Sunday 30 November 2014

Simple onion soup


2 tbsp olive oil (or preferred frying fat)
6 medium sized onions, peeled and chopped
6 medium sized potatoes, peeled and cut into cubes
1 1/2 litre vegetable stock (2-3 cubes)
Salt to taste
Grated cheddar cheese

Fry the onion until soft or golden. Add potatoes and stock. Bring to the boil, lower the heat and let simmer for approximately 30-40 minutes or until the potatoes are cooked through. Add salt if needed. Serve with grated cheese on top and with some nice bread (eg crisp bread with butter and cheese or grated carrot).


Tuesday 21 October 2014

Nikkaluokta soup

Nikkaluokta soup (it's from a Sami village in Northern Sweden of the same name):

350g beef mince (or reindeer mince)
4dl cabbage
2 tbsp mustard
2 tbsp tomato paste/purée
1 bay leaf
1dl water
2 stock cubes (or your own broth/stock/bouillon of course)
2 leeks
1 tbsp soy sauce
2 sweet peppers
Potatoes (optional, makes soup more filling)
Salt & pepper
Fresh parsley
(Mustard and soy sauce can be omitted, leeks substituted with onion)

Fry leeks and mince. Add cabbage, and sweet peppers. Add water/stock (and potatoes) and bring to the boil. Simmer until cooked and add spices to taste. Add chopped parsley and serve.

Algerian Schorbah

Schorbah, the way I do it:

500g meat (optional, I mostly make all my soups vegetarian nowadays)
1-2 diced onion(s)
1-2 stalk(s) celery
Water
2-3 tomatoes (and/or 2 tbsp tomato paste/purée)
1-2 carrots
1 courgette
1 can chick peas
Salt, pepper, cinnamon, paprika, ra's-el-hanout (optional), ground coriander seed (I use eye measurements, so not sure how much I use of the spices, somewhere between 1 tsp and 1 tbsp)
A handful or two of vermicelli
Fresh coriander
Fresh parsley
Fresh mint
Lemon for serving

Fry onion and celery in oil until soft (add meat)
If using fresh tomatoes, skin them and then dice or blend in food processor. Add into the pot. Let cool for awhile, adding spices. Add vegetables (grated or finely cut/chopped) and water to cover. Add chick peas, bring to the boil and simmer for about forty minutes (one hour or more if using meat), or until cooked. Add vermicelli and simmer for ten minutes.
Add the fresh, chopped herbs and serve with lemon.

Schorbat Freek

This recipe is for 8-10 ppl:

2 diced/chopped onions
1 can of chick peas
3-4 tomatoes
2 diced celery stalks
1-2 courgettes
Spices: salt, pepper, cinnamon, paprika, ground coriander seed, ground cumin (optional)
1dl freek
Fresh chopped coriander, parsley and mint

Fry onions and celery in oil. (Add meat if you wish here)
Add chopped, skinned tomatoes (and/or tomato paste), freek and spices. Add water to cover, grated courgette and chick peas. Bring to the boil and simmer until cooked. Add fresh herbs and serve with lemon.