lightly over each round. Wrap in foil and pop in the oven for 10 mins & 180.
Donelli’s Minestrone Soup
This soup is really a meal in itself, its wonderfully filling, warming and satisfying and is so versatile. It will keep in the fridge for about 4 days and freezes perfectly. You can also either have this as a purely vegetarian soup or with chorizo sausage, bacon or Pancetta. Serve with crusty bread for the perfect lunch or how about a fireside supper!!
400g Borlotti beans – 1 can
400g Haricot beans – 1 can
1 large onion chopped finely
3 celery stalks halved then sliced
2 carrots sliced
1 courgette halved then sliced
1 red pepper cubed
1 yellow pepper cubed
2 cloves of garlic crushed and chopped
400g chopped tomatoes whizzed
2 litres veggie stock
1 handful of basil leaves torn
1 teaspoon of smoked paprika
150g orza or other small pasta shapes
2 tablespoons of olive oil
To serve:
2 tablespoons of shaved Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons of basil pesto
Optional:
2 tablespoons of chopped chorizo sausage
2 tablespoons of bacon or Pancetta
Method
Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil & sweat the onion over medium heat for about 2 mins. Then add the garlic, celery, peppers and continue to sauté for about 2 mins, add your carrots remainder of olive oil & ½ teasp of smoked paprika and sauté until combined.
Combine your pureed chopped tomatoes & stock and add to the veg mixture, cook uncovered for about 10 mins, then add the pasta, courgette & beans & remainder of smoked paprika. Continue to cook for a further 10 mins until pasta is al dente. Season with salt n pepper and scatter with torn basil leaves.. Ladle into bowls and top with shaved Parmesan and or a teasp of basil pesto.
