Goulash Soup
Goulash is a dish, originally from Hungary, a stew or a soup, usually made of beef, red onions, vegetables spices and ground paprika powder. The name originates from the Hungarian gulyás, the word for a cattle stockman or herdsman.
In Hungary, Goulash is called Gulyás. Gulyásleves is prepared as a soup (leves meaning soup). The dish Gulyás or Bográcsgulyás was traditionally a thick stew, made by cattle stockmen. The Goulash can still be prepared both like a soup and a stew. The traditional Hungarian stews: Goulash, Pörkölt and Paprikas, sharing the same origin, as herdsmens stews, are considered to be the national dishes of Hungary.
Shank, shin or shoulder is used. Goulash derives its thickness from tough, well-exercised muscles rich in collagen, which is converted to gelatin during the cooking process. Meat is cut into chunks, seasoned with salt, and black pepper and then browned in a pot with oil or lard with sliced onions. Paprika, water or stock is added and left to simmer. After cooking a while garlic, caraway seeds or ground caraway seeds and even soup vegetables like carrot, parsnip, peppers like green pepper (or bell pepper), celery and a small tomato may be added. Other herbs and spices could also be added, especially hot chili peppers, bay leaf and thyme Diced potatoes may be added, they provide starch as they cook, making the goulash thicker and smoother. A small amount of white wine or a very little wine vinegar can also be added near the end of cooking to round the taste. Goulash may be served with thin soup pasta, made of a dough with flour and egg, thinly rolled out on a board. called csipetke[4] The name Csipetke comes from pinching small fingernail size bits out of the dough, adding them to the boiling soup.
Some cookbooks suggest using roux with flour to thicken the goulash, which produces a starchy texture and a blander taste. Others suggest using a vast amount of tomatoes for colour and taste. A small amount of tomatoes in the stock that is used, or a drop of tomato purée, may improve the taste and texture, but the original goulash is a paprika-based dish and the taste of tomatoes should not be discernible. Many Hungarian chefs consider tomatoes to be absolutely forbidden in goulash and they also feel that if they cook a stew instead of a soup, it should only be thickened by finely chopped potatoes, which must be simmered along with the meat.
“Goulash Communism” is used to describe the maverick brand of Communism practiced by Hungary during the Cold War, characterized by some degree of political freedom within the Hungarian Communist Party as well as limited economic freedom and freedom of speech, inspired at least in part by the 1956 Hungarian Revolution.
Sundubu Soup
Sundubu jjigae is a hot and spicy jjigae (Korean stew) made with uncurdled dubu (tofu), seafood, vegetables, mushrooms, onion, green onion, and gochujang or gochu garu (chili powder) in Korean cuisine. A raw egg is put in the jjigae while it is still boiling. This dish is eaten with a bowl of cooked white rice and several banchan (side dishes). It is widely eaten and one of the favorite meals in South Korea.
Samgyetang Soup
Samgyetang (sometimes called chicken ginseng soup), is a Korean soup-based dish. It is basically a whole young chicken stuffed with glutinous rice and boiled in a broth of Korean ginseng, dried seeded jujube fruits, garlic, and ginger. Depending on the recipe, other medicinal herbs such as wolfberry, Codonopsis pilosula, and Angelica sinensis may also be added. The dish’s name literally means “ginseng chicken soup.”
Samgyetang is traditionally served in the summer for its supposed nutrients, which replaces those lost through excessive sweating and physical exertion during the hot summers in Korea. Many Koreans enjoy it on three specific days in summer, “Chobok”, “Jungbok” and “Malbok”, which Koreans believe to be the hottest and most sultry of the year.
Like chicken soup, which is thought to help common sicknesses in the West, samgyetang is held in Korea to be not only a cure for physical ailments but a preventer of sickness. Proteins, minerals and hormones from the whole chicken mixed with the beneficial properties of the ingredients combined in the dish makes it a revered culinary item in South Korea. Only whole uncut ingredients are used for the dish, as they preserve the maximum amount of nutrients.
Specialty restaurants common in Korea serve nothing but samgyetang, having gained local popularity through their special recipe for the dish which are often kept secret. The dish is usually accompanied by side dishes and, in some restaurants, a small complementary bottle of ginseng wine is included.
Cock-a-Leekie Soup
A fine and traditional Scots appetite stimulant to solid fare. As early as 1598 Fynes Morrison recorded that it was served at a Knight’s house with boiling fowl (thus the “cock”) and prunes. By the late 18th century, French statesman and gastronome Charles Maurice de Talleyrand opined that the prunes should be cooked with the soup but removed before serving. Ultimately they were removed from the recipe altogether. Sir Walter Scott in St. Ronan’s Well cannot help exclaiming: “Such were the cock-a-leekie and the savoury minced collops….” Serve hot to 4-6 people.
- 6 leeks, sliced into half moons after cutting away the roots and dark green and washing
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 5 cups strong chicken stock
- 3 Tablespoons butter (even better, chicken fat)
- 1/2 cup whipping cream
- salt and pepper to taste
Garnish: optional: julienne of prunes (which a reader assures me is still traditional)
Bring the stock to a boil, add leeks, then reduce heat and simmer for about 5 minutes. Whisk in butter (or fat) and season. Stir in the cream (and prunes) at the end, ladle into bowls, and serve immediately.
or slightly different…
The national soup of Scotland, this is a great winter soup, but quite light. The recipe here is based on a traditional one.
Ingredients
- 1 boiling chicken
- 2 litres water
- 6 chopped leeks
- 1 chopped onion
- 2 tablespoons rice
- 2 teaspoons salt
- Pepper to taste
- 1 tablespoon chopped parsley
Instructions
- Place the chicken in a large saucepan with the cold water and salt.
- Bring slowly to the simmer, skimming any fat or scum that appears on the surface. Simmer for one hour.
- Add the leeks, onions and rice and simmer for another 30 minutes or so until the chicken is tender.
- Remove the chicken and skim off any remaining fat. Add the parsley and season as required.
Traditionally the chicken would have been served as a main course with the broth as an accompaniment. If you like you can strip the bird of meat and serve as a soup.
Borscht Recipes
Hot and cold Borscht
There are two main variants of borscht, generically referred to as hot and cold. Both generally are based on beets, but are otherwise prepared and served differently.
Hot Borscht
Hot borscht (mostly Ukrainian and Russian), the kind most popular in the majority of cultures is a hearty soup with many common optional ingredients, depending on the cuisine, including various vegetables (beans, cabbage, carrots, cucumber, potatoes, onions, or tomatoes), mushrooms, and meats (chicken, pork, or beef). It is more akin to a stew than most soups, and may be eaten as a meal in itself, usually with thick dark bread.
Pink color of traditional Lithuanian cold borscht. Often eaten with a hot boiled potato, sour cream and dill.Cold Borscht
Cold borshch exists in a number of cultures.
Polish variants
The basic Polish borscht (barszcz) recipe includes red beetroot, onions, garlic, and other vegetables such as carrots and celery or parsley roots. The ingredients are cooked for some time together to produce kind of clear broth (when strained) served as boullion in cups or in other ways. Some recipes include bacon as well, which gives the soup its distinctive, “smoky” taste.
Other versions are richer as they include meat and cut vegetables of various kinds where beetroots aren’t the main one (though this soup isn’t always called barszcz, but rather beetroot soup). This variation of barszcz isn’t strained and vegetable contents are left in it. Such soup can make the main course of obiad (main meal eaten in the early afternoon).
Barszcz in its strictly vegetarian version is the first course during the Christmas Eve feast. It’s served with ravioli-type dumplings called “uszka” (lit. “little ears”) with mushroom filling (sauerkraut can be used as well, again depending on the family tradition). Typically, this version does not include any meat ingredients, although some variants do.
As other Christmas traditions, barszcz served at that time has its own symbolic meaning. Most of food served at that time isn’t quite the food of the living ones, but of those that passed away. Dried fruit, mushrooms — all symbolise death of the old year as opposed to birth of the new one a day later. Change of food on December 25 (Christmas) is a visible sign that old traditions are still preserved in those little, sometimes unclear ways.
A key component to the taste of barscz is acidity. Whilst barszcz can be made easily within a few hours by simply cooking the ingredients and adding vinegar, lemon juice or citric acid; the traditional way is to prepare barszcz several days before and allow it to naturally sour. Depending on the technique; the level of acidity required and the ingredients available, barszcz takes 3-7 days to prepare in this way.