We all hoped for warmer weather with a promising sunny Easter weekend. However, since spring weather makes us wait, some hearty soups may just be the right thing now. The below recipes are easy to make, but flavorful and can be made as a starter or as a main dish: Sweet chestnut soup, orange soup and gazpacho (because summer is always in our hearts). The first recipe I got to know when I was invited at a friend’s house for dinner and he served it. We were so impressed, a dish we never had before and instantly loved it!
Sweet Chestnut soup
for 4 starters or 2 mains. Prep time: 20 min.
Ingredients
- 1 white onion
- 200g frozen chestnuts
- 200-250g frozen chestnut puree (sold at most supermarkets)
- 400-500ml vegetable stock
- light cream to taste
- salt, pepper, cinnamon, cardamom to season
Preparation
- take the chestnuts and the puree out of the freezer. Then chop the white onion and bring a pan to medium heat. Add some olive oil and the onions, then stir often until the onions are tender and turning translucent, about 3-5 minutes.
- Add the chestnuts, keep stirring until they soften, about 5 minutes. Then season with cinnamon and cardamom and add the vegetable stock. Let simmer for 5 minutes.
- Add the chestnut puree block, wait a few minutes until softened and then remove the pot from the stove and mash the soup with an immersion blender. Add some light cream and season with salt and pepper. Enjoy!
Orange Soup
“Orange soup” is a term Israeli use for a sweet potato / pumpkin / carrot soup. There is no one correct recipe for it, so I made up my own. The orange gives the soup a special taste. You can add also other vegetables, as long as they have the color orange/yellow. I sometimes add celery for example.
for 4 persons / Prep time: 40 min.
Ingredients
- 500g sweet potatoes
- 1 carrot
- 1 white onion
- 1 orange
- 800ml vegetable stock
- cumin, cinnamon, smoked paprika powder, cardamom, salt, pepper
Preparation
- Chop the onion, sweet potatoes and the carrot. Bring a pan to medium heat. Add some olive oil and the onions, then stir often for about 3 minutes. Thenn add the sweet potatoes and carrot and stir some more.
- Add all the spices. Peel and cut the orange and add it to the pot. Then add the vegetable stock, cover with a lid and cook until veggies are soft, approx. 15 minutes.
- Then remove the pot from the stove and mash the soup with an immersion blender. Taste and add salt and pepper if needed. Serve hot and enjoy.
Gazpacho
for 2 persons / Prep time: 30 min. + marinating overnight.
Ingredients
- 1 white onion
- 1/2 cucumber
- 1/2 green bell pepper
- 500g ripe tomatoes (I used cherry tomatoes)
- 2 large slicec of white bread
- Sherry vinegar
- olive oil
- salt, pepper
- a few basil leaves to garnish
Preparation
- peel the cucumber and chop it. Chop the onion, the green bell pepper, 1 slice of white bread (crust removed), and the tomatoes and put them in a large bowl. Add two tablespoons of sherry vinegar and season with salt and pepper.
- Mix everything together with your hands, pressing it down to squeeze out the juices. Then add 3-4 tablespoons of olive oil and stir it with a spoon. Cover with foil and put into the fridge overnight.
- The next morning, take the bowl out and put everything into a blender. Blend well and taste it, add salt and pepper and sherry vinegar, if needed. If it is too thick, add olive oil. Put in the fridge for another 1-2 hours.
- Heat the oven to 200° Celsius. Cut the other slice of bread in cubes. Put 2 tablespoons of olive oil and some salt in a bowl, add the bread cubes and stir well until the cubes are covered with oil. Put the bread cubes in a heat-resistant bowl. Put the bowl in the oven for 15 minutes until the bread is golden brown.
- Fill the gazpacho into two bowls, drizzle with olive oil. Chop the basil leaves and top the soups with the basil and the roasted bread cubes. Enjoy!
