Chorizo Minestrone vegetable Soup

This time of the year with cold wet winds calls for a robust soup with textures and big flavours. this is my version of a minestrone or vegetable soup,Chorizo Minestrone vegetable Soup.

The ingredients above are,

6 cloves of garlic chopped fine
olive oil
salt and pepper
1 onion diced fine
3 parsnips peeled and diced to bite size
4 carrots peeled and diced to bite size
10 sticks of celery sliced and chopped to bite size
8 tomatoes(skinned-drop in boiling water until the skin splits and remove) chop
1 tin of chickpeas or use the frozen type
1/2 a chorizo sausage sliced and cut to bite size pieces
dried or fresh oregano
about 3 tablespoons of tomato puree to thicken the soup
about 2 pints of stock, I use homemade chicken stock but cubes and Swiss bouillon are good.
Method
1. Take a large pan and add olive oil to fry vegetables. Heat to a medium heat and add the garlic and onions. I usually prepare the next vegetables whilst these cook and sweat. I put the lid on the pan so they sort of steam and fry.
2. Add the carrot, parsnips, celery, tomato, chickpeas and sausage, stir and cook on medium heat for about 5 minutes.
3 Add about 2 pints of stock, salt and pepper , dried herb or fresh oregano.
4. Mix together and bring to the boil. Turn the heat to a simmer. Put on the lid and cook until it is all tender.
5 Add about 3 tablespoons of tomato puree to thicken the soup. Add more stock or water if it is too thick in texture.
Variations
1. garnish with fresh herbs
2. serve with garlic bead
3. serve with grated cheese
5. add other types of vegetables which are in season such as cabbage, potatoes, broccoli, cauliflower, peas, green beans, courgette /zucchini.
6. Use different beans instead of chickpeas
7. Leave out the sausage and use a vegetable stock for a vegan/vegetarian minestrone vegetable soup.
8. Serve with the zest of lemon and lemon juice for a zing.
9. Use a different herb such as lemon thyme, thyme, sage, tarragon and parsley.
10. add1 cup of red lentils and simmer until they are soft
11. Garnish with crispy bacon.
12. Add some pasta or rice for the last 15 minutes of cooking.

These links will give you more information on this soup
MINESTRONE SOUP and CHORIZO SAUSAGE
These videos are good as well.
Have a good time making soup, get back to me with any of your soup ideas through comments,
Thanks for coming by
Crazycupcakes

Leek and Potato Soup

Well the time has come around again to make Leek and Potato Soup which I think is really good. I have a BASIC recipe for Leek and Potato Soup and then lots of variations on the one soup so really at least 12 recipes.


Firstly some facts about these great vegetables.

Leeks are a great vegetable at this time of the year for soup recipes.
To find out about them go to LOVELY LEEKS
They also have good nutritional value for our diet LEEKS NUTRITION
There is a good link here on Leek Preparation
This is a video on the preparation of a leek soup
These are the ingredients I use for Leek and Potato Soup and below is the finished soup.
INGREDIENTS
6 leeks washed and sliced
6 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped fine
1 onion peeled and fine diced
4 large potatoes peeled and diced
Swiss vegetable bouillon to make 2 pints/1 litre of stock
olive oil or unsalted butter to fry
salt and pepper
fresh sage leaves or dried sage
METHOD
1. Heat the olive oil or butter to medium heat and fry the onion as and garlic until soft, garlic will burn if the oil is to hot .
2. Add leeks and cook for 5 to 10 minutes
3. Add potatoes and cook for 5 to 10 minutes
4. Add stock, salt and pepper, fresh sage or dried and cook for 30 minutes .
5. Puree all the soup in a blender.
Garnish
Serve with fresh sage leaves.
VARIATIONS ON THE BASIC
1.garnish with crispy bacon.
2. garnish with chopped ham
3. garnish with stilton
4. garnish with parmesan shavings
5.Only blend half the soup
6.use tarragon,mixed herbs,thyme, or another fresh herb
7. Add cream, creme fraiche or yogurt
8. add chickpeas
9. add beans such as borloti, black eye, haricot, butter bean
10.Substitute parsnips for the potatoes
11.Add lemon rind and lemon juice to serve
12.Make without potatoes and use some white wine as part of the stock
Thanks for reading
Crazycupcakes


I found these books which may have some good soup recipes.

Check out this book at SOUP FACTORY


Check out this at SUNDAY SOUP