Caldo verde (Brazilian, Portuguese and Cape Verdean kale and sausage soup)

This is a hearty, cold season stew originating and Portugal and happily adopted in its former colonies of Brazil and Cape Verde. It's not exactly cold season yet, but some nights you just crave something really comforting, right?
With smoky Portuguese sausages (linguica), chickpeas and kale (the name 'verde' is derived from the greens which go into the soup), it's basically comfort food in a convenient one pot affair. 
Recipe sources: here, here and here. 

Last year: nothing.

Two years ago: nothing.

Three years ago: nothing.

Four years ago: Fried mini mozzarella (bocconcini) (Italian).

Five years ago: Flourless apple brownie with walnuts.

Six years ago: Muffins using only wholemeal flour (with raisins and chocolate).

Seven years ago: Mimosa (cocktail).

Eight years ago: Baby making and no cooking :).

Cock-a-leekie soup (Scottish)

I know, I know. It's a very funny name for a dish. The Scots are creative people and definitely have a sense of humor. :)

As the name might suggest, this soup is made mostly with leeks and chicken meat. It sounds simple, but it's actually very hearty and quite yum. 

Recipe source: here.

Last year: nothing.

Two years ago: nothing.

Three years ago: nothing.

Four years ago: Brie walnut spread (French-style).

Five years ago: Pa amb tomàquet (Spanish/Catalan tomato bread) (vegan).

Six years ago: Field salad with parsley and breaded Camembert.

Seven years ago: Gyeran-Jim (Korean fritata with green onion).

Eight years ago: Baby making and no cooking :).

Indian spiced tomato soup (vegan)

This is a lovely tomato soup with an Indian spice twist, hearty enough and perfect for chilly afternoons, while remaining quite light as well. The red lentils added, even if they are in small quantities, give an interesting texture and body to the soup making it lovely :)

Honestly, the smells released when cooking this will tantalize you. But luckily it's ready pretty fast! :)
Recipe adapted from here.

Last year: nothing.
Two years ago: nothing.
Three years ago: nothing.
Four years ago: Creier pane (Breaded pork brain) (Romanian).
Five years ago: Kelewele (Spicy fried plantains) (Ghanaian).
Six years ago: Sfințișori moldovenești (Mucenici) (Moldavian/Romanian).
Seven years ago: Simple coconut brownies.
Eight years ago: Italian sunset (cocktail), Amaretto (almond liquor) cupcakes and Chicken and avocado salad.

Misoshiru (Japanese Miso soup) (vegan)

The white miso soup is one of the most common Japanese soups, found easily in both restaurants and regular households. Miso stands for miso, the name of the paste that gives this umami-flavored soup its specific taste, and shiru is a derivative of shiro, meaning white. 

It's very easy to make, healthy and delicious. Traditionally, the miso soup should contain just dashi (seaweed stock), miso paste (fermented soybean paste, often also used in marinades and sauces), wakame seaweed and tofu. But beyond this, each region and each household can add their own additions to it, also depending on the season and so on. In Japanese cuisine restaurants here in the West, you can find it most often in its basic form, allowing all the pretty flavors to shine, clean from additional taste. 
Recipe source: 196flavors.

Last year: nothing.
Two years ago: nothing.
Three years ago: nothing.
Four years ago: Latkes (Jewish potato pancakes).
Five years ago: Grilled Romaine salad with honey-mustard dressing.
Six years ago: Spaghetti aglia e olio e peperoncino (Italian) (vegan).
Seven years ago: Mini chicken skewers (oven-baked) with satay sauce (Indonesian).
Eight years ago: Peanut butter hot chocolate milk, Chicken with peanut butter sauce (Thai) and Pigs in a blanket (British).

White bean and pancetta soup

I made this creamy white bean soup on a cold evening and it was ready pretty fast and very warming, which was exactly what I was aiming for, considering how low temperatures tend to drive me back to my burrow like a marsupial mouseling :). 
The soup is flavored with thyme and shallots and generously sprinkled with bread and pancetta croutons. It will be lovely whenever you try it. Enjoy.

Recipe adapted from here.

Last year: Kaeng khiao wan (Green curry with chicken) (Thai).
Two years ago: Pignoli (pine nut cookies) (Italian).
Three years ago: Arancini carbonara (Fried risotto balls in carbonara style) (Italian).
Four years ago: Chicken liver parfait with sage and red wine.

Bors cu fasole (Moldavian white bean soup) (vegan)

This is a traditional Moldavian recipe and something my mom sometimes makes on lent days. It's delicious and hearty enough (because of the beans) to keep you full all day even though vegan. 
This was made by her (and in her kitchen), I only took notes and made the pictures. 
Enjoy :).

Last year: Pasta Frola de Dulce de Membrillo (Quince Tart with Lattice Top) (Argentinian).
Two years ago: Creamy white bean dip / spread.
Three years ago: Broccoli, chicken and cheese casserole.
Four years ago: Potato, cheese and mushroom gratin.

Red lentil, chickpea and chili soup (vegan)

A light and easy to make vegetarian soup, made a bit more consistent by the addition of lentils and chickpeas. With a strong aromatic base from cumin seeds (which as you may know from other recipes, match the chickpeas and tomatoes very well) and gently fried red onion. And, of course, why leave it there when you can have it with a kick? Add red chilies as well :D. 
All in all, it's a no-fuss, easy to cook comfort food. Enjoy!
Recipe source: here.

Last year: Soufflé au citron (Quark and lemon souffle) (French).
Two years ago: Moroccan potato salad (vegan).
Three years ago: Simple tomato gratin (Gratin Provencal).
Four years ago: Stuffed baked avocados (Middle Eastern).

Courgette, pea and pesto soup (vegan)

Simple to make, green and light and unmistakably delicious. It also contains white beans for extra heartiness, bit if I would have put that also in the title, then it would have been too long :).
Recipe adapted just a bit from here.

Last year: Pui cu smântână (Romanian chicken and cream) (My mom's recipe).
Two years ago: Creamy coconut milk rice (vegan).
Three years ago: Tagliatelle with tuna, lemon, rucola and pine seeds.
Four years ago: Stuffed baked avocados (Middle Eastern).

Supă cu găluște (Semolina dumpling soup) (Romanian)

This is one of the most common soups in Romanian kitchens, and most of my childhood it was my absolute favorite thing from my mom's food rotations. 
Large pieces of chicken and vegetables are boiled in a broth for an hour or so until the liquid becomes very flavorful, and then the solids are removed and reserved for another use (in our home, the chicken pieces would then get fried in a pan and the result was much more flavorful then a simple fried chicken that skipped the veggie soaking; and the vegetables - mainly parsley root and parsnip and carrots - would get mashed with a little butter and served as a side for the fried chicken pieces). With only the clear soup remaining on the stove, large semolina-based dumplings are then added and softly boiled until just right. It's served hot and if you try it, it will be the best thing you've ever eaten. 
Making the dumplings can be a bit tricky - if the dough is too hard, the dumplings will be hard and chewy and not very good, but if you make it too soft they will disintegrate and form a mushy mass throughout the whole soup. It will still be tastier than the hard dumplings you would get in the first case, but definitely not too pretty. Luckily, you don't need to fret about getting it right, since you have my mom's recipe now :). 

P.S: A regular large deep plate of soup usually contains 4-5 large dumplings, but in the picture above there's only one because I used a small(er) bowl as a serving dish. I usually enjoyed adding croutons to the soup bowl after finishing the dumplings and my mom joked about it being my milk-and-cereal dish, since it tended to be a staple of mine. 

Last year: Ghanaian tomato and peanut soup (vegan).
Two years ago: Espresso and walnut iced brownies.
Three years ago: Simple coconut brownies.
Four years ago: Amaretto colada (cocktail), Easy home-made Raclette (French-Swiss) and Pasta with spicy mascarpone sauce, mushrooms and artichokes.

French garlic soup with mint

Yes, we're big fans of garlic soup. We've tried it and keep having it in lots of styles and versions. Here we tried it in a classic French way, with whole cloves, served with fresh yogurt and mint leaves and fresh oven-baked herb butter baguette. Very delicately flavored, very light, doesn't leave any garlic breath behind, keeps the cold away.. what more could one ask for :) ?
Adapted from "Ma boitte de recettes" via Cătălina. 


Other garlic soups I'd recommend:
Czech garlic soup with chorizo and mustard (the way they do it in Prague).

Last year: Pear salad with walnuts and Gorgonzola (American).
Two years ago: Kedgeree (Anglo-Indian or Scottish).
Three years ago: Tapenade (olive paste) bread rolls.
Four years ago: Tabbouleh (Lebanese and generally Middle Eastern bulgur wheat salad) (vegan) and Simple wellness salad with endives, feta, clementines and pumpkin seeds.

Kastaniencremesuppe (Chestnut cream soup) (German)

This cream soup made of roasted chestnuts, butter, onions, dark rye bread and sour cream is a rare traditional German treat, served in the most exquisite of guesthouses (that's how restaurants which serve traditional food are called). I sampled it a few times, and then decided to make it myself. It's pretty fast to make, it tastes really special and earthy and I've come to associate its smell and taste with the idea of fall itself. 
To make it, you need a handful of pre-cooked chestnuts. Either take the time to roast them yourself, or buy them pre-cooked (but do expect them to be a bit pricey). Anyway, it will be totally worth it. ;)
Enjoy.

Last year: Autumn chestnut and beetroot salad. (October seems to set me in a mood for chestnuts).
Two years ago: Fig, rosemary and mascarpone tartlets.
Three years ago: Spicy Guinness mustard (Irish).

Beef and bamboo shot soup (Filipino)

This is one of the best Asian soups you could have. It's not too spicy (for those of you who are reluctant to Asian cuisine because of this), but full of flavor from the slow cooking of the beef and the bamboo shots (I really love those) and the ginger and the pepper and the fish sauce :). (I got enthusiastic all over again just by reading this list). The point is that the ingredients are simple and few (again, for an Asian recipe), but the result is amazing. Do try it.
Recipe source: here.

Last year: Crispy chili beef with broccoli (stir-fry). 
Two years ago: Green tree (cocktail).
Three years ago: Baby making and no cooking :).

Bob chorba (Bulgarian bean soup) (vegan)

Bob chorba is one of the most well-spread Bulgarian national dishes. The vegetarian version (presented here) is sometimes called the "monastery version" because convent communities often keep a meatless lent. Nevertheless, sometimes various kinds of meat are added to the soup. You can find out more out the accepted variations and ingredients by following the wiki link above. What I liked most about this soup was the touch of fresh summer savory (a type of thyme) and of fresh mint. It really gives the regular bean soup an interesting and delicious touch which you've never encountered before in a bean soup. Enjoy.
Recipe source: here.

Last year: Caviar on mashed potatoes (Russian).
Two years ago: File Marajoara (Steak with melted cheese) (Brazilian).
Three years ago: Baby making and no cooking :).

Sopa de Habas (Mexican Fava Bean Soup) (vegan)

A lovely and delicious soup with is ready without much fuss. It's also quite light and healthy; not as spicy as most other Mexican foods but lovely nonetheless. Its more subtle flavors come from saffron, garlic and cumin. All in all I really enjoyed it and would make it again.
Recipe source: Saveur.

Last year: Spaghetti with broccoli cream pesto.
Two years ago: Spanish tomato bread with jamon serrano.
Three years ago: Baby making and no cooking. :)

Patates Çorbasi (Turkish potato soup)

A delicious soup that's ready in no time. You might think of potato soup as something nourishing, but kind of bland, but this is not the case. The flavors of lemon, bay and parsley are wonderfully featured on a slightly rich base with hints of butter. I really loved this soup. Enjoy it whenever you crave some lazy (as in easy to make) comfort food.
Recipe source: here.

Last year: Yakisoba with shiitake and sesame oil (Japanese).
Two years ago: Insalata Caprese (Italian).
Three years ago: baby making, no cooking.

Minestrone (Italian vegetable soup) (vegan)

The most well known of vegetable soups and of Italian soups. The lightest and freshest soup possible :). Full of flavorful veggies and herbs. Perfect for summertime. Served with a bit of fresh parsley and a bit of grated Parmesan (the spoon in the picture above), optional, for people who don't insist on keeping it vegan.
Enjoy. :)

Last year: Raspberry and marshmallow cake.
Two years ago: Conchiglioni giganti con ricotta e limone (Italian).
Three years ago: Straciatella cream pie (Italian). 

Moroccan chickpea soup (vegan)

Another delicious way to enjoy chickpeas. A traditional Moroccan vegan recipe made with tomato puree and delicate spices (saffron and cumin), it warms and feeds the heart and the body. 
Recipe source: here. 

Last year: Green zmuti (leaf drink) (raw vegan).
Two years ago: Thai chicken and crab curry.
Three years ago: Spaghetti with olives, basil, red pesto and yellow tomatoes, Salată de ardei copți (Roasted red pepper salad) (Romanian) and Pork salad (with olives, roasted peppers and Parmesan).

Irish nettle soup

The nettles are one of the most valuable and neglected spring harvests. And it's a shame, given their lovely detox and mineral replenishing properties. 
So today I'm bringing forth this lovely recipe, in honor of both the installing spring and St Patrick's Day :). A green, green soup from The Green Isle. Keep your eyes on the nettle harvest which will hit the markets soon (if it hasn't already) and try it. It will be simple to make and delicious :).
Recipe source: Darina Allen, via Saveur.

Last year: Colcannon (Irish mashed potatoes and greens).
Two years ago: Turkey pieces in emmentaler sauce.
Three years ago: Orange caramel pastry windmills, Parmesan cream potatoes and Vegetarian chili tacos with avocado salsa (Mexican).

African tomato and peanut soup (Ghanaian) (vegan)

This is not your regular recipe for tomato soup. In Ghana, peanut paste (peanut butter) is added to the tomato soup to add body and flavor and just a touch of thickness. The result is the smoothest soup you've ever tasted, with a wonderful balance of sour, sweet and earthly flavors. Also, it's very fast and easy to make. Enjoy. :)
Recipe source: here.

Last year: Espresso and walnut iced brownies.
Two years ago: Simple coconut brownies.
Three years ago: Amaretto colada (cocktail), Easy home-made Raclette (French-Swiss) and Pasta with spicy mascarpone sauce, mushrooms and artichokes.

Leek, potato and bacon soup (British)

This is a common staple in British kitchens, especially in the autumn and winter since it's an ideal comfort food. Variations on this delicious combination of potatoes and leeks in a creamy soup can be found in the cuisines of other countries as well (see the French Potage Parmentier, for instance). 
Since it's still pretty cold we've started plunging into this ever since October; it's pretty easy to make and a hot bowl of this thing helps you cheer up, relax, enjoy the chilly evening and so on :)
I definitely recommend it for this time of the year. Have fun making it and enjoy! :)
Recipe source: here. 

Last year: Halloumi and chickpea salad with mint and oranges.
Two years ago: Bell pepper sticks with refried bean dip.
Three years ago: Tikka Masala chicken cous cous (British-Indian) and Czech poppy seed cakes (kolaches).