The inspiration for this recipe comes from the lyrics of a Roberto Carlos song.
Winter in London has arrived and the urge to stay indoors under a warm blanket only increases. Casseroles, soups, tea, hot drinks and a decent drop of red wine are the order of the day, to keep the body toasty in this cold.
If you have someone to help keep you warm, then you’ll both be doubly cosy with this little soup: so open a bottle of wine and throw yourself into the kitchen! The secret of this recipe is to use a good chicken stock, made with chicken wings – they have the most flavour (because of the skin and bone). Let’s get to work!
Cassava soup with shitake mushrooms and calabrese sausage
Ingredients
500g of cassava
1.5 litres of chicken stock
1 onion
4 cloves of garlic
100g of bacon
150g of butter
To garnish
1 cooked cob of corn
150g of calabrese
6 shitake mushrooms
1/2 a chilli
Coriander, parsley or chives
Preparation
Cook the cassava in the chicken stock. You can cook it in water, but if you’ve already made the stock then it is cooking flavours with flavours, so makes it even tastier. Cook until the cassava is tender. Remove the thick fibre from around the middle. Set aside the stock. Sauté the chopped bacon and onion, and then add the garlic and cassava. Mix everything in a blender with 700ml of the stock. If you prefer your soup runny then simply increase the amount of stock. Strain. Place in a pan and add the butter. This will give your soup a shine. Season with salt (add black pepper if wish). Observation: the soup I make has very little salt, so I always add a bit in the end.
Preparation of the garnish
Dice the calabrese and fry. Set aside. Sauté the shitake mushrooms in the same pan. Cut the chilli and the green herbs (as much as you wish to use). Remove the corn kernels from the cob. Add everything to the soup. You can serve as a main soup dish (this recipe will provide two servings) or as a starter (four servings in small serving bowls).
This is my favourite recipe for winter! A very warm hug to you all!
