Roasted Red Pepper Soup with Feta and Chives

Serves 4-6

Nothing beats the taste of seasonal produce! Even though peppers are available year-round, they do seem sweeter and are so plentiful in summer. The combination of this soup: the sweet roasted peppers with the tangy, salty feta and chives on top, is utterly delicious.

Ingredients

2 tbsp. olive oil

1 red onion, choped

2 cloves of garlic, minced

6 red peppers

5 cups/1.25 L vegetable stock

1 can/400g of Chopped Tomatoes

Salt

Black pepper, coarsely ground

Pinch of ground paprika

Chives, cut into small pieces

50g of Feta Cheese, crumbled

Preparation

Preheat the oven to 400°F/ 200°C. Place the whole peppers on a baking sheet and roast uncovered, turning as needed for approx. 30 minutes until skin is just about blackened on all sides.

Place the peppers in a large bowl and cover with plastic wrap or place in paper bag and seal. Let the peppers stand and cool off for 10 minutes.

In the meantime chop the onion, mince the garlic and get the vegetable stock ready. Now that the peppers have cooled off, peel off the skin and remove the top and the seeds.

Heat the olive oil in your stockpot over medium heat,  sauté the onion and when they are about done add the garlic.  Once translucent, add the roasted peppers and the can of chopped tomatoes and simmer for 5 minutes.

Add the vegetable stock, cover and cook for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Turn off the heat and let the soup cool down for a few minutes. Purée the ingredients with a hand blender in the stockpot or puree in batches in your blender.

Return the soup to a clean pan and season to taste with salt, ground paprika and coarsely ground pepper.

When ready to serve, bring back to a simmer and ladle in to bowls.  Sprinkle the crumbled feta cheese and chives on top.

Bon Appetite 😉

Harira

Serves 6-8

I’m totally smitten with the Moroccan kitchen! After having travelled through Morocco’s mountains, desert, valleys and coast, been welcomed by amazing people, and tasted so many delicious dishes and soups, I’m happy I can finally share some great new recipes.

Today I like to start with Harira, one of Morocco’s most famous soup recipes. To master this soup, I did a cooking class at Atlas Kasbah, an amazing ecolodge in the region of Agadir. Hayat, the Berber chef, and Mbark gave me a great class and if you ever have the opportunity please, go and visit Hassan’s beautiful Kasbah.

Harira is traditionally served in nearly all households to break the fast at sunset during the month of Ramadan. However, a lot of families also enjoy this hearty soup year-round.

The soup requires some preparation and cooking time but if you have a pressure cooker you will be able to speed up the process.

Ingredients

100gr/ 4 ounces uncooked meat (lamb, beef or chicken), cut into 1 inch cubes

3 tbsp. vegetable oil

½ cup/15gr of coriander (cilantro), finely chopped

½ cup/15gr of parsley, finely chopped

2 celery stalks with leaves, finely chopped

1 large onion, finely grated

1 tomato, finely grated

1 cup/190gr of chickpeas, soaked overnight

1 cup/170gr of fava beans, soaked overnight

1 cup of lentils/200gr, soaked overnight

2 tbsp. uncooked rice

3 tbsp. of tomato paste

1 tsp. ground ginger

1 tsp. ground cumin

1 tsp. ground paprika

½ tsp. black pepper

½ tsp. white pepper

1 tbsp. salt

1 cup/150gr flour, dissolved in 2 cups/500ml (extra) water

Dates

Preparation

The day before:

Wash the chickpeas, fava beans and lentils and soak overnight. Rinse well before using the next day.

The day of cooking:

Pick all the leaves of the parsley and coriander (cilantro) and chop finely. Chop celery stalks and leaves finely. Grate the tomato and onion finely and dice the meat into 1 inch cubes.

Heat the tablespoons of vegetable oil in a pressure cooker. If you don’t have a pressure cooker please, read the stockpot method below for adjusted cooking time and water.

Cook the meat for a few minutes until brown on all sides. Stir in the grated onion and tomato. Add all the celery and only half of the parsley and coriander. Stir in the tomato paste, chickpeas, lentils, fava beans, salt, pepper and all other spices.

Add 2L/8 cups of water and close the pressure cooker so it can work its magic! Cook for 45 minutes on medium heat and remove from heat and carefully release the pressure.

Stir in the rice and cook for another 30 minutes with pressure. While the soup is cooking mix 1 cup of flour with 2 cups of warm water. Whisk till all flour is dissolved and it has a smooth texture.

Remove lit from pressure cooker, pour the flour mixture into the boiling soup. Make sure you keep stirring continuously while the soup is thickening. The soup has a velvety consistency but not over thick. You can make it as thick or thin as you like by not adding all the flour mixture or adding some more water.

Cook the soup for another 15 minutes; stir in the left over half of the coriander and parsley and season to taste.

Serve with flatbread, a wedge of lemon and dates on the side, an amazing combination.

Cooking Harira in a regular Stockpot:

Double the suggested cooking times and add approx. 4 cups of warm water after the first hour of cooking.

Bon Appetite 😉

Cod & Vegetable Chowder

Serves 4

This week I like to share my recipe for a very tasty and nutritious chowder. The potatoes, vegetables and chunks of cod make it a rather filling soup and for us a perfect summer meal. I don’t use any cream or milk in this chowder, which makes it perfectly suitable for anyone who has lactose intolerance too. The combinations of ingredients makes it a very natural, healthy and flavorful dish, enjoy.

 Ingredients

2 tbsp.  butter

2 white onions, diced

3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped

2 carrots (medium-sized), peeled & diced

2 potatoes (medium-sized), peeled & diced

2 red peppers, diced

500g fresh or frozen cod, boneless and skinless

1 can chopped tomatoes

1 L/4 cups vegetable or fish stock

2 tsp. ground cumin

1 tsp. dried thyme

3 bay leaves

salt

black pepper, coarsely ground

fresh leaf parsley, chopped

Preparation

Melt the butter on medium heat in your stockpot. Sauté the onions and when they are about done add the garlic, ground cumin and dried thyme.  Once translucent add the diced carrots, potatoes and red peppers. Stir and cook over medium heat for 10 minutes until lightly golden and soften.

In the meantime, lightly season the cod fillets with salt and black pepper and set aside.

Add the chopped tomatoes, bay leaves and stock to the diced vegetables. Stir, cover and simmer for another 10 minutes.

Lay the cod fillets on top of the vegetables and cover the stockpot. Simmer for a few minutes until the fish is just cooked through. Before serving, remove the bay leaves, and season the soup with salt and pepper.

Ladle the soup into the bowls and place flakes of the cod on top of the soup.  Sprinkle the fresh leaf parsley and serve immediately.

Bon Appetite 😉

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Chicken Miso Ramen Soup

 

Serves 4

Ramen is an enormously popular noodle dish in Japan. True comfort food, which is sold on every corner of the street, freshly prepared or in an instant form. In Tokyo you will even find a museum ‘Shin-Yokohama Ramen Museum’ which is completely dedicated to the history of ramen and the big success of instant ramen.

Ramen noodles are in generally made of wheat flour and if you can get your hands on fresh ramen noodles, scrumptiously delicious. The taste of the ramen depends on the soup you serve them in. In this recipe I used my grandmothers chicken soup recipe, which you will be able to find on the site as well. If you are in a rush then please, choose the best chicken stock base you can find in your supermarket.

Ingredients

1,5L/6 cups Chicken Stock

4 tbsp. White Miso

300g /2 cups shredded Chicken

326g/2 cups of Corn

250gr/8 cups of Spinach

4 Eggs, cooked, peeled and sliced in half

4 servings of Ramen Noodles

2 tbsp Soya Light

1 tbsp Sesame Oil

1 tbsp Sesame Seeds, roasted

3 green onions, sliced

 

Preparation

Heat the chicken stock in a pot. Once boiling reduce the heat simmer for a few minutes on low heat.

Scoop out one large ladle of soup and dissolve 4 tablespoons of miso in it by whisking it to a smooth consistency. If you try to dissolve the miso in the soup directly, it might clump together.

Once the miso is dissolved return it to the broth and simmer for a few minutes but be careful not to boil the soup after adding the miso.

Boil the eggs and cook for 5 minutes. Rinse them with cold water and allow the eggs to cool down before peeling and slicing in half.

Heat one tablespoon of sesame oil in your frying pan and add the corn. Stir and fry the corn for a few minutes and set aside.

Boil salted water and blanch the spinach for 2 minutes until just wilted. Drain immediately and set aside.

Roast one tablespoon of sesame seeds in your frying pan and set aside.

Slice the green onions and set aside.

Last step of the preparation is to cook the ramen noodles. If you have fresh ramen noodles you will only needs to cook for 1 minute, drain and rinse with cold water.

Take four large serving bowls and place the ramen noodles in each bowl. Now top the ramen with spinach, corn, shredded chicken and egg. Sprinkle the roasted sesame seeds and the green onion on top.

Bon Appetite 😉

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Miso Soup

It’s Miso time! Being surrounded by wonderful Japanese friends, I have been inspired to cook many different Japanese dishes. Soup is one of the vital components of a Japanese meal and is served with nearly every meal in the day.  I have been over the moon with Miso soup: so easy to prepare and so versatile. It has a rich taste and great nutritional benefits.

If you will visit your local Asian/Japanese store, you will be able to find many different types of Miso. White miso, red miso and a blended type of miso. The darker the colour, the longer the fermentation process, the stronger the taste will be. My favourite is the white miso which has a light and slightly sweet taste.

To make miso soup you will be needing dashi as well. Dashi is a very popular basic stock which is used in many different Japanese recipes. Dashi  is often made of seaweed, vegetables and fish flakes and sold in jars or sachets. If you like to avoid fish in your miso, you can buy a vegan dashi.

Today I would like to start with the traditional miso soup, which has been a favourite in Japan for many centuries. Next week will move on to a more rich and hearty miso and hope you will join the miso experience!

Ingredients

1 L  Dashi  Stock

3 tbsp.  White Miso

½ block of firm Tofu, diced

2 Spring Onions, finely sliced

1 tbsp. Wakame (dried seaweed)

Preparation

Soak 1 tablespoon of Wakame in cold water and let it soak for 4-6 minutes. Heat 1 liter of water in a pot and add the dashi granules/powder. Bring the dashi stock to boil.

Once boiling reduce the heat, add the diced tofu and drained wakame and simmer for a few minutes on low heat.

Scoop out one large ladle of soup and dissolve 3 tablespoons of miso in it by whisking it to a smooth consistency.  If you try to dissolve the miso in the soup directly, it might clump together.

Once the miso is dissolved return it to the broth and simmer for a few minutes. Be careful not to boil the soup after adding the miso: it can become gritty, kills the aroma and some say, healthful enzymes.

Top with a sprinkling of spring onions and serve hot or cold.

Bon Appetite 😉

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Cream of Green Asparagus

Serves 4-6

It’s Asparagus season! There is nothing quite like cooking asparagus that’s been pulled straight from the ground. As the British asparagus season is a mere eight weeks, I figured I had to hurry but am very happy with the result. This asparagus soup has a beautiful flavor and is very easy to make. I hope you will enjoy.

Ingredients

2 tbsp.  of butter

5 shallots, finely chopped

700g green asparagus

1 leek, white part only, rinsed and chopped

1 medium sized potato, peeled and diced

1.5L chicken stock

125ml (½ cup) half fat crème fraîche

salt

black pepper, coarsely ground

Preparation

Prepare the asparagus by cutting or snaping off the ends of the stalks where the colour starts to change.  Trim a couple of the asparagus tips to use as garnish. Then chop the remaining green parts of the asparagus into 2,5 cm (1 inch) lengths. Rinse the asparagus thoroughly before cooking.

Melt the butter on medium heat in your stockpot. Gently fry the shallots and leek for around 10 minutes, until soft but without colouring. Stir in the chopped asparagus stalks, put the lid on, and let it sweat for another 10 minutes. Don’t forget to give it a stir now and then.

Pour in your chicken stock, or vegetable stock if you prefer a vegetarian soup, add the diced potato and bring to boil. Once boiling reduce the heat, partially cover your stockpot and let the soup simmer for 20 minutes.

In the meantime blanch the asparagus tips in a pan of boiling salted water for 2-3 minutes then drain and rinse in cold water. Drain on paper towels and reserve for the garnish.

Turn off the heat and let the soup cool down for a few minutes. Then purée the ingredients with a hand blender in the stockpot or puree in batches in your blender.  Return the soup to a clean pan, stir in the crème fraîche and season to taste with salt and coarsely ground pepper.

When ready to serve, bring back to a simmer, ladle in to bowls and garnish with one or several asparagus tips.

Bon Appetite 😉

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Peanut Soup

Serves 6 people

Since we have no sign of spring yet in England, I figured it was time to treat you to a recipe which will give you a boost of energy and mental alertness! Nuts are so rich in vitamins as well as antioxidants. This West African Peanut Soup is also known as Ground Nut Soup and has a rich history. It can be enjoyed with chicken or as a vegetarian dish. It’s also delicious for spooning over rice, couscous etc.

Ingredients

2 tbsp. of olive oil

2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped

2 medium onions, finely chopped

1 medium carrot (150gr), peeled and chopped

1 red bell pepper, deseeded, washed and chopped

1 can/400gr of chopped tomatoes

2 sweet potatoes (400gr), peeled and chopped

1tsp. peeled, grated fresh ginger root

¼ tsp.  Cayenne pepper

200gr chunky peanut butter

1,25L vegetable stock

Salt & pepper to taste

Garnish

Spring onions, finely chopped

Roasted peanuts, chopped

 

Preparation

The easiest way to make this soup is to start by cutting up all the ingredients. Once you are done cutting, you will find that this recipe is very straightforward and easy to make.

Heat the olive oil on medium heat in your stockpot. Sauté the onions and when they are about done add the garlic, the grated fresh ginger root and the cayenne pepper.  Once translucent add the roughly chopped carrot, red bell pepper and sweet potatoes. Toss the ingredients and add a can of chopped tomatoes. Stir gently and simmer covered for 10 minutes.

Pour in your stock and bring to boil. Once boiling reduce the heat and simmer for 20-30 minutes or until the vegetables are tender.

Turn off the heat and let the soup cool down for a few minutes. Then purée the ingredients with a hand blender in the stockpot or puree in batches in your blender.  Return the soup to a clean pan and stir in the chunky peanut butter until it is well blended and smooth. Make sure you use peanut butter with no added sugar.

Reheat but don’t boil and season to taste with (sea) salt, pepper and if you prefer the soup thinner add some more stock.

When ready to serve, garnish with plenty of spring onions and chopped roasted peanuts.

Bon Appetite 😉

French Onion Soup

Serves 4

This week I would like to share my version of one of the most popular and historic soups ever: onion soup. Onion soup dates back as far as the Roman times and onions date back as far as 5000 BC. They were always easy to grow and plentiful, and therefore, also seen as food for the poor.  I love the rich flavour of the caramelized onions and beef stock. Because the traditional recipe is quite fattening, I figured out a way to adapt the original recipe and make it less fattening but equally delicious. I hope you enjoy and let me know what you think J.

Ingredients

1 tbsp. butter

2 tbsp. of olive oil

2 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced

6 large red onions (approx. 650gr), thinly sliced

2 tsp. of brown sugar

1.5L beef stock

¼ tsp. of dried thyme

½ cup (120ml) of white wine

Black pepper

For the croutons:

8 thin slices of baguette (French bread)

A piece of soft goat cheese

A tsp. of clear honey

Preparation

Heat the olive oil and melt the butter on medium heat in a heavy, large saucepan or stockpot. Sauté the onions for 10 minutes and add the 2 tbsp. of brown sugar.

Continue to sauté the onions for another 40 minutes. The process of caramelization of the onions takes a lot of tender love and care, as you want them soft and coloured, but not burned. So, please lower the heat, toss the onions around and cover the pot. Make sure you do keep an eye on them, and toss them around once in a while.

Now that the onions have been caramelized, add the beef stock, white wine, thyme and one bay leaf. Simmer for another 30 minutes and season with some black pepper.

In the meantime, turn on your oven and lightly toast 8 thin slices of French baguette. It is very important that the croutons are very dry and crusty in order for them to lay on the surface of your soup instead of sink.

A few minutes before you are ready to serve, return the slices of baguette, each topped with the goat cheese and a drop of honey, to your grill until the cheese is melted.

Now ladle the soup into the bowls, top with your delicious croutons and enjoy.

Bon Appetite 😉

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Mexican Tortilla Soup

Serves 6-8 people

Ready to spice up your life with this delicious Mexican Tortilla Soup? It’s a wonderful soup, which you can serve as a meal in bowl.  This soup really allows you to give it your own touch, and you can make it as mild or spicy as you like. If you follow my directions it will be a mildly spiced soup.

All the different kinds of garnish make the soup fun, and great to serve will hosting a party. Lay out all the garnish in separate bowls, and let everybody customize their own soup, satisfaction guaranteed!

Ingredients

For the soup:

2 tbsp. of olive oil

3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped

1 red onion, finely chopped

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (500g)

1 can/400g of black beans drained and rinsed well

1 can/326g of corn, drained

2 cans/800g of chopped tomatoes

Juice from 1 lime

½ jalapeño pepper, seeded and minced

1 tsp.  grounded cumin

½ tsp. chili powder

a pinch of cayenne pepper

1.5L chicken stock

For the garnish:

1 bag of tortilla chips, coarsely broken

1 ripe avocado, pitted, peeled and diced

1 bag of shredded yellow cheese

2 limes, sliced in wedges

Fresh cilantro/coriander leaves, coarsely chopped

200g of half fat crème fraîche

Preparation

For this soup it is best to use a wide but not very deep pan. A casserole type would be ideal. Heat the olive oil on medium heat. Add the garlic, red onion and gently fry without coloring until softened.

Now add the minced jalapeño pepper, stir and cook for a minute more. Then add the chopped tomatoes, the chicken stock, cumin, chili powder and a pinch of cayenne pepper and bring to a boil.

Reduce heat to a simmer and add the chicken breasts. Now simmer the chicken for 25 minutes.  Once cooked throughout, remove the chicken breasts from the soup. Allow the chicken to cool off for a minute, and shred them with two forks.

Once the chicken is shredded, return to the soup. Add the corn, black beans and lime juice and simmer for another 10 minutes. Taste for spiciness and whether your soup needs some more seasoning.

Ladle the soup into the bowls and let everybody garnish their own soup.

Bon Appetite 😉

Wild Forest Mushroom Soup

Serves 6

 This wild mushroom soup makes a perfect start for your dinner party or simply as a delicious meal. The flavors and texture makes it a very rich soup and healthy. Mushrooms are a great source of B-vitamins and minerals; an 80g serving counts as one of your 5-a-day. I used chicken stock but feel free to use vegetarian stock instead.

Ingredients

30g of dried wild mushrooms or dried porcini

600g of mixed fresh wild mushrooms of your choice, cleaned and sliced (for instance: shiitake, portabella, portabellini, chanterelles, chestnut, oyster)

1 clove of garlic, peeled and finely sliced

2 shallots, finely chopped

30g of butter

1 tsp. of dried thyme

1 litre of chicken stock or vegetable stock

25g of fresh flat-leaf parsley, leaves picked and chopped

100 ml white wine

½ lemon

200ml of half fat crème fraîche

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preparation

Rinse the dried wild mushrooms or dried porcini and place in a small dish, add boiling water just to cover, and leave to soak for 20 min. Clean and slice your fresh mushrooms and sprinkle them with lemon.

For this soup it is best to use a wide but not very deep pan. A casserole type would be ideal. Heat the butter on medium heat. Add the garlic and chopped shallots and gently fry without coloring for about 5 min. or until softened.

Add the mushrooms and stir around for a minute, then add the wine, a tsp. of dried thyme and season with a little salt and freshly ground pepper. Cover the pan and cook gently for 10 min. Then add the chopped up dried mushroom and reserve its soaking liquid for the stock as it enhances the flavor. Stir around and cook gently for another 10 min.

Now it’s time to add your stock and the soaking liquid of the dried mushrooms/porcini. Bring to a boil and simmer for around 10 min.  The next step is to stir in the crème fraîche and simmer for another 10 min. Turn off the heat and let the soup cool down for a few minutes.

I love to keep some of the texture in this soup, so at this stage I remove ⅓ from soup.  Then purée the ⅔ of the soup with a blender and pour it back together. Return the soup to a simmer, add the chopped flat-leaf parsley, taste whether it needs some more seasoning and you are ready to serve.

Bon Appetite 😉