Mediterranean chicken soup with roasted peppers and chick peas (gluten-free, kosher, vegan)

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This Mediterranean chicken soup with roasted peppers and chick peas is comforting, yet healthy and bursting with Mediterranean flavours!

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All the snow and wind makes you crave for something comforting and warming?

The spring being just around the corner you feel the  need to at least try and eat healthier?

All you really want is to escape under Mediterranean sun but the holiday's still such a long way off you can't even bear to think about it?

You have a crowd to feed which invariably follows either gluten-free, vegan and/or kosher diet and you should come up with something that they can all eat?

Take a deep breath and relax as I've got just the recipe for you!

This Mediterranean chicken soup with roasted peppers and chickpeas is rich and comforting, yet healthy. The secret to it's creamy texture? Puréed chick peas. 

Soup itself is kosher and gluten-free, but for a vegan version you could substitute chicken with soy strips (dry weight 125 g) or, if soy , too is out of the question, with giant white beans.

Serves 3-4

Mediterranean chicken soup with roasted pepper and chick peas:

3 large red peppers
1 tin chick peas, drained 

7,5 dl chicken (or vegetable) stock

2 large garlic cloves, finely sliced

1 red onion, finely sliced

1 ½ tsp pimentón (smoked paprika) or regular paprika

1 ½ tsp salt

1 ½ tsp black pepper

400 g chicken (or soy strips or white beans) 

1 tbsp tomato concentrate

1 tsp sugar

200 g cherry tomatos, halved 

½ dl red wine vinegar

½ bunch of parsley (or basil), chopped

for sautéeing: oil

to serve: rest of the herbs

Start by roasting the peppers under a broiler until the ski n is black and bubbles. Let cool, covered, until cool enough to handle. Pull off the skin.

Measure 2 peppers into a food processor along with the drained chick peas and stock (leave a couple of chick peas for serving). Blizz until smooth. 

Slice the remaining pepper for serving. For a short cut you can use shop-bought roasted peppers in a jar - if possible use ones stored in oil as their taste is more mellow. 

Heat a couple of tbsp of oil in a coated pot. Sauté onion and garlic over medium heat until they're soft. Add pimentón and continue cooking for a couple of more minutes. 

Cut chicken to about 2-cm cubes and add into the pot. Season and sear.

Add tomato concentrate and sugar along with chickpea-chicken stock mixture. Stir and bring to boil. Add cherry tomatos and pepper strips and simmer for about 10 more minutes. 

Season with red wine vinegar and herbs. heck the taste and season as needed. Divide into serving bowls, sprinkle remaining herbs on top and serve.

Any of you dying for a Mediterranean getaway? What would be your dream destination?

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Bob Chorba - Bulgarian monastery-style bean soup (gluten-free, vegan, kosher)

Bob Chorba, Bulgarian bean soup is one of the national dishes of the country. The most popular version is the vegetarian one so this comforting soup is suitable for all special diets!

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Ok, I admit: Bob Chorba does sound like a very awkwardly re-named former US president hiding somewhere in the Balkans under the disguise of witness protection program. But that it is not. In Bulgarian (like so many other languages in the region) chorba means soup and bob, well, beans. 

Bob Chorba, Bulgarian bean soup is one of the most beloved dishes in the country and something you're bound to run into where ever you go. Like patatnik, Bulgarian potato and mint omelette I've already introduced you to, it is simple and homely but oh, so comforting (and only gets better as it's re-heated!)

There are several versions of this, but the most popular one only has beans and veggies in it. It is also known as the monastery soup, which apparently refers to monastery communities' habit of abstaining from meat.

And monasteries are something Bulgaria has a lot of. Of approximatelly hundred monasteries still in business the oldest ones have operated continuously for more than a thousand years. They often make intriguing destinations because of their amazing architecture alone. 

A particularly interesting is the monastery of Rila, located some 100 kilometres from the capital Sofia. It is also one of the nine Bulgarian UNESCO World Heritage sites.

Serves 6

Bob Chorba - Bulgarian bean soup:

2 largeish onions
3 medium size carrots
2 largeish garlic cloves, minced
1/2 tbsp sweet paprika
1 tsp chilli flakes
1/2 dl tomato concentrate
1/2 tbsp sugar
1 tsp salt
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
3 cans (á 400 g/ 240 g) large white bean, drained and rinsed
1 1/4 l vegetable or chicken stock
4 tbsp fresh spearmint (or 2 tbsp dried), roughly chopped

For frying: 1/2 dl oil

To serve: flat leaf parsley chopped

Dice the carrots and onions to small cubes. Sauté them in oil in bit pot together with garlic until onion is translucent. 

Add paprika, chilli flakes, tomato concentrate and sugar. Season with salt and pepper. Keep stirring the ingredients for another 5 minutes. Then add beans and stock.

Let simmer, covered, over medium heat for an hour.

Remove about a ladlefull of the beans and a ladlefull of the stock. Measure them into a food processor and whizz them until smooth (this helps to thicken the soup and make it even more comforting!)

Return the bean mixture into the pot. Add mint and keep coooking for another 5 minutes.

Check the taste and add more salt, pepper and/or paprika if needed. 

Divide into bowls, sprinkle with parsley and serve. 

Hey - how have you liked Bulgaria so far? Any of you familiar with the country or planning on exploring in the future?

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One-pot wonder: Lamb shanks with beans and chorizo and Murviedro Colección Reserva

While I don't celebrate Easter, it didn't stop me from rounding up my nearest and dearest and feasting on a bit of lamb. Though just like last year, it was far from traditional and sought its inspiration from my dear Andalusia. 

Star of the lunch was this robust and comforting one-pot wonder and a sure sign of me missing old stomping ground. But you know what - not long now! Next month I'm back! Back, baby! 

I used lamb shanks (my favourite) and bathed them in the oven for 3 hours with chorizo, beans, red wine and herbs. And the result... well, just look at it. Muy, muy bien.

Serves 4

Lamb shanks, beans and chorizo:

4 lamb shanks

200 g cooking chorizo, cut to 1/3 inch slices 

1 (red) onion, finely diced

1 stalk celery, finely diced

1 carrot, finely diced

4 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1 tbsp tomato concentrate

1 tsp pimentón

1/2 tsp chilli powder

4 sprigs of rosemary 

a large handful of thyme leaves

4 bay leaves

2,5 dl red wine

500 g passata (or crushed tomatos)

4 tins (á 400/ 240 g) large white beans

salt, pepper

To serve: fresh parsley, the finely grated zest of 1/2 lemon.

Sear the shanks in a bit of oil. Season and move aside. 

Add some more oil into the pot. Brown the chorizo lightly. Then add onion, garlic, celery and carrot. Let them soften. Then add pimentón and chili and let them, too, come to life for a couple of minutes. 

Add tomato concentrate and red wine. Bring to boil. Add herbs and pour in the passata and beans (drained and rinsed). Mix it all evenly, taste and season. Place the shanks into the pot and transfer to oven, pre-heated at 150° (130° will do if it's a fan assisted one). Cook, covered for 3 hours, turning the shanks halfway through.

Sprinkle with parsley and lemon zest and go loco. You know you'll want to. 

The dish had quite a bit going on (robust nature, lamb, the heat and fat of the chorizo, herbs, tomato...), it took me a while to settle on the wine. But sure enough, it comes from Spain. 

Murviedro Colección Reserva (Tempranillo 40%, Monastrell 40%, Syrah 20%) is a great find. Matured in French and American oak for 12 months, one thing this wine doesn't lack is character. It's robust and full-bodied but with matured tannins and notes of dark berries. A great wine for dark, herby game and lamb dishes. 

PS. While, post-Easter, you might not want to see another lamb for a while, do check out my other Andalusian-inspired recipe for lamb shanks braised in sherry and all those warm spices. Muy bien, this too. Si, si!

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Indian lentil balls in tomato and coconut sauce (vegan, glutenfree, kosher)

And it's back to the lentils with this recipe - better make most of that theme year (and my ridiculous stash...)

I first fell in love with lentils through Indian food and dhals are still among my biggest favourites. It was my first ever visit to an Indian restaurant and a very exotic experience by all accounts: me and my friends had travelled through Europe and found ourselves in Berlin. As I saw my (slightly more travelled friend) leave a tip I almost fainted - the worldliness of it all just got too much for a small town girl from Lapland.

India is what inspired this recipe, too... after a couple of mishaps along the way.

The range of soy-based meat substitutes is so extensive these days you'll have a meat-free choice for just about any need. They do make an easy way to cut back on meat, but they're not for everybody. But lentils, too, can provide a surprisingly meaty texture - just try these! 

In case you or your stomach has no problems with soy, check out these recipes of mine.

Serves 4

Indian lentil balls in tomato and coconut sauce:

The sauce:

1 onion

4 large cloves of garlic

1,5 tbsp finely chopped ginger

1 red chilli

a couple of tbsp (coconut) oil for frying

1,5 tsp black mustard seeds

3/4 tsp turmeric

2 tsp ground coriander

3 tsp Garam Masala

3/4 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp cardamom

400 g passata

1 tin (á 400 ml) coconut milk

salt, pepper

Blizz garlic, onion, ginger and chili into a paste in a food processor. Add a little passata if needed to get a smooth paste.

Heat oil in a pot. Add mustard seeds. Once they start popping, add the dry spices. Keep sautéing for a couple of minutes until the scent changes and then add onion paste. Continue cooking for a couple of more minutes and then add passata and cocont milk. Bring to boil, check the taste and season as needed.

Lentil balls

2,5 dl red lentils, soaked in warm water for an hour and drained

1 red chilli, finely chopped

1/2 onion, finely chopped

stalks of a bunch of coriander, finely chopped

1 tbsp tomato concentrate or passata

(1-2 tsp rice flour)

salt, pepper

to serve: coriander leaves, a dash of fresh lime juice (if desired)

Drain the lentils and blizz them in a food processor. The mixture does not need to be entirely smooth, as then it can become too moist and difficult to shape. Combine with remaining ingredients. Add a little rice flour if needed, but avoid the temptation to add much more as then the balls get hard and floury. If the mixture is difficult to shape, leave it in a fridge for an hour or so as this will help it set.

Using a spoon, form the mixture into 20 balls. Don't let the loose texture or the small size of the balls fool you as the balls will firm up and swell as they're cooked. 

Drop the balls into the sauce, shake the pot a little to make sure they're covered n sauce and simmer, covered, until done - 15-20 minutes.

Once they're done, fold in the chopped coriander leaves. Serve with rice and naan bread. For home-made naan bread, check my recipe over here.

My,my. Lately my kitchen seems to have come up with a whole lot of vegetarian recipes - I wonder what's gone into me...? Have you had the chance to try them? Did you find your own favourite?

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Thai tomato and lentil soup

I can only imagine it is the result of one of my manic shopping sprees at the ethnic shops sometime last year, but I recently realized my cupboards now stock kilos and kilos of lentils and about five different kind of beans. 

But what do you know - turned out UN has declared 2016 the International Year of Pulses. So, this year will give the spotlight to all of the protein rich, nutritious lentils, peas and beans (and why not some Pink Floyd  recordings, while at it...)

Obviously I wasn't being trendy - in my case all this was just an accident, but last week the blog celebrated chickpea and gave hummus a glorious spring time makeover. This week we'll be loving all things lentils. 

This comforting lentil soup gets its twist from Thai kitchen and was just what I needed last weekend when Finnish sky kept dropping down snow, sleet, hale and rain - all in the space of one day. So, I pulled on my woolly socks, buried myself under the duvets with a bowl of this soup and threw myself into Girlfriend's Guide to Divorce. 

Hey, I'm in no rush. The spring can come when ever she feels like it. I'm gooood. 

Serves 4-6

Thai tomato and lentil soup:

1 onion
2 large cloves of garlic (or 4 smaller ones)
1 red chilli
1 tbsp tomato concentrate
the stalks of a bunch of coriander
3 tbsp red curry paste
1 tbsp lemon grass paste (can be omitted if not on hand) 
1 tbsp finely chopped ginger

a couple of tbsp (coconut) oil

2,5 dl red lentils, rinsed
1/2 tin (à 400 gr) finely chopped crushed tomatos
1 l veggie stock
2 dl coconut milk
2 tbsp fish sauce (or soy sauce) 
the juice of 1/2 lime
1-2 tbsp (brown) sugar

To serve: lime wedges, coriander leaves

Measure all the ingredients listed in the first segment into a small food processor and blizz into a smooth paste. If needed, add a little coconut milk to make the  machine run properly.

Heat the oil in a pot and add the paste. Keep frying for a couple of minutes until the oil starts separating. Then add lentils and after a couple of minutes crushed tomatos. Pour the veggie stock into the pot and let simmer until lentils are done - 15-20 minutes. 

Blizz into a puré if you want and add the coconut milk, fish sauce, lime juice and sugar. Bring to boil and continue cooking for further 5 minutes. Check the taste, add more fish sauce and/or sugar. Add chopped coriander leaves and serve with a drizzle of lime juice. 

More lentil recipes coming on the blog, but hey - I'd love to hear your views! Lentils - yay or nay? How do you use them?

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Hummus with roasted garlic

I promise. I sooooo totally promise this hummus with roasted garlic is the last hummus recipe you'll see on the blog for a while. Not the last ever, mind, as I've been getting such great tips and ideas from you guys.

Out of all the recipes this past week dedicated entirely to hummus madness, this one stays truest to the original hummus, though garlic lovers will love this. Roasting gives garlic such sweetness and gentleness that I usually roast several heads at a time (well that just sounds so wroong...) - once you've tried it you can't think of anything it wouldn't go with. Use it to tweak your mashed potatos, in sauces, dips... My absolute favourite would probably have to be this wonderful (and, if needed, totally vegan!) cashew-based sauce.

Roasting is easy: just wrap each head of garlic in a piece of tin foil, chuck into an oven pre-heated at 200º and forget them there for 1,5-2 hours. Simples!

I mean, just think. Life without garlic? No point in that now is there?

Hummus with roasted garlic:

400 g can chickpeas (drained weight 240 g)

1 tbsp tahini

2 tbsp mild olive oil

the paste squeezed out of 6 roasted garlic cloves (or more, depending on your palate, size of the cloves and the roasting time)

3 tbsp lemon juice

1/4 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp ground coriander

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp salt

2 tbsp water
(honey)

Measure the ingredients into a food processor. Blizz until velvety smooth. Check the taste and add more salt/ lemon juice (or, if you want sweetness, a little honey) if needed. If it's too thick, add water a tbsp at a time until you've reach the desired consistency.

Sprinkle some freshly chopped parsley on top (optional) and serve. For instance with pita or za'atar sprinkled flatbread crisps. 

Have you already had the chance to give your hummus a springtime makeover? Which one of my recipes was your favourite?

- Classic hummus

- Hummus with sun-dried tomatos

- Moroccan hummus with roasted carrots and harissa

- Hummus with roasted beets and rosemary oil 

PS. If you love garlic, do check out this recipe for skordalia, one of my Greek souvenirs!

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Hummus with roasted beetroots and rosemary oil

The previous hummus recipe got its glorious colour and sweetness from roasted carrots, this time it's time to celebrate beetroot, that unsung hero of the veggie world.

Beetroot itself is rather a humble looking knobbly little thing that doesn't really look like much. But there is sooooo much more than meets the eye!

It contains betaine among other things (a powerful antioxidant which is also used to treat depression) and tryptophan, that happiness-inducing chemical also found in chocolate. Some cultures believed that if a man and woman eat from the same beetroot, they'll fall in love. The oracle of Delphi even went so far as to declare it the second most powerful aphrodisiac known to man. 

Another strange if amorous association is the expression "taking favours in the beetroot fields", which in the early 20th century English was used as an euphemism for visiting prostitutes. This might have something to do with the brothel at historic Pompei, the walls of which were actually adorned with paintings of beets... Oh well.

One thing beetroots absolutely love getting jiggy with is rosemary, so instead of normal oil I used a rosemary infused one. For recipe, just see here. 

Roasted beetroot hummus with rosemary oil:

400 g can chickpeas (drained weight 240 g)

1 tbsp tahini
1 largeish or 1,5 smaller beetroots (about 170 g)

3 tbsp rosemary oil

2 garlic cloves

2 tbsp lemon juice
1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp black pepper
2-3 tbsp water

Measure the ingredients into a food processor. Blizz until velvety smooth. Check the taste and add salt and/or lemon juice if needed. If it's too thick, add more water a tbsp at a time until you've reach the desired consistency.

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Moroccan hummus with roasted carrots, harissa and herbs

If the previous hummus recipe with sun-dried tomatos blew you away with its intense flavours, this one will seduce your taste buds with its gentle sweetness and Moroccan twist. I actually think this just might have been my personal favourite...!

Roasting veggies not only gives them depth of flavour, it also lends them a wonderful sweetness and is a great way of making the most of those winter vegetables, as tired and scruffy as the rest of us...

And yes, that is the next hummus recipe lurking in the back. I don't think I need to tell you where she got that gloriously vibrant colour of hers...?

Moroccan hummus with roasted carrots:

400 g can chickpeas (drained weight 240 g)

1 tbsp tahini
4 medium sized carrots (total weight about 450 g)

1 tbsp oil

2 garlic cloves

3 tbsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp harissa

1 tbsp finely chopped parsley
1 tbsp finely chopped coriander
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
2-3 tbsp water

Measure the ingredients into a food processor. Blizz until velvety smooth. Check the taste and add salt and/or lemon juice if needed. If it's too thick, add more water a tbsp at a time until you've reach the desired consistency.

You know, hummus is a lot more versatile than you might think. Serve it as a dip, as part of a meze feast, as a spread on bread... but why not also as a warm side? This for instance would love the company of grilled pork. Or, you could fold in some grilled chicken and more herbs and use it as filling for salty crêpes, wraps or jacket potato...

How about you guys? How do you have your hummus?

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