Brand new year, same old soup?


And so here we are, after the rush of the holidays is over, after the excesses, the added stress, the joyous moments and hopefully, some rest, here we are back to the grind. I have to say it kind of felt hard to get up before the sun was out, and to hurry through the early hours of the day so I could get everything ready to take some certain gentleman back to school. It was harder for him, I tell you, the poor kid did not want to get out of his cozy warm bed! But the truth is, he knew he had to and so he did. The days of sitting on the sofa watching Harry Potter and Once Upon a Time all day long must come to an end, as must the endless row of bonbons and mincepies and panettones and Bolo Rei and cinnamon cookies. Actually, there's still one cinnamon cookie in the kitchen, and if no one is having it I claim bids on it.


I have to say I did not loose my head over the holidays, I did not over do it, truth is I even managed to loose some weight on Christmas week. My undoing was actually New Year's, and not exercising. Yep, I did take a break from my exercise routine over the holidays, I also took a break from my novel. But I ended up not eating my weight in stuff I don't usually eat regularly. SUre, there were some slices of panettone and coffee pudding during CHristmas, and some Bolo Rei as well, but there was a lot of soup and veggies as well as fruit. I wasn't even craving certain things I usually crave over this season, like fresh, savoury breads, or patés. Untill New Year's Eve, that is. I think I managed to undo all the good I did my own body over Christmas week...


I did indulge, on New Year's Eve. There was bubbly to be had, and it was sweet and ice cold, there was shrimp tempura as well - a classic for NYE with my son, he must have it always!! - and there was a delicious camembert and a quail and champagne paté, there was toasted bread and a turkey and mushroom homemade saucisson (which actually I should have photographed for the blog because it is such an amazing recipe to share, and if you have a dinner party I tell you it will be a success!!) and there was chinese red rice to go with it, as we had just made a visit to a few chinese supermarkets recently. For dessert there were the mincepies which I have just tweaked slightly and will be sharing with you soon. So I was bound to indulge, and I did. Now it's back to eating healthy and wisely and balanced meals. Starting with the same old soup.


But it doesn't really matter how old the recipe for the soup is, nor how many times I have made these soups, to me they are always a delight, always a great start to any meal. When it's cold and dreary and grey outside, a warm bowl of fragrant soup can be such a comforting sight, and it's certain to put a smile on our lips as we suddenly become warmer, as if a hug as big as life is being given. I always say that soup is the language of love, if you think about it, as a parent that is the first meal you give your child after the milk! Soup is the basis of a proper meal, soup is a new beginning, the start of something good. So no matter how old soup seems to get, or how boring you might think it becomes, soup is probably the best way to go in any meal. And soup can stand as a meal all on its own, what's not to like about this?? I made us a cannellini bean soup that is quite to die for, if you're into creamier soups!!


You will need:
  • one litre water
  • 250 ml concentrate, reduced duck stock
  • four large starchy potatoes
  • one can cannellini beans (white beans)
  • one carrot
  • one medium sized onion
Peel and dice all the vegetables and cook them over medium heat on a pan with the stock and the water. Once all the veggies are tender, open up your can of beans and pour them into the soup, bringin to a boil. Reduce the heat and allow to simmer for five minutes. Take the pan from the heat and using a blender, reduce to a purée that will be creamy and a bit on the thick side. Serve with a drizzle of chives or fried onions.



Comments

  1. Tem muito bom ar essa sopa! era só 'veganizá-la' e aposto que me consolava (a minha mãe não tem jeito nenhum para sopas).
    Eu por acaso no Natal não comi nada demais, no ano novo é que foi a desgraça.. oh well, já passou.

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    1. Pá, Danny, acreditas que estive mesmoooooo pra pôr ali na parte do concentrado de caldo de pato - que é algo que eu adorooooo por causa do sabor intenso -que quem fosse vegan ou vegetariano poderia substituir por caldo de cogumelo seco, que tem o mesmo tipo de intensidade de sabor e é ainda mais fácil fazer, eu costumo sempre ter uns quantos tupperwares de caldos variados no congelador. O de cogumelo seco, se quiseres fazer e guardar, é simplesmente quando usares cogumelos secos, e se n usas aconselho, tãooooo bom!!, e os puseres a demolhar para re-hidratar, não deites fora a água onde eles demolharam, congela e usa como base para sopas ou arrozes ou mm vegetais. Fica demais de bom!!

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  2. Só de ler a tua descrição da comida (shrimp tempura, please hold me) deixou-me a babar. A minha relação com sopa sempre foi atribulada, nunca gostava até aprender a fazer. A minha mãe nunca teve jeito pra sopa ou vegetais cozinhados e fez-me detesta-los durante anos, agora adoro. A tua sopa faz-me tanto lembrar a que eu comia na minha avó em miúda, o aspecto pelo menos :p

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    1. Por acaso sempre fui amiguinha de sopa, até na minha fase anorética comia sopa se havia em casa, naquela de ser light e pouco calórica. Adoro sopinhas ehehh.

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  3. também não abusei muito no natal e a minha perdição foi mesmo no fim de ano, como tu! também ainda não deixei de lado alguns snacks menos saudáveis totalmente, mas esta semana a ver se me recomponho, só que eu é mais salgados!;)
    adorei a tua sopa com um aspeto mesmo saudável e apetitoso para estes dias chuvosos que começaram mesmo deprimentes. a ver se isto anima!!!
    bom ano querida, com tudo o que mais desejas!

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    1. pois, eu foi mesmo os filhos da mãe dos camarões e o queijo, não consigo resistir a um queijinho!!
      http://bloglairdutemps.blogspot.pt/

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  4. Eu este ano perdi-me completamente nestas festas! Comi este mundo e o outro!
    O resultado não se fez esperar, obviamente...
    E sim também voltei às velhas sopas, mas que eu amo!
    Beijocas

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    1. Sopa a meu ver é sempre tão bom, tão reconfortante!!

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  5. As férias de Natal <3 como eu as amava em criança!! Que sorte tem o teu filho. MESMO.
    Olha eu detesto todos os doces tipicos d Natal, só mm o chocolate é que me faz vacilar (e muito). Acho que ganhei peso antes do natal e dp do natal c o meu aniversário lol. Felizmente acabaram as festas, jesuzzz já n aguentava. Mama needs some rest

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    1. I needed some rest too, eheh!! O meu filho discordaria muito de ti, pois diz que eu estou sempre a ralhar. Na verdade, sei que me tornei aquela mãe que eu não queria ser, que está constantemente a ralhar com o filho, constantemente a dizer para n fazer isto ou aquilo, ou para ir fazer isto e mais aquilo... ainda me pergunto até que ponto sou eu que sou falha como mãe ou é ele que é um fdp dum mal comportado...

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