To Dip or Not to Dip
Much like pairing a good wine with a good meal, it has become somewhat a thing to pair a dippable food with a soup. Pairing a side dish with soup is something you don’t necessarily think about, as people would, normally, just pick up a slice of bread and dunk away. However, there isn’t just bread to stuff your mouth with. There are various other things that can be dipped into a bowl or cup of soup. There are tasty foods out there that are perfect to pair with your well-rounded meal, even if some of them seem a little bit out.
One Carb fits All
Pairing something with a hearty soup can be difficult, but if you are ever up in arms about what to do, follow this simple rule: just add carbs. Carbs are great for you and putting it with a soup will elevate the dish further as well as giving you everything you need for a main meal. However, instead of going for a simple slice of bread, mix it up a little. Flavoursome carbs such as garlic croutons or a grilled cheese sandwich are perfect with that steaming bowl of tomato soup. These types of carbs are brilliant to boost up your energy, like any good carb will do, as well as being extremely tasty. The garlic croutons are particularly good, as garlic is seen as a health benefit on its own - good for the heart and low in calories, as well as being a combat for sickness. For something that is a bit more brothier than your typical soup, try pairing it with a baguette which has been lightly toasted; a simple yet delicious dunkable food.
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The Quirkier the Better
Going over to the quirkier side of the basket there are some foods you would not think of dunking, but for something different and yet still delicious try dipping fruit bread into your soup. This type of dippable pairs up well with a thick carrot soup with added spice and cream. If you want something that isn’t as quirky then you can dip bruschetta into it. These sides will help soak up the creamy textured soup and will complement it well. Going from quirky to, frankly, a bit bizarre, there are some foods you would not think of dunking into your bowl of soup. First there is the twist on the grilled cheese sandwich I mentioned before, try dipping it with strawberry jam or strawberry gazpacho spread onto the sandwich. This is a food that will cater towards both your sweet and savoury sides, as the mixture of strawberry and
tomato is something that will make your taste buds rejoice. Another tasty thing that has been dunked into the bowl is a peanut butter coated cracker. This isn’t something you would think of first to pair up with soup, but the appeal is there. There are health benefits to having peanut butter in your meals, as it contains protein and potassium which helps lower the risk of high blood pressure, strokes and heart disease. It also has fibre, healthy fats, magnesium, vitamin E and antioxidants, which we all need to keep our bodies healthy. So there is method to the madness.
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No Dipping for Me
Even though it is natural to want to dip food into your soup, there are various other alternatives instead of dipping. Side dishes are staples to some of the greatest meals ever and this is no different to bowls of soup. To add more vegetables to the meal you can’t go wrong with a salad as a side dish. You can either go simple in the salad department with Caesar, made from of romaine lettuce, croutons, parmesan cheese, lemon juice, olive oil, egg, Worcestershire sauce, garlic and black pepper. This salad is great with a serving of French onion soup as well as a slow cooked eight can taco soup. However, if you want to take it a bit further, then you can try meyer lemon spring salad with baby greens, almonds and goat cheese or kale and ricotta salata salad. Another alternative for a side dish is a Mexican favourite - a quesadilla, which is a cheese filled torilla that is then grilled and presented in a half-moon shape. This cheesy dish works perfectly with a tortilla soup and to make it even more feisty, you can add a spicy coleslaw, some guacamole and chips to really get the fiesta going.