Tag Archive for: soups with carb count

Sweet potato and artichoke soup with a Middle Eastern touch

This warm and creamy soup is true comfort food. Alongside its excellent nutritional properties, it features a delightful Middle Eastern touch with za’atar. Try my Sweet Potato and Artichoke Soup for a wholesome and flavourful dish!

Let’s take a closer look at the ingredients!

Sweet potatoes, often mistaken for regular potatoes, are actually quite different in both taste and nutritional value. Naturally sweet, they have a lower glycaemic index than regular potatoes, are rich in fibre, and contain a large amount of beta-carotene, ideal for boosting the immune system.

Artichokes, with their delicately bitter flavour, perfectly complement the soup by providing valuable fibre, inulin, and antioxidants, promoting digestive health and intestinal well-being.

What is za’atar? It’s an aromatic spice blend typical of Middle Eastern cuisine, traditionally made with thyme, oregano, sumac, and sesame seeds. In my version, I’ve replaced oregano with pumpkin seeds to create a more nutritionally interesting combination, thanks to their healthy fats.

Sumac is a bright red spice with a fresh, slightly citrusy flavour. It’s made from the dried and ground berries of the Rhus coriaria plant, native to the Mediterranean and Middle Eastern regions. Just a touch is enough to create the perfect balance between tradition and creativity!

Fancy more soups? Try the Chestnut and Grass Pea Soup.

Sweet potato and artichoke soup with za’atar

7g carbohydrates per 100g

Ilaria-bertinelli-vellutata-di-patate-dolci-e-carciofi

Ingredients for 4-6 servings

  • 1 lt ca. vegetable stock* or water
  • 8 cleaned artichokes (approximately 600 g)
  • 2 sweet potatoes (approximately 500 g)
  • 1 shallot (approximately 30 g)
  • Extra virgin olive oil
  • Salt and pepper

Ingredients for za’atar

  • 2 tablespoons pumpkin seeds
  • 2 teaspoons sesame seeds
  • 1 teaspoon dried thyme
  • 1 teaspoon sumac
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • Extra virgin olive oil

**Ingredients specific for celiacs

*Ingredients whose labels must read “gluten-free” (or, in Italy, present on Prontuario AIC)

Preparation 

  1. Finely chop the shallot and sauté it in a saucepan with a drizzle of olive oil. Add the artichokes cut into wedges and the cubed sweet potato. Let them sauté for a few minutes, then cover with water or vegetable stock and cook for about 30 minutes or until the artichokes are perfectly tender.
  2. Blend everything until smooth and adjust with salt and pepper to taste.
  3. Prepare the za’atar. Toast the pumpkin seeds in a non-stick pan with a tablespoon of olive oil. Add the other ingredients and let them sauté for a few minutes, then set aside.
  4. Serve the soup with a spoonful of za’atar.
/0 Comments/by

Escarole Cream with Speak and croutons

Cream of escarole with Speck and croutons is a perfect idea for warm dinners in the first cold days of autumn. Being vegetable-based, the cream itself is naturally gluten free and has very low carbohydrate content, possibly offset by the addition of fragrant and tasty croutons.

Escarole cream is very much appreciated by those who like slightly bitter flavours, while it might not appeal to children who are not used to these notes: my children love it and enjoy alternating Speck with cubes of sweet Salame Felino  (something that Parma’s homes almost always have in stock) which helps to balance the dish.

The version I propose is also lactose and egg free. If you like, and always lactose free, you can also season it with Parmesan cheese slivers and a few walnuts for a completely different taste.

In the calculation of carbohydrates, I have not considered croutons because the amount added to the escarole cream may vary greatly, as can the type of bread we decide to use to prepare them: personally, I am partial to wholemeal bread, such as the Dark bread with flax seedswhich allows us to obtain very fragrant croutons.

So with the cold weather approaching, be prepared that we won’t run out of creams and soups!

Escarole Cream with Speak and croutons   

2.70g carbohydrates per 100g without croutons

Ingredients for 4 servings

  • 1kg escarole
  • 300g leek
  • 300g vegetable stock
  • 120g Speck in strips*
  • 30g extra virgin olive oil
  • salt and pepper

Ingredients for croutons

  • 3 slices of wholemeal bread**
  • 30g extra virgin olive oil
  • salt, pepper, dried marjoram

Preparation

  1. Slice the leeks and sautée them in a large saucepan with extra virgin olive oil and a few whole chilli peppers, which you will then remove before blending; add the escarole cut into strips, allow it to take on flavour for about 5 minutes, then add 2 ladles of stock, cover and cook for 15 minutes. Transfer everything into the jar of a food processor and blend to a fairly thick cream; season with salt and pepper. Should the cream be too runny, return it to the heat and let it thicken.
  2. Meanwhile, prepare the croutons. Cut the bread slices into 2cm pieces. Heat extra virgin olive oil in a non-stick frying pan, add the bread pieces and let them toast slowly until crispy. Towards the end, season with salt, pepper and a sprinkling of marjoram, then leave to season and turn off the heat.
  3. Serve the escarole cream in soup plates and complete with the Speck in strips, croutons and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.

Crema di scarola con speck e crostini

Version with gluten of Escarole cream with Speak and croutons

The recipe contains only naturally gluten free ingredients except for the croutons, so replace the gluten free croutons with standard croutons.

/0 Comments/by