Let's face it: the choices made regarding your (dinner) party are also directly linked to the season and weather. For about four months now, all Mother Nature gives to my side of the world is snow, hail, heavy rain, frost and cold winds. If you are in a situation like this, sometime during the year, is there anything better than warming up your guests with a hearty soup? A guaranteed result is that you will warm up the general climate in the house and you will not need any other ice-breaker!
In our menu, as planned in the previous post, the soup will function as a first dish, and will need to be carefully combined with the main. For example, you might not wish to serve a heavy stew or a soup containing meat if your main will also be some sort of meat. On the other hand, if you have one central ingredient that will be the link among your dishes, then yes, you can avoid this rule and serve, let's say a chicken soup before a chicken pie or a chicken roulade. As I have said before, there is nothing wrong or correct when it comes to food as joy, but some good combinations can sometimes change everything.
Let me propose then two soup recipes that are in my mind these days, one I made and enjoyed yesterday evening (need I mention that it was snowing for the whole day?) and the other being one of my all-time favourites, which I am presenting this week in my Nutrition Class. They are totally different between them but both undoubtedly healthy and quite easy to make, so get your pots ready!
Pureed Broccoli Soup (for 4 to 6)
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cloves finely chopped garlic
8 cups of broccoli (stems and florets, big stalks disposed)
1 tablespoon thyme (fresh or dried)
1 vegetable bouillon tablet (optional)
200g (light) cooking cream
Water (as much as it takes)
Salt & Pepper to taste
Preparation:
1. Heat the olive oil in a big pot (the one that will take the soup) and saute the garlic over medium heat until it is soft and translucent. Meanwhile, start adding the broccoli to the pot. Add the thyme and keep stirring, until fragrant, for some more seconds.
2. Add water to cover the broccoli, together with the vegetable tablet (if using, for extra flavour), and boil for 15 minutes (due to the big quantity of vegetables - it can also take less).
3. Using a big ladle, transfer the broccoli into a blender in batches and puree until smooth. Return this smooth material to the big pot and add the cooking cream over low heat. Stir and let the two fluids incorporate while adding salt and pepper to taste. Serve and enjoy!
You might think that such a soup will prove difficult for serving at a dinner but the truth is that you can keep it simmering over very low heat for some minutes without destroying its flavour. It is actually one of these soups you can also prepare beforehand, freeze, and only warm up when about to serve it. Same goes for the leftovers after your evening. I do not follow this method when hosting guests but if you are already overwhelmed with preparing other things and cleaning up your place, then you might want to plan ahead. Do not forget that the energy levels of the host(ess) are one of the most important ingredients. One important tip though: do not underestimate the characteristic, rather unpleasant smell of the broccoli. The thyme and garlic cover it while cooking and eating it, but you cannot avoid having a smelly room, so make sure you air your kitchen well during/after the preparation. And a bonus serving tip: if you are not hosting a dinner where you seat your guests around the table but it is more like a walking party, you can make smaller quantities of this soup and serve it in shot glasses (to the big side). The intense green colour makes them look very impressive and each guest can of course have more than one shots. Don't be afraid of serving soup, therefore; it can be very enjoyable and original!
1. Heat the olive oil in a big pot (the one that will take the soup) and saute the garlic over medium heat until it is soft and translucent. Meanwhile, start adding the broccoli to the pot. Add the thyme and keep stirring, until fragrant, for some more seconds.
2. Add water to cover the broccoli, together with the vegetable tablet (if using, for extra flavour), and boil for 15 minutes (due to the big quantity of vegetables - it can also take less).
3. Using a big ladle, transfer the broccoli into a blender in batches and puree until smooth. Return this smooth material to the big pot and add the cooking cream over low heat. Stir and let the two fluids incorporate while adding salt and pepper to taste. Serve and enjoy!
You might think that such a soup will prove difficult for serving at a dinner but the truth is that you can keep it simmering over very low heat for some minutes without destroying its flavour. It is actually one of these soups you can also prepare beforehand, freeze, and only warm up when about to serve it. Same goes for the leftovers after your evening. I do not follow this method when hosting guests but if you are already overwhelmed with preparing other things and cleaning up your place, then you might want to plan ahead. Do not forget that the energy levels of the host(ess) are one of the most important ingredients. One important tip though: do not underestimate the characteristic, rather unpleasant smell of the broccoli. The thyme and garlic cover it while cooking and eating it, but you cannot avoid having a smelly room, so make sure you air your kitchen well during/after the preparation. And a bonus serving tip: if you are not hosting a dinner where you seat your guests around the table but it is more like a walking party, you can make smaller quantities of this soup and serve it in shot glasses (to the big side). The intense green colour makes them look very impressive and each guest can of course have more than one shots. Don't be afraid of serving soup, therefore; it can be very enjoyable and original!
The traditional Chicken Soup Avgolemono (egg&lemon), perhaps the most iconic of all Greek soups, is present on the menu of many Greek restaurants and houses and takes part in various Greek festivities. It may vary from simple to very crafty (it does need some basic skill, it's true, otherwise it will end up similar to the egg-drop soup, which, albeit tasty, is not quite the same) but I will stick to the version that most reminds me of my mother and grandmother, trying to cure us children from a cold. It is actually so filling and satisfying that can also pass as a meal by itself at a normal day, but if your guests are not used to it, they will very much appreciate it too! Besides this feeling of satiety, however, it is actually nutritious and not so high in caloric value. From a quick calculation I made for my class and having in mind a portion of about two full ladles per person, it actually barely exceeds 200 calories, which gives plenty of space for other food too if you move around the 400-calorie meal rule (which I would not suggest applying at a dinner party anyhow, or else you are missing half the fun calculating). Nevertheless, before I give you the recipe, here is the average nutritional value of my version, to give you an idea:
- Calories: 212
- Total fat (grams): 7.6gr
- Saturated fat (grams): 1.6gr
- Sodium (milligrams): 83mg
- Carbohydrate (grams): 12.3gr
- Dietary fiber (grams): 0.5gr
- Sugars (grams): 1.5gr
- Protein (grams): 22gr
And this is how it goes, for about 6 people:
Ingredients:
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
water (as much as it takes)
1 cup white rice
2 skinless chicken breasts, diced
Salt & Pepper to taste
1 lemon juiced
3 eggs
Preparation:
1. Heat the olive oil in a big pot (the one that will take the soup) and saute the onions over medium heat until they are soft and translucent. While the onions are cooking, start adding the diced chicken breasts to the pot.
2. When the onions are ready and the chicken has started taking a bit of colour, add water to cover it and boil enough to have a properly cooked chicken (as these are small bits, 30-40 minutes will do). Halfway through, add the rice in the boiling water (you might need to adjust the water quantity) together with some pinches of salt. Let this cook properly.
3. While your rice is boiling, beat the eggs in a bowl. Whisking constantly, add the lemon juice to the eggs. You will need to temper the eggs before you add the egg-lemon mixture to the soup, so while whisking the egg-lemon mixture vigorously, slowly pour in a ladle of hot water (by now chicken broth) from the boiling pot. Like this, your eggs won't scramble when coming in direct contact with the soup.
4. When chicken and rice is ready (but with plenty of water still, it's a soup, don't forget), turn the heat off. Whisk the soup while you pour the egg-lemon mixture in with the other. Add pepper to taste (optional but goes great with egg), serve at once and enjoy!
You are now ready to face the coldest weather with the company of your friends! Because F is certainly not for Freezing!
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
water (as much as it takes)
1 cup white rice
2 skinless chicken breasts, diced
Salt & Pepper to taste
1 lemon juiced
3 eggs
Preparation:
1. Heat the olive oil in a big pot (the one that will take the soup) and saute the onions over medium heat until they are soft and translucent. While the onions are cooking, start adding the diced chicken breasts to the pot.
2. When the onions are ready and the chicken has started taking a bit of colour, add water to cover it and boil enough to have a properly cooked chicken (as these are small bits, 30-40 minutes will do). Halfway through, add the rice in the boiling water (you might need to adjust the water quantity) together with some pinches of salt. Let this cook properly.
3. While your rice is boiling, beat the eggs in a bowl. Whisking constantly, add the lemon juice to the eggs. You will need to temper the eggs before you add the egg-lemon mixture to the soup, so while whisking the egg-lemon mixture vigorously, slowly pour in a ladle of hot water (by now chicken broth) from the boiling pot. Like this, your eggs won't scramble when coming in direct contact with the soup.
4. When chicken and rice is ready (but with plenty of water still, it's a soup, don't forget), turn the heat off. Whisk the soup while you pour the egg-lemon mixture in with the other. Add pepper to taste (optional but goes great with egg), serve at once and enjoy!
You are now ready to face the coldest weather with the company of your friends! Because F is certainly not for Freezing!
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