Yotam Ottolenghi’s soup recipes (2024)

My four-year-old is pretty capricious. Like most boys his age, plain pasta or bread are Flynn’s first choice – always! – but he also surprises us now and then with an out-of-character enthusiasm for, say, cabbage one day or mussels the next. This makes cooking for him a chancy experience – unless soup is on offer. For reasons known only to Flynn, a soup can feature all manner of normally undesirable ingredients without so much as a peep of protest. As he’s the youngest and the loudest in the family, the rest of us have to toe the line. But we do this willingly and lovingly, of course, because what’s better than a bowl of warm soup and a blissfully quiet child?

Chicken and black-eyed bean soup (picture top)

Chicken wings are a great and economical way to ramp up the chicken flavour in a soup. This one comes together fairly easily, without having to soak the beans overnight. To make it more child-friendly, serve it without the salsa.

Prep 25 min
Cook 1 hr 15 min
Serves 4

2 tbsp olive oil
500g chicken wings
2 onions, peeled and finely chopped
4 garlic cloves, crushed with the flat of a large knife
250g plum tomatoes, finely chopped
1½ tbsp picked oregano leaves
1½ tbsp basil leaves, finely chopped
1 tbsp thyme leaves
3 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
½ lemon
Salt
200g dried black-eyed beans
1 litre chicken stock

For the salsa
1 green chilli, finely chopped (remove the pith and seeds if you prefer less heat)
1½ tbsp basil leaves, finely chopped
1½ tbsp parsley leaves, finely chopped
3 tbsp olive oil

Put a large, heavy-bottomed pot on a medium-high heat and, once hot, add the first eight ingredients and fry, stirring often, for 12 minutes, until the wings are beginning to colour. Add the Worcestershire sauce, lemon and two and a half teaspoons of salt, and fry, stirring often, for three minutes more. Add the beans, add the stock and 300ml water to cover, and bring up to a simmer. Lower the heat to medium, cover with a lid and cook for 35-40 minutes, or until the beans are cooked through but not falling apart.

Turn off the heat, then use a pair of tongs to transfer the wings to a plate and leave to cool. Squeeze the cooked lemon into the soup to release all its juices, then discard the shell. When the chicken is cool enough to handle, pick the meat off the bones and add it to the soup pot; discard the skin and bones. Return the soup to a medium heat for five minutes, just to heat through. Meanwhile, mix all the salsa ingredients in a small bowl with a good pinch of salt.

Divide the soup between four bowls, top with salsa and serve.

Hawaij onion and chickpea soup

Yotam Ottolenghi’s soup recipes (1)

This take on French onion soup features hawaij, a Yemeni spice blend that complements the sweet onions, and brings with it extra complexity and warmth. The cheesy bread is optional. If you prefer to keep the soup vegan, use vegetable stock instead of chicken and extra oil instead of butter.

Prep 30 min
Cook 1 hr 50 min
Serves 4 generously

75ml olive oil, or 50g unsalted butter plus 2 tbsp olive oil
1.2kg onions (ie, about 7-8), peeled, halved and thinly sliced
1 tbsp coriander seeds
2 tsp cumin seeds
2 whole cloves
8 cardamom pods, seeds removed and shells discarded
½ tsp fenugreek seeds
½ tsp ground turmeric
250g tomato passata
30g fresh coriander, roughly chopped
1 x 400g tin chickpeas, drained (240g net weight)
1.5 litre vegetable or chicken stock
Salt and black pepper

For the cheesy bread (optional)
220g mature cheddar, roughly grated
10g fresh coriander, roughly chopped
1 large garlic clove, peeled and crushed
6 slices sourdough, cut about 2cm thick
15g unsalted butter, softened
1 tbsp dijon mustard

Put the oil (or butter and two tablespoons of oil) in a large, cast-iron saucepan on a medium-high heat. Once hot, add the onions, stir to coat them in the fat, then turn the heat to medium and cook gently for an hour, stirring every 10 minutes or so, until completely soft and golden.

Meanwhile, make the spice mix. Put the coriander and cumin seeds, cloves, cardamom and fenugreek in a small frying pan on a medium-high heat. Toast, shaking the pan frequently, for five to six minutes, until fragrant, then tip into a spice grinder and blitz to a powder. Stir in the turmeric and set aside.

When the onions are done, turn up the heat to medium-high, add the spice mix, passata and fresh coriander, and cook, stirring occasionally, for five minutes. Add the chickpeas, stock, one and three-quarter teaspoons of salt and a very generous amount of pepper, and bring to a boil. Turn the heat back down to medium and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 30 minutes.

For the cheesy bread, if making, heat the grill to its highest setting. In a small bowl, mix the cheese with the coriander, garlic and a good grind of pepper. When the soup is close to ready, put the bread on a baking tray lined with greaseproof paper, grill it for a minute, then remove from the oven and flip over. Brush the untoasted side first with butter and then mustard, top with the cheese mixture and grill for three or four minutes more, until golden and bubbly. Cut each slice into three.

Divide the soup between four bowls, top each with three slices of cheesy bread and serve with the remaining cheese bread alongside.

Celeriac, garlic and rice soup with charred lemon salsa

Yotam Ottolenghi’s soup recipes (2)

I use garlic three ways here: roasted to add sweetness, fried for crunch and garlic oil to drizzle on top. Feel free to double or even triple the number of garlic heads you roast – the cloves can be kept in oil in a sealed jar and used in spreads, dressings or even folded into mashed potato. This soup thickens as it sits, so add more liquid to get it to a consistency you like.

Prep 25 min
Cook 1 hr 20 min
Serves 4

3 whole heads garlic, top trimmed to expose the cloves, plus 6 extra cloves, peeled and thinly sliced
105ml olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
Salt and black pepper
1 onion, peeled and finely chopped
1 medium celeriac (700g), peeled and cut into 1½cm cubes
3 cinnamon sticks
1½ tsp dried oregano
80g short-grain rice
500ml vegetable stock
2 lemons – 1 cut into 6 ¼cm-thick rounds, the other juiced, to get 1½ tbsp
10g parsley leaves, roughly chopped
3 spring onions, trimmed and thinly sliced
½ tsp chilli flakes (optional)

Heat the oven to 240C (220C fan)/465F/ gas 9. Drizzle the garlic heads with a little oil, sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper, then wrap them individually and tightly in foil and bake for 30 minutes, or until lightly coloured on top and softened. Once cool enough to handle, use a small, sharp knife to separate the cloves, discard the skins and set aside.

Meanwhile, put two tablespoons of oil in a large saucepan on a medium-high heat. Once hot, add the onion, celeriac and cinnamon, and cook, stirring occasionally, for eight minutes, until everything is softened and lightly coloured. Add the oregano and rice, stir to coat, then pour in the stock, 1.3 litres of water, one and three-quarter teaspoons of salt and a good grind of pepper. Bring to a boil, then turn down the heat to medium-low and cook gently for an hour, stirring occasionally, until the rice has started to break down into the soup. Transfer 200g of the mixture (taking roughly equal amounts of solids and liquid) to a blender, add the roast garlic and lemon juice, and blitz smooth. Pour this back into the soup pot and keep warm until ready to serve; remove and discard the cinnamon sticks.

While the soup is cooking, put a large frying pan on a high heat. Remove the pips from the lemon rounds and, once the pan is hot, add them to the pan and cook for two minutes on each side, until nicely charred. Finely chop the charred lemon, then put it in a bowl with the parsley and spring onion.

Heat the remaining five tablespoons of oil and the sliced garlic in a small frying pan on a medium heat, and cook until the garlic starts to turn golden – eight to nine minutes. Add the chilli flakes, if using, cook for a minute more, then drain the solids through a sieve set over a bowl, and add the oil to the lemon and herb mixture.

Divide the soup between four bowls, top each portion with a drizzle of the lemon and herb dressing, followed by the reserved fried garlic and chilli, and serve.

Yotam Ottolenghi’s soup recipes (2024)

FAQs

How to make soup really flavorful? ›

7 Easy Ways to Make Any Soup Better
  1. Brown or Sear the Meat.
  2. Roast the the Veggies.
  3. Mix up the Texture.
  4. Use Homemade Stock Whenever Possible.
  5. Put Your Cheese Rinds to Work.
  6. Perk up a Bland Soup With Simple Pantry Staples.
  7. Add Fresh Herbs or Dairy When Serving.
  8. Recipes Pictured.

What mistakes do cooks do when cooking soups? ›

The 7 Biggest Mistakes You Make Cooking Soup
  • Boiling instead of simmering. You want a small bubble or two to rise to the surface of the liquid every few seconds. ...
  • Not using enough salt. ...
  • Ignoring water. ...
  • Overcooking the vegetables. ...
  • Adding tomatoes at the beginning. ...
  • Neglecting to garnish. ...
  • Not trying a pressure cooker.
Nov 19, 2014

How to make canned soup into a meal? ›

Improve Your Canned Soup

It's easy to go from a can of soup to a gourmet meal and clean out your refrigerator in the process. For a vegetable-based soup, adding canned black beans, chickpeas, white beans, or kidney beans can add fiber and protein.

What's the secret to a good soup? ›

7 Tips for Successful Soup Making
  • Use a Sturdy Pot. It is worth investing in a heavy pot with a thick bottom to use for making soup. ...
  • Sauté the Aromatics. ...
  • Start with Good Broth. ...
  • Cut Vegetables to the Right Size. ...
  • Stagger the Addition of Vegetables. ...
  • Keep Liquid at a Simmer. ...
  • Season Just Before Serving.
Oct 9, 2022

What is the most important ingredient in soup? ›

For clear, brothy soups, stock is your most important ingredient. If you want to make a good soup, you need to use an excellently flavored stock — otherwise, the entire pot could be tasteless.

Why do chefs love celeriac? ›

But this knobbly, long-lasting veg has been embraced by chefs, who love its versatility, unique flavour and unctuous texture.

Is celeriac stronger than celery? ›

Where celery can have a strong sharpness to it, celeriac has an intense celery flavor, but without the bite that celery often has, especially the darker stalks. “Earthiness” is another adjective I hear used about celeriac, but not celery.

What not to put in soup? ›

The Worst Things to Put in Your Soup
  1. By Sara Butler. If there's one good thing about fall and winter, it's soup. ...
  2. Heavy Cream. Heavy cream creates an inviting texture for soups but that's where its positive contributions end. ...
  3. Juice. ...
  4. Turkey Bacon. ...
  5. Cheese. ...
  6. Croutons.

When should you add celery to soup? ›

But once those vegetables are exhausted, they're strained and switched out for a fresh set of thinly sliced celery and carrot. These are added for the final 4–5 minutes of cooking so that they're tender but nowhere near mushy. You get the sweet luxury of long-cooked vegetables and the freshness of crisp-tender ones.

Why put butter in soup? ›

Failing to add an acidic component is perhaps the most common mistake everyone makes with homemade soup. To balance flavor and mouthfeel, each dish you create should have elements of fat, acid, sweetness, and salt. Often the fat comes from butter, oil, meat, or dairy.

What can I add to canned soup to make it better? ›

More vegetables: This is a great place for leftover cooked veggies. If you are working with a creamed soup, consider pureeing some vegetables to stir in. Cooked cauliflower, potatoes, winter squash, or carrots would work really well. Herbs: Fresh chives, thyme, or cilantro stirred in just before serving.

Is a can of soup a full meal? ›

While a can of soup doesn't scream "satisfying meal," with a few key additions, you can hack a can of soup into a meal that hits the spot. Plus, get our pointers on how to find the healthiest soups on the shelves.

How to make soup more flavorful? ›

"Ground paprika, turmeric, nutmeg, ground ginger, and other powdered spices add a touch of color and spiciness to broths," she says. As a general rule, use fresh herbs at or near the end of cooking and dried herbs and spices early on. This helps you get the flavors you're looking for in the right balance.

What should be added to enrich the flavor of the soup? ›

Herbs and sources add flavor, aroma, and intensity to the soup broth. You can pick fresh or dried herbs like basil for tomato-based soups or fresh parsley for clear broths. You may also add more spices like turmeric, ground ginger, ground paprika, or nutmeg for a touch of spice and color to your soup broth.

What can be added to soups to brighten its flavor? ›

While we love using dried herbs during the cooking process, the bright and "green" flavor of fresh herbs really livens up soup… or any hot plate of food, really. The key here is using the right herbs. Choose tender, leafy herbs for topping soup, like parsley (flat leaf or curly), cilantro, chives, or even mint.

Does soup get more flavor the longer it simmers? ›

Bring everything to a boil, reduce the heat, and let simmer for at least 30 minutes. The longer the stock cooks, the more flavorful your soup will be.

What gives vegetable soup that depth of flavor? ›

A squeeze of citrus, a dollop of yogurt or a drizzle of cream, a dusting of cheese or a good chile powder, a sprinkling of some herbs or croutons — all can take a perfectly fine soup into the realm of the delectable. Even a spiral of good olive oil to finish and some coarse sea salt can do wonders.

References

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