Soup, Glorious Soup

It’s come to the time of the year where refreshing, light meals and cold salads no longer cut it.

And as the evenings draw in closer each night, there’s nothing better than a little bowl of comfort to make you feel warm inside.

There’s few things more nostalgic than a pan of soup on the hob and a bread basket on the table. The sustaining, rich aroma of chicken stock conjures up memories of Grandma’s kitchen, and her stooped back leaning over the hob as the wind howls outside and the winter frost coats the outside of the windowpanes.

There’s a little part of our ancestors in our family soup recipes, styles passed down from generation to generation; the foundations of love and nourishment. Hundreds of years of turning scrapings into sustenance, even when food wasn’t so easy to come by.

Here are 3 of the most popular soups worldwide to keep you warm through the coming winter season!

Chicken Soup And Matzos Kloese

Chicken soup is known for its reviving properties, and is used as a ‘cure-all’ in many households – perfect for those winter sniffles! The Matzo balls represent the unleavened bread that the Jewish people survived on when they escaped slavery in Egypt.

• 1 x 2.5kg chicken
• 3 medium onions, chopped and peeled
• 3 carrots
• 3 sticks of celery
• 4 cloves of garlic (peeled)
• 2 handfuls egg noodles
• 1 handful parsley
• 1 handful dill

Matzos Kloese

• 4 eggs
• 4 tbsp chicken fat
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 130g matzo meal (or blended matzo crackers)

1) Rinse the chicken in water, pat dry, and put in a large saucepan, covering it with cold water. Bring to boiling point, then turn the heat down. Skim any froth off the surface of the water.

2) Add the thyme, bay, garlic cloves, chopped veg and season to taste. Bring the soup back to a boil, then turn the heat down again and simmer for 1 hour. Continue skimming the broth, keeping the fat aside.

3) For the Matzos Kloese, beat the eggs in a bowl, add 70ml water, 4 tbsp cooled chicken fat, 1 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp pepper. Combine, and stir in matzo meal/crumbs.

4) Cover with clingfilm and put in the fridge for 30 minutes.

5) When firm, roll into 20 small balls.

6) Transfer the chicken to a roasting tray and leave to cool.

7) Sieve the soup to remove chicken bits, then put decent-sized chunks of veg back into the soup. Reheat it on the hob, adding your matzo balls. Simmer for 20 minutes. After 10 minutes, add egg noodles and continue cooking.

8) Shred the chicken and add to the soup with the chopped parsley and dill. Season to taste and enjoy!

Minestrone

This famous Italian soup is hearty, satiating, and full of flavour. In true Italian style, the pasta should be slightly al dente; top with a little parmesan (or for veggies and vegans, vegetarian hard cheese) for some extra luxury.

• 1kg vegetables (we used 1/3 each of carrots, peppers and aubergines)
• 1 garlic clove
• 1 onion
• 2L stock of choice
• 400g borlotti beans
• 40g Parmesan
• 4tbsp olive oil

Pesto

• 80g fresh basil
• 50g pine nuts
• 3 garlic cloves, chopped
• 120ml olive oil
• 50g parmesan

1. Blend the pesto ingredients together, adding a little extra water if it appears too dry.
2. Heat the oil in a pan and fry the onion and garlic until translucent.
3. Add vegetables and stock and cook for 12 minutes.
4. Put in the beans and pasta, and cook for another 7 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the pesto.

French Onion Soup

When it’s a dark and stormy evening outside, you can’t do much better than curling up on the couch under a blanket with a film, a glass of red wine and a bowl of steaming, cheese-laden onion soup.

There are regional differences in this soup; there is some debate about whether onion soup is generally French or, in fact, specifically Breton, as most of the historical onion trade in France was by ‘Onion Johnnies’, travelling farmers on bicycles who went from house to house selling onions.

So the choice is yours: you can stay strictly French with a dash of white wine, or give it a Breton twist by substituting an equal quantity of cider.

• 50g butter
• 5 medium onions, sliced finely
• 2 garlic cloves, chopped
• 2 tsp flour
• 100ml white wine or cider
• 1tsp sugar
• 1.5L stock of choice (beef is traditional, but you can use vegetable for a vegetarian option)
• Handful of thyme
• 2 bay leaves
• Pinch of herbs de provence (optional)
• 2 tsp lemon juice
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 French baguette, sliced
• 100g Emmental
• 100g Gruyere

1) Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat, and fry off the onions with the sugar until soft and starting to caramelise. Stir in the flour.

2) Raise the heat, stirring constantly. Add your alcohol of choice, followed by the stock, herbs and lemon juice. Cover the pan and simmer for 20 minutes.

3) Toast the bread under the grill.

4) Ladle the soup into oven-proof dishes, and place the bread on top. Cover with the grated Emmental and Gruyere and put under the grill at 200 degrees C until the cheese melts (roughly 3 minutes).

5) Enjoy!

Article by Caterquip