A quick lunch or a reliable dinner that will keep us full until the morning, while allowing us to sleep satisfied. Warm, thick and hearty winter soups will carry us through the cold season and into spring.
Vegetables for every day
It varies depending on what’s in the fridge and pantry, so it tastes different every time. But it’s always just as good.
4 servings, 1 hour
3 tablespoons of olive oil • 1 large onion, finely chopped • 2 stalks of celery, thinly sliced • 2 teaspoons of Provençal spices • 800 ml of stock • 1 400 g can of chopped tomato • 1 tablespoon of tomato puree • 300 g mixed fresh or frozen vegetables, diced or sliced
Fry the onion in oil until translucent, add the herbs and season lightly with salt. Add the puree, fry briefly and mix with the onion, then add the stock and chopped tomatoes. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and let it bubble, covered with a lid, for about 20 minutes. If we add fresh vegetables that need to be cooked for a longer time, we add them to the pot together with the broth. After the first 20 minutes, add the frozen vegetable mixture and cook for another 20-25 minutes to give it a bite. Season with salt as needed and serve.
Italian wedding
Italian wedding
A shortened version of a traditional Italian soup is perfect for winter days. The hotter the sausages we choose, the hotter we get.
6 servings, 40 minutes
1 tablespoon olive oil • 1.5 kg of fresh sausages, preferably spicy • 1 onion, finely chopped • ½ bulb of fennel, chopped and the hidden sprouts for decoration • freshly ground salt and pepper • 1 .2 liters of beef or vegetable broth • 1 piece of parmesan rind (hidden when we grate the cheese) • 300 g of small pasta • 300 g of cabbage or spinach, cut into pieces • 2 teaspoons of white wine vinegar • parmesan fresh to serve, no need
1. Heat the oil in a pot and fry the whole sausages in it for about 8-10 minutes until golden. Remove and set aside.
2. Add the onion, fennel and a pinch of salt to the pot and let it soften for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
3. Add the broth, 300 ml of water and the Parmesan rind. Add salt, pepper, bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, fry the pasta in a skillet over medium heat until golden, about 4 minutes. Then we add them to the broth.
5. Cut the sausages into pieces the size of balls and put them in a pot together with the juice that has come out. Cook for another 8 minutes, until the pasta is soft and the sausages are fully cooked.
6. Drizzle the cabbage with vinegar, season with salt and pepper, and divide evenly among plates, or boil briefly in the soup. Grate the cheese on a plate, season with salt and serve.
Rescue the garlic
Rescue the garlic
It still works just as well for a hangover.
4 servings, 30 minutes
4 cloves of garlic • 50 ml of olive oil • 6 tablespoons of butter • 4 leeks, sliced • 1 onion, finely chopped • 6 tablespoons of plain flour, optional • 1.2 liters of chicken stock or vegetables • 50 ml sherry, optional • 200 ml whipping cream, not necessary • 1 tablespoon lemon juice • salt and pepper • 2 tablespoons chopped aromatic herbs (chives, parsley) to decorate • croutons of toasted bread to decorate
1. Cut the top quarter of each clove of garlic, place them in a shallow baking tray, drizzle with olive oil and bake in a preheated oven at 175°C for approximately 1 hour, until the garlic is soft. stovin Let it cool, then remove the individual cloves and chop them.
2. Sauté the onion and leek in the butter for about 8 minutes. Add the flour and fry for another 10 minutes, without stopping stirring. Stir in the smoke and sherry, if using, add the minced garlic, bring to the boil and simmer for about 20 minutes.
3. Mix until smooth, add the cream and cook for another 5 minutes. If necessary, season with lemon juice, salt and pepper and decorate the dishes with chopped herbs and croutons.
Col
Col
In Moravia and Slovakia it is traditionally eaten at Christmas, but in January it is just as good at home.
4-6 servings, 30 minutes
2 tablespoons of oil • 1 thin onion • 200 g of sausage • 1 tablespoon of sweet pepper • 500 g of cabbage • 4 diced potatoes • 1.2 l of beef broth • 1 bay leaf • salt and pepper
Fry the onion in the hot oil. Add the sliced sausage and fry. Sprinkle with red pepper and let it smell for a while. Drain the cabbage, chop it up a bit and add it to the pot along with the potatoes. Pour in the broth, season with salt and add the bay leaf. Cook until the cabbage is tender, about 15-20 minutes. Remove the bay leaf before serving.
TIP: At the same time as the cabbage, we can also add the pre-soaked dried mushrooms to the pot.
Lentils in 15 minutes
Lentils in 15 minutes
Thanks to the ready-made lens, it is a two-for-one at the table, and also in a practical version for a diner.
1 portion, 15 minutes
1 teaspoon olive oil • ½ small onion, finely chopped • 1 carrot, diced or round • 1 stalk celery, sliced • 1 clove garlic, minced • 400ml chicken stock or vegetable • 1 can of lentils, drained and rinsed • 2 teaspoons of red wine vinegar
Fry the vegetables in oil, add salt and pepper and let them soften, stirring occasionally, for about 3-5 minutes. Pour in the broth and let it cook for about 5 minutes. Add the drained lentils and cook for another 3-5 minutes until the soup thickens a bit. Stir in the vinegar, season as needed and serve.
Pumpkin with tortellini
Pumpkin with tortellini
Pasta in soup? Sure, but why should it be just the little ones?
4 servings, 30 minutes
1 kg pumpkin • 600 ml broth • 150 ml water • 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper • 1 tablespoon butter • 1 packet of fresh tortellini • 2 tablespoons pesto, for garnish, optional • bay leaves ‘basil, to garnish
Clean, peel and cut the pumpkin into larger pieces. Put in a pot with broth and cayenne pepper, bring to a boil and cook gently for about 20 minutes until soft. Blend until smooth and stir the butter into the hot soup. Meanwhile, set aside, cook the tortellini according to package directions. Divide into bowls, pour hot soup over them and garnish with pesto or basil to taste.
Sour and sweet with tofu
Sour and sweet with tofu
When we let the tofu drain well, it loses its watery flavor and absorbs all the flavors of the broth.
4 servings, 25 minutes
800 ml chicken stock • 2 tablespoons soy sauce • ¼ teaspoon crushed pepper, to taste • 400 g mushrooms, preferably shiitake, sliced • 4 tablespoons rice vinegar • 2 tablespoons starch • 1 egg smoothie • ½ packaged white tofu, ½ sliced or diced • 2 teaspoons freshly grated ginger • 3 shallots, thinly sliced
1. In a large pot, combine the stock, soy sauce, peppers and 400ml water. Put on moderate heat and bring to a boil. Add the mushrooms, reduce the heat and cook for about 10 minutes.
2. Whisk 3 tablespoons of vinegar with starch in a bowl. Add to the pot and let it thicken, stirring constantly, for about 1 minute.
3. Add the egg and mix to form strands. Then add the tofu, cover and let rest for 1 minute. 4. Press the ginger juice into the soup through a strainer, discarding the rest. Mix, put in bowls and decorate them with shallot rings.
Creamy potato
Creamy potato
Potatoes and cheese, this time in liquid form.
4 servings, 1 hour
2 onions or leeks, cut into slices • 1 tablespoon of olive oil • 250 ml of milk • 1 tablespoon of natural flour • 300 g of sliced potatoes • 100 g of strong Gruyere cheese, grated • 500 ml of stock chicken • 50 g cheese, sliced, not necessary
In an ovenproof pot, fry the onions for about 5 to 10 minutes, until soft. Add the milk mixed with flour, mix and let it cook for another 5 minutes. Add the potatoes and stock, bring to a boil, then reduce the heat. Cook gently for another 20 minutes and then set aside. Blend the soup until smooth. (If we are going to blend it in the blender, let it cool for a while first and reheat it after blending.) Add the grated cheese and blend until completely melted. Season with salt and pepper to taste and decorate the dishes with thin slices of cheese.
3x soup from an empty fridge
We cook a hearty soup even when the fridge is empty. But you need to have supplies in the freezer and pantry, don’t be afraid to improvise a little and look for possible combinations according to your own tastes.
the base
In fact, the most important part of the whole soup. Most thick vegetable soups can also be cooked in water, but if we want to get the full flavor, it’s always better to use stock. For the sake of soups, it pays to have them in the freezer in batches (ice molds work great, from where you just pour the frozen cubes into a bag) or directly in large boxes. Vegetables and chicken are universal, beef will serve as a distinctive base. In any case, it is a much better and cheaper option than broth, not to mention the content of minerals, trace elements and proteins that the content adds to the soup.
Contents
It can actually be anything. A handful of frozen vegetables roasted in butter and then covered in broth, canned summer tomatoes, wilted lettuce (really works), leftover zucchini, and a potato hiding in the back of the vegetable drawer. If we want to add some thickness to the soup, it’s worth having Japanese miso paste on hand, or a few spoonfuls of thick puree. Sliced mushrooms, some leftover meat from the Sunday roast, a piece of chopped smoked meat or an egg will do wonders with a simple vegetable base.
decoration
It’s something extra that the soup doesn’t really need. But if we have it, we’ll just upgrade it to a proper meal. We don’t just have to garnish with chopped herbs (although it’s worth having a box in the freezer). Thinly sliced onions, from white to spring, sliced seaweed, or various seed garnishes that we could use in salads are great. Toasted sesame seeds, toasted and chopped walnuts, or special combinations of nuts, seeds and spices such as dukkah. Grating the soup with hard cheese is a permanent certainty, but we can also try to decorate each portion with a spoonful of yogurt or sour cream.
Subtitle Recipe: January
Source: Receptář magazine