Yotam Ottolenghi's flavourful soup recipes | Food (2024)

Chicken and parmesan soup with pappardelle (pictured above)

The magical power of chicken soup is pretty much universally accepted, and this one is no exception, with the deep-flavoured parmesan giving it an extra super-power. You can substitute the pappardelle for any pasta, really.

Prep 15 min
Cook 2 hr 25 min
Serves 4

Put the chicken, garlic head halves, onion, two litres of water and two and a quarter teaspoons of salt in a large saucepan for which you have a lid. Bring to a boil, turn down to a simmer, cover and cook for 80 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through. Transfer the chicken to a board, leave to cool slightly, then pull off the meat in large shreds; discard the skin, bones and cartilage. Strain the stock into a medium saucepan (discard the solids): you need 1.7 litres, so save any excess for another use. Keep warm on a low heat while you get on with everything else.

Ladle out 400g of the soup, about 50/50 liquid to solids (avoid the bay and rind), transfer to a blender and blitz smooth. Stir back into the soup pan and turn up the heat to medium-high. Add the pasta, chicken flesh and a good grind of pepper, and cook for 15 minutes, or until the pasta is al dente. Discard the bay leaves and parmesan rind.

Divide the soup between four bowls, top with the basil, chilli, a good grind of pepper and a sprinkling of grated parmesan, and serve with extra parmesan alongside.

Adas bil hamoud (aka sour lentil soup)

Versions of this soup, in which lemon is king, are found all over the Arab world. Mine is ever-changing, depending on what kind of stock I have in my freezer, or herbs in my fridge, so feel free to play around with the ingredients as you see fit. I like my soup super lemony, but adjust this to your taste, too. If using vegetable stock, consider adding a couple of teaspoons of miso paste to enrich the broth.

200g brown or green lentils
110ml olive oil
2 large onions, peeled and finely chopped
5 large garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
1½ tbsp cumin seeds
3 lemons – finely shave the skin off 1 into 5 wide strips, then juice all 3 to get 75ml
Salt and black pepper
3 firm, waxy potatoes, such as desiree, peeled and cut into 4cm pieces (650g-700g net weight)
400g Swiss or rainbow chard, leaves and stalks separated, then roughly sliced
1 litre vegetable stock (or chicken or beef, if you prefer)
1½ tbsp coriander leaves, finely chopped
2 spring onions, finely sliced on an angle

While the lentils are cooking, put 80ml oil in a large, heavy-based pot for which you have a lid, and put on a medium heat. Once hot, add the onions, garlic, cumin, lemon skin, two and a quarter teaspoons of salt and plenty of pepper. Cook for about 15 minutes, stirring often, until very soft and golden. Stir in the potatoes, lentils and chard stalks, pour in the stock and 800ml water, bring to a gentle simmer, then cover and leave to cook for 20 minutes, or until the potato is soft but still holds its shape.

Turn off the heat, stir in the lemon juice and chard leaves, and leave to cook in the residual heat for two or three minutes, until wilted. Divide between four bowls, drizzle over the remaining two tablespoons of oil, garnish with the coriander and spring onion, and serve hot.

Herb, spinach and burnt aubergine soup

This soup draws on both Middle Eastern and Indian techniques, and is everything you’d want from a bowl: it is smoky from the burnt aubergine, earthy from the greens and spicy from the tempered oil.

3 aubergines
3 tbsp lemon juice
Salt and black pepper
105ml olive oil, plus extra for greasing
2 onions, peeled and finely chopped
6 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
60g coriander leaves, roughly chopped, plus 2 tbsp extra picked leaves
60g parsley leaves, roughly chopped, plus 2 tbsp picked leaves, to serve
40g dill leaves, roughly chopped, plus 2 tbsp picked leaves, to serve
5 spring onions, finely sliced
2½ tsp ground cinnamon
2½ tsp ground cumin
1⅛ tsp ground turmeric
400g baby spinach, finely shredded
500ml vegetable stock
1 red chilli, cut into ¼cm-thick slices
2 tsp black mustard seeds

While the aubergines are grilling, start on the soup. Heat four tablespoons of oil in a large saucepan on a medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring often, until softened and deeply browned – about 12 minutes. Add the garlic, cook for 30 seconds more, until fragrant, then turn the heat to medium-low and add the chopped herbs, spring onions and three tablespoons of water. Leave to cook, stirring often so the herbs don’t catch, for about 15 minutes, until deeply green and fragrant. Turn up the heat to medium-high, add the cinnamon, cumin and a teaspoon of turmeric, cook for 30 seconds, then stir in the spinach, stock, 400ml water, a teaspoon and three-quarters of salt and a generous grind of black pepper. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat to medium and leave to simmer for about 20 minutes.

For the tempered oil, put the chilli and remaining three tablespoons of oil in a small frying pan and turn the heat to medium. Leave to cook, stirring occasionally, until the chilli is translucent and glossy – 10-12 minutes. Add the mustard seeds, cook for a minute, stir in the final eighth of a teaspoon of turmeric, then immediately tip the mixture into a bowl to stop it cooking further.

To serve, divide the soup between four bowls. Stir the picked herbs into the aubergines, spoon on top of the soup, and finish with a drizzle of the tempered oil and spices.