I can feel its disappointment at my lack of willpower during winter.  I feel it coldly staring at my back thinking “tsk, tsk, tsk… I won’t lie to you just to be nice!”

So for the next few weeks, before a lovely little break-away where swimsuits will be involved, I need to cook lighter and definitely move more!  Since Spring technically only starts on 1 September if you follow the meteorological calendar (and 21 September if you follow the astronomical calendar) I thought I could get away with cooking one more soup.  Not that soup is only a Winter dish, mind. One of my favourite things to eat in Summer is a really cold soup.

Speaking of soup, I recently came across this quote and I absolutely loved it:  “Good manners:  The noise you don’t make when you’re eating soup.”  (Bennet Cerf, 1989-1971).  This is something I understand all too well!  I cannot eat soup with a spoon without spilling a considerable portion of it down my chin.  And of course, it’s impossible to sip anything other than silky smooth, pureed soup.  Still, regardless of season, I love my bowl of soup.

Another thing I love is cookbooks that include a chapter on lighter eating.  One of my favourite chefs, Irish chef and cookbook author, Rachel Allen, has just such a chapter in one of her very first books.  It contains lovely salads, stir-fry’s and this delicious soup.

RACHEL’S FOOD FOR LIVING – ZAC’S AZTEC SOUP

I know Isaac, or Zac, is Rachel’s husband.  What I don’t know, is why this soup is Aztec-ian in nature.  I’m not that up to date on my South American history.  I can only assume it’s because of the addition of the distinctly Central/South American flavours of avocado, chilli, lime and coriander. 

Just a side note on coriander; I absolutely love it, my sister thinks it’s disgusting and tastes like soap.  If you’re a super-taster (a person who experiences the sense of taste with far greater intensity than average, with some studies showing an increased sensitivity to bitter tastes), you might want to replace the coriander with parsley or just leave it out completely.

And although the soup looks very simple, it is exactly these ingredients that make it delicious and infinitely more satisfying than you would imagine.  Of course without the salsa, this is just a plain old chicken soup (good for when winter chills turn into runny noses in Spring!) This will become a firm favourite in my lighter eating repertoire.  If you’re not looking for a light lunch or dinner, but still fancy a go at this, I would serve it with crusty bread for dunking.

SERVES 4 – 6

3 tbsp olive oil

2 onions, peeled and chopped

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

4 cloves of garlic, peeled and chopped/grated

1 red chilli, chopped (seeded too if you prefer it mild)

1 litre chicken stock

1 or 2 large chicken breasts, diced into 1 cm pieces

Juice of a lime

For the salsa

3 spring onions, trimmed and finely sliced

1 ripe avocado, peeled, stoned and diced into cubes

150 g of cherry tomatoes, diced

Juice of a lime

2 tbsp chopped coriander

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over a medium heat and add the chopped onion.  Season with salt and pepper. Cover and sweat the onion for 10 minutes or until the onion is soft.  Add the garlic and chilli and cook for 2 minutes.  Add the stock and bring up to the boil, reduce to a simmer, add in the chicken and gently cook for 2-3 minutes, or until the meat is just cooked (this is very important – don’t overcook the chicken as it will be disgusting!).  Turn off the heat and squeeze in the lime juice. 

To make the salsa, mix all the ingredients together and season with salt and pepper. 

To serve, ladle the hot soup into warm bowls and drop a large tablespoon of salsa into each bowl.

Follow me on Twitter (ilse123) or on Facebook (https://web.facebook.com/IlseCooksTheBooks/) to chat about food and more!

ooOoo