30 October 2012

Yummy Soups for Autumn

The Autumn weather has finally set in and it's getting rather chilly around here...
I love this time of year... the Autumn colours are beautiful and the campo (countryside) is gorgeous.

It's time to collect some llena (firewood), get the fire going and enjoy some hearty soups.

Hugo loves dipping his bread fingers into his soup!

His favourite soup is a healthy Chunky Lentil and Veg...



It's so easy to make...
Finely chop some onions and sauté in a little olive oil, until translucent. 
Chop up your veggies into cubes. I use carrots, potato, green beans, celery, leeks, sweet potato.
Add the veggies to the onions and let them sweat for 5 minutes.
Add a tin of whole tomatoes and a tin of organic chicken or veg stock.
Bring to the boil and then turn down the heat and let simmer for about 20 minutes. Add a tin of ready cooked lentils and cook for a further 5 minutes.

Serve this soup chunky or blend it for a smoother soup.

Hugo's Dad's favourite soup is Home made Chicken Noodle.
Whenever we have a roast chicken, I save the carcass, and any left over meat, and use it to make a chicken broth.
I sauté some chopped onions, celery, potatoes and carrots. Then I add the chicken carcass and meat to the pot and about 1 litre of water. I don't usually use any chicken stock as the chicken usually adds enough taste to the broth, but if it doesn't, you could add a stock cube.
I let this simmer for about 1 hour and then I scoop out the chicken bones and any chicken skin. Any meat should have come away from the carcass by now.
Just before serving, I add a cup of vermicelli or pasta stars to the broth, and cook for about ten minutes.



One of my all time favourite soups is a Broccoli and Cheddar recipe that came to me from my sister-in-law's Dad, Martin, who sadly passed away a few years ago... whenever I make this soup, I think of Martin....

Martin's Broccoli and Cheddar Soup

The base of this soup is a classic Béchamel (or white sauce).
Make the Béchamel and, in a separate pan, boil some broccoli in a cup of organic chicken or veg stock, until the broccoli is tender.
Add a cup of grated cheddar to the bechamel sauce. Combine the broccoli/stock mixture and the cheesy béchamel together and blend into a smooth soup.

I like to add some ground linseeds and  wholewheat crispy croutons just before serving.

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