Hearty Tomato Soup

Hearty Tomato Soup 

Soups and I have a strong connection from as long as I can remember. When I was young we would mostly have Chicken stew at home, which is basically a warm hearty soup with lots of winter vegetables thrown in with chicken in bones. My old man would cook it once every week and the entire family enjoyed it. He would say that bones have a crucial job in adding flavour. Once I grew up and discovered the maestros of cooking I realized how well my father knows about food since a good stock is crucial for good soups as suggested by all good cooks from all over the world.

The other kind of soup we would relish were those delicious Chinese soups. Calcutta has an old Chinatown. In fact some good folks from China settled in the 1700s and have ever since been serving exquisite Chinese food . Sadly most of these eating joints are closing down.

Anyway coming back to the soup of the day, the first time I tasted this tangy throat warming soup was on the Rajdhani Express Train when I was 10 years old. Rajdhani is one of the best rains in India connecting different cities to the capital. I loved it.

My mother wasn't much of a cook , rather she didn't like spending her time in the kitchen so she would constantly buy these packaged Knorr soups which I quite honestly relished till I realized how much more healthy and delicious it is to make these soups the traditional way.

The first time I tried my hands on Tomato soup was somewhere in the winters of 2003. I was 14 years old going on 15 and the year was coming to an end and I decided to make it. Well it was not the best one and over the years I have tried various recipes of this one humble and lip smacking soup, sometimes with carrots and beetroots added in , sometimes with leek and carrot , sometimes with celery and I finally decided to try a recipe where I mostly stay true to this plump and delicious fruit.

Now before I begin I have to say what stays constant and is a major flavour giver is the stock. It just wouldn't taste the same without it.

Anyway so here is the perfect tomato soup for me :-

Makes 3 to 4 servings

600gm plump red tomatoes which you shall blanch
1.5 litre of homemade stock of your choice  (I usually use chicken)
Salt as per taste
1 tbsp butter
1/2 a large chopped leek
1 large clove of minced garlic
1 tsp freshly group white pepper
Cream for serving (optional)
If you want a spicy touch instead of the optional cream you may add chili oil


Blanch and skin the tomatoes and chop them well. Now heat the butter till it foams and add the leek and garlic  and saute till they fill your kitchen with their aroma but take care to not brown them. Now add the tomatoes and cook till it for 5 minutes and add 800ml of the stock and let it come to a boil and add salt and simmer covered for 5 minutes. Now simply let it cool down and blend to a smooth puree. Get the puree back to the pot and add the remaining stock and bring to a slow boil while stirring it constantly and simmer for 5 minutes and serve it if you are having this on a normal day with a drizzle of chili oil or some cream.

In case you are serving it for a formal dinner or for guests strain the tomato soup once done and bring toa  slow boil and immediately serve it with added cream.

Chicken Yogurt Soup

Chicken Yogurt Soup

If you have read my previous post you would know that Kolkata Food Bloggers is hosting this amazing event called, Know Your Food Blogger Part 2. So basically the reason behind this initiative is interesting. So you see we are a group of cooking enthusiasts and we mostly cook, click , write and share but then again with so many recipes to be tried and tested we don't always get to explore each other's kitchens and with this event each week a blogger is chosen as the star of the week and we try out her recipes. This time our Star Blogger of the week is the lovely, Jayati Saha.

My interactions with Jayati has been virtual from the beginning. A doting mother, her blog was actually born due to her son's encouragement. She is a busy mother and holds a full time job and creates some mouthwatering dishes which she shares with us. You can find all her recipes at Jayati's Food Journal . Not only that when the very popular Calcutta based newspaper, 'The Telegraph' decided to write an article on Food Bloggers they did not forget to mention Jayati.

Since I am still on a high protein and vegetable and almost no carb diet I  chose her Chicken Stew with Curd . With a few changes here and there to suit my taste I created this dish which I am calling Chicken Yogurt Soup. Now I did have some homemade Harissa substitute which I had made the day prior to making this dish which I used in the soup and which added much flavour.

So here goes the recipe.

Makes 2 servings

400gm chicken ( leg + thigh)

For marination :-
4 heaped tsp plain yogurt
4 medium sized garlic cloves
1/2 inch ginger
1/4th tsp Harissa substitute paste (In case you don't have Harissa just use 1 dried red chili + small pinch of cumin seeds and a pinch of caraway seeds)
2 tsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Salt as per taste

Spices for the soup :-
1 bay leaf
1 inch cinnamon
1 green cardamom

2 cups of mixed vegetables (Broccoli, Red bell pepper, Yellow Bell Pepper, 1 medium sized leek)

Make a paste of the ingredients mentioned in the marination and marinate the chicken for 1/2 an hour to 1 hour. Now heat a pot and add the marinated chicken and the bay leaf, cinnamon and cardamom  and let it brown a bit on both sides and add 1 litre water and boil for 7 minutes. Now take out the chicken and drop it in a bowl of cold water and separate the meat from the bones and shred it put the bones back in the pot and boil till the liquid is reduced to half its content and then take out the bones and add the broccoli and simmer for 5 minutes and add the rest of the vegetables and the shredded chicken and taste and add salt if required and simmer for another 5 minutes and turn off the stove and rest it for 15 minutes and have some hearty soup.

This is part of

Potato Mushroom Soup

Potato Mushroom Soup 

I love soups especially a healthy one which is creamy. I was a complete mess during the past 3 days. With a terrible deadline I was working 10 hours a day and with little sleep, no exercise and bad food which meant I ate take out and  stir fried rice I was feeling very uneasy by the 3rd day which is when I decided that if not anything else I must eat healthy.

So I started my day with a filling potato frittata and went on to have a fresh smoothie and then decided I needed some comforting soup. For some reason I have always loved soups even though I was born and brought up in a hot country like India.

This is one of the easiest soups ever.

Makes 4 servings

4 medium sized potato
1 large onion
2 large cloves of garlic
1 tsp fresh thyme
Salt as per taste, I required about 2 tsp and a pinch
6 whole black pepper
3 cups of vegetable stock or chicken stock
1/2 cup of toned milk
1 tsp oil
200gm mushrooms
1 tbsp olive oil

Heat the oil and add the garlic and onion and stir a bit and then add the potatoes and 1.5 cups of  stock and bring to a boil and then add the black pepper and half the thyme and simmer covered till the potatoes are cooked. Once cooked allow it to cool and blend to a smooth puree. Now transfer it back to the pot and add the remaining stock , milk and salt as per taste and bring it to a boil on low heat stirring frequently and then simmer for 2 minutes and before serving stir fry the mushrooms on high and serve the soup by transferring it in bowls and adding the mushroom from the top.

For a healthier version you may steam the mushrooms. 

Healthy Leek and Potato Soup

Healthy Leek and Potato Soup 

For me the perfect weekday dinner is a warm hearty soup. Sadly most creamy soups come with a heavy price. I mean laden with butter or cream it sure tastes amazing but it is a heavy price to pay for that expanding waistline. I had fresh leeks in the refrigerator and so I looked up recipes for a leek and potato soup. The potato would give me the required carbohydrate and it would be a creamy soup. Most of the recipes contained a good amount of the forbidden ingredients. So I made a basic soup which is simple and with minimum usage of ingredients it brings out the flavours of the leek and is a hearty healthy treat

Serves 1 to 2 (depending on how this is served, if its just the first course it should be divided between two else it makes for a healthy meal by itself)

2 medium sized potatoes
Half a large leek
1.5 cups of chicken stock (cups which hold 210ml of liquid)/ vegetable stock
Salt as per taste
Half a cup of skimmed milk
A bit of finely chopped parsley for garnishing
Half a tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp extra virgin olive oil  (optional)


Simply wash and peel the potatoes and cube them and then finely chop the leek . Now heat the olive oil and lower the heat and add the potato and leek and saute and then cover and let it be for half a minute and stir it and add 1 cup of  chicken stock and bring to a boil and then simmer covered for 8 minutes to 9 minutes to 10 minutes. Now let it cool down for 5 minutes or so and blend it smooth in a blender and add the remaining chicken stock and milk and now put it back in the pot and bring to a slow boil while stirring in continuously.
Serve it hot with the finely chopped parsley as garnish. You may add the extra virgin olive oil or not depending on your preference.

Tips :-

For the last boil be very careful to stir continuously because the soup would be of a very thick consistency and can easily form lumps.

Thick Lentil Soup

Thick Lentil Soup 

Some soups can look and seem deceptively similar yet it is that addition or elimination of one ingredient which can give your soup a whole new dimension.

On a rainy day when you want to eat healthy this comes handy indeed and the pulse with all the vegetables blend together to make a creamy lentil soup is sheer comfort.

Makes 2 servings :-

3 small tomatoes
1/3rd cup pulse (cup which holds 210ml of liquid)
Half a medium red bell pepper
Half a medium yellow bell pepper
1 small onion
2 to 3 large cloves of garlic
2 cups of chicken stock
3 stalks of celery
Salt as per taste
Pinch of freshly ground white pepper
1/4th to 1/2 tsp chili flakes
1 tsp olive oil
1 tsp oregano or herb of your choice

Smash the garlic, slice the onion and chop the other vegetables. Simple pressure cook the pulse till its well cooked with 1 cup of chicken stock and 1/4th cup water. Now heat the oil in a thick bottomed pan and add the smashed garlic and sliced onion. Cover and let it get sauteed on low flame for 30 seconds and then stir and add the rest of the vegetables and cover and let it be for 2 minutes and then add the rest of the chicken stock and bring to a boil and add the cooked pulse , salt and pepper and simmer for 10 minutes. Take it off the gas stove and let it cool down for 10 minutes and then blend away to make a  thick soup and then bring this to a boil and then add the oregano and chili flakes and simmer for 5 minutes to 7 minutes.

Have a healthy hearty soup

Healthy Bell Pepper Soup

Healthy Bell Pepper Soup 

It doesn't take much effort to be healthy and no healthy doesn't mean one compromises on taste. Its tasty in its own way. For this soup you actually need some good quality homemade stock be it vegetarian or chicken or even fish. Its very nutritious and with 1 tsp oil its a perfect meal after a good workout. On top of everything else one who loves soups of most kinds such as myself its soul warming and comforting.

Serves 1

1 medium sized yellow bell pepper
1 medium sized red bell pepper
2 small tomatoes
3 to 4 medium sized garlic cloves
1 small sized onion
1 tsp olive oil
Salt as per taste
250ml good quality chicken stock or vegetable stock or fish stock
1/2 tsp paprika

Simply chop the bell peppers and tomatoes  , slice the onion and smash the garlic after peeling them. Now heat the oil on low flame and add the garlic and onions and cover and let it get sauteed for 50 seconds. This covering and cooking  softens the onion with that little oil. Now add the tomatoes and bell peppers and cover and cook on low heat. The juice of the tomatoes will soften the vegetables.

After 2 minutes stir and add the paprika and cook for another 2 minutes but check from time to time to make sure it doesn't burn. After the vegetables have softened add half the stock and bring to a boil and then cool and blend to a smooth consistency.

Now put the blend pepper soup in the pan with the rest of the stock and being to a boil and then simmer for 5 minutes and serve.

Yes its that easy :)

Roasted Carrot Onion Soup

Roasted carrot onion soup

Sometimes in life what you need is a soul warming hearty soup. It may be on a cold winter's night or a day when the rain lashes out on the earth.

I generally love soups. Now before I give you the recipe I have to admit one thing,  in my experience soups cannot get their  flavours if you do not have a good stock at your disposal. For those who eat chicken a good bouillon is one of the best blessings and for vegetarians a good vegetable stock is a must.

This recipe is a teeny bit elaborate but the end result is just so soul warming that you don't mind the lengthy process. Its lengthy but does not need much energy and you actually get two dishes in the end

What you need to serve 3 to 4 people

200gm carrots
5 to 6 small sized onions but not the tiny variety
1 head of garlic
50gm butter
4 leg plus thigh of chicken with the skin (the 4 legs and thigh together should weight about 1.5 kilogram) or a whole chicken weighing about 1.5 kilogram
Half a stalk of fresh celery
1 litre chicken stock
Salt and pepper as per taste
2 tbsp finely chopped spring onion

Start by cutting the carrots and onions roughly and making a bed of them on a roasting pan . Roughly chop the celery and toss it in and then melt 20gm butter and pour it over the vegetables.

Now season  the chicken with the salt and pepper and then massage it with the rest of the butter and leave it aside for 15 minutes. Now preheat oven to 220 C and place the chicken on the bed of vegetables and roast for 1 hour or so or till the chicken juice runs clear.

Now take out the chicken and let it rest covered in kitchen towel for 15 minutes and in the meanwhile peel the roasted garlic cloves and bring your stock to a boil and add the vegetables , peeled garlic and the juice in the roasting tray and then blend all of it to make a smooth paste. Now bring it to a boil again and check the saltiness and add some salt if you want to and simmer for 5 minutes and add the finely chopped spring onion.

Ah its one of the best soups I have ever had all thanks to  the fatty goodness.

As for your chicken you can save it for a gorgeous sandwich

Carrot beet soup

My love for various soups started with various packaged soups available from Knorr in the mid 90s and then of course there were delicious soups we would have on a weekly basis from those lovely little Chinese joints of Calcutta. Of course there was a weekly chicken stew made by the old man who was quite young back then. Whether they came from a package or not it served the purpose of giving exquisite pleasure. You see when you are immersed in Russian folktales, Enid Blyton etc where all those characters have various kinds of delicious soups. Ah those descriptions how can you settle for a plate of rice and pulse and fish.

My Mamma was fine with it as long as she did not have to  work too hard. Time spent in the kitchen was complete wastage in her eyes. So there I was growing up on Knorr soups half the week and then even without realizing I grew up, discarded any packaged item like the plague when there was a healthy alternative at home and so the love affair continues and of course I tease my mother to no end.

Soups are always warm comforting and healthy, many an article says that a bowl of soup before a meal curbs appetite and you end up eating less yet getting all the nutrition from the soup itself.

Ah Winter my love, the riot of colours everywhere is a pleasure alright and I craved love, I craved any shade of red and so carrot and beet soup it was on a gloomy Sunday evening. The weather has been gloomy right from the start of the day and this soup just added that much required splash of colour or I had 3 carrots and 2 beet roots which needed immediate cooking. :D

I did talk about the immense power of a simple chicken stock and this is the perfect example of how it can jazz up a simple soup. Feeding vegetables to your children will never be a problem again.

What went in

3 medium sized carrots
2 small beetroots
700ml to 800ml Chicken stock (from an earlier post)
Salt as per taste
2 tsp olive oil
1 tsp (fresh)  finely chopped dill leaves
Pepper as per the hotness you can handle. (use freshly ground pepper for superior taste)
4 to 5 medium sized pressed garlic
1 small - medium sized onion

Dice the carrots , onion and beet , press the garlic. Saute the garlic in olive oil till that intoxicating beautiful aroma hits your nostril. Add the onions and saute a bit and then add the carrots and beet and saute for 1 to 2 minutes. Add half of the chicken stock. Bring to a boil and then simmer covered till vegetables are cooked thoroughly. Drain the vegetables and let ti cool and then blend away with a little bit of chicken stock to make a smooth paste. It has to be smooth. One useful tip for making it smooth is to use a small blender and blend it bit by bit. transfer everything to a big pot , add all the chicken stock and then bring to a slow boil and add salt and pepper . remember that the chicken stock will already have salt content so add carefully.  Simmer till desired consistency is reached. Since the vegetable has already been pureed it does not take much time and then you have a lovely bowl of thick delicious colorfulness waiting for you to slurp away.

Pumpkin soup

Someone from the blogging world has rightly said that this is the "season of desserts" but this is also the season of soups, the season of reading under the blanket with a cup of warm chocolate for company. Anyways so it being a standard boring Monday it was time for some healthy soupy dinner.

While in Calcutta I wouldn't really go hunting for a sweater I am just grateful that I need not sweat with 5 minutes of walking or prancing or doing anything at all. The weather is cool and wonderful. The hands and feet are going dry and need constant moisturizing  and so does the body. I suddenly feel thirsty due to the dry season and soups are very hydrating and give so much warmth that it would anyways put a smile on your face.

Now there are somethings which if stored from before are the most helpful items in your kitchen, chicken stock being a very important ingredient. use it for soups, curries , other dishes and it magically enhances taste and flavour. Anyways so back tot he creamy pumpkin soup.

The ingredients are basic.

600gm of pumpkin
300 to 400ml of chicken stock
1 medium sized onion finely chopped
4 to 5 garlic cloves (the garlic cloves in Calcutta are quite small)
Pinch of nutmeg
Pinch of cinnamon
1 large bay leaf
200ml of skimmed milk
Olive oil 1.5 tablespoonful
Salt and pepper as per taste

Begin by first sauteing the onions and garlic in olive oil . i use a little trick of covering which cooks it faster without requiring too much oil. Then add the pumpkin and a bit of salt and cover and cook for 7 minutes and once the pumpkins are lightly browned add the stock and bay leaf and bring to a roaring boil and then simmer covered till pumpkins are well cooked. Drain, discard the bay leaf and then blend the pumpkin to a smooth paste. Add the rest of the chicken stock and bring to a slow boil with the milk , cinnamon , nutmeg. Simmer till consistency is very thick and enjoy it with some whole wheat bread.

Potato Soup

Creamiest of the creamy healthy soups (Potato celery) 

I love this time of the year. The weather is cool , there is the promise of chilly days for maybe two weeks in January. Christmas is approaching which means feasts :) You can walk all you want and not perspire and puff as much as the rest of the year. There are comforting nights to look forward to where a mug of hot cocoa and a good book are your companions under a thin blanket. The markets are filled with colours.

Sighted the movie poster called "hanuman.com" (monkey.com) , well so apt with all the monkey caps that Calcuttans insist on wearing. Its hilarious and so sweet.  Though how they do not sweat and fele hotter than a volcano shall always remain a mystery to me.

Anyways has it ever happened that a fresh ingredient dictates what you prepare. Ah two days ago I came back home with the freshest of celery leaves. For some unexplained reason all I wanted to have was potato celery salad. Then the evenings became cooler and well decided on a cream of potato soup. With potatoes, celery , onion, skimmed milk , a bit of pepper and a bay leaf  , 1 sausage crumbled and of  course replacing the 50gm butter with 1 tablespoon of olive oil this was my magical Thursday. You see there was the one left and I wanted to badly have it :D Besides I once saw a soup being prepared with crunchy bacon crumble on top and that has always tempted me. So though mine were not crunchy bacon the beautiful sausages had their own magical power. The creamiest of soups I have had in sometime. This one is so comforting that all you want to do is to have bowls of soup. In case you have bread with this just skip the sausage, though 1 sausage crumbled and  shared between 3 people is not that unhealthy. Cheers to health and taste. Not to forget the chicken stock which lends its magical taste to the soup.

Its simple, its easy

You need:

100gm potatoes
5 stalks of celery minus the leaves
2 tsp finely chopped celery leaves
1 medium but on the smaller side onion
700ml chicken or vegetable stock. Here is a recipe for Chicken stock
300ml of toned milk
1 tablespoonful of olive oil
1 sausage . In case you are not using the sausage increase the amount of olive oil to 2 tablespoon.
Salt and pepper as per taste

So dice the potatoes and celery and onion and sausage. Gently heat the oil and saute the sausage and quickly add the rest of the matter and cook on medium heat for 5 minutes covered and all . take out the sausages and keep aside. Now I always have chicken stock in the freezer so used 700ml of that (in case the stock is too salty with too much flavour  dilute with water and use that, mine was very salty and so I used 450ml of water and 250ml of stock)  , freshly ground pepper and covered and cooked for 12 minutes or till potatoes are easily mashed with a fork. Drain and then make a smooth blend of the vegetables with the stock so that everything is smoother than a smoothie. Add all the stock and 300ml of toned milk. Bring to a very gentle boil. Add salt if necessary. Remember that the chicken stock would already have some salt in it and so adjust accordingly. Potato being starchy and the key ingredient of creaminess will otherwise burn and become lumpy. Crumble sausages and add that and serve garnished with finely chopped celery leaves. If not using the sausage use bread and 2 tsp butter :)

P.S. For those who are living in Calcutta I srongly recommend paying a quick visit to Kalman's Cold storage at Free School Street for their amazing Hungarian sausage. While there you can pick up some deliciosu cold cuts and meat as well.

Comforting Spinach Soup

There is a cool breeze in the air. Actually the weather is kind of crazy in Calcutta. During the day-time it is still hot but thankfully not humid but come night and its beautifully cool. Its the perfect time for all things soupy. And so I look in my refrigerator and what do i find? A bunch of fresh Spinach leaves. Oooh I was immediately thinking of a smooth glossy Spinach delight.

All that it requires

1 bunch of fresh Spinach leaves
A few cloves of garlic , I would say about 5 to 6 of them
3 cups of homemade chicken stock
Peppercorn which is freshly ground as per taste
Pinch of nutmeg
Salt as per taste
Olive oil or butter
A bit of parsley (the fresher the better)

This one actually requires the least bit of time. Soak your leaves after chopping off the stalk in a bowl of water to get rid of all hidden dirt. In the meantime chop 2 onions, press the cloves of garlci with the back of your knife and ground your pepper.

Saute the garlic , onions , pepper (there is something about the taste of sauteed pepper) and add the spinach , cover and let it be for 7 minutes or 10 minutes, add your chicken stock, salt, be careful because the stock has some salt in it as well. Add the nutmeg and bring to a boil and simmer for 15 minutes. Cool it and blend bend blend . You are done. Its a healthy meal along with some wholewheat bread. You can add a bit of butter in the end.

Creamy Tomato Soup

In the last week Calcutta suddenly had a message from Winter, saying that it would soon come knocking on the doors. The weather was perfectly cool, the kind which makes you want to take long walks. While coming back form my usual morning walk I made a stop at New market and the bring colours overwhelmed me. There were blood red bell peppers and beautiful round tomatoes. The smell of fresh basil intoxicated me and so I came back with my treasures.

It was a cool day and I was suddenly craving for some warmth and the idea of a creamy tomato soup was just irresistible. Making ti from scratch requires a little bit of time but the reward is too great. So off I went with 6 large sized plump tomatoes to be blanched. Some recipes require the tomatoes to not be blanched but for a greater amount of smoothness it is advisable that one blanches them.

I will admit to a ironic fact that even though I am born in a humid and hot country the summers somehow seem intolerable to me. So come winters and I am energized, happy and excited and could not stop humming in the kitchen.

I very well remember my first encounter with tomato soup long long long ago on one of the trains and what I still remember or perhaps I imagine that I remember is the impeccably dressed server on a train handing the cup of soup to me. It was a pure delight. Now that I know the taste of those packaged soups I have no idea why it caught my fancy but then I grew up and realized how easy it is to make a creamy delightful soup with the most basic ingredients.

So I went armed in the kitchen with :

6 Plump tomatoes
1 onion
1 carrot
8 cloves of garlic
Water for blanching
Salt
Sugar
1 Bay leaf
pinch of nutmeg
Freshly ground pepper
Parsley
Butter / Olive oil
Chiken or vegetable stock

So you start off by blanching the tomatoes. Making a cross at the back of the tomatoes makes peeling off the skin very easy. Once cool peel them and chop them roughly.

Press the garlic with the flat of the knives and then saute your pressed garlic , add the onions , chopped carrots bay leaf and finally the tomatoes , salt , nutmeg and pepper and simmer them for about 20 minutes.

 Once cool blend away . Blending the piece sof carrot with a bit of water ensures better smoothness. Add about 200ml of stock or water but the stock has its added taste and bring top a boil and simmer for another 15 minutes or till creamy and thick as per your liking.

You can serve it with little squares of bread, but instead of frying them you can just stove  toast them by adding a bit of butter on a flat pan and keeping it on low flame till they are golden brown. Serve with chopped parsley.

Add the pieces right before serving else it becomes a soggy mass. Its so colourful that it would surely even cheer up the grumpy the Grinch who stole Christmas