How to Make a Winter Vegetable Soup
A quick and easy recipe for an Italian style vegetable broth, perfect for a New Year’s Day hangover….
How’s the hangover? As I am without sin I didn’t have one! But what I did have was a hankering for a thick, one pot meal in a soup bowl which was easy and quick to cook. My German mother used to make some spectacular soups (still does but my father and brother get them all) called Eintopf which basically means one pot and in that pot anything goes from vegetables to pork hocks, you name it, we got it.
It was bitterly cold outside today so I stayed in and gave the house a January 1st make over. In between I made this….
Italian Style Vegetable and Sausage Soup
Heat some olive oil in a pan, sweat one diced onion until soft, add a cup or so of diced vegetables, I used celeriac and sweet potatoes but it doesn’t really matter. Throw in a bayleaf and some fresh thyme if you have it, if you don’t then a sprinkle of dried mixed herbs will suffice. Add a clove of garlic but don’t bash it, leave it whole and fish it out later. Add some dried chilli if you fancy it, just a smidgeon, no more.
Time for some greens; cabbage is good so slice a quater of one up and throw it in, spinach is just as good. Season it all with freshly ground salt and pepper. Add a couple of whole tinned plum tomatoes and a little of the juice. If you’ve got some pasta or cooked beans handy then throw them in too. Now cover the lot with hot stock, chicken or vegetable it doesn’t matter. Bring to the boil and then simmer until the vegetables are just cooked. Don’t overcook it because this is somewhere in between a starter and a main course so you want texture. If you’ve lost your teeth and texture is but a fading memory then carry on cooking. Just as the vegetables are starting to soften then throw in some good quality cooked/cured sausage, if you’re vegetarian then I’d advise against it. I used smoked pork sausage because it’s a tribute to my mother but anything with a bit of a kick will give your soup another dimension (think Star Trek)
Simmer and then serve, a dollop of pesto and a sprinkle of fresh parmesan would do nicely as would a great chunk of crusty bread if you have the teeth for it.
Chef,
that looks superb and without being glib - sounds like quite a quick and easy recipe for a proper homemade soup
Cheers
Rod
January 2, 2010 @ 9:00 am
Miles,
I’m all for home made soups, they generally taste much better than any shop bought variety. I recently tried an up-market organic store bought soup…. not very appealing and not particularly tasty so it just goes to show the stamp of organic is by no means a guarantee of flavour. Get the youngsters cooking soup at school rather than a trifle, that’s what I think…. honestly some of the school inspired things leave a great deal to be desired, no wonder kids get picky and make their minds up early that they don’t like soup etc.
The stock I make on a regular basis usually from chicken and veg is also very useful in sauces and rice dishes. Great for making gravy too for an otherwise dry meal…. the efficient among us would no doubt advise freezing it which always seems like a good idea but alas my freezer is very small and already ‘bunged’ up with assorted Christmas left-overs. To me freezers equal the final resting place of the dregs of my fridge, heaven knows what’s really in there and what will surely end up in the bin eventually. (Note to self: make better use of the small freezer, you should be ashamed of yourself
)
One more luncheon to cook tomorrow to round off the festive season for friends and relatives. Then it’s all downhill as the spring cleaning begins (the Christmas tree will be completely naked by tomorrow by the looks of it, so it’ll be pine scented kindling shortly). Well done for tackling yours… I expect theres a neat pile of ironed shirts and a row of shiny shoes…. white lilies in vase, kitchen and bathroom fittings gleaming and an orderly fridge. Perhaps it’s just as well you can’t see my new kitchen at the moment … unfortunately though, another troop of people due tomorrow are arriving primarily for that very reason so I’d better get on with it, not only that but I promised to send Melissa a photograph. Goodbye Christmas clutter, hello January skip
Cid
January 2, 2010 @ 3:22 pm
Wie geht’s, baby? ;>)
Ich habe nicht dass du halb-Deutsch gewissen werden!
Soup looks wonderful - will make my own for tonight - perhaps a Kesme or a Shurpa from C. Asia. . . .
Thanks for the inspiration.
Laura
January 2, 2010 @ 4:54 pm
Got the dass in the wrong place - oops!
January 2, 2010 @ 4:55 pm
Rod,
Thanks, tasted pretty good too!
Miles
January 2, 2010 @ 8:40 pm
Cid,
A pot of fresh stock is wonderfully versatile and homemade soup is perfect. I think a lot of people don’t realise how quick and easy they are to make.
Miles
January 2, 2010 @ 8:44 pm
Laura,
Nicht schlect danke, besser fur mein eintopf
Miles (missing an umlaut!)
January 2, 2010 @ 8:46 pm
Miles,
It’s still dark out and a bit chilly (early morning here). Fairbanks’ water was frozen solid (my winter thermometer is how frozen his water bucket is) and as I enjoyed my morning oatmeal and coffee with coconut milk, I thought I’d make a big pot of vegetable soup to last over the next 2 or 3 days. Then I check your blog and here you are, waiting with the perfect recipe! Thank you. As always, I love the spice and herb instructions you include (with variations). I made a bison stew last week and added anchovies to the “paste” I made from minced garlic and tomato paste. It came out great and I do plan to post the recipe, but now I’m wondering about the use of anchovies. I’ve read that they are endangered and also that they are a good sustainable choice. Do you know which it is? Or does it depend on what part of the world the anchovies are being harvested?
Yes, Cid, I’m still anxiously awaiting your new kitchen photos.
Cheers, everyone! Onward…2010 has arrived!
Melissa
January 3, 2010 @ 2:08 pm
Melissa,
anchovies are a no go in my neck of the woods, totally over fished but I think you are ok in the States. I’ll look into it.
The stew sounds great!
Miles
January 4, 2010 @ 3:12 pm
Thanks for the information, Miles. I’m finding lots of conflicting reports. I used up my little jar of anchovies for bison stew and vegetable soup. You inspired me on the soup, but I wanted to use what I had, so my version is quite a bit different. You could taste the anchovies at first, but after a day or so, you can’t really tell. It’s interesting.
Melissa
January 4, 2010 @ 7:31 pm