Posts for 'Soups' Category

Dushbara are very small dumplings served in broth. They are a classic Azerbaijani dish, especially popular in Baku and the surrounding region.
Ingredients
For the broth
lamb bones
water
a few saffron threads soaked for at least 30 minutes in warm water (optional)
salt, to taste
For the filling
200 g/8 oz minced lamb (or 100 g/4 oz minced lamb and 100 g/4 oz minced beef)
1 medium-sized onion
1/2 tspn turmeric
salt & pepper
For the dough
500 g/1lb 4 oz wheat flour
1 egg
1 glass water
To serve
dried mint or fresh coriander
grape vinegar
crushed garlic.

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In Spotswood College's Food and Nutrition classes, Katy Power teaches her students that the key to cooking great-tasting, nutritious meals day after day is to keep it simple. In Kai with Soul, Katy and her students let you in on how easy cooking for a family can be.

The welcome scent of daffodils and freesias are a sign that spring has arrived and the sight of baby calves and lambs dotting the countryside are a reminder that farmers are flat tack with the cycle of new life and production on the farm.

Tasty and healthy food is essential to keep the body functioning to the best of its ability during these busy times and this week's colourful soups are packed with protein, vitamins, fibre and sustenance. Soup is versatile and, once made, stores well in the fridge, so that anyone in the household can quickly reheat a bowlful at any time of the day.

Both soups use seasonal vegetables that are full of flavour and quality, so they are economical to make. Both require short cooking times and are whizzed or pureed into a thick, creamy consistency.

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It’s soup weather. I can tell, because it’s raining. That’s all it takes. And because when I said ‘it’s soup weather’ to my husband, he went ‘yep, sure is’. There was a silence for about 5 seconds. Then we both turned to each other and shouted at the same time ‘Pea and ham!’

Such is the weather - and the foodie zeitgeist - that pea and ham soup recipes have been popping up all over the place, including my friend Janet who runs the Old Foodie blogspot, who posted a short entry on ‘pea and bacon’ soup this week. Janet says the association (between dried peas and ham) is very old, citing a sighting in the mid-sixteenth century Boke of Nurture by John Russell. ‘It has been common at least since medieval times, it seems’ she writes. ‘This is presumably because both bacon (or ham) and peas(e) were easily-grown, home-grown, and kept well, so were the meat and veg staples… for all but the poorest folk’.

I automatically turn to pea and ham soup in cold weather because Mum used to have it ready by the mugful when my brother and I got home from school, after a long (over two miles) and often cold walk from the bus stop. To this day it makes me feel good and warm in an instant.To make it, look for green or yellow split peas in the supermarket – green make a more attractive soup but there’ s not much in it. As for the ham, consider begging your butcher or deli for their leftover ham bone, and teaming it with a smoky pork hock or some bacon bones. Here’s my family recipe.

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Soups have a long gastronomic history. The Spartans were known to indulge in a sort of dark broth that was not too appetizing but that apparently provided all the nourishment they needed before battle.

The ancient Romans apparently enjoyed a fish broth cooked in wine and spices; Apicius devoted a special section to zuppe in the world’s first recipe collection, De re coquinari.

And for the approaching spring months, there are also a number of Italian zuppe recipes to accompany any occasion. Tomatoes are considered a national treasure in Italy. They’re loaded with antioxidants, which have been proven to protect against certain types of cancer.

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In these budget conscious times we’ve found that we’re relying more and more on inexpensive but nourishing meals. That’s why Asian noodle soups have been making a regular appearance on our dining table lately. Classic Asian noodle soups like Vietnamese pho, Malaysian laksa, and Chinese chicken noodle soup may be worlds apart in flavor, but they’re essentially very similar in nature. Noodles (which range from thin rice noodles to thick wheat noodles) are added to a seasoned broth that typically contains sliced vegetables and some form of protein like chicken, seafood, tofu or beef.

Asian noodle soups can often be quite robust in flavor, but Japanese noodle soups are usually far more subtle. This subtlety of flavor — which is common to Japanese cuisine in general — lets the natural flavor of the food shine through.

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Soups, also known as potages, come in different colors, flavors and textures. They range from hot to cold, mostly broth to hearty, sweet to savory and vegetarian to meaty. For each palate there is a soup to match, and every nation has one or more signature soups to boast about.

Spain’s ultimate summer starter is a chilled gazpacho. The star of France’s cold soup is the vichyssoise.

In Japan, the miso ranks pretty high up as a delightful year-round first course. Kale soup is no doubt the pride of any Portuguese dinner table, whereas the New England clam chowder has become as universally recognized as its rival, the French bouillabaisse.

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I'm kicking myself right now for not cooking last night. Yesterday I picked up all kinds of fresh veggies and goodies at Reading Terminal Market, with the plan of making lots of healthy fare to last me through the week. But you know how life is, and I didn't get around to making the soups and freezeable dishes I'd planned.

It's safe to say I'll be  reconnecting with my stove tonight. If you want to steal a page from my cookbook, try this soup tonight. It's a big part of what I'll be eating during the rest of the week. And because it's loaded with veggies and fiber, I won't feel bad about having an extra serving here and there.

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Nothing helps warm you up like a bowl of hot soup on a cold winter day, says Shirley Camp, University of Illinois Extension Educator. If your list of soup recipes is limited to chili, potato soup, and vegetable soup, University of Illinois Extension has an opportunity for you to learn more about making soup AND you will get to taste several different samples of soups.

U of I Extension Knox County is offering a program on Super Soups on Saturday, January 16 at 10 a.m. at the Knox Agri Center, U of I Extension office, 180 S. Soangetaha Road, Galesburg. The class will be conducted by Shirley Camp, Nutrition and Wellness Educator.

Ingredients for great soups will be discussed along with serving suggestions. Barley beef soup to cream soups to specialty soups will be discussed. In addition, you will receive several recipes for soups to make at home.

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INGREDIENTS

FOR THE SOUP

    * 2tbsp olive oil
    * 1 large onion, chopped
    * 2 cloves of garlic, crushed
    * 2 medium courgettes
    * 1 small aubergine
    * 1 red pepper
    * 400ml (14fl oz) passata
    * 1tbsp red wine vinegar
    * 1 sprig of thyme
    * 750ml (1¼pt) hot vegetable or chicken stock
    * Small bunch of basil leaves, finely shredded

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This is one of the most delicious soups there is: comfortingly simple, yet richly luxurious. You can use brown onions for this, or, even better.

The white-skinned ones that sometimes turn up in ethnic and Italian stores. Both are good. Don’t, though, be tempted to use red: pink onion soup isn’t as pretty as it sounds.

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