Soups are a remedy for the soul in this cold climate. Indulge in warm and delectable soups, courtesy Swasti Aggarwal,Food Strategist, Foodhall.
Broccoli florets, chicken breast julienne, sourdough bread, cheddar cheese, scallions
Method
In a Heavy sauce pan, melt the butter add chopped onions & garlic and saute it till the onions become translucent.
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Add cleaned & washed broccoli, sliced button mushroom and let it stir and cook. Put chicken breast at the bottom of the pot.
Add water and let it simmer for another 15 min. Put salt, crushed pepper, dijon mustard & non-veg aromatic powder.
Take out chicken breast with the help of tong and keep it for further use (garnish).
Remove broccoli mixture from the heat and and cool down.In a food processor grind it & make a fine puree Strain it ,Return to heat and bring it to boil & adjust seasoning.
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In a separate bowl add cream cheese & fresh cream and beat.
Whisk to melt the cream cheese into the soup.
Chicken meatball and spinach soup
Chicken meatball and spinach soup
Ingredients
For the meatballs
1 egg, 1tbsp flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped, 1 onion, finely chopped, 300gm ground chicken, 2tbsp bread crumbs
For the soup
1 carrot, peeled and chopped into 1-2 inch chunks, 2 or 3 stalks of celery, chopped into 1-2 inch chunks, 1 bay leaf, 5-6 mixed peppercorns [whole], 7-8 cloves of garlic, mashed, 1 white onion, roughly chopped, 1 tbsp parsley, 2 cups spinach, roughly chopped, 2 legs of chicken, 2 ltrs water, pinch of nutmeg, salt and pepper to taste
Method
For the meatballs
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While your chicken stock is simmering, prepare the meatballs. Combine the ground chicken, egg, flat-leaf parsley, onion, and breadcrumbs.
Season and then taste by cooking a bit of the meatball mixture in the simmering stock. Adjust the seasoning if necessary. Form tiny meatballs and keep in the fridge until your stock is done.
For the soup
Clean the chicken legs thoroughly. In a stock pot add a little oil and saute the chopped onions, garlic, pepper and the bay leaf. Add the carrots and celery. Add the chicken legs and lightly saute them. Add 2 liters of water and bring it to a boil and lower to a simmer. Skim the froth and impurities that form on the surface of the stock.
After about 30-45 minutes of simmering, the chicken legs should be cooked. [Remove from the stock and cool. Shred the meat off the chicken and reserve for another use or you can just put it in the soup as well before serving]
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Put the bones back into the stock and simmer. The stock will probably need another 30 minutes or so to have the headiness of a delicately flavoured chicken soup.
After 30 minutes taste the soup and season accordingly. Scoop the solids out with a slotted spoon and discard. Strain the stock, return to the stove, turn the heat up and add the chicken meatballs and cook for about 5-8 minutes or until cooked [ cut one up to see if it’s cooked throughout].
Add the roughly chopped spinach and serve hot.
Roasted red pepper & tomato soup
Roasted red pepper & tomato soup
Ingredients
Red bell pepper & tomato soup, Sourdough bread, Sour cream (garnish)
Method
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Apply oil on red bell peppers and put it into the oven for 20 mins at 190 degree Celsius.
Occasionally turn all sides for the even colour take out and let it cool.
Peel off the skin and take out the seed and same procedure to be implemented for tomatoes.
Heat oil in a heavy sauce pan. Add onion & garlic and soft until soft now put some fresh thyme leaves.
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Add roasted peeled & de seeded bell peppers, tomatoes, fresh basil steam & stir.
Add Salt,Crushed pepper,paprika powder and adjust with some sugar.
Cook over medium heat until the tomatoes juices has evaporated for almost 20 min Remove from heat and and cool down. In a food processor grind it & make a fine puree Strain it ,Return to heat and bring it to boil adjust seasoning.
Sweet potato soup
Sweet potato soup
Ingredients
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750g sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks, 2 onions, cut into chunks, ½tbsp Arqa cumin, 1tsp Arqa coriander powder, 3 cloves garlic, 1 fresh red or green chilli, 1 cup of fresh chopped coriander and stalks, 125g red lentils, washed 400ml light coconut milk, 1l vegetable stock, Olive oil, ¼ cup lime juice, Salt & pepper
Method
Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius.
In a large bowl, toss together the sweet potatoes and onions with cumin, coriander powder, salt, pepper and olive oil.
Place them in a roasting tray and pop in the oven for 40 to 45 minutes, or until cooked and golden.
Peel and finely slice the garlic, then finely slice the chilli and prep the coriander stalks.
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Place a large saucepan over a medium heat and pour in olive oil to saute the garlic, chilli and coriander stalks for a minute. Add the red lentils to the pan, then pour in the hot stock and coconut milk.
Turn up the heat, gently bring it to the boil, then let it come to a simmer. Cook the lentils for 20 minutes until they are completely broken down.
Take the vegetables out of the oven and carefully transfer it into the pan. Add half a cup of coriander leaves, and then blitz the soup with a stick blender. You should be looking for a creamy consistency which has a little texture to it.
Add in some lime juice to taste and adjust the seasoning if needed.
Serve the hot soup topped with the remaining coriander leaves and toasted coconut shavings as a garnish.
