Soba noodles soup

This is not an original japanese recipe, but quite a simplified version. Very easy and fast!

Soba noodles soup

Ingredients
(for 2 portions)

100 gr Soba noodles
1 tablespoon of oil (canola, sunflower...)
2 scallions cut in thin slices
7 mushrooms sliced (shitake is a good option)
2 cups of fresh baby spinach
4 tablespoons of Miso paste (I used the dark brown type)
salt, pepper and coriander powder (grounded seeds)

Cook the soba noodles in boiling water for around 4-5 min. After cooking drain and set aside. In a pan place the oil with the chopped scallions until they are soft. Add the mushrooms and stir for a couple of minutes. Add boiling water (1L more or less) and bring to a boil. Add the miso paste and stir well to dissolve. Add the cooked soba noodles and bring to a boil again for a couple of minutes. Turn of the heat and add the spinach stirring a bit. The spinach is not supposed to cook, but only soften in the hot water. Adjust the seasoning with salt, pepper and grounded coriander seeds (careful the miso paste is already quite salty, usually I do not add any more salt to the soup). Enjoy!

Note: The recipe is quite versatile and any other vegetables can be added (paprika, zucchini, bok-choi,...). For a more original recipe you can add a bit of Mirin sauce and soya sauce. Also great topped with some toasted sesame seeds!

Chicken and vegetable soup

Or how to use left overs of roasted chicken. A delicious one by the way, but a bit to much for both of us. Since I don´t like to waste food, I arranged something with some vegetables lying around in the kitchen. Other variations might result delicious as well!

Chicken and vegetable soup


Ingredients:

Left overs of one roasted chicken (carcass included)
1 large onion
3 garlic cloves
2 carrots peeled
1 large parsnip
1 big sweet potato chopped in cubes
1 leek
2 bay leaves
1 large parsley spring
1 large thyme spring
olive oil to taste
salt and pepper


Start by separating the chicken flesh from the bones and carcass. Reserve the meat and place the bones and carcass in a pan. Add around 1liter of water. Add half of the onion, 2 garlic cloves, 1 carrot chopped in half, and a bouquet made with the bay leaves, 1 parsley spring and the thyme spring. Add a pinch of salt and bring to a boil, letting simmer for around half an hour (or more if you want a more pronounced taste). Filter the broth and reserve.

In a another pan, add the other half of the onion, chopped, the garlic cloves also chopped, and the sliced leek. Add a bit of olive oil to taste and bring to medium heat, until the onion is soft but not brown. Add the chicken broth and the sweet potatoes. After around 10 minutes, add the carrot and parsnips previously chopped in thin slices. Add also the reserved chicken meat and let cook for another 10 min, or until the sweet potatoes are soft. Finally add salt and pepper to taste, and chopped parsley.

In this case I served with some polenta slices on the top, and some fresh bread on the side.