Magic in a bowl

What better way to enjoy the nip in the air than with a hot mug of soup cradled in your hands? Our chefs bring you the quick, easy and heartiest of the lot.
As the winter sun gives way to a steady cool draft by sundown, by dinner time, one is usually craving something warm and soulful. Ditch instant soups for these wholesome freshly made ones as chef Glyston Gracias from Smoke House Deli, and Suresh Thampy from Courtyard by Marriott serve up a delectable assortment of broths.
Broadly catagorised as clear or thick, the established French classification for clear soups are bouillon and consommé. Thick ones are classified based on the thickening agent used: Purees are vegetable soups thickened with starch; bisques, with pureed crustaceans or vegetables with cream. Veloutes are thickened with eggs, butter and cream. So find your agent and experiment with the season’s freshest produce.
Smoked carrot and ginger vichyssoise
Ingredients
200gms carrots
25 gms ginger
10 gms orange zest
5 gms dill sprigs
30 gms onion
10 gms garlic
30 gms butter
200 ml veg stock
20 ml double cream
5 gms smoked paprika
celery roots
20 gms stalks
Method
- Peel, wash and slice the carrots. In a stock pot, place the sliced carrots, ginger, orange zest, dill sprigs, onion, garlic, butter, celery roots or stalks, veg stock and smoked paprika.
- Place the stock pot on the stove and cover it with a lid. Slow cook it for about 10 minutes or till the carrots are tender.
- Place the cooked carrot mixture in a stainless steel bowl and coal smoke it for about 10 minutes. Process it to a paste.
- In a sauce pan, bring the veg stock to a boil, add in the smoked carrot paste and adjust the seasoning for salt only. Finish the soup with double cream.
Seafood broth
Ingredients
20 gms chopped onion
10 gms chopped celery
20 gms chopped leeks
40 gms fish cubes
40 gms prawns
60 gms tomato sauce
30 gms squid rings
30 gms clams
10 gms chopped garlic
200 ml fish stock
20ml white wine
20 gms chopped parsley
10 ml saffron decoction
10 ml olive oil
seasoning to taste
1 garlic crouton
Method
- In a thick bottom pan , heat oil and butter. Add in onion, celery and leeks. Once they start to sweat, add in the the seafood cubes cubes and sauté.
- Add in white wine and deglaze the pan. Pour in the fish stock and tomato sauce. Cook until it bubbles.
- Finish with seasoning, chopped parsley and a drizzle of the saffron decoction followed by a little olive oil. Serve hot with a garlic crouton.
Wild mushroom soup
Ingredients
120 gms button mushrooms
10 gms soaked porcini mushrooms
20 gms chopped onions
10 gms chopped celery
20 gms chopped leeks
10 gms chopped garlic
200 ml veg stock
20 ml white wine
10 ml cream
10gms chopped parsley
seasoning to taste
1 cheddar cheese crouton
Method
- Roughly chop up the button mushrooms. In a thick bottom pan, heat oil, butter and add in onion celery and leeks. Let them sweat before adding the button mushrooms. Saute the mixture, add in white wine and deglaze the pan.
- Add in the vegetable stock, and cook further. Now add the soaked porcini mushrooms. Take it off the pan and blend the mixture in a blender before returning it to the pan. Finish with seasoning of cream and chopped parsley. Serve hot with a cheese crouton.
Baby fennel, smoked chicken and thyme soup
Ingredients
20 gms butter
2 gms garlic
25 gms fresh fennel
25 gms smoked chicken
2 gms thyme
20ml white wine
400 ml chicken stock
10 gms refined flour
20 ml fresh Cream
extra virgin olive oil - 10ml
Method
- Melt 10 gms of butter in a pan. Add garlic, fresh fennel, smoked chicken cubes and thyme. Sauté it for a minute.Deglaze the pan with the white wine and pour in the chicken stock.
- Reduce the broth to half its quantity. Add in the roux (which is a wellblended mixture of 10 gms of butter and 10 gms of flour) and whisk it continuously to avoid lumps.
- Bring it to a boil, add fresh cream and adjust seasoning to taste.Garnish with olive oil and serve hot.
Divashri.Sinha @timesgroup.com