Clean Soups

Simple, Nourishing Recipes for Health and Vitality

Enjoy some recipes from Rebecca Katz new recipe book

Soups have similar healing capabilities to a big hug: warm, gentle and healing. Clean Soups is full of Simple, Nourishing Recipes for health and vitality.

Master soup-maker Rebecca Katz shows you how to use wholesome stocks and soups to detox naturally and stay energised all year round. Rebecca explains the building blocks for creating deliciously balanced soups, such as Moroccan carrot soup, Kale soup with coconut and lime, and simplest chicken pho.

With foundational broths, blended soups and traditional healing soups, as well as a two-day cleanse, Clean Soups show how one simple bowl can make a huge difference to how you feel.

Try these Recipes

moroccan carrot soup

Makes 6 servings |  prep time: 15 minutes  |  cook time: 30 minutes

Saffron is one of my favourite spices to cook with. Yes, it can be a bit costly,
but you really need very little saffron to get a huge bang for your buck.

Here it gives a luscious, exotic taste to the carrots, which are naturally sweet.
Saffron is also a visual delight; in this soup the saffron looks like monksí
robes tossed against a vibrant orange background. Consider this dish a treat for all your senses.

• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 brown onion, chopped
• Sea salt
• 1.5 kg carrots, cut into 2.5 cm pieces
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• ½ teaspoon ground coriander
• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• Pinch of chilli flakes
• ½ teaspoon saffron threads
• 1.5 litres Nourishing Bone Broth , plus more if needed
• 2½ teaspoons Meyer lemon zest (See Cook’s Note)
• 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed Meyer lemon juice, plus more
• if needed (See Cook’s Note)
• ¼ teaspoon dark maple syrup, plus more if needed
• Chermoula for garnish (optional)

Heat the olive oil in a soup pot over medium heat, then add the onion and a pinch of salt and sauté until golden, about 4 minutes. Stir in the carrots, cumin, coriander, cinnamon, chilli flakes, saffron and ¼ teaspoon salt and sauté until well combined. Pour in 125 ml of the broth and cook until the liquid is reduced by half. Add the remaining broth and another ¼ teaspoon salt and cook until the carrots are tender, about 20 minutes.

cook’s note: Meyer lemons are milder and sweeter than most shop-bought lemons. If you don’t have Meyer lemons, use 2 teaspoons of lemon juice combined with 2 teaspoons of freshly squeezed tangerine or orange juice. As for the zest, regular lemon zest is an acceptable substitute.

power green soup

Makes 6 servings | prep time: 15 minutes  |  cook time: 25 minutes

If a soup could do push-ups, this one would. Nearly nuclear in terms of energy, there is hardly a vitamin or mineral out there that can it be found among the cavolo nero, silver beet, leek, fennel, garlic and shiitake mushroom base of the Immune Broth. The challenge here was making a green soup that tasted delicious. I think this one passes with flying colours, highlighted by the gremolata topper.

• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
• 1 brown onion, chopped
• Sea salt
• 1 large leek, white parts only, rinsed and chopped
• 1 all-purpose potato, peeled and diced small
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• ¼ teaspoon chilli flakes or freshly ground black pepper
• 1.5 litres Immune Broth
• 1 bunch silver beet, stemmed and coarsely chopped
• 1 bunch cavolo nero, stemmed and coarsely chopped
• 1 medium handful flat-leaf parsley, chopped
• 1 teaspoon lemon zest
• 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
• Kale Gremolata for garnish (optional) or Crunchy Kale Crumbles

Heat the olive oil in a soup pot over medium heat, then add the onion and ¼ teaspoon salt and sauté until the onion is golden, about 10 minutes. Add the leek and potato and sauté for 3 minutes more. Add the garlic and chilli flakes and stir for another 30 seconds. Pour in 125 ml of the broth, stirring to loosen any bits stuck to the pot, and cook until the liquid is reduced by half. Add the silver beet, cavolo nero and another ¼ teaspoon salt. Stir well to combine so the greens will wilt. Then add the remaining broth and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer for 5 minutes, or until the greens are just tender.

In a blender, puree the soup in batches until very smooth, each time adding the cooking liquid first and then the greens. Blend the parsley into the last batch. Pour the soup back into the pot, heat gently over medium-low heat, and stir in the lemon zest and juice. Taste; you may want to add a pinch more salt. Serve garnished with a drizzle of olive oil and topped with the gremolata, or store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.

Put the lemon zest in a blender and puree the soup in batches until very smooth, each time adding the cooking liquid first and then the carrot mixture. If need be, add additional broth to reach the desired thickness. Return the soup to the pot over low heat, stir in the lemon juice, maple syrup and a pinch of salt, and gently reheat. Taste; you may want to add another squeeze of lemon, a pinch or two of salt, or a drizzle of maple syrup. Serve with chermoula or store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months

simplest chicken pho

makes 6 servings  |  prep time: 15 minutes  |  cook time: 25 minutes

The traditional Vietnamese soup pho (pronounced ëfuhí) is a mixture of Chinese and French cuisines. Pho can take a long time to cook, but I’ve come up with a shortcut. Here you take out your muslin, put in spices including coriander seeds and peppercorns, and add cut-up ginger and onion. Then you tie the muslin like a hobo sack to the corner of the pot and delight as the aromatics infuse into the pot. In 20 minutes you have pho broth, into which you place the rice noodles. Finish the pho with a garnish of thinly sliced jalapenos, mung bean sprouts, Thai basil and mint, and you’ve got an incredibly nourishing dish that ís exploding with flavour.

broth

• bowls
• 450 g thin rice noodles
  (see Variation)
• 270 g cooked and shredded organic chicken
• 4 spring onions, green part only, thinly sliced
• 1 large handful coriander, chopped

garnishes

• 200 g mung bean sprouts
• 12 sprigs mint
• 12 sprigs Thai basil
• 1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and thinly sliced
• 2 limes, cut into wedges

Wrap the ginger, coriander seeds, cloves, peppercorns and onion in a 28 by 40 cm piece of muslin. Tie the muslin with butcher’s twine, leaving a few extra centimetres to secure the pouch to the pot. In a soup pot, combine the stock, salt, sugar and fish sauce. Secure the herb pouch to the soup pot, making sure it’s completely submerged in the stock, and bring it to a boil over medium-high heat. Decrease the heat to medium-low, cover and simmer for 20 minutes. Remove and discard the spice bag. Taste; you may want to add a bit more fish sauce.

Meanwhile, in a large bowl, soak the rice noodles in warm water until softened, about 10 minutes. Bring a large saucepan of salted water to a boil, add the noodles and cook for 3 minutes, or just until tender. Drain well.

To assemble, divide the noodles and chicken among 6 bowls, ladle in broth to cover and top with the spring onions and coriander. Serve with a plate of the bean sprouts, mint, basil, jalapeño and lime wedges alongside. Or store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.

cook’s note: Play with the timing on the noodles. If you cook them until al dente, they will finish cooking in the hot broth.

variation: If you don’t want to use rice noodles, try spiralised zucchini (courgette) or daikon noodles instead.

old-fashioned chicken stock

makes about 6 litres  |  prep time: 10 minutes  |  cook time: 3 hours

 Some things you learn at your fatherís knee. But chicken stock? I learned that at my motherís elbow, watching from my perch on the yellow Formica kitchen benchtop as she recreated her Nanaís chicken stock note by note. Onions, carrots, celery, chicken . . . itís country-style, old-time comfort in a pot. I canít think of a better way to get vital nutrients, with a flavour that will leave you longing for more.

•  3 kg organic chicken backs, necks, bones and wings
• 2 unpeeled white onions,quartered
• 4 unpeeled large carrots, cut into thirds
• 2 stalks celery, cut in thirds
• 6 sprigs thyme
• 4 unpeeled cloves garlic, halved
• 1 large bunch flat-leaf parsley
• 1 bay leaf
• 8 black peppercorns
• 8 litres cold, filtered water, plus more if needed
• Sea salt

Rinse all of the vegetables well.

In a 12-litre or larger stockpot, combine the chicken, onions, carrots, celery, thyme, garlic, parsley, bay leaf and peppercorns. Add the water, cover and cook over medium-high heat until the water comes to a boil. Decrease the heat so the bubbles just break the surface of the liquid. Skim off the scum and fat that have risen to the surface. Simmer, partially covered, for about 3 hours. Add more water if the vegetables begin to peek out.

Strain the stock through a fine-mesh sieve or colander lined with unbleached muslin into a clean pot or heat-resistant bowl, then stir in salt to taste. Bring to room temperature,
then store in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Skim off as much fat as you can from the top of the broth, then portion into airtight containers. Store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 6 months.

cook’s note: The stock will cool faster in smaller containers. Make sure it’s refrigerated within 4 hours of cooking.

Excerpt: Recipes and photos supplied courtesy of Rebecca Katz from her book “Clean Soups”.  Note: * carvolo nero is also known as black kale or black cabbage.

Read more on Rebecca’s web page http://www.rebeccakatz.com/clean-soups/