Almond Soup

Almond Soup

Almond soup was a favourite in our home growing up. The only difference between then and now is access to a very special kind of almond from the kernel of the apricot fruit and not the fruit of the almond tree itself, which is what we buy in North America. Having been requested to share the recipe, I prepared it last night and here it is to enjoy as best as we can!

This soup is delicate in flavour and does not need to be doused with milk or cream nor overpowered by seasoning. However, if you are looking for bold tastes and any kind of kick, this one is not the one you are after!

Serves 4 to 6 persons

1 tbsp butter
1 tbsp olive oil
1 small onion
4 stalks of celery
1 small potato
2 stems of parsley
1 bay leaf
3 cup chicken stock
3 oz/85gm blanched, peeled and ground almonds

Salt, pepper and nutmeg to taste

In a pan, melt the oil and butter. Add roughly chopped onion to it. Allow it to saute for 5 minutes till it is soft and translucent. Add the celery and potatoes and cook for another 10 minutes. Add the parsley and bay leaf. Pour in the chicken stock. Bring it to a boil, cover, lower the heat to a simmer, and allow it to cook for 20 minutes. 

Now add the almonds, mix well and continue cooking for another 20 minutes, covered and on a low flame. Turn off the heat and allow it to cool for 5 minutes. 

Remove the parsley and bay leaf before pulverising.

With an immersion blender, pulverise the soup to a creamy thickness. 

Season it with salt. Optionally, add black or white pepper and/or freshly grated nutmeg to taste.

To serve, ladle it into bowls, add a swirl of cream and top with roughly chopped salted roasted almonds and  finely chopped fresh parsley leaf.

Not to take away from the flavours, but adding a teaspoon of dry sherry can be delicious for some. 

Tips

The chicken stock is the basis and will make a difference. Use your favourite recipe or store-bought stock.

This soup can easily be adapted to make it vegetarian or vegan by using a vegetarian stock.

I used store-bought ready almond powder or meal, which is granular.

The size of my onion and potato were like a large "plum". 

Bay leaves are bitter when crushed.

The soup will turn ''green'' and the flavour will change if the parsley stems are not removed.

My published cookbooks are available for sale through myself and on Amazon.

The World of Parsi Cooking: Food Across Borders is a 3 award winning book. It has been self published in July 2019 and will be going into its second print in 2022. 

The Art of Parsi Cooking; reviving an ancient cuisine was published in 2016 by Austin Macauley and continues to be available through amazon book depot book depository and from the publishers.

Photo courtesy Niloufer Mavalvala

Roasted Cauliflower & Garlic Soup

Roasted Cauliflower and Garlic Soup

 

As a teenager, I went on a family holiday across Europe, where I visited the beautiful Austrian city of Salzburg. On a tight budget, we followed the Frommers guide. We were told to visit a restaurant in the crypt of one of the main churches in a town square. Here, the menu was changed on a daily basis, and fresh local produce was cooked and served. We were offered a roasted cauliflower soup and a roasted garlic soup. I tried both out of curiosity and thoroughly enjoyed this new flavour. Years later, I prepared this soup in combination and am sharing it with you. Isn't food the greatest mnemonic? And decades later, this week, I had the same, just as delightful, with the added beauty of basil oil and a few slices of pickled jalapeno.

Serves 10

3 tbsp olive Oil

4 oz butter

One head of cauliflower

One pod of garlic; unpeeled

1 tsp salt

Salt and mixed pepper for seasoning

1 cup whole milk

8 cups of vegetable or chicken stock

One onion

1 tsp brown sugar

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 170 C or 350 F. Cut the cauliflower into florets. Toss two tablespoons of oil all over, sprinkle with salt, and roast in the oven for 45 minutes, or until the tops are golden. Also, rub the pod of unpeeled garlic with oil and roast it on the same tray for 45 minutes.

Once the garlic has cooled, remove the skin.

 

Step 2 

In your soup pot, melt 125 g/4 oz of butter and sauté the chopped onion till soft. Add a teaspoon of brown sugar, the roasted cauliflower, and garlic. Add the 8 cups of vegetable or chicken stock, bring it to a boil, then reduce to a gentle simmer for 1 hour. Add a cup of milk and 1/2 cup of Gruyere cheese.

 

Step 3

Puree the soup with an immersion blender until smooth. Mix well, taste for seasoning, and serve warm with a drizzle of basil oil, a few slices of pickled jalapeno, and garlic croutons.

Tips

The soup will be thick and creamy. You may add more milk to thin it down if needed.

Alternate basil and jalapeno and add 1/4 teaspoon of freshly grated nutmeg.

Some cheese melted on croutons will taste wonderful, especially a nice sharp cheddar or fresh Parmesan.

Trivia 
A teaspoon of balsamic vinegar will bring any soup to life if you feel it is bland.

Mixed peppercorns are a bag of red, rose-pink, white, black, and grey peppercorns. The French love this variety. White peppers are the spiciest and are generally added to most soups.

It is now the right time to help bring this inexpensive and highly nutritious vegetable back to its former glory in our home kitchens. Let us start by putting its reputation for being bland and tasteless behind us and reforming our ways to make this humble, frowned-upon floret into everything delicious.

Mnemonic: Imagery and Visualization: Our brains remember images much more easily than words or sounds, so translating things you want to remember into mental images can be a great mnemonic device. Food memories can be referred to as mnemonic devices when one can taste the food in one's memory bank.

For more soups click Niloufer's Kitchen: Soups

For Parsi recipes click The Art of Parsi Cooking; reviving an ancient cuisine. and The World of Parsi Cooking Food Across Borders.

Delicious Corn Chowder Soup

Corn Chowder

Soup is a lot like a family. 
Each ingredient enhances the others; 
each batch has its own characteristics; 
and it needs time to simmer to reach full flavour- Marge Kennedy

A hearty soup, takes minutes to put together.
It takes under 60 minutes from start to finish.

Serves 6

Melt in a soup pot
2 tbsp salted butter
2 tbsp olive oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
A pinch of brown sugar
3/4th tsp salt
1/4 cup smoked meat, finely chopped
Saute` this until it is lightly browned, which takes about 7 minutes. 
Add a medium potato, peeled and diced.

6 cups of milk, or you can use half stock or broth. 
1 1/2 cups of creamed corn from a can. 
1/4 teaspoon powdered white pepper 

Bring it to a boil, lower the flame, and cook for 40 minutes. Do not cover. Stir occasionally.
Once it is thick and the right consistency, give it a good mix and serve hot. 

Tips
The smoked meat can be anything your family generally likes to eat, any kind of bacon, chicken, turkey, or a favourite sausage etc. 

If you wish to keep this vegetarian  add mushrooms and just omit the meat and fish. It will be just as delicious.
The stock or broth will make the chowder "lighter." Substitute as little of it as you wish. 

White pepper is spicier than black pepper. Add a little at a time. 

Whole milk or 2% is preferable. However, it tastes superb with almond milk as well; omit the sugar mentioned in the recipe as almond milk is naturally sweet. 

Super delicious! 

To read about an ancient cuisine you can purchase my cookbooks called The World of Parsi Cooking; Food Across Borders and The Art of Parsi Cooking; reviving an ancient cuisine.  


For more soups click the link
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00GEH9PDQ
Niloufer's Kitchen: Soups