Irresistible soups and stews to enjoy in winter

In the cold months, one-pot meals are a real refuge for the body and soul. Soups, creams and stews not only provide warmth, but also well-being and essential nutrients. Thanks to the versatility of the recipes, which can be easily adapted to seasonal products, each dish is an opportunity to combine flavour and health: fibre-rich vegetables, legumes loaded with protein and minerals, and balanced preparations that adapt to any diet. Consuming legumes several times a week is a simple strategy to improve our diet, while recipes such as the creams and soups we suggest remind us that eating well can be comforting, but above all, delicious.

Fish, coconut and chikpea curry

Time: 50 minutos. 

Ingredients (4 persons):

• Curry paste
• 30 g cashews
• 3 chopped shallots
• 1 red chilli
• 2 chopped garlic cloves
• 2 tablespoons of grated fresh ginger
• 1 tablespoon of white wine vinegar
• 1 bunch of coriander
• 40 ml extra virgin
  olive oil
•  120 g sliced red pepper
• 1 teaspoon of turmeric powder
• ½ teaspoon of ground coriander
• ½ teaspoon of hot chilli powder
• 5 curry leaves
• 400 ml coconut milk
• 160 ml coconut cream
• 400 g tinned chickpeas, drained and washed
• 100 g tender spinach leaves
• 200 g raw peeled prawn
• 200 g cod fillet
• 2 teaspoons of mustard seeds
• 1 lime for its juice

Preparation: 

• To make the curry paste, toast the cashews in a dry pan until they are well browned, then put them in the blender with the shallots, chilli, garlic, ginger, vinegar and half of the coriander. Blend it until you obtain a thick purée and add a little water until you obtain a lighter aromatic paste. Place a small bowl.
• Heat the in a large heavy-based pan over a medium heat and add the red pepper while the oil heats up. Leave to cook for 5 minutes until it starts to soften. When the pepper is soft enough, add the curry paste and continue cooking for several more minutes. Add the spices and stir again: keep the heat high and cook for approximately 1 minute more.
• Add the curry leaves, milk, coconut cream, and 100 ml of cold water. Turn the heat up to maximum and bring to the boil before lowering the temperature and simmering for 10-15 minutes. Add the chickpeas and leave to cook for a further 5 minutes.
• To finish, add the spinach, the prawns and the cod to the pan and cook for 2-3 minutes.
• To serve, garnish with the mustard seeds and the remaining coriander and drizzle with lime juice.

Energy: 561 kcal

Poly. fats: 3.8 g 

Carbohydrates 62.4 g

Sat. fats: 2.5 g 

Proteins: 33 g    

Cholesterol: 56.7 mg

Fats: 19.9 g    

Fibre: 17.7 g

Mono. fats: 12 g    

Simple sugars: 7.4 g

Tuscan legume soup

Tiempo: 1 ½ hours.

Ingredients (6-8 persons): 

• 90 g soaked pinto beans
• 90 g soaked lentils
• 90 g frozen peas
• 90 g pearl barley
• 240 g ripe tomatoes
• 120 g onion
• 150 g carrot
• 1 white celery stalk
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 2 sprigs of thyme
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 sprig of sage
• 40 ml extra virgin olive oil
• Peppercorns
• Salt
   

Preparation: 

• Wash and chop all the vegetables (onion, carrot, celery, tomato and garlic) into small pieces, and place them in a large pot with the olive oil and herbs (thyme, bay leaf, sage) tied with string.
• Over low heat, stir the vegetables well for 5 minutes, until they are soft and fragrant. Add the beans, lentils and barley, plus 3 litres of water and the oil.
• Cover the pan and leave to simmer for 45 minutes over a low heat. Season and leave to cook for a further 45 minutes, checking the legumes, in case they are ready before that time has elapsed. 10 minutes before the end, add the peas and remove the herbs.
• Serve the soup with extra virgin olive oil, grated Parmesan cheese and milled pepper.

Energy: 318 kcal   

Poly. fats: 1.3 g 

Carbohydrates 42.6 g    

Sat. fats: 1.9 g 

Proteins: 12 g    

Cholesterol: 0 mg

Fats: 11 g    

Fibre: 9.9 g

Mono. fats: 7.2 g   

Simple sugars: 5.6 g

Cream of broad bean and fennel

Time: 1 ½ hora.  

Ingredients (2 persons):

• 160 g dried split broad beans, soaked overnight and drained
• 40 ml extra virgin olive oil
• 120 g diced onion
• 4 diced garlic cloves
• 4 bay leaves
• 2 teaspoons of fennel seeds
• 2 litres of warm homemade vegetable broth
• 50 g pumpkin seeds
   

Preparation: 

• Drain the soaked beans, rinse them under cold running water and set aside.
• Heat the oil in a saucepan over a medium heat. Add the onion, celery and garlic and sauté for 6-8 minutes until the vegetables become soft and translucent.
• Add the bay leaves and the fennel seeds,
  and cook for a further 1 minute. Add the beans and then the broth.
• Leave to cook until the beans have softened. Remove the bay leaves and blend in batches, then return to the pot to heat it up. Season to taste.
• Spread the pumpkin seeds in a cold pan over a high heat and toast them until the skin puffs up.
• Serve the creal in large bowls, with black pepper and the toasted pumpkin seeds.

Energy: 381 kcal

Carbohydrates: 49.5 g

Protein: 19.7 g

Fats: 11.7 g

Mono. fats: 7.1 g

Poly. fats: 2 g

Sat. fats: 1.9 g  

Cholesterol: 0 mg 

Fibre:16.21 g

Simple sugars: 6.4 g