Nah, I am no chef. I am just a mom who loves to cook for her family. For me, that's what makes it special -- cooking with love.

I am not hesitating then, to enter Hive account@qurator's Hive Top Chef! | SOUP!

Somewhere out there it is winter and we all love a good bowl of soup when we feel a little chilly. If you are like us then soup is an all year round kind of dish because it is awesome!

Now, it isn't winter here in the Middle East. We have just approached summer and it is scorching hot, where temps now reach up to 42 degrees C high! Hotter months to come, too.

The dish I want to share with you today is a classic in a Filipino home. We usually serve it as merienda or snacks, but anytime of the day is okay too. The ingredients are simple, yet makes a very hearty dish.

Sopas, as we plainly call it in Filipino, is a complete dish with carbohydrates (macaroni), protein (meat) and veggies (you can actually add anything you wish).

Below is the recipe of what I prepared for my family's dinner last night. I hope you'll get some ideas and perhaps try it out for your family too.

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Pasta Soup (Sopas)

_{Simple Ingredients}

Traditionally, this dish is cooked with macaroni and chicken breast. What's great about this dish is that it is flexible and you can adjust the ingredients to your preference and still get a perfect dish for the family to enjoy.

As I do not have macaroni in my pantry, I used spaghetti as a substitute, and a plank of pork meat to replace the chicken breast.

Ingredients:

• 200 grams spaghetti (cut into 4's and cooked as per package instruction)
• 1 onion, diced
• 4 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 small carrot, cubed
• 1 quarter cabbage, cut into shreds
• 500 grams pork
• 4 cups water
• salt and pepper to taste
• oil and butter
• fish sauce to taste (optional)
• fresh milk or evaporated milk

The broth is what makes any soup tasty, hence we start our dish by making the broth.

1. In a pot, bring put our pork meat in boiling water. Season with salt and pepper, and add aromatics like garlic and onion. Let it simmer for at least 30 minutes.
2. Remove the meat and cut into thin strips.

3- In another pot, heat oil and add a small chunk of butter.
4 - Saute onion and garlic, then add the meat strips. Saute until golden brown. (Tip: to add additional flavor to the meat, you can add a tablespoon of oyster sauce)
5 - Add the broth. Season with salt or fish sauce and pepper according to taste preference. (I personally like to use fish sauce)
6 - Add the vegetables, and then the cooked spaghetti. Let it simmer for around 2 minutes.
7 - Turn off the heat and add milk.

And that's it!

Serve it hot, and watch your family enjoy the hearty dish.

You can also add more veggies to this soup, like celery, cut into thin slices, brocoli, or some parsley.

More! Some prefer to add slices of hotdog to this dish too, which also tastes good, but I'd rather pass on that to keep it clean-tasting and more natural.

How about you, what's your soup for today?

Don't forget to check Hive Top Chef! | SOUP!

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