zuppa di vegetale!!!
I don’t think there is anything more simple than vegetable soup, you can basically use up whatever veg you have in your fridge!! I’ve noticed recently that the convenience soup section in the supermarket seems to be getting bigger and bigger and even the chilled soups are overtaking the chill cabinet!! I know a lot of people do make soup from scratch but I get the feeling that they are way out numbered by the amount of people that don’t!! I think people assume that soups are a lot more difficult to make than they actually are and I know the food purists would have my head but just use stock cubes if you don’t have time to make fresh stock, if it means that you will make your own soup I’m all for it!! Now there is nothing groundbreaking or gourmet about this recipe but if it gets somebody who reads this blog to make soup who doesn’t normally, my work for the people is done:) You can use any veg you want and just roughly chop them as you will be liquidizing them anyway, this is the way I normally make mine!!
what you need:
- 1 carrot peeled and chopped
- 2 leeks chopped
- 1 onion chopped
- 1 garlic clove peeled and chopped
- 1 courgette chopped
- 2 potatoes peeled and chopped.
- broccoli - I use the tender stem broccoli if I have it or else just use a head of regular broccoli!
- 1 litre chicken or veg stock (I use the Kallo chicken stock cubes)
- olive oil
- sea salt and black pepper
what to do:
- heat some olive oil in a saucepan and cook your garlic and onion until soft but not coloured.
- add the rest of your vegetables, season and cook for 10 mins to soften.
- add your stock and leave to simmer for 20 - 30 mins or until all your veg is cooked.
- take off the heat and liquidize.
- serve with some freshly grated parmesan cheese.
On another note just to let you know that Eoin Purcell has just launched a great new foodie site called OUR GRANNIES RECIPES which aims to collect 101 of Ireland’s favourite traditional recipes!! The recipes will be collected into a book for publication in October 2008 and the royalties will be donated to Age Action Ireland. The great thing about the whole idea is that we can all be involved by submitting our favourite traditional recipes and judging the final cover for the book!! Best of luck Eoin and we’ll definitely be buying a copy in October, now let me see what recipe I’m going to submit, it will have to be “nonna’s” recipe in our case:)
buon appetito!!
p.s. a big “grazie” to Val who did a great article on food blogging in this weeks Limerick Independent which included a nice big piece on Italian foodies and La Cucina!! Thanks Val:)
That first photo is lovely, Lorraine
Love your serving cups Lorraine. So effective! Congrats on the article!
nice touch with the orchid… And hear hear about the stock cubes. Since I dropped the whole idea of making my own stock I have been making a soup on a weekly basis. The stock just took too much time and effort. The courjette zuppa!! is still my favourite.
Quick question, is it possible to get fish stock cubes?
well, it may be ‘just’ vegetable soup, but you’ve dressed it up beautifully - a real picture!
I love how the garnish looks on top of the soup, along with the flower. Beautful presentation in your photo and a fantastic way to use up any veg you have left in frig!!I will definately give this a try Lor, as your other soup was a big hit!!!
Hi, I found your blog via italyville, and I think it’s great. I have all the required veg in my fridge and I’m set to make your zuppa for supper to night, using stock cubes and proud! We are Italian foodies too, I’d love you to check out our blog ‘A Tuscan view…..’
over at http://www.tuscanyandumbria.typepad.com and let me know what you think. A presto. Amanda
Lovely photos, Lor. Sometimes I make stock, sometimes I don’t, it depends on time -something there never seems to be enough of! But soup is one of those things I look at in the supermarket and think that I can make that - cheaper and better!
Maryann - thanks, sometimes they do turn out ok:)
Deb - thanks, alessia broke one on me the other day while drinking her “babycino” - don’t ask:)
allstar - I think is maybe what puts people off, we’re lucky in that we have fresh stock in the shop but tbh I always forget to bring it home so end up using stock cubes anyway!! The courgette soup seems to be a winner!! re the fish stock cubes I saw them in Fallon & Byrne and they actually had fish stock, must have a luck in Superquinn! Was thinking the other day about making a nice fish soup so need them myself, will check it out!!
f-o-s - thanks, because it was such a simple recipe I went all out and dressed in up:)
Marie - thanks, as always you are too nice:)let me know how you get on even though I have a feeling nothing is going to beat that other soup, maybe I’ll bottle it, put my head on it and sell it:)
amanda - wlcome, just popped over and blog looks great!! It will be great to follow your experience of relocating to Italy, looking forward to reading all about it!!
Jen - I think it all comes down to time!! Dido on the convenience soups, I never ever buy them, in saying that I was brought up on Campbell’s tinned mushroom soup and thought it was the bis!!:)Oh how I’ve changed TG!!!!
p.s. everytime I read back over my response to comments I realise how important it is to read and edit before I click “post”. apologies for all my spelling and grammer mistakes, but hey I can’t be perfect all of the time;)
Great photos! It also sounds tasty. I enjoy making my own soups.
Hi Lorraine,
The soup sounds very simple to make - which I am sure means it will taste divine as well (the simplest dishes usually do).
I agree with you that there is no crime in using stock cubes - they do the job. I have made stock (was chicken) from scratch and have to say the soup that was made from that did not pack the flavour punch that soup made with (an organic) stock cube did. I now just stick with the stock cubes.
Thanks Kevin, made this again yesterday and was delicious as always!!I love soups too!!
Rob - the thing with making stock is that you have to add loads of salt to make it taste good so that’s why stock cubes give so much flavour!! Anyway if it means people will make soup more often I don’t see the problem, hey even Marco Pierre White is promoting Knorr stock cubes these days:)