“Soup puts the heart at ease, calms down the violence of hunger, eliminates the tension of the day, and awakens and refines the appetite.”
Auguste Escoffier
Just when we thought that winter was finally on it’s way out, it snowed in the hills up North, & the temperatures here in the plains plummeted. Shiver me timbers…brrrrrrrr…so back it was to slurping hot soup & being bundled into duvets again! The daughter will NOT touch soup in any avatar, but the son loves a hearty tomato soup & I make it often. This time I tried a different one because I had zucchini & wondered how the zucchini would feel to share space with tomatoes! Nudge, nudge…donno about the zucchini, but the soup sure tasted good, & the tomatoes looked happy in there. The son’s had it on 3 occasions, 2 cups each time, with a generous smattering of baked croutons. Then yesterday he asked me if I had posted it, & also asked for the recipe. ??? hmmmmmm…GULP! Should I or shouldn’t I come clean & tell him the soup had ‘green’s? The question haunted me for a while, & then I thought, Why not?. So, I gingerly showed him pictures of the soup & the ingredients, & surprisingly he didn’t as much as bat an eyelid. All he nonchalantly said was, “Oh, what’s that? I didn’t taste the zucchini! Maybe it doesn’t have any taste.” All’s well, that ends well…& this one certainly did. The croutons are yummy, baked, & crisp! My croutons are now always either of multi grain bread or brown bread, whichever is on hand, & only baked. I stopped frying them ages ago.I think these croutons would do well tossed in a salad too!!
TOMATO & ZUCCHINI SOUP My recipe Ingredients: Tomatoes – 8 medium; cut into 4 quarters Zucchini – 1/ roughly chopped Spring onions with greens – 4 Onion – 1 medium; chopped fine Garlic – 2 cloves, chopped Garlic – 4 cloves, whole Butter – 1 tbsp Salt to taste Freshly ground black pepper Cream & fresh basil for garnishing
Method:
Heat butter in a heavy bottom pan (or pressure cooker which is what I use), & saute the chopped garlic & onion will light pink.
Add the rest of the veggies, add salt to taste, add about 1 cup of water, & cook till done (under pressure for 5-7 minutes).
Once cool, blend & strain.
Heat through & serve with a swirl of low fat cream, baked croutons & a sprig of basil.
OVEN BAKED HERBED CROUTONS My recipe Ingredients: Whole-wheat brown bread – 4 slices, cut into small pieces Oregano or grill seasoning – 1 tbsp Oil – 1 tbsp Method:
Toss all ingredients well. Spread out evenly in a cookie tray & bake in a preheated oven at 180C till golden brown & crisp / 15-20 minutes. Watch closely so they don’t get too dark/ burnt.
“Good soup is one of the prime ingredients of good living. For soup can do more to lift the spirits and stimulate the appetite than any other one dish.”
Louis P. De Gouy, The Soup Book (1949)
SOUP FOR THE SOUL…Roasted Veggie Soup!
Its been a chilly winter so far, with winds threatening to sweep you off your feet. I read about a roasted vegetable soup eons ago, & its always been at the back of my mind to make it someday. A trip to the market tempted me to buy an array of fresh veggies…& then I trotted back home to set to work. Roasting these vegetables enhances flavours & makes the soup taste quite different. The result was a nice, full-bodied & wholesome soup, which I served with oven-toasted croutons made out of wholewheat bread. Healthy, warming & sumptuous all the way!
A drizzle of light cream, a throw of croutons & a leaf to top it off!
Its fun to garnish & add to visual appeal. I enjoy garnishing everything & anything…even if it means just topping it with a leaf! The contrast in colours make it such a joy; not just for the ‘eater‘ but for the ‘maker‘ too!
Oven toasted croutons…
I have always found fried croutons very oily. Toast them in the oven, & you have healthy, crisp & wholesome croutons in next to no time. They can be stored in an airtight box for a couple of weeks. What could be better!
What I did…
Ingredients:
Tomatoes – 1 kg Zucchinis – 3 small
Bell Peppers – 2 (1 each yellow & red) Spring Onions – 4 ( with some greens)
Garlic – 6-8 cloves (adjust according to personal taste)
Butter – 1 tbsp
Onion – 1 small/ chopped
White pepper
Salt to taste
Light cream – 1 tsp
Method:
Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C.
Cut all the vegetables up roughly. Not too small because they shrink as they roast. You can toss them in olive oil & seasonings if you like. I didn’t, because I used a little butter later.
Put onto a foil lined baking sheet & roast for 15 minutes, turn/stir on sheet, & roast for a further 15 minutes, till the edges start getting done.
Heat the butter in a deep pan.
Add the chopped onion & white pepper; saute till onions are light pink.
Transfer the vegetables into the pan, give a good stir, top with about 1 1/2 cups of water & simmer for about 30 minutes.
Cool, blend & pass through a soup strainer.
Heat & serve in bowls with a drizzle of cream & croutons.
Spread evenly over a baking sheet & toast at 180 degrees for 10 minutes, stirring through once.
Keep a close eye on them as they tend to over brown suddenly.
Switch off the oven & leave in there to cool.
Store in an airtight box.
“Soup is the song of the hearth… and the home.”
Louis P. De Gouy, The Soup Book (1949)
Here’s an event that’s gonna warm all of us! Have just found ‘Comfort Food Cook-Off’at Eve’s “Garden of Eating“…what an absolutely delicious sounding name!As she so aptly says, “Here in the northern hemisphere, we’re about to enter the bleakest stretch of winter so it’s time to cook up some serious comfort food.”
