Hortosoupa or The Big Bang Vegetable Veloute Soup

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Hortosoupa (pr. chor-TOH-sou-pah) or The Bing Bang Vegetable Veloute Soup, as I call it, is a Greek hearty velouté vegetable soup with star shaped pasta, which can be adapted with more vegetables.

It is healthy and filling and can be eaten as a starter or a main dish.

This soup is low in fat and easy to digest, making it a great option for those with gallbladder issues as the vegetables provide plenty of vitamins and minerals.

I was inspired to make it because what is about to go on at Cern in a few days.

According to the Big Bang model, the universe expanded from an extremely dense and hot state and continues to expand today. A common and useful analogy explains that space itself is expanding, carrying galaxies with it, like raisins in a rising loaf of bread. General relativistic cosmologies, however, do not actually ascribe any ‘physicality’ to space. (Wikipedia)

It is now a fact that on the 10th of September 2008, the countdown will begin at CERN, after 10 years of research, and costing 6 billion Euros, for the operation of the Large Hadron Collider – LHC.

You may read some more information here.

See how huge this is!

It seems that the reporters are very worried about this project and they asked a Greek Scientist, who is taking part in this project if we should be concerned if anything goes wrong, the scientist was very reassuring that there is no possibility about this.

I am also worried as my younger son is now working at CERN. Last summer he worked as a summer student for three months, but this year he is working on a regular basis. He also reassured me that there is nothing to worry about but I am keeping my fingers crossed.

The reporter asked a lot of questions and then she asked:

Reporter: What was there before the Big Bang?

Scientist: It’s not easy to describe but I would say that the universe was like a “soup”. (The essential idea is that the universe has expanded from a primordial hot and dense initial condition at some finite time in the past and continues to expand to this day. Then came the Big Bang and the universe began to form).

Did you know that the World Wide Web was invented at CERN and now the Grid will replace the internet, again invented at CERN?

I was not planning in making soup today but I was cooking fish, to make fish mayonnaise.

After this conversation I was inspired and tried to recreate the universe by making my own soup and guess what?

The first solid things that formed after the big bang were two tomatoes, one potato, one carrot, one onion and a sprig of celery.

Finally, the stars appeared. I wonder if the croutons are the galaxies, the black pepper, star dust and what is the parsley…?

Although it is still hot in Athens and the air condition is on all day long, the soup was so delicious that we all had seconds.

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Hortosoupa or The Big Bang Vegetable Veloute Soup

Yield: 5

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 40 minutes

Additional Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour 25 minutes

Hortosoupa or The Bing Bang Vegetable Veloute Soup, as I call it, is a hearty Greek veloute vegetable soup with star shaped pasta, which can be adapted with more vegetables.

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Ingredients

• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 1 clove garlic, finely chopped
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 2 ripe tomatoes
• 1 red bell pepper
• 3-4 celery stalks, finely chopped
• 2 carrots, coarsely chopped
• 2 zucchinis, coarsely chopped (optional)
• 1 potato, coarsely chopped
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 sprig fresh rosemary
• 6 cups low sodium vegetable stock
• 1 cup small star shaped pasta (or other tiny pasta)

Optional ingredients:

• Croutons
• Parsley for decoration
• Paprika for sprinkling

Instructions

1. Before starting the process, wash and place the tomatoes and
   pepper in a baking dish, sprinkle with a few drops of olive oil and salt, and put them in a preheated oven at 180 degrees Celsius for about half an hour.  
2. Put them in a plastic kitchen bag, leave them for five minutes to sweat and then peel and remove the seeds from the pepper.
3. In a large pot, add the remaining olive oil and sauté the onion and garlic until translucent.
4. Add the tomatoes and pepper, as well as all the remaining
   vegetables, and sauté for a few minutes.
5. Add about 6 cups of water and as soon as they start to boil, add
   salt, pepper, oregano, and bay leaf.
6. Reduce the heat, cover the pot, and let it simmer until the vegetables soften, for about 40 minutes. (Remove the bay leaf after the food has boiled for about 20 minutes).
7. Puree them with a hand blender.  If you don’t have one, remove them with a slotted ladle and let them cool a little.  Then puree them in a blender.
8. Put them back in the pot. Add the star shaped pasta and continue
   cooking for about 10 - 15 more minutes.
9. Serve the soup with croutons and a sprinkle of paprika and finely chopped parsley on top.

Notes

See How to prepare your own croutons. 

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Nutrition Information

Yield 5 Serving Size 1
Amount Per Serving Calories 235Total Fat 12gSaturated Fat 2gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 10gCholesterol 0mgSodium 286mgCarbohydrates 30gFiber 5gSugar 8gProtein 5g

"These values are automatically calculated and offered for guidance only. Their accuracy is not guaranteed."

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