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This is the archived version of the Milk Street website and is no longer up to date.

Please visit 177milkstreet.com to see the current website with all of the latest recipes!

Soup from Nothing (Caraway Soup with Parsley and Walnut Pesto)

4-6 Servings

1 hour 35 minutes active

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At Milk Street, this simple, comforting broth is affectionately known as “soup from nothing.” It is our adaptation of a recipe we learned from Oana Udrea, chef at Meșendorf 65 in the Transylvania region of Romania. The heart of the soup is a light but fragrant broth made by infusing toasted caraway seeds into water; onion, garlic and paprika supply foundational flavor, and a small measure of flour provides thickening. Our pesto accompaniment is an easy version of Udrea’s smoked walnut and radish green condiment that, spooned onto the broth, brought bold, spiky flavor. She also offered savory homemade cookie-like spiced cheese biscuits alongside the soup.

4-6

Servings

Tip

Don’t use caraway that has been languishing in the pantry for months. For the soup to have depth of flavor and aroma, the seeds must be fresh.

1 hour

35 minutes active

Ingredients

  • 3

    tablespoons caraway seeds

  • ¼

    cup neutral oil

Directions

Reviews
Elly
January 22, 2026
Loveeee international recipes
Absolutely fantastic recipe this soup! Romania is a very very interesting country and lately lots of nations are interested in that part of the world for sure!
Bob G.
September 5, 2025
Making an acceptable and healthy soup from a minimal pantry
I recommend you try this but have low expectations as to the end result. In that way, you’ll be pleasantly surprised and satiated. But I doubt this will be on any restaurant menus anytime soon. HOWEVER, the pesto and biscuits are imperative to any success and in and of themselves are delightful. It just happened that I had some pesto and biscuits left over and added some to Milk Street’s Farro Soup with Celery & Parmesan that I also had leftover. That, my friends, was restaurant quality!

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