Soups and stews
THIS is the ideal time of year to enjoy soups, stews and casseroles
At this time of year, there are plenty of potatoes, cabbage in all variations, root vegetables, pumpkin and artichokes around, all ideal ingredients for our soups and stews.
Chicken broth
The love of chicken broth unites nations and religions. Chicken broth in Spain is also a tried and tested remedy for colds.
To make 2 litres: 1 ready-tocook chicken of approx. 1.2 kg or equivalent chicken parts, 3 peeled carrots, 2 onions peeled and cut in half crosswise, 1 well-scrubbed leek (with the outer leaves removed), a bulb of garlic without the outer skin and cut in half crosswise, 1/4 cup of extra virgin olive oil, 1 tablespoon of black peppercorns, 1 bay leaf, thyme, parsley stems, salt.
Put 4 litres of water in a pot. Put in all the ingredients, except the salt.
When it starts to boil, skim to keep the broth as clear as possible.
Reduce the heat to minimum and simmer gently for about two hours. Season with salt, remove the pot from the heat and strain the broth.
The chicken broth will keep in the refrigerator for a few days (but no more than a week). You can make a nice soup by cooking various vegetables, potatoes, noodles or, for example, chickpeas in it and then adding the meat.
You don't have to buy a whole chicken if you don't want to cook so much stock. You can also use individual pieces - just make sure you include the bones, as these are what give the soup its flavour.
Goulash soup
For 4 pers. : 600 g stewing beef, 400 g waxy potatoes (the red ones), 3 medium onions, 1 red pepper,, 2 carrots, 1 clove of garlic, 1 cup of sour cream, 2 tbsp. sweet paprika, 1 heaped tbsp. freshly chopped marjoram, sunflower oil, 1.25 l beef stock or water
Cut the onion, peppers and carrots into small cubes, the meat into slightly larger ones, about one and a half centimetres.
First, fry the onions in sunflower oil until light brown. Then add the meat, salt and pepper and fry for a few minutes - but don't let them get dark. Now sprinkle paprika over it - but take the pan off the heat beforehand, otherwise, the whole thing will become bitter. Deglaze with one and a quarter litres of beef stock or water quite a bit evaporates, so you end up with one litre of soup. The stock is easy to make yourself: just boil two pounds of bones with greens and a little salt for two hours.
The goulash soup is left to simmer for three quarters to an hour until the meat is cooked. After half an hour, add the diced potatoes, carrots and paprika. And when the whole thing is ready, add the marjoram.
The consistency becomes creamy when it is thickened. You can do this with a little flour or potato starch. Simply mix a tablespoon with some soup and then thicken the whole thing with it. Sour cream also helps to thicken the soup.
The soup should not be too thick - it should have the consistency of a cream sauce, nice and creamy. If you like it hot, add a chopped chilli pepper.
Chicken Casserole
For 4 pers. : 2 packs of chicken thighs (boneless), 4 large carrots, 1 large onion , 2 large leeks, 1 large white turnip, 1 large parsnip, 1 l chicken stock, 2 to 3 large potatoes, herbs such as bay leaf and parsley , salt and pepper, dumplings (readymixed with herbs), vegetables such as broccoli to accompany.
Season the chicken pieces, flour them and fry them in hot oil on all sides in a casserole dish. Add chicken stock, herbs and the vegetables cut into pieces - the chopped potatoes go in later. Simmer for three to four hours on a very low heat.
Prepare the dumplings according to the instructions on the packet, this is easy, and add them, cook in the open pot and let them take on a little colour. Season again with salt and pepper and serve accompanied by cooked vegetables such as broccoli. The long cooking time allows the flavours to combine wonderfully. This is delicious!
Mediterranean onion soup au gratin
For 6 people: olive oil, approx. 1.4 kg red onions (peeled, thinly sliced), salt and pepper, 1 glass red wine, 2 bay leaves, 1 small bunch thyme (tied), 8 cloves of garlic (coarsely chopped), 2 tablespoons cognac or brandy, 6 slices of bread from the day before (lightly toasted), 170 g grated Gruyère cheese, 1 teaspoon chopped thyme, 1 tablespoon chopped sage.
Place two large, wide frying pans over medium heat. When hot, add olive oil and a large handful of onions to each. Season with salt and pepper and cook until golden brown, stirring occasionally. This takes about ten minutes.
Put the onions in a soup pot, put the pans back on. Add half a cup of water to each pan to loosen the drippings. This is best done with a wooden spoon. Pour the dissolved drippings into the soup pot. Rub the pans with kitchen roll and repeat with more olive oil and onions. Continue until all the onions are nicely browned and used up.
Place the soup pot over a high heat. Add the wine, bay leaves, thyme bunch and garlic. Simmer for five minutes. Pour in eight cups of water and bring the whole thing back to the boil. Then turn down the heat. Add two teaspoons of salt. Simmer the onion soup for 45 minutes.
Pour in the brandy and simmer for five minutes. Remove the thyme bundles.
Turn on the grill, spread toasted bread on an oven tray. Mix the grated cheese with chopped thyme and sage and a generous amount of pepper. Spread on the bread slices. Grill until the cheese sizzles and changes colour. Serve the onion soup with the cheese toast.
French Onion soup au gratin
Ingredients: white onions, oil or butter or a mixture of both, meat stock, dry white wine, a little cognac, salt and pepper; white bread and cheese for gratinating.
Peel the onions, cut them into strips and caramelise them in oil in a pot. Pour in a good shot of white wine and let it boil down, then pour in meat stock and let everything simmer for about 20 minutes.
Season to taste with salt and freshly ground pepper. To finish add a glass of cognac. Pour the French onion soup into serving cups and gratinate under the grill with toasted white bread and grated cheese.
Bollito misto (Italian stew) For 6 people: 1 small savoy cabbage (approx. 450 g), 2 leeks (approx. 300 g), 1 small bulb of celery (approx. 400 g), some flatleaf parsley, 4 carrots, 1 onion, 2 bay leaves, 2 cloves, 1 tbsp. peppercorns, 1.5 tsp. salt, 750 g lean beef for cooking, 1 fresh chicken (approx. 1 kg), ground pepper, 1/2 tsp. lemon juice, 6 tbsp. Italian soup pasta.
Remove the stalk and outer leaves from the savoy cabbage. Cut the leeks in half lengthwise, wash well and remove the green bits. Cut off a piece of the celery and the stalks of the parsley. Tie the savoy cabbage leaves, leek greens, cut piece of celery, parsley stalks and a carrot together as a bouquet garni. Spike the onion unpeeled with the bay leaf and cloves.
In a large pot, bring four litres of water to the boil with the bouquet garni, the spiked onion and the peppercorns. Salt the boiling water and add the beef. Skim as often as necessary, reduce the heat. Simmer gently for an hour.
Briefly rinse the chicken inside and out under running water, add to the broth. Increase the heat temporarily, skimming off the foam again. Reduce the heat and simmer for another 30 minutes.
Cut the savoy cabbage into six slices, halve the remaining carrots lengthwise. Cut the celery into rough cubes, the leek into pieces about eight centimetres long and tie three to four of each with kitchen string. Add all the vegetables to the stock.
Scoop out about 1.5 litres of stock and pour through a sieve into a second pot. Season with pepper, a little salt and lemon juice. Cook the soup noodles in it until al dente. Serve first, sprinkled with chopped parsley. Keep the meat and vegetables warm in the remaining stock.
To serve, cut the chicken into pieces. Cut the beef across the grain into generous slices. Arrange the vegetables around the meat. Drizzle a little stock over the meat.