MORE SOUPS

The weather continues to encourage soup making particularly as it is a great way to provide for a group of friends coming for lunch . Certainly soup and some fresh bread makes is an easy and satisfying meal. Soups recipes also have you thinking in a different way about the vegetables you have in your fridge. Each of the recipes I have included might surprise with the use of a readily available vegetable. Spices also play a useful role in taking a humble vegetable to a new level.

CARROT SOUP

500 gm of carrots
2 sticks of celery
1 onion
1 clove of garlic
1 teaspoon of olive oil
½ teaspoon of mustard powder
1.2 teaspoon of onion seeds
Dash of Tabasco
Sprigs fo fresh thyme
½ inch ( 1 ¼ cm ) grated gingeroot
1 cups of vegetable stock
Freshly ground pepper

· Peel and chop carrots , celery , onion, and garlic.
· Soften the onion and garlic in a large saucepan with olive oil and herbs and spices.
· Add carrots and celery and simmer
· Add the stock and simmer for about 40 minutes
· Add more water if the soups thickens too much
· Blend the soup and serve with fresh bread.


From Nalaie Savona The KitchenShrink: Food and Recipes for a Healthy Mind
Duncan Baird Publishers London 2003
A great book with lots of useful ideas

SPICY SPINACH POTATO & BROAD BEAN SOUP

1 tablespoon of olive oil
1 Large red onion chopped
2 cloves of garlic crushed
3 teaspoons ground sweet paprika
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
425g can of tomatoes
4 medium potatoes, chopped
1.5 litres of vegetable stock
1 bunch of English spinach
500 packet of frozen broad beans thawed and peeled
· Heat oil in large pan and add the onion, garlic and spices: cook, stirring until onion is soft.
· Add undrained crushed tomatoes, potatoes and stock, simmer covered stirring occasionally. About 20 minutes or until the potatoes are tender.
· Add spinach and broad beans then simmer until spinach is wilted.



Easy Spanish Style Cookery The Australian Women's Weekly Home Libaray.1997

ROASTED EGGPLANT & PEPPER SOUP

Serves 6
3 large eggplants
1 large red pepper
1 tablespoon of olive oil
1 large onion
4 cloves of garlic, chopped
3 medium tomatoes chopped
1 teaspoon of ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground sweet paprika
1.5 litres ( 6 cups) of vegetable stock
¼ cup of lemon juice

Red pepper cream
1 large red pepper
1 large onion , quartered
1 ½ tablespoon water
1 tablespoon of olive oil

· Pierce eggplants several times with skewer, place on oven tray then roast uncovered in a hot oven for 45 minutes or until soft. Cool for 15 minutes, then peel eggplants , chop flesh
· Quarter pepper , remove seeds and membranes . Roast under grill or in very hot oven , skin side up , until skin blisters and blackens. Cover pepper pieces in plastic or paper for 5 minutes, peel away skin and chop.
· Heat oil in large pan, add onion and garlic and cook until onion soft. Add eggplant, pepper , tomatoes, cumin and paprika, stir for 2 minutes
· Add stock and juice . simmer and uncovered, about 20 minutes or until vegatables are just soft.
· Blend or process until smooth, press througha fine strained , discard pulp, retrun soup to the same pan , stir until hot,
· Serve with red pepper cream

Red pepper cream
· Prepare red pepper as before to remove skins,
· Grill or roast onion until soft
· Blend or process pepper and onion with water until smooth and press through a fine strainer, discard the pulp.
· Drizzle oil and blend.

PEA,MINT AND LETTUCE SOUP

1 onion
1 lettuce roughly chopped
1 packet of frozen peas
Vegetable stock
Generous handful of mint roughly chopped
Pepper and salt to taste
Olive oil

· Sauté onion in olive oil until clear
· Add lettuce frozen peas and mint
· Cover with vegetable stock
· Simmer to 15 minutes
· Blend
· Serve with sprig of fresh mint.

VEGETABLE SOUP WITH RED PESTO

½ tablespoon olive oil
1 medium onion, finely diced
1 litre vegetable stock
1 small potato , diced
2 medium carrots, peeled and diced
2 celery stalks chopped
25 g ( 1 oz) dry weight pasta shapes
110 gms ( 4 oz) French beans trimmed and cut in half
2 medium zucchini , sliced
125 g ( 4 ½ oz) butter beans (canned will do)

RED PESTO SAUCE

2 garlic cloves
15 g ( 1 oz) fresh basil
2 medium tomatoes skinned deseeded and chopped
Table spoon of pine nuts ( roasted)
Olive oil
· Blend all the ingredients in a food processor
· Serve either as a dip with fresh bread or dolloped in the middle of the soup.

Curry dishes are very popular and usually well able to be prepared in advance. Most agree that the spices infuse into the food and the flavour improves with standing fora a day or so. Although fish dishes are the exception and are to be made the day you plan the eat them. We often enjoy the company of friends sharing curry dishes and have recently enjoyed these dishes.
Included here is a fish curry ( quite mild ) and some creative ways to present chickpeas (for vegetarian protein) and two potato dishes.
The Spiced New Potato and Spinach Curry ( Dum a loo) was hunted down by my friend Anne Marie. It makes use of a slow cooker. It is easy to prepare and the results are fabulous. The dish uses onion seeds also known as Kaloonji which we were pleased to find at the Indian Grocer near to us in Osborne Park. We were delighted to find a vast array of spices, lentils and flours. You may want to look around for a specialist shop like this near you so you can give your dishes that special something.
The stuffed potato cakes appealed as I was looking for alternative ways to make pastry dishes.
More on ways to make pastry without butter later.

SILVERBEET & CHICK PEAS WITH CUMIN & CORIANDER

Olive oil 2 tablespoons and extra as desired
Onion 1 larger, finely sliced
Garlic 3 cloves finely chopped
Coriander 1 cup finely chopped
Flat leaf Parsley, Finely chopped
Cumin 1 teaspoon
Tomato paste
Silverbeet a generous bunch (well washed)
Chickpeas 2 cups cooked or 1 can drained
Stock ½ to 1 cup
Salt and pepper to taste
· Saute onion until soft and beginning to colour.
· Add garlic, coriander, parsley, cumin and tomato paste
· Add chickpeas and half the stock and simmer
· Poach silver beet ( stems intact) in a large pot of boiling water for about 5 minutes
· Drain and chop and then add to the chickpeas.
· Add remaining stock if desired and simmer for further 5 to 10 minutes
· Adjust for taste salt pepper and olive oil

INDIAN STUFFED POTATO CAKES

Serve 4 as a main 8 as a starter
Floury potatoes 2 Large
Plain flour 40g
salt ½ teaspoon
Olive oil for frying Filling
Frozen peas thawed I cup
Carrots 1 large roughly chopped
Onion 1 chopped
Red or green chilli 1 deseeded and chopped
Fresh root ginger 2cm grated
Garlic clove 1 large chopped
Sunflower oil 1/12 tablespoons
Cinnamon 1 teaspoon
Cumin 1 teaspoon
Lime juice from ½ large lime
Coriander leaves 2 tablespoons chopped
· Boil the potatoes in their skins until tender
· Drain then pull of the skins and mash the potatoes thoroughly.
· Work in the flour and salt to forma malleable pastry
· Divide into 16 pieces. Oil hands lightly.
· Take one piece of potato dough, roll into a ball, then flatten to form a circle that is roughly 8 cm (3 inches) in diameter. Repeat with the rest and then cover with a tea towel until needed.
· While the potatoes are cooking make the filling.
· Pile the vegetables chilli ginger garlic into a food processor and pulse until finely chopped, but not so fine as to make a puree.
· Heat oil in frying pan and added chopped veg.
· Stir over a moderate heat for about 5 minutes then stir in the cinnamon and cumin,
· Continue cooking for another 5 minutes or so and season with salt
· Take off the heat. Cool slightly then stir in the lime juice and coriander
· Divide into eight
· Take one the circles of potato dough , mound an eight of the filling in the centre , then cover with a second disc of dough.
· Pinch the edges together to seal.
· Roll back into a ball, then flatten to form a potato cake .
· Repeat with the remaining dough and filling
· Heat 2 tablespoon and oil in a heavy frying pan over a moderate heat.
· Lay the potato cakes in the pan without over crowding. The oil should sizzle as they come into contact with if. If it is too cool the cakes will stick to the pan. Leave them to cook – without moving them around – for 3 to 4 minutes then turn and brown the other side.

BRAISED SPICY CHICK PEAS

Serves 4
¼ cup olive oil
1 onion sliced
2 teaspoon crushed garlic
I tablespoon coriander seed
1 tablespoon cumin seeds, ground
1 cinnamon stick
1 red chilli chopped
2 X 40g cans of chickpeas, drained
2 cups of tomato puree.
Salt and freshly ground pepper
½ cup flat leaf parsely roughly chopped
¼ cup of coriander leaves roughly chopped
Cucumber chopped to garnish.
· Sauté onion in olive oil until onions are tender but not coloured
· Add garlic, spices and chilli and cook 2 minutes longer
· Add chick peas and tomato puree
· Season well and simmer until the sauce has reduced and thickened
· Fold through herbs, garnish with cucumber and serve

FISH WITH LEMON GRASS

Serves 4
BEST MADE BEFORE SERVING

Boneless fish fillets 1 kg
Olive oil ¼ cup
Large onions sliced 3
Garlic cloves crushed 4
Fresh ginger chopped 2 tablespoons
Ground turmeric 1 teaspoon
Chopped fresh lemon grass 1 tablespoon
Brown vinegar 2 tablespoons
Fish sauce 1 Tablespoon
Water ½ cup
Tomatoes 2 medium chopped
Fresh coriander 2 tablespoons chopped

· Cut fish into strips
· Heat oil in large frying pan, add fish and stir over medium heat for a few minutes until fish is firm.
· Remove from heat and keep warm
· Add onions and garlic to the same pan, stir over medium heat for about 5 minute or until the onions are soft.
· Stir in ginger, turmeric, lemon grass, vinegar and fish sauce. Bring to the boil, reduce heat, and simmer uncovered for 3 minutes.
· Stir in fish and water and bring to the boil, reduce heat, simmer, uncovered for about 5 minutes or until fish is tender.
· Stir in tomatoes, cook over low heat until the mixture is heated through.
· Serve sprinkled with coriander.

SPICED NEW POTATO & SPINACH CURRY (Dum a loo)

Serves 4

2 tablespoons Sunflower oil
1 large onion . sliced
1 teaspoon cumin seeds crushed
4 cardamom pods, crushed
1 teaspoon black onion seeds also known as KALOONJI (optional)
I teaspoon ground turmeric
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
2.5 cm ( I inch ) fresh root ginger, peeled and finely chopped
400 g ( 13 oz) can chopped tomatoes
300 ml( ½ pint) vegetable stock
1 teaspoon caster sugar
750g( 1 ½ pint) vegetable stock
1 teaspoon caster sugar
75- g ( 1 ½ lb) baby potatoes
100 g 3 ½ oz baby leaf spinach
Salt and pepper
Coriander leaves to garnish


· Heat oil in large frying pan and sauté onions until slightly brown
· Mix cumin seeds cardamom pods and seeds, onion seeds (if using) ground spices and ginger. Cook for one minute, then mix in the tomatoes stock, sugar and season well with salt and pepper. Bring to the boil. Stirring
· Cut the potatoes into thick slices or halves (if they are small) so all the pieces are similar size. Transfer to the slow cooker and pour the sauce over the top
· Cover and cook for 6-7 hours or until the potatoes are tender. Add spinach and cook on high for 15 minutes more until it is just wilted.
· Stir the curry and serve sprinkled with torn coriander leaves.

From “The Ultimate Slow Cooker “ Sara Lewis Hamlyn 2008
Slow cooker temperature High