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| A five-star vegetable soup, vegetarian or not, chock-full of vegetables, legumes and pasta. The secret to its flavor is using twice as much extra virgin olive oil as usual. The recipe is here. |
From where I sit, in a sunny kitchen in Atlanta, Ga., I can watch the squirrels cavorting in the tops of tall, leafless trees behind the house. So different from the pine-clad hillside I see from my kitchen window in Spain.
The temperature has plunged from a balmy 70 degrees F. to almost freezing. I'm ready for soup! The ibérico ham is not quite ready to be hacked up for making caldo, ham broth, super flavoring for many soups, especially those with legumes.
Over the years, I've posted, dozens of Spanish soup recipes. Here are a few of my favorites. I'm not including any of the fish or seafood soups nor gazpachos in this collection.
Soups with legumes.
Spain has myriad potajes, cocidos and ollas that are soups/stews based on legumes. These three are more soups than stews.
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| This recipe from La Mancha is pinto beans cooked with ham, but it could equally be made vegetarian. It's served with an accompanying garlic sauce. Recipe for Bolos con Ajiaceite. |
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A real stick-to-the-ribs meal, a traditional Andalusian potaje with beans and kale instead of the usual cabbage. The recipe is here.
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Beans, greens and some ham or beef go into this classic Galician soup. The greens are typically grelos, or broccoli raab, but any greens can be substituted--chard, turnip greens, collards. Recipe for Caldo Gallego.
Broths, creams and thickened soups.
 | | This is an Andalusian version of the classic Castillian garlic soup. The soup has egg and strips of ham added to the slices of fried bread and garlicky broth. Oranges, green onions and olives accompany the soup. Recipe for Garlic Soup (Maimones). |
 | | Tomato soup with bacon, plus a Manchego cheese flan to serve with the soup. A kid-pleasing variation has fideo noodles too. The recipe is here. |
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| Sopa de Picadillo--Chicken broth with chopped garnishes, is typically made with the caldo from the grand puchero pot. It's a comforting soup, perfect for nursing a winter cold. The sprig of fresh mint is an essential final touch. The recipe is here. |
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| Porrusalda is a Basque leek and potato soup. Get the recipe here. |
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A creamy carrot soup with no cream is thickened with almonds and rice. Vegan or not. The recipe is here.
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A savory almond soup with greens, topped with poached egg. Recipe is here.
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| Robust Pork and Vegetable Soup from Navarra is chock full of meat, sausages and vegetables. Recipe for Garbure Navarro. |
I was thinking about cooking a jamón bone today, to make a ham and pea soup. Cooking the leg always reminds me of ¿Qué he hecho yo para merecer esto? by Pedro Almodóvar - Carmen Maura kills her husband with one, then cooks and eats the evidence.
ReplyDeleteMad Dog: Yes! Another use for ham bone. I suggested to Daniel that he use one of the ham bones to make stock, well-reduced, and freeze it in small portions. Only need a little bit to add a lot of flavor to pea soup.
DeleteWhat a lovely New Year's gift to read not one but a whole handful of soup recipes to be tried ! I do not really eat seasonally and we are experiencing a cool, wet and stormy summer in my part of Australia - so the interest is alive. Have scanned all . . . am most interested in the garlic and leek soups . . . AND, languages can be funny - my birthplace of Estonia lies NE right across Europe from Spain but the word for 'leek' is 'porru' :) !!! Thanks and be well . . .
ReplyDeleteEha: How interesting, that "porru" means leek in Estonia as well as Basque land. Maybe there is a link to the mysterious origins of Basque? Happy New Year and be well.
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