Red lentil soup

This soup is really easy and quick to prepare, and on top of that it consists almost only of fresh vegetables. I've recently found out that it's better to use fresh tomatoes instead of buying canned tomato paste in order to prepare soups and sauces. You can just buy fresh tomatoes, chop them, cook and blend. There's a big difference in the taste of fresh tomatos and tamato paste. If just like me, you did not have so much time in the summer to prepare you own tomato preserve in jars you can still get a similar result by using the fresh ones! I do not peel tomatoes and press them through the sieve on purpose. I believe that the most valuable vitamins are right under the skin, so why to get rid of them?! Besides the soup tastes better with some chunks to bite :)

Vietnamese Pho Soup

In the autumn last year my friend said he would take me to the best soup in the city. I did not take it seriously at all but I eagrely walked to the restaurant since I am very passionate about discovering new tastes and places. That place was not different from many other Asian restaurants in Copenhagen that I had visited before. It was Monday and Mondays are usually slow days. It was very quiet and cozy then. We knew what we came for on the spot- for that biggest promise which was the soup- Pho soup, but I didn't know the name at that time. After a few minutes the waiter brought us a few spring rolls with sweet chilli sauce- they were good, very good I'd say, but we were still waiting for the soup. After a moment he came back- now with a plate of herbs to my surprise. We did not order something like that, I thought, but I asked my friend what that was. Completly unmoved, he replied this was garnish for the Pho soup. Finally, it arrived- the main attraction of the evening- steamy and aromatic, looking like an ordinary chicken soup, maybe sligthy darker. My friend told me that I should place the fresh herbs, lime, chilli pepper and bean sprouts on top of the soup. So, I finally tried it. That was amazing! The taste was so good that I will never forget that! It was a prefect match of the beef boulion with anise, cinnamon, fennel seeds, ginger...stunning! And on top of that crunchy bean sprouts and tender beef... 

My culinary skills cannot compare to the skills of the master who made the best soup I had ever eaten. However, since last week I felt so much like eating the soup again and I decided to cook it on the basisis of a few Internet recipes that I found. The result- not that great like the prevous time but definitely delicious and satisfying.
There's a lot to say and write about Pho soup, as it can be made in many different ways, but today I am presenting the easiest of all.

Polish Chicken Soup

Chicken soup is one of the essential dishes of Polish cuisine- it is common in every Polish household and made in many different ways. Until recently, I thought that chicken soup cannot be made without adding boullion cubes- othewise it would be tasteless and too plain. 

Lentil soup with tomatos and chicken

Maybe the lentil soup doesn't have the best colour but I promise you, it tastes wonderful! I have tried many recipes but this is the ultimate one that I like the most.

Before I never used lentils in cooking but once I did I always come back to them. First of all, they have a delicious taste. If you like other legumes like beans, you will probably also like this one. Secondly, they are very healthy. These are some of the benefits of eating lentils:

- they are high in fiber which speeds up our metabolism

- they are a rich source of protein which means that it can replace meat, so vegetarians will probably be found of them (you can also cook my soup without the chicken meat)

- they are a rich source of folic acid which improves the work of our brain and nervous system

- they are a source of other important vitamins and minerals like: vitamin B1, B5, iron, zinc, which are also beneficial for our health.