Héloïse Brion's winter soup
A great winter soup recipe from Héloïse Brion to warm you up even on the coldest of days.
Servings: 6 people
Ingredients
For the soup
- 2 carrots
- 1 leek white part only
- Extra virgin olive oil
- 1 large pinch dried oregano
- 9 oz 250 g chicken breast, cut into 1¼ in (3 cm) pieces
- 1 yellow onion finely chopped
- 1 garlic clove finely chopped
- 1½ qt 1.5 l water
- 2 bouillon cubes chicken or vegetable
- 9 oz 250 g cooked red haricot beans
- 9 oz 250 g cooked white haricot (navy) beans
- 3 scallions thinly sliced
- 9 oz 250 g baby spinach
- Salt and freshly ground pepper
For the croutons
- 3 –4 thick slices country bread
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Fleur de sel
- Dried herbs and/or spices of your choice seeds
- or ground cumin, fennel, coriander, oregano, etc.
- Generous ¼ cup 1 oz/30 g grated Parmesan
- Freshly ground pepper
To serve
- 2 –4 tbsp basil pesto store-bought or homemade
- Parmesan
Instructions
- Peel the carrots and cut them crosswise into ¼ in (5 mm) slices. Remove damaged outer layers from the leek, slice as for the carrots, and rinse.
- Warm a little olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the carrots and leek, season with salt, and stir to coat. Stir in the oregano and let cook for 5 minutes.
- Add the chicken pieces and onion, stir, and cook for 5–7 minutes, until the chicken is lightly browned. Add the garlic, water, and crumbled bouillon cubes, then bring to a simmer. Simmer gently over low heat for 20–25 minutes.
- Remove from the heat and stir in the red and white haricot beans, followed by the scallions and spinach. Season to taste and set aside.
- To prepare the croutons, preheat the oven to 430°F (220°C/Gas Mark 7). Cut the bread into large cubes. Place them in a bowl, drizzle with olive oil, and toss to coat. Sprinkle with fleur de sel, pepper, your choice of herbs and/or spices, and stir in the Parmesan. Spread over a baking sheet and bake for 10–12 minutes, stirring halfway so they colour on all sides, until crisp and golden brown.
- To serve, reheat the soup, ladle generous servings into soup plates, and add 1–2 teaspoons pesto to each serving. Scatter over the croutons, grate some Parmesan over the top, and serve.