Editor’s Note: This article has been updated since its original publication date. (2024)
Switzerland is comprised of four official regions and many cantons within each region. The four languages are French, German, Italian and Romansh. Each have distinctive and shared food traditions. While on a culinary tour throughout the regions, I experienced many, but certainly not all. I’ll just have to go back. Where else in the world can you have all of this cuisine native to, and all within one country?
I asked Switzerland Tourism if they could provide some of their classical recipes in English. They did and many being featured are from Switzerland Tourism’s book with Betti Bossi call “The Swiss Cookbook.” I’ve converted the metric measurements and some other terms.
This Wine Soup is from the Solothurn in the Bernese Mittelland area. This town is considered to have the finest selection of Baroque architecture in Switzerland. They say it is a combination of German practicality with French charm and Italian grandeur. You can take a river cruise on the Aar river to Biel.
From the 16th to the 18th centuries, this town was the residence of the French king’s ambassador. You can wonder the Old Mediaeval Town with the historic buildings, monuments, fortifications along with small shops and inns. This soup recipe will give you a taste for what it might have felt like strolling the streets in this historic Switzerland town.
Solothurn Wine Soup
Preparation time is about 40 minutes for 4 servings of approximately 1-1/2 cups.
Solothurn Wine Soup from Switzerland
Ingredients:
1-3/4 cups meat stock
1-1/4 cups white wine (Chasselas)
1 carrot, diced
1/2 cup leeks, thinly sliced
1/2 cup light cream
2 fresh egg yolks
a pinch paprika
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 bunch chives, chopped
1 sheet of puff pastry (rolled out to approximately 9.5″ x 16, ” cut into quarters
1 egg yolk, beaten
Method:
Bring meat stock and white wine to a boil in a pan. Reduce heat and simmer for approximately 5 minutes.
Add carrot and leeks to the pan. Simmer for approximately 10 minutes. Remove pan from heat.
Blend cream and egg yolks and whisk gradually into the soup. Bring to just under the boiling point and remove from heat.
Add seasoning.
Divide the soup between the 4 ovenproof soup bowls. Cool for approximately 10 minutes.
Scatter chives over the soup.
Brush the rim of the bowls with beaten egg. Cover with pastry, pressing firmly over rim to seal. Brush the pastry with the remaining egg yolk.
Have your oven preheated to 425 degrees F. Bake approximately 10 minutes on the bottom shelf of oven.
Reduce heat to 350 degrees F. and continue baking for approximately 10 more minutes.
Enjoy!
