In regard to one of my beloved friends, my sweet and spicy Ginger Cookie, who’s now making a diet, and being quite an expert in that, I’m going to make some posts with healthy, tasty and diet friendly recipes, which, I have to tell you, are quite a lot.
There are some arid days when you have to watch your calorie intake, group foods, and all that jazz (for some of us, its a lifetime thing), that you’re bored out of your mind about the stuff you’re allowed to eat. Everything becomes repetitive, tasteless, and more worrying, you stop enjoying eating.
There are some arid days when you have to watch your calorie intake, group foods, and all that jazz (for some of us, its a lifetime thing), that you’re bored out of your mind about the stuff you’re allowed to eat. Everything becomes repetitive, tasteless, and more worrying, you stop enjoying eating.
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Enjoy eating is one of the most joyful things in life, because is something you have to do at least thrice a day. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying that you have to give into gluttony, no, but to take pleasure in all the things you eat, going from a luscious coulant au chocolat to a humble apple. It’s in your hands to do it, and to make from each meal a feast to yourself. We are what we eat, so the better we eat, the better we are.
So, let’s get into business, artichoke soup. It’s tasty, you can make a huge batch and freeze and, as a cherry on top, it’s so good for your health that just making the soup you get some workout done. It’s not complicated, or hard, but a bit tedious, not going to lie. Arm yourself with some food processor or hand mixer, and a strainer with the smallest mesh that you can find.
Ingredients:
4 or 5 big nice artichokes
1 medium onion
2 garlic cloves
1 cube of vegetable stock
1 L of water
Salt and pepper
½ teaspoon of sweet paprika
4 tablespoons of evaporated milk
2 tablespoons of olive oil
Procedure:
- In a heavy bottom saucepan pour the oil and both garlic cloves, peeled and crushed with the blade of your knife. Turn on the heat medium low and when it starts to smell like joy, add the onion, chopped roughly, there’s no need to be fancy here, we’re going to blend it!
- Salt a bit for the onions to sweat and cook a bit sooner. Put the lid on and stir from time to time. They have to become translucently glossy and soft and sweet.
- While your onions are cooking, get on with the tedious job of peeling the artichokes. Your fingers might turn dark nasty green, so, if you don’t know if you react to artichokes and pomegranates this way, put on some gloves as a safety measure. Artichokes oxidise quite easily, and they do it in a kind of nasty way. They turn black as soon as you cut them, the bastards, so they can dye your dish in a horrible, unapetizing, even gross, grey colour. Thanks to Mother Nature, we have the means to avoid it.
- Have prepared a bowl full of cold water with the juice of one lemon and the casks. Take a sharp knife and cut the pointy end, about one finger and a half wide. Peel the outer leaves (and stop pretending, I know you’re thinking: yeah, right, outer leaves, darling, this is packed with leaves! When do I stop?- well, just a row or two for this dish) and the stem, cut it in quarters and with a small sharp knife or a teaspoon take out the hairs in the center, they tend to bitter the dish.
- Toss the quarters into the bowl and continue with the other ones. Once you have them all in, drain the artichokes and toss them into the pan, add the water and the stock cube. Bring it to the boil and then lower the fire to let it simmer for about 40 minutes.
- Taste it and add the pepper, the paprika and more salt if needed (stock cubes are quite salty, so it might be ok for your taste). Bring again to the boil and taste again, keep in mind that the evaporated milk is a bit sweet, so if its a wee bit too tasty right now, that’s fine.
- When you’re satisfied with the taste, blend it as finely as you can. Insist quite a lot, because artichokes are full of fiber, and might be testy.
- Take a deep breath and look for a big bowl, bigger enough to hold all the soup. Ladle by ladle, strain the soup into the bowl. Clean your strainer from time to time, or you won’t be able to keep going.
- Add the evaporated milk and blend again. Strain one more time, and is ready to go!
Healthy, tasty, and a huge test to your patience, but absolutely worth it!
Hope you give it a go!
By the way, if you’d like to know how to make something, just tell me, and I’ll do my best.
ARTICHOKE SOUP
Ingredients:
4 or 5 big nice artichokes
1 medium onion
2 garlic cloves
1 cube of vegetable stock
1 L of water
Salt and pepper
½ teaspoon of sweet paprika
4 tablespoons of evaporated milk
2 tablespoons of olive oil
Procedure:
- In a heavy bottom saucepan pour the oil and both garlic cloves, peeled and crushed with the blade of your knife. Turn on the heat medium low and when it starts to smell like joy, add the onion, chopped roughly, there’s no need to be fancy here, we’re going to blend it!
- Salt a bit for the onions to sweat and cook a bit sooner. Put the lid on and stir from time to time. They have to become translucently glossy and soft and sweet.
- While your onions are cooking, get on with the tedious job of peeling the artichokes. Your fingers might turn dark nasty green, so, if you don’t know if you react to artichokes and pomegranates this way, put on some gloves as a safety measure. Artichokes oxidise quite easily, and they do it in a kind of nasty way. They turn black as soon as you cut them, the bastards, so they can dye your dish in a horrible, unapetizing, even gross, grey colour. Thanks to Mother Nature, we have the means to avoid it.
- Have prepared a bowl full of cold water with the juice of one lemon and the casks. Take a sharp knife and cut the pointy end, about one finger and a half wide. Peel the outer leaves (and stop pretending, I know you’re thinking: yeah, right, outer leaves, darling, this is packed with leaves! When do I stop?- well, just a row or two for this dish) and the stem, cut it in quarters and with a small sharp knife or a teaspoon take out the hairs in the center, they tend to bitter the dish.
- Toss the quarters into the bowl and continue with the other ones. Once you have them all in, drain the artichokes and toss them into the pan, add the water and the stock cube. Bring it to the boil and then lower the fire to let it simmer for about 40 minutes.
- Taste it and add the pepper, the paprika and more salt if needed (stock cubes are quite salty, so it might be ok for your taste). Bring again to the boil and taste again, keep in mind that the evaporated milk is a bit sweet, so if its a wee bit too tasty right now, that’s fine.
- When you’re satisfied with the taste, blend it as finely as you can. Insist quite a lot, because artichokes are full of fiber, and might be testy.
- Take a deep breath and look for a big bowl, bigger enough to hold all the soup. Ladle by ladle, strain the soup into the bowl. Clean your strainer from time to time, or you won’t be able to keep going.
- Add the evaporated milk and blend again. Strain one more time, and is ready to go!
Healthy, tasty, and a huge test to your patience, but absolutely worth it!
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| The lovely soup with crispy bacon bits |
Hope you give it a go!
By the way, if you’d like to know how to make something, just tell me, and I’ll do my best.
This is useful! I could use a couple more recipes like this! What about more healthy summer food? In summer it seems like my basic recipes are mediterranean salad, pasta salad, rice salad, tomato salad, repeat. I'd love a couple more ideas!
ResponderEliminarAye, of course! A few lovely, light and flavourful dishes come to mind. Stay tuned for them!
EliminarThanks for your comment!