Gourmet Soup recipes

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Soup recipes

This is a little complicated but well worth the effort. The flavor won’t be quite the same, but you can, of course, take shortcuts, by using cooked asparagus and by using scampi already peeled.

Wash and prepare the asparagus as follows. Cut off the asparagus spears (heads) (about 1-1-½ inches/ 3 cm) and set aside. Peel the asparagus stems, using a potato peeler to remove any tough outer layer and chop the asparagus into smaller pieces. In a medium saucepan, heat the butter over medium heat and sauté the onions until just soft. Add the thyme, asparagus stems and the chicken stock; cook the asparagus about 15 minutes or until tender. Put the mixture through a blender. If you like a smooth stock, put the mixture through a sieve.

Peel the scampi and set scampi and shells aside. In a medium saucepan, heat a little olive oil over medium heat, add the scampi shells, diced carrot, minced shallots, thyme, garlic and coriander seeds and cook until the scampi shells turn a red color. Flambé with cognac (heat the cognac, light a match (careful) to it and pour over the shells.) Add the white wine and cook for 5 minutes. Add the water and continue cooking for 15 minutes longer. Strain the mixture, and keep only the stock. Cook the stock until ½ cup (1 dl) remains. Set aside.

In a medium saucepan, blanche the vegetables in lightly salted water as follows: Blanche the asparagus spears (heads) and carrots 4 minutes, green beans 2 minutes. peas 1 minute and set blanched vegetables aside.

Heat the asparagus soup, add the vegetables and freshly chopped parsley. While the soup is heating, heat a little olive oil in a small skillet, add the raw scampi and cook until they turn opaque (about 3-4 minutes); season with salt and a dash of chili. Mix the scampi stock which you set aside with the whipped cream. Remove the asparagus soup and add the scampi / whipped cream mixture to the soup. Serve immediately by topping each serving with 2-3 scampi.

Cream of Asparagus With Scampi

(Serves 4)

13 oz (400 g) white asparagus

1 oz (30 g) butter

2 minced shallots

Dash thyme

1 quart (4 cups / 1 liter) chicken stock

8-12 raw scampi (large prawns)

Little olive oil

Salt to taste

Dash of chili pepper

Scampi Stock

Shells from the scampi

3 Tbsp olive oil

1 carrot, peeled and diced

2 minced shallots

2 sprigs thyme

2-3 large cloves garlic

5-10 coriander seeds

1-2 Tbsp cognac or brandy (can be omitted)

1 dl dry white wine (or fish stock)

Ca. 2 cups (½ liter) water

½ Cup (1 dl) whipped cream

Garnish

2 oz (60 g) green beans

2 oz (60 g) small peas

1 carrot, diced

2 Tbsp freshly chopped parsley

Peel and cut the potatoes in small cubes. In a large saucepan bring the turkey stock to a boil, add the potato cubes and cook them until done. Add the peas and cook for about three minutes or until peas are tender. Puree or blend the soup and pour back into the saucepan. Add the cream, the chopped spring onions and turkey julienne to the soup and heat until just boiling. Remove from heat, season with salt and pepper and serve immediately in soup bowls with 2-3 garlic croutons.

Note: If you want a creamy soup, add a little flour to the cream before adding to the soup. Stir in the thickened cream and bring the soup to boiling point. If you are watching the calories, omit the cream from the soup.

Good with warm Ciabacci or Italian bread

Cream of Pie Soup

8 oz (240 g) peeled potatoes

3 Cup (6 dl) turkey stock

8 oz (240 g) small green peas (fresh or frozen)

1 Cup (2 dl) light cream

1 bunch spring onions, washed, cleaned and chopped

10 oz (300 g) cooked turkey julienne

Salt and pepper

Zucchini Soup

Wash and trim the zucchini. Peel onion and cut both the zucchini and onions into cubes. In large saucepan gently cook the onion and zucchini in the oil. Add the white wine and cook for about 10 minutes. Add the chicken stock and bring to a boil. Let the soup cool a little and put through a food processor. Return the soup to the saucepan, add the cream and warm the soup but do not boil. Season the soup with salt and pepper.

Cut the tomatoes in half, remove the seeds and slice thinly. Mix the tomato slices and freshly chopped parsley.

Serve the soup in soup bowls and top each serving with a portion of tomato and parsley mixture. Serve with Italian or French bread.

Zucchini Soup

(Serves 4)

2-3 medium-sized zucchinis
2 small onions
1 Tbsp oil
1 cup (2 dl / 8 fl oz / 250 ml) white wine
3 cups (6 dl / 3/4 quart / 3/4 liter) chicken stock
1 cup (2 dl / 8 fl oz / 250 ml) low fat cream (13 %)
Salt and pepper to taste
4-6 tomatoes
2 Tbsp freshly chopped parsley

Accompaniment
Good Italian of French bread

    Mix the whipping cream with the lemon juice and refrigerate.

     Slice leek into thin strips and rinse in cold water several time. Peel and cut potato into small cubes. Slice the snow peas julienne (thin strips) and place in a bowl.

     Melt the butter in a medium-sized saucepan. Add the leek, potato and half of the frozen peas and saute for about one minute. Add the white wine and cook a couple minutes more. Add half of the bouillon (meat stock above) and cook gently for about 15 minutes. Let the soup cool a little and blend in the food processor until smooth. Add the remaining bouillon and a little butter (about 1 teaspoon) and heat through.

     Blanch the snow peas (place in boiling salted water for about one minute, remove, rinse with cold water and set aside).

     Put the remaining green peas and a little of the bouillon in the food processor and puree; add to the soup. Heat the soup through, but do not cook or boil.

     Serve the soup with a few of the julienne snow peas and drizzle a little of the whipping cream mixture around the outer part of the soup.

     Note: A little fried, chopped bacon is also nice with this soup.

Green Pea Soup

(Serves 4)

1/2 Cup (1 dl) whipping cream
1 tsp lemon juice
1 leek
1 large potato
2 oz (60 g) snow peas
1/4 Cup (1/2 dl) dry white wine
1 liter (1 pint) bouillon (see above)
8-1/2 oz (250 g) frozen green peas
2 Tbsp butter
Salt and pepper

Clear Soup Bouillon (Broth)

A soup with a good, rich flavor, filled with herbs, vegetables and meats can last a couple of days. Once the soup bouillon is ready, most of which simmers away on its own, and the vegetables and/or meats have been added, the aroma of the soup and the good flavor of a pot of home-made soup is well worth all the effort.

     Place the beef ribs, soup bones and chicken* (can be cut into pieces) in the large soup pot and pour cold water until the meat and bones are covered (1-2 inches above the meat and bones).

     * If you want to reserve a little of the chicken to make meat balls for the soup, cut away one or both sides of the chicken breast and set aside.

     Bring the water to a boil, reduce heat and simmer. Meantime, wash and cut the vegetables into cubes or small pieces. Do not peel the onion, just wash it and add it to the soup. This gives the soup a nice color. Skim the froth from the soup as it simmers. After about an hour, add the vegetables and herbs,
the salt, pepper corns, cloves and salt. Continue to skim the froth from the soup. Do not let the soup boil, continue to simmer it.

     When the chicken is tender, remove it from the soup - the chicken should be tender after 1 to 1-1/2 hours. To check if the chicken is cooked, pierce the thigh, if the juice comes out clear, the chicken is cooked. Remove the skin and bones from the chicken and set aside in an oven-proof dish.

     After another 30 minutes, check the beef ribs to see if the meat is tender. When meat is cooked, remove it and set aside with the chicken in the oven-proof dish and pour a little of the soup over the meat. Set the broth in a cool place until the next day.

     The next day, let the soup simmer for another 1 or 2 hours. Remove the largest pieces of vegetable with a slotted spoon and pour the broth through a sieve. Let the soup cool down, and skim off as much of the fat from the soup as possible. You now have a nice, tasty broth as a base for the following
soups.

Vegetable for Soup

Half bunch of celery
Fresh parsley or parsley root
1 parsnip
3-4 carrots
3-4 leek

     Wash the celery and cut into smaller pieces. Wash, peel and cut up the parsley root if you have one. Peel, wash and cut up the parsnip and carrots. Cut up the leek and rinse several times in cold water. Blanch the vegetables in lightly salted water. (Bring lightly salted water to a boil and immerse the vegetables for 2-3 minutes and remove.) Set the vegetables aside. Reserve the water from the vegetables and use if you are going to make the meatballs and dumplings below.

     If you are using fresh parsley, chop it finely and add to the soup just before serving.

     You can add diced, cooked potatoes to the soup, cooked pasta or the meatballs and dumplings below.

     Note: If you wish to use the meat from the bouillon, bring the soup to a boil, reduce heat, add the vegetables and cut up meat -chicken and beef from the bones. You can also add a little cooked rice or pasta to the soup, heat it through and serve.

Meatballs and Dumplings
(For the above meat bouillon)

Meatballs

20 oz (600 g) minced (ground) veal
10 oz (300 g) minced (ground) pork
   (proportions are 2:1 - two parts minced
   (ground) to one part minced pork)
or you can mince (grind) the breast from the chicken
and minced (ground) pork in the proportions of 3:1 -
   (3 parts minced (ground) chicken to 1 part minced
   pork)
1 slice white bread soaked in milk
1-1/4 Cup (2-1/2 dl) milk
1 egg yolk
1/2 finely minced or grated onion
Salt and pepper to taste.

     If the meat is not minced (ground), place it in the food processor until very smooth. Add the remaining ingredients - this can be done in the food processor. using a teaspoon, scoop small portions of the meat and form into small meat balls. (You can dip the teaspoon in cold water, and scoop the meat mixture without forming it into small meatballs.) Place the meatballs into simmering water and cook for about 5 minutes - Use the water from the blanched vegetables if you wish. Do not place too many meatballs into the simmering water at one time. Remove the meatballs and place in a sieve and let them drip. Set aside in a bowl.

Dumplings

1-1/2 to 2 oz (50 g) butter
1 oz (25 g) fat drippings from the soup
2-1/2 oz ( 75 g) all purpose flour
3/4 Cup (1-1/2 dl) water
2 large eggs
A little grated nutmeg
Salt and pepper to taste

     Place the butter and fat drippings, water and flour in a heavy saucepan and gently cook over low heat stirring constantly. When the dough begins to draw away from the sides of the saucepan, remove from the heat and set aside to cool until lukewarm.

     Add the grated nutmeg and salt and pepper and stir. Beat the egg yolks and add a little at a time to the dough stirring vigorously until the dough forms a nice firm ball.

     Bring lightly salted water to a boil and reduce heat to a simmer. Dip a teaspoon in cold water and scoop up a little of the dough and form this into a small ball or
leave in the shape of the teaspoon. Simmer a few dumplings at a time 3-4 minutes (dumplings should rise to the surface when cooked). Remove the dumplings with a slotted spoon and let them drip off in a sieve. Place in a bowl.

     Bring the Meat bouillon to a boil, simmer a little while if you want to reduce the quantity and increase the flavor. Add the blanched vegetables and simmer until
just tender. Season with salt and pepper. Add the meat balls and dumplings but do not boil, just heat through. Place a little freshly chopped parsley in the bottom of each soup bowl and ladle the soup into the bowl. Serve with fresh Italian or French bread.

    If you do not use all of the soup, you can freeze it for another occasion.

Clear Soup Bouillon (Broth)

(Serves 8)

Use a very large soup pot, ca. 10 liters (pints) with a lid. Make the bouillon

the day before you actually want to serve the soup.

ca. 6 lbs (3 kg) beef ribs
2 lbs (1 kg) beef bones
1 stewing chicken
1-2 sticks of celery, plus leaves
4 carrots
1 medium-sized onion
4 leeks, green parts
1 parsley root (or just 1-2 tsp dried parsley)
1-2 bay leaves
1 sprig thyme (or 1-2 tsp dried thyme)
15 whole black pepper corns
3 -4 cloves
1 to 1-1/2 Tbsp salt

Vegetable for Soup

Half bunch of celery
Fresh parsley or parsley root
1 parsnip
3-4 carrots
3-4 leek

Dumplings

1-1/2 to 2 oz (50 g) butter
1 oz (25 g) fat drippings from the soup
2-1/2 oz ( 75 g) all purpose flour
3/4 Cup (1-1/2 dl) water
2 large eggs
A little grated nutmeg
Salt and pepper to taste

Meatballs