بِسْــــــــــــــــــــــمِ اﷲِارَّحْمَنِ ارَّحِيم
السلام عليكم و رحمة الله و بركاته
Living in Algeria , we’re in the ideal junction where three worlds: Mediterranean, Africa and Arab meet. It’s a land of sharp contrasts where we enjoy the Mediterranean climate in the north and exacerbating hot dry Saharan climate in the south. While technically, Algeria has four seasons here, it depends on where you live: the Tell region in the North, the high plateaus, the mountainous ridges or the Saharan desert in the South which makes up about 87% of Algeria
In the Saharan South, there are two seasons: summer and winter. Summer is from May to October and Winter November to April. Temperature changes very quickly because the air is so dry due to the lack of rainfall that heat escapes at night. While the warm winter days might be treat for those used to snow, the temperature drop dramatically after sunset to about 0°C or 32°F.
Up in the north, in the Tell regions along the coastline where I live, the seasonal changes are pronounced. Autumn here is radiant and warm. A seemingly never-ending indian summer, if you will, lasting long after October, sometimes into November. Then in winter, periods of rain alternate with warm, sunny days. We know that after three days of howling winds and monsoon like rain, when we all close all windows, try to stay inside and appreciate the solid walls of the house.
In the Saharan South, there are two seasons: summer and winter. Summer is from May to October and Winter November to April. Temperature changes very quickly because the air is so dry due to the lack of rainfall that heat escapes at night. While the warm winter days might be treat for those used to snow, the temperature drop dramatically after sunset to about 0°C or 32°F.
Up in the north, in the Tell regions along the coastline where I live, the seasonal changes are pronounced. Autumn here is radiant and warm. A seemingly never-ending indian summer, if you will, lasting long after October, sometimes into November. Then in winter, periods of rain alternate with warm, sunny days. We know that after three days of howling winds and monsoon like rain, when we all close all windows, try to stay inside and appreciate the solid walls of the house.
I was one to (have the time) to really take notice of the seasonal changes, let alone appreciate about them. But I’ve come to crave the changing of seasons, each season brining new elements of surprise to the landscape. But one thing I really do miss the turning of the land and trees from green to hues of red, orange and brown.
I, like many, living along the northern coast, rejoice after a long Indian summer when the air cools. Today is a pitch perfect Winter Mediteranean day: it was chilly, rainy and cloudy. Of course, I celebrated by putting on thick woolly socks, making a big pot of this warming soup and curling in up with a good book.
This soup is one of my go-tos. The base of this soup is simple, light yet creamy, and slightly sweet. I’ve made it several times with slight variations trying to see which I liked best. Most of the time, I just top it with homemade buttery garlic croutons. But sometimes I serve it with a side of Gruyére grilled cheese and called it dinner!
Sometimes I add some diced celery or even some unusual aromatic herb. Or for some fun added texture, other times I’ve added some bits of leftover chicken, or maybe a handful of precooked chickpeas, spinach and finished it off with a squeeze of lemon. (That’ll be a recipe for next time)
Other then the flexibility of this soup, another thing I love about this soup that is no roux or cream added, the silky texture is simply from pureeing it. No extra calories at all! I usually use chicken broth, but you can use chicken bouillon cube or even water. Use whatever works for you – there are no rules here. I guess that’s what real comfort home-cooking is about.
The thickener I've used in this soup is arrowroot. Arrowroot, also known as tapioca starch or “the obedience plant,” is a large perennial starch plant underground creeping rhizome belonging to Marantaceae family plants. It is widely cultivated in the rainforest habitats like the Philippines, the Caribbean islands, and South America. Arrowroot is very low in calories, and like roots and tubers, arrowroot too is totally free from gluten. If you can't find arrowroot, you can easily subsitute cornflour (corn starch, maizena) in this recipe by diluting 1 TBS in exactly 1 TBS water. Or even forego, the thickener if you find the soup's consistency is to your liking.
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