Sopa de espárragos verdes

A warm Spanish soup today :

This month :

Blog-checking lines: Our November Daring Cooks’ hostess was Begoña, who writes the beautiful blog, Las recetas de Marichu y las mías. Begoña is from Spain and didn’t want to go with the more common challenges of paella or gazpacho, she wanted to share with us another very popular recipe from Spain that we don’t see as often called Sopa Castellana which is a delicious bread soup!

(more here)

Besides the classic (with a complicated broth), there was an asparagus version that I’ve preferred.

I combine the 2 recipes and changed… well, here is my broth, based on a grilled onion, with stalks of turnip, cloves, laurel, thyme, rosemary, a dry mushroom and chick peas.

In the South of France, this type of simple bread soup existed too. Particularly aigo boulido in Provence, so my impression is garlic is the main ingredient.

It’s the season of frozen green asparagus. Always.

The soup with the bread.

Poached quail egg. A similar soup with one egg is called “bouillabaisse borgne” one-eyed bouillabaisse.

So we have a 4 eye monster soup.

Mmmm, it’s very filling.

Pot au feu or pot luck ? Seafood veggie red stew.

A long time ago, a very cheerful lady asked if I liked French pot au feu and I said that was not my favorite dish. She was very disappointed as she had just discovered the dish in a “traditional French restaurant” here in Osaka, and she said : “Really I love everything spicy with tomato sauce, chick peas, seafood and hot dog sausages…”. It seems, she ate an original variation for sure that drifts far away from what most call pot au feu in France.
Well, I’ve made it today without the knackies. I don’t know if that has a name. Maybe the Spanish “cocido de pulpo con patatas”, but I don’t see it with sausages. Well, they are not here.
I have the pulpo (octopus) :

Hokkaido octopus.

Into a broth (onion with cloves, chick peas, bouquet garni, mushrooms).

Boiled.

Added potatoes. Later tomato sauce and a little red wine. a little hot chili.

Kyoto red kabu turnip.

I first added pieces of the root, then stalks, then at the end leaves.

Put it in a pottery.

Cover and announce “pot au feu” or whatever name…

Champilège 3 : Fall fungi pie soup

Une soupe en croûte.
A fragrant Autumnal broth, trapped under a crispy pie.

Awabi-take. The name literally means “abalone mushroom”. It’s a type of eringii.

Bunapi and awabi-take.

In a white wine chicken broth, with thyme.

Sealed, and baked.

Bouille bouille bouillabaisse

The humble soup dish. This version is really frugal, made with fish leftovers that some people would discard and cheap veggies. The meal is still gorgeous. That’s the magic of the kitchen.

With fish heads and bits they don’t use for sashimi. Keep away the cuts with meats on them.

The first step is to make a soup by simmering the unusable parts with onion, garlic, herbs, tomato, salt, a little olive oil. Then passing gives a light broth. Blending, then passing gives a thick fish soup.

2 batches of fish soup to stock in the fridge.

Reheat soup with potatoes, more veggies, herbs, garlic…I’ve added paprika, red bell pepper, saffron.

Add the fish at the end.

It cooks quickly.

Fish and veggies make the main dish. And the first dish is this scarlet soup :

Haggish cabbage

It’s inspired by Scottish haggis that I have never eaten. Well, the original is a round sausage made with sheep innards, boiled.
I have made it with chicken and cabbage instead of casing.
I had no idea what it would taste like. Maybe you wonder too. Then read till the end.

Inside.

Toasted oatmeal, minced onion and minced cooked chicken liver and heart make the base. I also added a little ginger and garlic, tarragon and laurel, nutmeg, black pepper, paprika and sea salt for flavoring. Then for the fat a tbs of lard, two of neutral oil. Plus 2 tbs of brandy. Some hot water. Be generous in spices to avoid the smell. The paprika makes the aspect much more appealing.

Wrapped in blanched cabbage leaves.

I put them in plastic bags and steamed about 40 minutes. Let cool.

Reheated with carrots in some herb broth. And enjoy ! Like that it’s delicious.
Well, I tried a bit just after steaming and that was not so good and too soft. A few hours later, reheated it got perfect.
The global taste is in the line of boulettes de foie (liver meat balls). The oatmeal is not perceptible but gives that crumbly texture. Since it’s a bit dry, having the juicy cabbage around and the broth makes it more pleasant.