Another Delicious Soup Recipe

This afternoon I felt like soup but I just couldn't quite put my finger on the type that I felt like. I was staring into the fridge and freezer as you do when you're hungry and a saw a bag of frozen corn and the idea popped into my head!

Chowder first originated in America and is basically a milk based soup. It is usually made with seafood, most commonly clams, but I decided to go for a meat option and used bacon. I was pleasantly surprised and definitely recommend giving this recipe a try

Corn Chowder:

Ingredients: (Serves 4)

• 1 celery stalk
• 1 medium onion
• 1 ½ tablespoons butter
• ½ teaspoon dried thyme 
• 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
• 3 cups (1%) milk
• 2 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into little cubes
• A small bunch spring onions
• 2 cups frozen corn
• ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
• 200g streaky bacon 
• Salt and Pepper









Ingredients

 Method:

1. Chop the onion and the celery.
2. Heat the butter in a medium saucepan, over a medium heat. Add the onion and the celery and saute until brown. While the vegetables are cooking peel and cube the potatoes, and fry the bacon.
3. Pour the flour over the vegetables and fry for a few more minutes (at this stage you may need to add a bit more butter).
4. Pour in the milk and add the potatoes. Bring to the boil and carry on stirring so the soup doesn't stick to the pot. It should take about 10 minutes for the potatoes to cook
5. Meanwhile, thinly slice the spring onions. When the potatoes are cooked add the corn, bacon and the spring onions.
6. Bring the soup back up to the boil and sprinkle on some thinly sliced spring onion and crispy bacon bits
7. serve with fresh crusty bread.

Ready to enjoy!

 This recipe was adapted from a Jamie Oliver recipe.

Creamy Cauliflower and Blue cheese soup for a Winter's day

Yesterday the weather in Cape Town was really miserable. The wind was howling, there was thunder and lightning and hail and nothing suited the family more than a delicious warm bowl of soup. So I felt like being slightly origional by not making the usual, instead, I made a creamy cauliflower and Blue cheese soup, and what a delight it was.

Here is the recipe, for you to make and enjoy :)

Creamy Cauliflower and Blue Cheese Soup

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 large onion, coarsely chopped.
• 2 medium potatoes, peeled and coarsely chopped
• 500g cauliflower or broccoli, trimmed and chopped
• 2 litres chicken stock
• 125ml cream
• 150g mild blue cheese, crumbled



Ingredients



Method:

1. Cook onion until soft. Add potato and cook for 2 minutes.
2. Add stock, bring to the boil and simmer uncovered for +/- 10 mins, add the cauliflower and simmer until the potato is tender and the cauliflower is cooked.
3. Blend or process the soup, until well pureed. (if the soup is a bit watery, reduce it for a while)
4. Return soup to stove, add cream and half the cheese, stir over heat until hot.
5. Divide soup amoung serving bowls, and sprinkle with remaining cheese.
6. Garnish with cream and parsley.



Enjoy!

Recipe Source: Silwood School of Cookery

Delicious Butternut soup with a dash of heat

Soup can be the perfect meal. Some people may think that soup is boring and that it takes ages to prepare for something that isn't very filling but this recipe is quick, simple and hearty.  Anything can be added to a basic butternut soup recipe. Add a protein to make your soup more filling and any spices or extra ingredients you enjoy. Here I added a variety or spices and bacon and Chorizo (a spicy Spanish sausage) to make it more of a main meal. I also used yoghurt instead of cream as a fat free option. Play around with flavour combinations until you find the perfect one.

Serve your soup with a fresh loaf of your favouite bread.  

Spicy Butternut soup with Chorizo

Ingredients: (serves 2 to 3)

• 1 medium onion (I used spring onions)
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 50g butter
• 900g pumpkin or butternut
• 1 tablespoon of coriander seeds
• 2 teaspoons cumin seeds
• 1 teaspoon dried red chilly
• 1 litre of chicken stock
• 8 rashes of smoked bacon
• 100ml yoghurt or cream
• chorizo and crutons to serve



Ingredients

 Method:

1. Peel and roughly chop the onion and the garlic.
2. Melt the butter in a large, heavy based saucepan and cook the onion and garlic until soft and translucent.
3. Roughly chop the pumpkin into cubes and add to the onion.
4. Cook until the pumpkin is golden brown on the edges.
5. Toast the coriander, chilly and the cumin in a small pan over a low heat for about 2 minutes, until they tart to smell warm and nutty.
6. Grind the roasted spices with a pestle and mortar.
7. Add the spices to the onion and pumpkin.
8. Cook for a minute or so, then add the stock.
9. Leave to simmer for 20 minutes or until the pumpkin is tender
10. Fry the bacon and sliced chorizo in the pan in which you toasted the spices it should be crisp then cut it up into small pieces.
11. Whizz up he soup with blender or food processor until smooth.
12. Pour in the yoghurt or cream and taste for seasoning adding salt and pepper to taste.
13. Serve piping hot with the bacon and chorizo bits on top with some crutons



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