Soljanka - original GDR soup

When growing up I spent quite a bit of time in the GDR (former East Germany). One of the foods that I ate there as a starter many a times was a soup called Soljanka, which created as a way of using up left overs - what a frugal thing to have :)

The recipe here is actually an original from the GDR. I cannot remember where I have it from but I found it in one of my recipe folders and decided to actually make it this week...

This is enough for a family of two adults and two smallish kids as a main meal

500 g meat - anything really goes, fillet, cheap cuts, even sausages or deli meat.
1 large onion
1 tbs oil
1 small jar of pickled cucumbers, 400 g - the ones in vinegar not salt!!!!
1 can of crushed tomatoes, 425 ml
a little chopped garlic (optional)
3/4 liters broth
1 dash of dry white wine
3 tablespoons sour cream or creme fraiche (parve)

Cut the meat into small cubes. Peel the onion and chop.
Heat the oil in a pot and fry the meat and the onion.

In the meantime, cut the pickles into small pieces.

Add the pickles, tomato, tomatoe sauce, garlic (if using), broth and white wine. Bring everything to a boil and cook over medium heat for about 40 min, stiring occasionally.

Serve the soup garnish each with a dolop of sour cream or creme fraiche.

Serve it with slices of bread.

Tip: I remember it being a mix of meat and deli meat. I actually make it with about 300gr of a cheap cut and 200gr of deli meat that I buy as one piece and not sliced.

Curried lentil and chicken soup

This is a quick, healthy, low carb (depending if you count lentils as protine or carbs - and that depends on the diet you are following), high fiber and high protine soup.

This soup was inspired by a (German) Weight Watcher soup that I once made years ago.

It is enough for 4 people as a main meal. If you really want to you can serve it with a hearty bread.

200gr green or brown lentils
1 whole chicken breast - boned, skinned and cut into small cubes
1 large onion - diced
1 tbs oil
1-2 tsp curry powder
1 litter stock
1/4 cup cooking cream (parve for those of us who don't mix dairy with meat)
1 small tin crushed pineapple (preferably in juice, but that is just to keep the sugar content low)
Salt and pepper

Cook the lentils in plenty of water for 30-45 minutes (brown need less time to cook). Do not salt the water as it will prolong the cooking time). Drain.

Heat oil in a large pot, add the curry and fry for about 20-30 sec (make sure not to burn it, it will get bitter). Add the onion and chicken making sure to fry the chicken from all sides.

Add the stock, bring to a boil and let simmer for about 5 minutes.

Finally, add the lentils, cooking cream and pineapple. Cook for another 1 or two minutes.

Season to taste

If you use lentils that you had stored away as you had cooked to much at a different time, add it with the stock to make sure that they are heated through.

Easy red lentil soup

This recipe is one I got from my mom. I made this soup as a light starter yesterday. If you want to make it as a main dish, use more lentils and add cut up sausages.

1 large carrot - grated
1 large potatoe - grated
1 cup red lentils
1 small pack tomatoe puree
1 tsp vegetable bulion
A little bit of fresh lemon juice (optional)
Salt and pepper

Put everything into a large pot with water and cook for about 20 minutes. Season and enjoy :)

Viccyssoise - French Potato and Leek Soup

I love Viccyssoise and my husband, first totally unsure about this one cause of the leek, always wants seconds when I make it. I have several ways of making this one, and all of the recipes I have are really easy to throw together, light on your budget and yummy in your tummy J

Prep time: 10 minutes    Cooking time: 30min                 Serves: 4

• 6 large potatoes, peeled and cut into large chunks
• 8 leeks, green trimmed off, washed, and chopped into largish chunks
• 3 stalks celery, cleaned and again chopped into large chunks
• 1 medium onion, peeled and quartered
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 quarts stock – can be chicken or vegetable
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup (equals to about 125 gr butter) at room temperature
• 1 cup heavy cream
• salt and pepper to taste

In a large soup pot, put the vegetables with the bay leaf and chicken stock over medium-high heat and bring to a boil, then turn heat down to a gentle boil and cook about 10 to 15 minutes or until the potatoes are fork tender. (Don’t boil too hard or you will end with yuky potatoes.)

Mix the flour and butter in a small bowl until they form a dough like mixture.

When the potatoes are fork tender, put the flour-butter mixture into the soup and mix, don't worry if you get big blobs of that stuff in your soup, we'll take care of it later on. Add the creamand season with salt and pepper to taste.

Remove the bay leaf (I always call it happy hunting) and puree the soup with a stick blender until smooth. If you don't have one, just ladle the food into your food processor in batches. Just be careful that you won't get any hot soup spritzing on you.

Once your soup is as smooth as you want it, you need to continue to cook it over low heat stirring frequently for another 15 minutes – the soup needs to thicken up. Be careful that the soup doesn't burn

Serve it with some hearty bread.

Chinese Egg Drop soup

Do you love Chinese food? I could literally eat it once or twice a week. One of the dishes I love is egg drop soup, but I am just not prepared to pay the prices they ask for... so, here is a simple recipe that you can make even if you have nothing left in your fridge. This recipe is enough for 2 people.

3 cups chicken broth (either self made, out of a can or made with bouillon powder/cubes)
2 tbs cold water
1 tbs cornstarch
1 egg, slightly beaten
1 spring onion, finely chopped (both white and green part)

In a small pot bring chicken broth to a boil. While you are waiting for the broth to boil combine water and cornstarch; stir into boiling broth.
Stir a small amount of hot broth into the beaten egg. Add the egg mixture slowly (slight drizzle really) into the hot broth, stirring ALL the time. Cook until clear and slightly thickened, stirring constantly.
Garnish with scallion.

TIP: You can add either cooked rice, tofu, rice noodles or some bok choy at the beginning for a heartier soup.
Also, if you find the soup not salty enough, season it with soy sauce, not with salt, for a more authentic taste.

Tomato-Curry-Lentil Stew

Lentils are a good source of fibers and protein without having to have meat. And they are quite cheap too. This is a soup that is just perfect for the winter time. This makes 2 Portion
 

1 cup of Lentils
2 cups water
1 tsp vegetable bullion powder
1 tbs oil
1 tomato, diced
1 small onion, chopped
4 stalks celery – chopped, including leaves
1 tsp curry powder
6 cloves garlic, minced
Salt and Pepper

Bring lentils and water to boil, add bullion powder. Let it simmer.
In the meantime, fry onion in oil until glassy, add celery. Add vegetables after about 10 minutes. Cover and let simmer for about 45 minutes or until lentils are cooked through. Check every 15 minutes to stir, add water as needed.
Add curry, garlic, salt and pepper during the last 15 minutes. Season to taste.

Note: When using red lentils cooking time is considerably reduced. You should add all ingredients when the water has boiled.

Lentil Soup

The sausages are optional. Also, I have two small kids, so I don't add a lot of salt and pepper to the food.

1 cup dry green lentils - picked through and washed
2 tbs olive oil
3 medium onions, chopped finaly
2 garlic teeth, crushed
2 carrots, grated
1/2 tsp cumin powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp peper
2 tbs red wine vinegar
6 cups water or broth

Soak lentils for about 10 minutes in water. Drain well.
Heat the oil in a pot, add onions and fry until glassy-golden. Add garlic, carrots and cumin powder and fry for another minute. Add lentils. Fry for about half a minute and add the rest of the ingredients. Bring to boil, reduce heat and cook for about 30 minutes or until lentils are cooked through.

You can add sausages towards the end just to heat them through.

Enjoy