Soup tends to get overlooked when it comes to planning quick and straightforward weeknight meals. It rarely features on lists of dishes you can prepare in under 30 minutes.
Most people assume that soups demand lengthy cooking times to allow the ingredients to combine properly, and that the liquid needs to reduce until you’re left with something hearty and delicious. That’s only partially accurate. While developing depth of flavour does require some time, having the right ingredients to hand means this needn’t take hours.
Although pasta and potatoes can be used as soup thickeners, French chef Jacques Pepin prefers adding polenta to achieve a richer consistency.
The brilliance of his method lies in its simplicity. In his kale soup recipe, he whisked one-third cup of polenta into one cup of cold water in a bowl until smooth.
Combining it separately is a small yet vital step that prevents the polenta from forming lumps once introduced to the soup.
Once the polenta mixture is smooth, he adds it directly to the simmering soup, allowing it to cook alongside the remaining ingredients for 15 to 20 minutes.
During cooking, the polenta gradually softens and thickens the broth, contributing a subtle, corn-like sweetness and a fuller, more satisfying texture.
If you’re concerned about a gritty consistency, rest assured, there won’t be one. It simply lends the dish a wonderfully rustic quality.
This polenta technique can be incorporated into all your preferred soups, such as a minestrone. The polenta paired beautifully with the beans and vegetables, producing a substantial Italian-influenced meal.
Incorporating polenta rather than noodles into a chicken soup would be an excellent method to make the broth more filling and gentler to consume when suffering from a sore throat.
A dash of polenta in tomato soup would provide thickness and probably balance the acidity, reducing the requirement for sugar.