Soups from Europe

France · Hearty & chunky French onion soup (soupe à l'oignon gratinée) Onions cooked slowly in butter until deep brown and jammy, simmered in good beef stock, then sealed under toasted baguette and bubbling Gruyère. 2 hr 15 minTakes some care

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Italy · Clear & light Stracciatella (Roman egg-drop soup) Hot chicken broth with eggs, parmigiano, semolina and nutmeg whisked in so they set into soft "little rags". Rome's fastest soup, on the table in 15 minutes. 15 minEasy

Photo: Mike.lifeguard, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Italy · Hearty & chunky Minestrone Italy's big vegetable soup. A slow soffritto, the season's vegetables added in order of cooking time, beans, a little pasta and a parmesan rind simmered in for depth. 1 hr 25 minEasy

Photo: Katrin Morenz from Aachen, Deutschland, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Italy · Hearty & chunky Ribollita (Tuscan bean and bread soup) A thick Tuscan soup of cannellini beans, cavolo nero and stale bread, made one day and reboiled the next. Finished at the table with a generous pour of olive oil. 20 hrTakes some careVeganDairy-free

Photo: Ithunn, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Spain · Hearty & chunky Sopa de ajo (Castilian garlic soup) Sliced garlic and stale bread fried in olive oil, reddened with smoked pimentón and simmered into a rustic broth, with an egg poached in each bowl. Ready in 30 minutes. 30 minEasyVegetarianDairy-free

Photo: Adriao, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Ukraine · Hearty & chunky Ukrainian borscht A ruby-red pot of slow beef broth, beetroot, cabbage and potato, sweet and sour in balance, finished with garlic and dill and a spoonful of smetana. 3 hr 55 minTakes some careGluten-free

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Greece · Smooth & creamy Avgolemono (Greek egg-lemon chicken soup) Greek chicken and rice soup made silky with eggs and lemon. A whole chicken poached for the broth, then a tempered egg-lemon liaison that thickens it without a drop of cream. 2 hr 15 minTakes some careGluten-freeDairy-free

Photo: robin.norwood, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Portugal · Smooth & creamy Caldo verde (Portuguese kale and potato soup) Portugal's green broth. A silky potato and onion base, thread-thin greens cooked for just a few minutes, slices of smoky chouriço and a last thread of good olive oil. 1 hrEasy

Photo: Mateus Hidalgo, CC BY-SA 2.5 br, via Wikimedia Commons

Spain · Chilled Andalusian gazpacho The cold soup of southern Spain. Ripe tomatoes, cucumber, green pepper and garlic blended with bread, sherry vinegar and olive oil until silky, then chilled until icy. 4 hr 30 minEasyVeganDairy-free

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Bulgaria · Chilled Tarator (Bulgarian cold cucumber and yoghurt soup) Tangy yoghurt thinned with iced water, crisp cucumber, garlic, dill, walnuts and a thread of sunflower oil. Bulgaria's summer soup, made in 15 minutes without a stove. 15 minEasyVegetarianGluten-free

Photo: Bin im Garten, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

France · Chilled Vichyssoise (chilled leek and potato soup) Leeks softened in butter without colour, simmered with potato, blended silky and sieved, then finished with cream and chilled until properly cold. Chives on top. 5 hr 55 minTakes some careGluten-free

Photo: Ewan Munro from London, UK, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons