Soup contains vitamins and minerals that stimulate the stomach to produce its digestive juices. Normally, soup is served as an appetizer before a main course, but if the soup contains chicken, meat, vegetables, beans, croutons, or vermicelli, then it can be considered a meal all by itself.
Beef and vegetable soup
Ingredients:
– 1 beef shank, broken into pieces
– 2 liters water
– 1 medium-sized onion
– 3 grains of mastic gum
– 2 cloves of cardamom
– 3 bay leaves
– 1/2 tsp black pepper
– 1/2 tsp salt
– 2 thin zucchinis
– 1/4 kilo peas or green beans
– 2 potatoes
– 2 tomatoes
– 1 bunch of celery
Recipe:
1-Soak the beef shank in cold water for 1/4 hour, then wash, immerse in water and heat in a saucepan.
2-Remove any froth that forms, add the onion, gum, cardamom, bay leaves, and a pinch of pepper. Leave to cook on medium heat.
3-Wash vegetables and chop into pieces.
4-After 1/2 hour, remove beef from heat, add salt then strain.
5-Add the chopped vegetables (add the zucchinis and tomatoes first; add the potatoes ideally after another 10 minutes).
6-Put tomatoes in a hot water bath for one minute, then rinse with cold water, slide off their skin, cut into cubes, deseed, and add to the mix. Bring soup to a boil and simmer for ten minutes.
7-Rinse celery, chop, and add to the soup a few minutes before removing from heat.
8-Serve hot with lemon.
8-Cubes of meat can be added to increase nutritional value.
Tomato Soup
Ingredients:
1/2 kilo ripe tomato
1/4 kilo onion
1 liter stock
1 tbsp ghee
3 grains of mastic gum
1/8 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp salt
4 tbsp fresh cooking cream
Recipe:
1-Cut the tomatoes and onions into quarters, add stock, and place mixture in a saucepan.
2-Heat mixture for 1/4 hour, then strain.
3-Melt the ghee in a saucepan, add gum and a pinch of pepper, then add strained tomatoes and onions and a little salt to the hot ghee.
4-Bring mixture to a boil and simmer for five minutes (stock can be added to taste).
5-Add fresh cream, and serve with croutons.
Cream of chicken soup
Ingredients:
2 tbsp flour
1 liter chicken stock
2 tbsp ghee
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp black pepper
Half a chicken, boiled and cut into small pieces
2 tbsp fresh cream
Recipe:
1- Brown the flour in the ghee and pour in the cold chicken stock all at once while stirring.
2- Add the salt and pepper, and boil on a low flame. Allow to simmer for ten minutes
3- Add the pieces of chicken to the boiling soup.
4- Remove from heat, and add fresh cream, and serve piping hot.
