As the weather turns colder and fall steps in, “cold weather soups” are an indispensable part of the menu. I would like to share with you one of my favorites – buckwheat soup! It is filling, super healthy and delicious. When it is raining or freezing outside, what else is better than to snuggle on the couch in your PJs, with a warm blanket, good book or film and a huge bowl of warm yummy soup? For me personally, soups are good in any weather – lentil soup, chicken soup, potato carrot, and definitely buckwheat soup are on my “short list”.
But first – a little story.
Today is a very special Russian Monday. One week ago, I was visiting my dear friends in Winter Park, Florida. They are also huge fans of my blog and my fine art photography. And it happened to be that Russian Monday is their favorite chapter on my blog. One thing leads to another and we found ourselves cooking Russian food for sixteen people for Monday evening. The menu was simple but creative. Our starters were roasted marrow bones with pickled onions, small sandwiches with fish, caviar, and vegetables, potato salad “Olivier”, and amazing cheese tray created by my friends the owners of The Ancient Olive Store. We also have served vegetarian borsch. The main dish was “Kulebyaka”- salmon pie with rice and mushrooms. For dessert, we had three options: poached pears, meringue cake and very Russian cake “Muraveynic” (“Anthill”). Everyone loved the food and dinner was a huge success. I can’t express the joy I had cooking for amazing people and talk about the heritage foods. What a fabulous night of food and friends! Thank you, Jeffrey Schrader and Bryan Behling for sharing your incredible home!
We are planning to do Russian cooking classes in near future, so if you live near Orlando, FL stay tuned for more information.
Now about the recipe: This is a country-style soup, packed with flavors. The buckwheat and cauliflower complement one another beautifully. It is very simple to make this buckwheat soup: all you need to do is chop all veggies, then sauté onion followed by carrots. Add chicken cubes and brown, add mushrooms and sauté. Then add water with cauliflower florets and buckwheat. Season with salt, pepper, turmeric, bay leaf, and fresh herbs. Close the lid and let the magic begin!
Buckwheat Soup with Cauliflower & Turmeric
Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp. olive oil
- 1 yellow onion, chopped
- 2 cups mushrooms, sliced
- 1 small cauliflower, cut into florets
- 2 carrots grated
- 2 chicken breasts, cubed
- 1 cup buckwheat
- 2 liter water or vegetable stock, boiling
- salt and ground black pepper to taste
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 tsp turmeric
- fresh herbs to serve
Instructions
Prepare all veggies. In a large pot sauté onions in olive oil. Then add carrots and sauté together. Add chicken and cook until the chicken is browned from all sides.
Add the mushrooms, sauté for one minute. Then add water or vegetable stock, and the cauliflower florets.
Add the buckwheat and season with salt, black pepper, and throw in the bay leaves.
Close the lid, and let it cook on medium heat for 15 minutes.
Serve with fresh herbs.
Notes
This version of Buckwheat soup that I’m sharing with you today is made with chicken. However, this can be easily turned into a vegan soup by simply omitting the chicken.
No Comments