Spiced Roast Parsnip & Kumara Soup

The one thing I love about wintery days is soup! I would eat soup with toast twelve months of the year if I could, great comfort food. But somehow when the day is hot and sunny, eating soup is not the way to go.(And no, I'm not a fan of cold soup).
I would not describe the weather in recent weeks as mild, in fact (in Wellington) it has been unusually cold. My thick woolly jumpers have made a rare appearance after being tucked away for many years of living in this 'mild' city.
Based on my previous experience of southern winters, I packed a thick woolly jumper in my suitcase to wear while on a recent trip to my home city. Surprisingly, I found the weather to be mild so said garment stayed in my bag, which only gave me an excuse to purchase a few light extras to wear while I was on holiday. I think I just picked the right week, as a week later the snow was back!
to the soup........
I have a number of perennial soup favourites but I love to try new ingredients with new flavours.
I came across this lovely recipe by Bernadette Hogg in the NZ House and Garden July 2015 edition. I have now made it about six times. I love it. Parsnips are always a winner for me and this is especially nice due to the addition of the Sumac parsnip chip garnish. I also love the flavour of cumin in dishes.
The recipe makes a lot and freezes well. It reminds me (sadly), it would be lovely to be able to grow parsnips in my garden.......

Spiced Roast Parsnip & Kumara Soup
1kg medium parsnips (plus one- two extra for the garnish)
200g red kumara
1 onion - all above chopped into even sized pieces
2 tsp cumin seeds
4 cloves of garlic - skins on
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tbsp green curry paste (which includes shrimps, making this dish not strictly vegetarian)
1.5 litres chicken or vegetable stock
200ml of cream (I left this out as my soup was beautiful and thick without it, garnishing it with drizzled cream is as nice)
Chips
2 medium parsnips
Vegetable oil for frying
1/2 tsp sumac
2 tsp flaky salt

Method
Heat oven to 220C. Line a baking dish with baking paper.
Place parsnips, kumara, onion, cumin seeds and garlic in baking dish.
Add olive oil, season with salt and pepper and toss to coat.
Roast until the vegetables are slightly caramelised and tender, about 35 minutes, tossing them once or twice during the cooking.
Meanwhile add a little olive oil to a large saucepan and heat to low/medium heat. Add green curry paste and cook gently, stirring, for 1-2 minutes. Remove from heat.
Once vegetables are cooked, pop the garlic from the skins and add to the saucepan along with the other vegetables and stock.
Using a stick blender, blend until smooth.
Bring soup to boil, then lower to a simmer and add cream.

I could eat a plate of these on their own

Serve with Sumac chips
Chips: Use a potato peeler and cut parsnip into long, thin strips.
Deep fry the strips in batches in hot oil until golden.
Drain on paper towels and sprinkle with combined sumac and salt.
The recipe is so inexpensive to make and will be a hit with parsnip lovers!

Celeriac and Celery soup

I was travelling from Masterton back to Wellington when I decided to stop at Greytown for a bite to eat. It really is a lovely spot and each time I visit I find another place to wander into and explore. So it was that I stumbled across this gorgeous food store and cafe. 
http://foodforestorganics.co.nz  It was like a toy shop for people like me. Oh my - I couldn't decide what to buy first. The shop was so well presented, so clean, inviting and fresh looking. And the service was impeccable. So much to chose from - they had every organic grain imaginable on the shelves, lots of lovely jars of this and that, beautiful fresh vegetables and food to take away or eat in the cafe and things for your kitchen. Go visit!
This was where I found my lovely organic celeriac bulbs. I am very fond of celeriac. I planted some last year but they did not come to much, more like the size of a little plum with a massive tangle of roots hanging from it.  In the end I only had enough to mash with potatoes, but still perfect as an accompaniment for my small fillet steak.
I had an inspiration from making a celery soup last week ( from the Moosewood Cookbook) and using this recipe thought Celeriac soup might work.  It tastes a bit like celery, so I decided to throw a bit of celery into the soup as well.
The result was delicious! But you gotta love the celery taste (which I do). To finish it off I stirred just a teaspoon of cream into the hot bowl of soup - served with hot buttered toast - it was yum on a cool June afternoon!
Celeriac and Celery Soup
Cut 1 medium celeriac into chunks. Chop about 4 stalks of celery into chunks. Place the vegetables in a large pot with about 4 cups of water, chicken or vegetable stock. Cook  until soft. Check for seasoning, add salt and white pepper to taste. Take off stove and puree soup till smooth.
Take 2 - 4 stalks of celery and chop finely - I used the whizz to mince mine - it's done in seconds.
Add to the soup and bring back to a simmer until just cooked. This adds a nice texture to the soup.
Serves about 6
You could garnish your soup with a couple of celery leaves, bits of crispy bacon or grated cheese.
Serve with toast or chunks of warm bread, liberally smeared with butter.

Spicy Lentil Soup

A wholesome soup on a cold winter's day is just the right sort of comfort food for me. I am a great fan of soup, more often than not a lunchtime favourite in our home.  Throughout my childhood (and adult life) I use to love coming home to my mothers special soup. She would boil a smoked hock for hours (in those days they didn't cost a fortune), add a packet of old fashioned soup mix and a few vegetables and voila, a lovely inexpensive warming meal. It was always accompanied with a pile of hot buttered toast, the thick slab variety of course!

Over the years I have made a similar recipe. I am sure you will have one that your mother passed onto to you but somehow the best soup was what our mother made. She never really went for anything fancy, maybe a potato and leek soup now and then, but usually she would just make the old faithful. She wasn't a fan of fancy spicy food and seldom cooked it - it gave her indigestion!

Over the years I have tested and eaten a few variations of my personal favourites, tomato, chicken and vegetable, mushroom and leek and potato. I also like to experiment with garnishes. I have coriander growing in my herb garden at the moment - a little coup for me as (in Summer) I allowed a huge plant to go to seed and now I have lots of tiny little coriander plants growing 'luxuriantly', perfect for this soup. 
For this recipe like most soups, everything goes into a pot and boiled gently for hours. Although I made it in my slow cooker, it can easily be cooked in a soup pot on the stove. It makes a really nice change and I love the flavours and the simpleness of the recipe. For my soup I used Pataks Mild Indian curry paste as I am not a great fan of really hot spicy food (gosh, I sound a bit like my mother!), but adjust the curry paste to suit your own tastes. 
Depending on how small you chop your vegetables, you may like to lightly mash the cooked vegetables in the final stages, as it could easily be a stew by cutting the vegetables into large chunks.

Serve it with Naan bread and use it to scoop up the chunks like we did.

Either way I am certain you will enjoy it. It is super yummy!

Spicy Lentil Soup - Australian Women's Weekly Slower Cooker Supplement - June 2013

Serves 4 - 6

Ingredients

½ cup (100g) dried lentils

1 litre (4 cups) chicken stock or vegetable stock

400g canned diced tomatoes

2 dried bay leaves

3 cloves garlic, crushed

¾ cup (100g) mild Indian Curry Paste

2 small carrots (240g) chopped coarsely

1 stalk of celery, finely sliced

2 medium potatoes (400g), chopped coarsely

½ cup Greek-style yoghurt

½ cup finely chopped coriander

Method

Rinse lentils under cold water and drain

Combine lentils, stock, un-drained tomatoes, bay leaves, garlic, curry paste, carrots, celery and potatoes in 1 4.5 litre (18 cup) slow cooker.

Cook covered on low for 6 hours, season to taste.

Serve soup topped with yoghurt and coriander.

Suitable to freeze (without the garnish).

Some days all you feel like is chicken soup...

Some days all you feel like is a bowl of homemade chicken soup.
It has been a very busy week, a visit to see family for the woman and endless project managing the remaining work on the house for the man. However it's good news, as we can now see the light at the end of the tunnel. All that remains is completion of the exterior painting. Lucky for us over the last two months the weather has been fabulous in the Capital ( but I hear you say, no good for the farmers and gardeners!).
I was talking to friends yesterday about the endless cups of coffee and tea we have made for our tradesmen since we started in December, and all the baking of morning and afternoon teas. (I did run out of puff and ideas for a couple of weeks, but was saved by a seasonal supply of Girl Guide biscuits - love the chocolate coated ones!) They were so surprised I went to the trouble to do this as they never provided tea or coffee for their workers and certainly did not bake anything. I suppose I was brought up to offer refreshments for trades people working in your home, it's what you do isn't it .... or am I a little old fashioned here? Whenever I hand over a hot cup of coffee or an ice cold drink they are so happy to receive it why wouldn't you do it?
Back to the soup. My freezer is full of homemade stock. The chicken stock is a by-product of cooking a pot full of chicken at least once a week - to feed our ageing pooch. (She is quite an elegant dowager and still wearing the healing scars of a major operation a few weeks ago). Why use that bought stuff when making stock is so 'pimpsy'! Into your chicken liquid, throw handfuls of chopped celery, carrots, leeks and a bouquet garni plus seasoning to taste. Bring to the boil and to intensify the flavour cook gently for about 30-40 minutes, taste test, cool, strain and for convenience, freeze in 'cupful' containers.
I have blogged my alphabet chicken soup before http://pbearinwelly.blogspot.co.nz/2012/07/homemade-alphabet-chicken-soup.html but it occurred to me (while I scooped up the tasty mouthfuls) how such simple recipes can give so much pleasure, and of course they are so quick and easy to make. It does help if you are a soup fan - which I am. Along with a hot buttered crunchy roll it is the perfect lunch on a sunny Autumnal day.
As they say it is 'food for thought' on both counts, I will continue to look after our trades people, I have it on good authority it is really appreciated. And whenever I feel it is time to stop, relax a little and cleanse my soul, a bowl of steaming homemade chicken soup is just the ticket.

Yum!

Memorable Mushroom Soup

I needed to be a little more organised and to find a system for my bundles of loose recipes,  so.....  over the last month or so I have had a wonderful time sorting through about 30 years of cuttings, pullouts, jotted downs and handed on recipes. It really has been a labour of love, I enjoyed reminiscing through my collection and it struck me that I have always had an interest in food and cooking and it feels good that I now (finally) have time to indulge in it! Two bulging concertina files later -  one for cooking and one for baking - I'm all set - I am probably the only person who will be able to find anything in my filing 'system' though!! It did occur to me I should write my recipes in a nice book, but each little cutting is a story to me, wouldn't be the same.....

This recipe came from a cutting from the Otago Daily Times. In my corporate life I ventured down to Dunedin every two weeks and (as I am inclined to) cut this recipe out of the paper to make another day. That would have been at least 10 - 15 years ago. I Googled the Terminus Restaurant in Dunedin but it appears to be a Pizza place now. It is a deliciously full soup, and while it is called 'cream of ' there is actually no cream in it - only swirled as a garnish, which is great for me as I am not a fan of heavy creamy soups. Don't be tempted to use margarine - you really need to use butter and while it seems a lot, it does make a difference to the flavour of the soup. For soups I use my favourite cooking pot, which is not strictly a Dutch Oven - but that's how I distinguish it from my other pots.

Terminus Cream of Mushroom Soup 
2 onions chopped
4 cloves of garlic
2 stalks of celery chopped
1 small leek chopped
100g butter
500g button mushrooms, sliced
6 large flat mushrooms, sliced
1 tbsp parsley finely chopped
Salt and pepper
6 cups of chicken stock (I made my own)
Cream, basil oil and fried mushrooms to garnish
Cook the onions, celery, garlic, and leeks in the butter until soft, use a large saucepan (or one like my favourite as pictured in the photo).
Add the mushrooms, herbs and seasoning and cook until the mushrooms are soft. Add stock and bring to the boil and simmer for 15 minutes. Cool a little, then puree soup roughly (a Whizz stick makes short work of this).
To serve, heat and garnish with a swirl of cream, basil oil, and fried mushrooms or... chives.
Serves up to 6 people.

Homemade Alphabet Chicken Soup

I had a 6 year old grandchild with me during the holidays and pondered on what would keep her amused for an hour or so while I worked in the kitchen. I was preparing soup for lunch and decided to make it a bit different so as to include her. I got a bowl of alphabet pasta and asked her to pick out all the letters in her name and told her we were going to make soup named after her! Homework for her - peace for me - she happily did that for about about 30 minutes! which allowed me to get on with the work at hand.

I have recently taken to making my own vegetable stock, it really makes a difference to the final flavour of any soup or casserole. It is simple and satisfying to make and doesn't have the artificial salty after taste the powdered stuff has.  Start your stock with any left over vegetable water, I used the water from cooking pumpkin for a cake. Place this water in a large pot, add any vegetables you have available - peeled and chopped. I use carrot, a bit of the very end of a leek (before the white starts - no waste in my house!), celery - including a bit of the leaves and a bit of parsley, how much really depends on what is in the chiller and the intensity and amount of the stock you need. It is best not to use brassicas as the flavour is a bit overpowering! Allow it all to boil for 30 minutes or so then add salt and pepper to taste. You can now leave the cooked vegetables in the water or (if using for another dish) strain and retain the stock. Leave to cool for a bit before attempting next step.

Mini kitchen whizz and stick - really handy for any small amount of ingredients

Next - get out your wonderful whizz stick and puree all the vegetables in the pot along with the stock - viola! - you now have the base for your chicken soup.
Add about a cup of shredded cooked chicken and your 'alphabets' lots of them is more fun - heat for about 10 minutes and serve with buttered hot Burgen toast or a crispy roll - divine, simple homemade and inexpensive and the grandchild loved it!

Homemade Alphabet Chicken Soup

I had a 6 year old grandchild with me during the holidays and pondered on what would keep her amused for an hour or so while I worked in the kitchen. I was preparing soup for lunch and decided to make it a bit different so as to include her. I got a bowl of alphabet pasta and asked her to pick out all the letters in her name and told her we were going to make soup named after her! Homework for her - peace for me - she happily did that for about about 30 minutes! which allowed me to get on with the work at hand.

I have recently taken to making my own vegetable stock, it really makes a difference to the final flavour of any soup or casserole. It is simple and satisfying to make and doesn't have the artificial salty after taste the powdered stuff has.  Start your stock with any left over vegetable water, I used the water from cooking pumpkin for a cake. Place this water in a large pot, add any vegetables you have available - peeled and chopped. I use carrot, a bit of the very end of a leek (before the white starts - no waste in my house!), celery - including a bit of the leaves and a bit of parsley, how much really depends on what is in the chiller and the intensity and amount of the stock you need. It is best not to use brassicas as the flavour is a bit overpowering! Allow it all to boil for 30 minutes or so then add salt and pepper to taste. You can now leave the cooked vegetables in the water or (if using for another dish) strain and retain the stock. Leave to cool for a bit before attempting next step.

Mini kitchen whizz and stick - really handy for any small amount of ingredients

Next - get out your wonderful whizz stick and puree all the vegetables in the pot along with the stock - viola! - you now have the base for your chicken soup.
Add about a cup of shredded cooked chicken and your 'alphabets' lots of them is more fun - heat for about 10 minutes and serve with buttered hot Burgen toast or a crispy roll - divine, simple homemade and inexpensive and the grandchild loved it!

Warm up with Mexican Bean Soup

A great recipe is one that is quick and easy to make and one you can whip up with what is already in your cupboard or fridge. With the snow in Christchurch today this soup would be perfect as it ticks all the boxes for flavour and simplicity with a little bit of heat!.
The original recipe came from the Chocolate Frog Cafe and it appeared as a request in the Dominion Post Life magazine. It is so delicious and if served with crusty bread or hot buttered toast can be a meal in itself. Perfect for a winter lunch.

Makes 4 servings

1 tbsp oil

1 onion finely diced

2 cloves of garlic

1/4 tsp chilli flakes (more if you wish)

4 carrots diced

4 sticks celery sliced

2 x 400g tins tomatoes

2 cups vegetable stock

2 capsicums (red and green)

1 bunch fresh coriander(use both leaf and stalks)

1 tin kidney beans

2 tsp brown sugar

Salt and Pepper to taste

Chipotle Tabasco to taste ( I used 1/2 tsp Smoked Paprika instead)

Heat the oil, sweat the onions and garlic. Add carrots and celery and chilli flakes and cook until tender. Add tomatoes, capsicums, beans and coriander. Bring to boil and simmer 30 minutes. Add brown sugar. Season to taste, and add chipotle to give the soup a smokey flavour. Garnish with sour cream and chopped coriander.

Warm up with Mexican Bean Soup

A great recipe is one that is quick and easy to make and one you can whip up with what is already in your cupboard or fridge. With the snow in Christchurch today this soup would be perfect as it ticks all the boxes for flavour and simplicity with a little bit of heat!.
The original recipe came from the Chocolate Frog Cafe and it appeared as a request in the Dominion Post Life magazine. It is so delicious and if served with crusty bread or hot buttered toast can be a meal in itself. Perfect for a winter lunch.

Makes 4 servings

1 tbsp oil

1 onion finely diced

2 cloves of garlic

1/4 tsp chilli flakes (more if you wish)

4 carrots diced

4 sticks celery sliced

2 x 400g tins tomatoes

2 cups vegetable stock

2 capsicums (red and green)

1 bunch fresh coriander(use both leaf and stalks)

1 tin kidney beans

2 tsp brown sugar

Salt and Pepper to taste

Chipotle Tabasco to taste ( I used 1/2 tsp Smoked Paprika instead)

Heat the oil, sweat the onions and garlic. Add carrots and celery and chilli flakes and cook until tender. Add tomatoes, capsicums, beans and coriander. Bring to boil and simmer 30 minutes. Add brown sugar. Season to taste, and add chipotle to give the soup a smokey flavour. Garnish with sour cream and chopped coriander.

1-2-3 Winter soup

One of the joys of cooking is sharing with others. It is a wet, windy and miserable day in the Capital today! Before the rain started we shared a lovely breakfast with family, with lots of fabulous food perfectly cooked on a BBQ (although I turned down the fried Black Pudding but those who like it really like it!) We really enjoy sitting down and eating together in fine Italian tradition. We see it as a great opportunity to catch up on news and family stories and we talk a lot about food  and wine - funny that! I am very hot on making sure the food we eat is good for you, which is probably why I prefer home-made most of the time. My theory is good food does not have to be expensive or hard to do, you just need to plan well and buy in season.

I recently made this soup and it ended up as dinner for us, lunch for a builder and dinner for an artist on a budget and we still had some left over to have for lunch the next day and lots to freeze for a later time. I love the simplicity of the recipe, just lovely fresh sweet vegetables and stock and it's cheap to make! Don't be put off by the much maligned swede, it adds a special flavour to the soup.

I am not sure where I got the recipe from, it might have been from Radio NZ National about 5 years ago.

Recipe

One swede - peeled and grated

2 big chunks of pumpkin - skin off and grated

3 large carrots - peeled and grated

4 sticks of celery - if you like - chopped (this is my addition to the recipe)

1/2 to 3/4 cup yellow split peas - (another personal addition to the recipe)

Vegetable stock or if you prefer chicken stock.

Add about 2 cups of stock to a large pot, add split peas and boil for about 20 minutes until they soften a bit. Add all the grated and chopped vegetables and boil for about 30 - 40 minutes. Keep and eye on it and stir every now and then. It will reduce down and become really thick, add more stock if you need to and check for saltiness, add pepper too. The soup can be whizzed to a finer consistency but I prefer the chunkier style.

Serve hot with buttered hot rolls or toast and forget about the cold outside!

1-2-3 Winter soup

One of the joys of cooking is sharing with others. It is a wet, windy and miserable day in the Capital today! Before the rain started we shared a lovely breakfast with family, with lots of fabulous food perfectly cooked on a BBQ (although I turned down the fried Black Pudding but those who like it really like it!) We really enjoy sitting down and eating together in fine Italian tradition. We see it as a great opportunity to catch up on news and family stories and we talk a lot about food  and wine - funny that! I am very hot on making sure the food we eat is good for you, which is probably why I prefer home-made most of the time. My theory is good food does not have to be expensive or hard to do, you just need to plan well and buy in season.

I recently made this soup and it ended up as dinner for us, lunch for a builder and dinner for an artist on a budget and we still had some left over to have for lunch the next day and lots to freeze for a later time. I love the simplicity of the recipe, just lovely fresh sweet vegetables and stock and it's cheap to make! Don't be put off by the much maligned swede, it adds a special flavour to the soup.

I am not sure where I got the recipe from, it might have been from Radio NZ National about 5 years ago.

Recipe

One swede - peeled and grated

2 big chunks of pumpkin - skin off and grated

3 large carrots - peeled and grated

4 sticks of celery - if you like - chopped (this is my addition to the recipe)

1/2 to 3/4 cup yellow split peas - (another personal addition to the recipe)

Vegetable stock or if you prefer chicken stock.

Add about 2 cups of stock to a large pot, add split peas and boil for about 20 minutes until they soften a bit. Add all the grated and chopped vegetables and boil for about 30 - 40 minutes. Keep and eye on it and stir every now and then. It will reduce down and become really thick, add more stock if you need to and check for saltiness, add pepper too. The soup can be whizzed to a finer consistency but I prefer the chunkier style.

Serve hot with buttered hot rolls or toast and forget about the cold outside!