12 Dec VestasKitchen – Soup Love
Our great soup love
Or: Many good reasons why delicious soups are so perfect for winter!
Why do people traditionally like to eat soups in winter? Well, winter in our part of the world is characterised by cold temperatures and shorter days. The perfect time to warm up with a really tasty soup.
The reasons for the widespread love of soup in winter are a combination of culinary, psychological and health aspects. Then as now, for young and old! Soups warm from the inside, support the body’s defences, are often quick and easy to prepare, are pleasantly filling and bring back memories of good old times.
And so this winter edition of our agency magazine VestasKitchen is dedicated to a variety of soups that are sure to help banish the winter blues. From classically hearty to seasonally delicious, with fish or meat and, of course, plenty of vegetables: our 12 soup recipes promise lots of indulgence and that cosy, warm feeling that always comes from cooking with love.
5 good reasons for soup love in winter
- Warm from the inside!
Soups are known for their warming effect. Even with the first spoonful, a soothing warmth spreads through the body, chasing away the cold from outside. So it’s no wonder that so many people experience eating a hot soup as a little break – full of cosiness and comfort.
- Strengthen the immune system!
Many people are more susceptible to colds and flu-like infections in winter. Rich in vegetables, herbs and other nutrient-rich ingredients, soups have been proven to help strengthen the immune system and contribute to the defence against pathogens.
- Easy preparation and versatility!
Soups are usually quick and easy to prepare and can often be pre-cooked in large quantities. Perfect for the cold season, as it means a nutritious and warming meal is quickly on the table. And with the right ingredients, everyone is guaranteed to find a soup favourite to suit their own individual taste.
- Pleasantly filling!
Hearty, sometimes savoury, but often lighter than typically heavy winter dishes such as meat roasts or gratins: soups are a wonderful winter meal that provide long-lasting energy and are well filling. If you want to add some delicious variety to your diet during the darker months of the year – especially after the festive season – tasty soups are the perfect choice.
- A nostalgic treat
After a long winter walk or a sleigh ride, before baking biscuits at grandma’s kitchen table, at the end of a gloomy winter’s day… Many people associate soups with fond childhood memories or the feeling of home. Cooking a hot soup serves cosiness and warmth, making it the ideal comfort food in the cold season.
Our verdict: soups are simply an all-round perfect winter meal!
Carrots, pumpkins, mushrooms, chestnuts, legumes such as beans and lentils, onions of course or wintery kale, with fish, with meat, gratinated or refined with coconut milk? Whether as a warming comforter, a tasty vitamin bomb or a practical pre-cooked meal – soups are in high season in winter and are popular with young and old alike in all their variety. The combination of health-promoting properties, versatile recipes and the warming effect makes soups the ideal winter favourite.
RECIPE: CHESTNUT SOUP WITH LEEK
INGREDIENTS (4 portions)
500 g chestnuts (ready to eat), 200 g whole, rest cut into small pieces
80 g onions, diced
1 tbsp butter (alternatively olive oil)
250 ml white wine
500 ml vegetable stock
100 g leek, finely chopped
200 g whipping cream
2 tbsp flour
sea salt, freshly ground black pepper
freshly grated nutmeg
lemon juice
1 tbsp thyme, leaves only, chopped
cinnamon, ground
PREPARATION
Set aside the uncut chestnuts and some leek for the garnish. Sauté the onions with the remaining chestnuts in 1 tbsp butter and pour in the wine and stock. Simmer the soup for approx. 12 minutes. Add the remaining leek to the soup.
Mix the cream with the flour until smooth and fold into the soup. Simmer the soup for approx. 15 minutes and then puree with a hand blender or in a blender. Season with salt, pepper, nutmeg and lemon juice. Stir the uncut chestnuts into the soup and simmer briefly. Stir in the thyme, arrange the soup in bowls and serve sprinkled with a little cinnamon.
And now get your spoons ready: Discover VestasKitchen Soup Love here
For dedicated couch potatoes: our Sofa Food
For really tasty meals indoors when the weather is unpleasant, we have created the perfect recipes! All the dishes in the Sofa Food edition of our agency magazine VestasKitchen are easy to prepare and can then be eaten with one hand.