Sopa de Camote

My grandmother recently sent me a handwritten notebook containing some of the recipes she used to cook when I was a boy. One of the recipes was for sweet potato soup. I can’t actually say that I remember eating such soup, but I do remember that sweet potato was commonly eaten in the form of a sweet paste, called Dulce de Batata, with queso (a soft bland cheese) in much the same way as one would eat quince paste. I am now feeling inspired to make my own Dulce de Batata- I will get back to you on that one.
I have added cinnamon and rosemary to my grandmother’s austere formula, just because I always like to add some sparkle to my life. I honestly don’t know what my granny would think of cinnamon being included in a savory soup but I can tell you that it works extremely well.
I know sweet potatoes are not very summery, but I decided to do this recipe now because it is quick and easy and we all know how stressful December can be. And I wish to also dedicate it to my friend Vida, who is sweet, down to earth and humble just like a sweet potato. And just the same way that everyone loves potatoes, every one loves Vida too. XXX

Components
Olive oil
1 red onion, finely chopped
1 large cinnamon stick
1 rosemary branch (about 10 cm)
1 kilo sweet potatoes (I use the orange variety which is very common here in Australia), peeled and cut into cubes
Stock
Sea salt
Fresh black pepper and nutmeg
Crispy grilled pancetta
Crème fraiche
Fresh chopped parsley

Process
In a large saucepan sauté the onion and rosemary stalk in the olive oil for about 10 minutes or until softened. Discard the rosemary.
Add the sweet potato and cinnamon stick.
Add enough stock to submerge the ingredients.
Simmer for about 20 minutes or until the sweet potato is cooked through.
Remove the cinnamon stick.
Puree the soup and season with pepper and nutmeg.
Serve the soup hot, with crème fraiche, crispy pancetta pieces and chopped parsley.

Leek and Potato Soup

I think springtime is a nice time for leek and potato soup.
I had previously made this soup and had some left in the fridge, and the other week when some black truffle was delivered to my door, I couldn’t help crumbling a couple of slices into the reheated soup. It was a superb blend of flavours.
If you want this soup to be truly fantastic, you should use an abundance of leeks. I use an equal quantity of leek and potato. Otherwise, the soup turns out like watery mashed potatoes, and that’s dreadfully boring.
And while we are on the subject of flavour, I use a combination of different potatoes- waxy Desires and King Edwards for flavour, and floury Toolangi Delights for creamy texture. The earthiness of the potato is accentuated by adding a touch of cumin.
Chilled leek and potato soup, otherwise known as Vichyssoise, has never appealed to me. I like this soup hot, but if you prefer it chilled, then please yourself.

Components
500g sliced leek, white part only
1 tsp ground cumin
500g cubed and peeled potatoes
Butter or duck fat
1 brown onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
Stock
Sea salt
Black pepper
Bacon lardons, fried until golden brown
Sour cream
Sea salt
Fresh black pepper

Process.
Begin by making sure your leeks are dirt-free. You may need to rinse them thoroughly.
Heat the butter or duck fat and sweat the leek, onion and garlic over a gentle heat for about 20-30 minutes. It is important that the leek cooks right down, but don’t allow to brown.
Add the cumin and continue to cook for another minute.
Add the potatoes. Cover with stock and simmer for 30 minutes.
Puree the soup- I leave mine a little chunky.
Season with salt and pepper.
Serve with crispy bacon lardons and sour cream. Makes about four serves.

Celeriac & Chestnut Soup

This soup is utterly delicious.
I had been thinking of making it for some time. When I did finally make it for the first time last week, Mike and I were so pleasantly surprised with its delicate and fragrant flavour that I wondered why I hadn’t made it earlier during the autumn and winter. I just had to write about it and share it with others.
We all know how easy frozen chestnuts are to use. I don’t recommend using fresh chestnuts unless you intend having a nervous breakdown. Peeling chestnuts has to be the most painfully tedious kitchen job of all. I am much happier to use the frozen version, if it will keep me from going insane!

Components
400g frozen, ready peeled chestnuts
1 celeriac (about 800g)
1 brown onion, finely chopped
Olive oil and unsalted butter (for sautéing)
3 fresh bay leaves
1 strip orange zest
Stock (game stock works very well)
1 slice pancetta, about 1cm thick
2 or 3 juniper berries, crushed
Sea salt
Cream, 35% milk fat

Process
Thaw the chestnuts and bring them to room temperature.
Peel the celeriac and cut it into cubes about the same size as the chestnuts. You need about 400g of celeriac for the soup.
In a soup pot, heat a splash of olive oil and a piece of butter. Sauté the onion very gently for about 10 minutes. Do not allow it to brown- the flavours in this soup are meant to be delicate.
Add the chestnuts and celeriac.
Add enough stock to submerge the vegetables.
Add the piece of pancetta, bay leaves and strip of orange zest. Bring to the simmer and cook at this steady pace for about 30 minutes- all should become tender.
Remove the pancetta and reserve. Remove the bay leaves and discard.
Puree the soup using whatever gadget you possess in your kitchen arsenal.
Season with sea salt if need be.
Cut the pancetta into small cubes. Place it into a small saucepan with a few drops of oil, and fry it gently until it has browned. During the last few moments, add the crushed juniper berries to the browning pancetta and remove the saucepan from the heat.
Bring the soup to a simmer when you are ready to serve, adding a splash of cream to enrichen the concoction. You can stir the pancetta into the soup at the last minute, or you can use it to sprinkle over at the end. Either way is delicious. Serves 4.

Acquacotta

The first time I made this soup was about 6 or 7 years ago. I followed the recipe to the letter from one of the River Café cookbooks. Nowadays when I prepare this dish I don’t refer to the book. In fact it has transformed over the years from their original formula (a bit like me).
The beauty of this soup is in the simplicity and that it doesn’t require stock, like most other soups do. Traditionally you use plain water instead. That’s why it is called “Acquacotta”. It literally means “cooked water” in Italian.
Mike and I adore this soup. It really is a feast. The poached egg makes it complete. It is also a fabulous hang over cure. When I was a single guy, I remember coming home after a night out on the prowl, desperate, dateless and very drunk. This soup tasted heavenly at 6am in the morning. Of course I didn’t make it from scratch at the crack of dawn (and in such a state of inebriation). I had the soup in the fridge, ready to go. All that was needed was to heat the soup, toast the bread and poach the egg. Even when I am blind drunk I can put together a good dish! Of course it tastes just as good without the hangover.

This is how I prepare my Acquacotta (enough for 4-6 serves):
Soak about 50g of dried porcini in boiling water.
In the meantime chop into 1cm cubes- 1 large red onion, 2 medium peeled carrots, 4 celery stalks and 200g swiss brown mushrooms.
Strain the porcini through a tissue lined sieve and reserve the liquid. Rinse the porcini pieces under a tap of running water and ensure all the grit is removed.
Place all your chopped veggies and a few spoonfuls of olive oil into a soup pot. Cover the pot and sweat the veggies for 30 minutes. Add a couple of fresh bay leaves and some chopped fresh rosemary and parsley too.
Open a tin of Italian tomatoes (400g) and crush them to a rough puree. Add the tomatoes with their juice and porcini liquid to the softened vegetables, and enough water to make a soupy consistency. Season with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Simmer for 30- 60 minutes, the longer the better. Adjust the seasoning and correct the consistency by adding more water if it needs it. Not too thick, not too thin. Somewhere in between is right. Just like Goldilocks liked it…
Toast slices of dense crusty bread. I like to use my char grill, but a regular grill will suffice. Whilst the bread is toasting, poach one egg per serve (free range or organic please). Have ready a peppery and intensely flavoured green olive oil to drizzle.
For the final construction, watch my visual demonstration.



Until next time…

Minestrone d'inverno

Lets get one thing straight, this is not an attractive soup. In fact, it is damned ugly to the eye. But do not allow looks to deceive you- it is beautifully sweet and full of flavour.
There seems to be a lot of misunderstanding as what constitutes “minestrone”.
In Australia people seem to think it’s a tomato flavoured broth with soggy pasta. This is so far removed as to what Italian minestrone is that I find it hilarious. Very simply, you choose the freshest of vegetables in season and simmer them with stock until you have a thick chunky soup. The result will be a delicious vegetable soup in which not one particular vegetable stands out. All the vegetables will be well cooked and almost falling apart, their flavours merging pleasantly.
Minestrone is prepared all year round. The time of year will dictate exactly what goes into the soup. Artichokes, asparagus, broad beans and spinach would go into a springtime minestrone. In summer you would make your minestrone with peas, new waxy potatoes, tomatoes and zucchini and serve it at room temperature with a spoonful of fresh pesto. During autumn you could use chestnuts, fennel, squash and wild mushrooms. And in winter you could try cavolo nero, leeks or savoy cabbage
I must admit I am not a fan of pasta in minestrone. I sometimes include rice (like they do in Lombardia) but this soup is so substantial, I often don’t. If you do decide to add rice, cook it separately and only mix it into the soup as you eat it. This way the rice will remain firm and wont become sodden left hanging around in the leftover soup.
And just one more thing, I have specified proper homemade stock in this receipt. Genuine stock will give the soup a luscious, velvety texture. I am not going to be a “Soup Nazi” and insist you use the real thing. You can use stock cubes- I promise I wont report you to the culinary police!

Ingredients
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, plus extra to serve
40g unsalted cultured butter
100g pancetta, cut into small cubes
2 red onions
5 carrots, peeled
5 celery stalks, peeled
2 leeks, white parts only
5 potatoes, peeled
½ savoy cabbage
1 bunch silver beet, rinsed and stalks removed
Fresh sage, chopped
2 x 400g tins cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
Fresh stock, enough to cover the vegetables
Sea salt
Fresh black pepper
Freshly grated Grana Padano, to taste

Method
Chop the vegetables into small cubes (about the same size as the cannellini beans). The cabbage and silver beet should be shredded finely.
In a large soup pot melt the butter with the oil over a low heat.
Begin by gently sautéing the pancetta in the butter and oil.
Add the vegetables to the butter, oil and pancetta in the order listed and sauté each one for a few minutes before adding the next vegetable.
When all the vegetables (except the cannellini) have been gently sautéed in the pot, add the sage, cover with stock and simmer gently for 1- 2 hours.
Add the cannellini and continue to simmer for another 10 minutes.
You can adjust the consistency to thicken, by pureeing a small amount of the soup, or by adding a touch of water to thin the texture.
Add Grana Padano to taste and check the seasoning. Serve in soup bowls, drizzled with extra virgin olive oil and more Grano Padano.
This amount makes a big pot of soup, enough for many serves. You can leave out the pancetta if you are vegetarian. I like to add it because it adds a nice depth of flavour.

Chicken Story 3 - Spices and Chickpea

It being winter in my world also means influenza season is upon us. And unfortunately Mike was violently struck down last week. With the flu that is…

Which means one grumpy gay guy and another bitchy gay guy stuck in an apartment together, all day long. One is grumpy because he is sick; the other is bitchy because the grumpy one is getting on his nerves. And so the bitchy one just gets bitchier and bitchier. Get the picture. It’s a vicious circle. But, they love each other. Immensely.
The bitchy one decides to make a restorative chicken soup in the hope that the grumpy one will get better, and go back to work, leaving the bitchy one in peace. After five long and intense days, during which the bitchy one goes on several solitary shopping expeditions to escape the all prevailing grumpiness, the ailing grumpy one recovers and he returns to the workplace. The bitchy one is convinced the recovery had something to do with his delicious and magical broth. The grumpy one knows better, and pretends to agree. At last, all is well again…

I promise this to be the last installment of “The Chicken Trilogy”. There will be no “Revenge of the Supermarket Chicken”.

Spicy Chicken Broth with Chickpea Dumplings

Ingredients
For the broth:
1 kilo corn fed, free range, organic chicken wings
1 onion, peeled, cut into chunks
1 carrot, peeled, cut into chunks
1 celery stalk, cut into chunks
1 garlic clove, peeled but kept whole
Peppercorns- black and white
Cardamom pods
Cumin seeds
Fresh ginger, cut into slices
Saffron threads, a large pinch
Turmeric
Whole dried red chili
Sea salt
Fresh lime or lemon, juice and zest, finely chopped

For the dumplings:
I small onion, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
250g minced chicken
100g chickpea flour
All of the spices above

Method
Place all of the ingredient (except your chosen citrus) for the broth into a stockpot. I used about 5 grams of each spice, more or less. Find the balance you like. I also crushed the spices very lightly to release the aromas, with the mortar and pestle.
Cover with cold water. Bring just to the simmer, and cook very slowly for 2- 3 hours. I never boil my stock; I keep the temperature below a simmer. This keeps the stock crystal clear.

Strain when you are happy with the flavour and discard all the solids. You can season the broth with chicken stock cube instead of salt. There is nothing wrong at all with this practice- my grandmother does it, and so do restaurants I have worked in.
In the meantime, you can prepare the dumplings.Sauté the onion and garlic in the olive oil gently, for about 15 minutes to soften.

In a bowl mix together with a wooden spoon, the chicken, chickpea flour, the softened onion and garlic.

Add to the mixture, all of the same spices that went into the broth. Use only pinches of each one and make sure they are finely ground. Again find the balance you like. Season well with salt.

Roll them into small meatballs.

Poach them in simmering water for 15- 20 minutes or until cooked through. Drain them using a slotted spoon.
To serve: place the hot meatballs into a soup bowl, however many you like. Top with the boiling chicken broth. Sprinkle the citrus zest over each bowl and add a squeeze of the juice too. Delicious. Makes about 4 –6 serves.

Cheesy Onion and Cumin Soup

It is currently 9 am and 9 chilly degrees as I write this story in the city of Melbourne, Australia. Hello winter!
For the first time in my life, I decided to make the very famous French onion soup. And what a great choice it was. Making a wonderful appearance from a hot oven, like a cheesy volcanic eruption, this soup is perfectly suited for the cold season.
Of course, me being me, I couldn’t make this classic dish without giving it my own touch. As I gently sautéed the onions for this golden soup, I had a flash of divine inspiration from the culinary gods, somewhere from the faraway heavens. They whispered to me to add a smidgen of cumin to the onions, helping to round out the flavours and to complement the molten cheese in the finished soup. Thank You!

I have 2 points of importance in preparing this potage:

1. You will need to make your own brown stock. I say this, not because I have anything against stock cubes and their convenience, but only because this soup is made from a very basic flavor profile, which includes onion, stock, cheese and bread. In other words, there isn’t really much there to begin with, and using stock cubes just wont cut it. Stock cubes lack body. If you make this soup from stock cubes you will be very disappointed- it will taste of salty onion water. Making stock isn’t very hard at all and for this dish you need not worry about keeping it crystal clear. Just cook some beef on the bone (beef shin is perfect), with onion, celery, carrot, parsley stalks, bay, thyme and peppercorns, covered with water, very very gently. Do not boil and keep it under the simmer. The water should barely move. It should be ready after about 3 hours, but if you are low on time, 1 hour is fine.


2. The bread used is of great importance. Buy a real loaf of bread from a real baker. Not from Brumbys, or Bakers Delight. And certainly not from a Vietnamese bakery. You will need a dense, heavy white bread, with a solid crust. Phillipas bakery makes superb bread in this fashion- I used her Pane Francese Naturale. If you use bad bread, your soup will have the texture of glue, and the taste of cheap bread mix. You have been warned…

Ingredients
50g unsalted cultured butter
1 kilo brown onions, peeled and thinly sliced
4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 tbsp brown sugar
1 –2 tsp ground cumin
300ml dry white wine
1.5 litres homemade stock, rich and brown
Bouquet of herbs (fresh bay, thyme, parsley)
4 slices European style bread, crusty and dense
200g gruyere cheese, grated
Sea salt
Fresh black pepper
Fresh chopped parsley, to garnish

Method
You will need a wide saucepan able to accommodate the onions. Over the lowest heat cook the onions, garlic, sugar, cumin and cumin for 1 hour. Stir from time to time.The onions should be golden brown, sweet and aromatic after this time.
Transfer the onion mix to a soup pot.
Deglaze the saucepan you used to cook the onions with the white wine and then pour into the soup pot also.
Add the stock and bouquet of herbs and simmer for 30minutes (or longer if you wish).
Turn the oven to 200c.
Place a slice of bread into 4 deep oven proof soup bowls. Place the soup bowls on a baking tray.
Season the onion soup and ladle over the pieces of bread.
Sprinkle over the cheese and bake until the cheese has melted and the top is golden brown.
Sprinkle with parsley and serve immediately.
Nothing else is needed with this soup, it is so delicious and satisfying. Serves 4.

Pumpkins and Soup

The cute and little pumpkins pictured here go by the name of Dumplings. I bought these, because I was seduced by their prettiness and small size (like me). They have a sweet nutty flavour and a texture which is more like a sweet potato than a pumpkin. The flesh of these pumpkins are a little too mild for soup, but they are divine when roasted with extra virgin olive oil, sea salt and black pepper.

I didn’t plan to write of pumpkin soup but this one was so lovely that I had to share the recipe. The caramelized onion, tomatoes and bacon make this soup special. Of course, if you are vegetarian you can leave out the bacon, but I think it does complete the dish.

The Laughing Cow cheese is there for a nostalgic fun, my mother would often add a spoonful of cream cheese to soups and stews when I was a little boy :)

Pumpkin and Tomato Soup

Ingredients
20g butter
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, plus extra
1 large red onion, thinly sliced
1 tsp sticky brown sugar
1 rosemary sprig
1.5 kilo cubed pumpkin (cleaned weight)
400g tin Italian tomatoes, chopped
Beef stock, to cover (cubes are fine)
Sea salt
Fresh black pepper
100g bacon, finely diced
Freshly grated Parmesan or Grana, to taste
Single portions of “Laughing Cow”, to serve

Method
Place the onion, rosemary, butter and olive oil into a soup pot. Turn the heat to the lowest setting and cook very gently for 30 minutes or until the onions are soft and caramelized. Discard the rosemary sprig.
Add the brown sugar and cook for 1 minute, watching the sugar does not burn.
Tumble in the pumpkin cubes and the tomatoes.
Add enough stock to barely cover and simmer for 30 minutes until the pumpkin is tender.
In the meantime, place the bacon with a few drops of olive oil into a small saucepan and over a low heat cook the bacon until brown and crispy. Drain the bacon on paper towels and discard the rendered fat in the saucepan.
Puree the soup using whatever gadget you possess. I like mine to have a bit of texture. Adjust the consistency with extra stock (if too thick).
When you are ready to eat, reheat the soup. Once the soup has boiled again, remove from the heat and season with the parmesan or grana, salt and pepper.
Serve the soup in deep bowls with a ½ cube of laughing cow cheese per serve and a sprinkling of crispy bacon.
You should get about 8 generous serves.

Beetroot and Carrot Soup

Today’s recipe is not only easy to make, but beautiful to look at and more importantly, beautiful to eat as well. I am absolutely mad about beetroots, and if I were to compile a list of my favorite ingredients, I would include them in the top ten.
I took the inspiration for this soup from “Gennaro’s Italian Year” by Gennaro Contaldo, a wonderful book I recently read. And when I say inspiration, that’s exactly what I mean. My version and his version couldn’t be more different. The original soup is rather austere in the way that Italian soups tend to be. In my creation I have taken the liberty to use two very un-Italian flavors. Cumin to complement the root vegetables, and cream whipped with mustard to accessorise the finished puree.


Ingredients
15g butter
1 tbsp olive oil
1 red onion, finely chopped
1 celery stalk, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
2 tsp ground cumin
650g carrot, peeled and chopped
650g beetroots, peeled and chopped
650g potato, peeled and chopped
Stock (I used chicken stock cubes)
1 tsp brown sugar
100ml cream (35% milk fat) or milk
Sea salt
Fresh pepper (black and white)
Raspberry vinegar, to taste
Freshly chopped parsley
Cream and wholegrain mustard, whipped together

Method.
Gently cook the onion, celery and garlic in the butter and oil in a soup pot. Sauté for about 15 minutes or until softened. Do not allow to become golden.
Add the cumin and sauté for another minute.
Add the carrot, beetroot and potato. Cover with stock and add the sugar. Simmer for 1 hour, or until the beetroot is tender.
Allow to cool.
Puree the soup using whatever apparatus you happen to own. Add the cream or milk. Adjust the consistency of the soup to suit, using stock, milk or water.
Reheat and season to taste with salt, both peppers and a splash of raspberry vinegar. The vinegar is there to provide a touch of background acidity to balance the sweetness of vegetables, and richness of the cream. Use the vinegar sparingly. Ideally you don’t want the soup to taste of vinegar, and certainly not of raspberries.
Serve in soup bowls garnished with parsley and the mustard cream.
Note-I used about 100ml of cream to 2 tsp of wholegrain mustard.

La Ribollita Estiva

I have written of this famous Tuscan soup in the past. Traditionally this thick winter soup is made with cavolo nero, beans and sturdy Tuscan bread. It is reboiled the following day, hence the name, “La Ribollita”. Ribollire translates to reboil from Italian to English.
Cavolo Nero or black cabbage is an assertive green leafed vegetable only found during winter. As it is clearly not winter in my part of the world, I have taken liberty to substitute cavolo nero with silverbeet, which incidentally is in season. The bunch I had was the greenest and freshest I have ever seen. It is such a pleasure to cook with fine produce.
I honestly don’t know what a Tuscan may think of my Ribollita Estiva, but I thought it was rather good, so without further due, here is the recipe.

Ingredients
1 large red onion, finely chopped
1 large carrot, chopped
1 or 2 celery stalks, chopped
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
1 bunch silverbeet, soaked to remove any dirt
2 x 400g cans Italian borlotti beans, drained and rinsed
400g can Italian tomatoes, chopped
30g tomato paste (concentrated tomato puree)
Chicken stock (fake is fine)
Herbs-basil, oregano, parsley, rosemary, sage
200g crustless Tuscan style bread, torn into small pieces
Sea salt
Fresh black pepper

Method
As for most soups, sauces and stews, I begin by cooking the onion, carrot, celery and the chosen herbs with the olive oil, very slowly. I do this for about 30 minutes or until the onion begins to caramelize. This is one area in my life where I have patience. I know the time invested in slow cooking the base of vegetables will reward in plenty of flavour, to the finished dish. In Italian and Spanish cuisine this stage is known as “sofrito”.
In the meantime, shred the silverbeet leaves, and chop the stalks into cubes (about 1cm).
Add the silverbeet to the browned vegetables and toss about for a few minutes. Add the canned tomatoes, tomato paste and enough chicken stock to submerge everything. Simmer for 45 minutes.
Add the beans and simmer for another 15 minutes. Leave the soup to rest in the fridge, until the following day.
When you are ready to eat, bring the soup to the boil, then adjust to a simmer.
I use the hand blender to puree a little of the soup, thus thickening it slightly and fusing the flavours together.
Add the bread, and break it up into the soup, using a wooden spoon. The bread will thicken the soup. Simmer for 15 minutes. Adjust with more stock or bread, to suit your desired texture. I like a medium thickness, but I have seen some very thick soups in Italian books.

Season with salt and pepper. Serve drizzled with threads of peppery extra virgin olive oil and more freshly chopped herbs. Plenty for 4 people.
Note-Try to find a Tuscan style bread for this soup. The traditional bread of Toscana, contains little or no salt. But of course any good, sturdy bread will do.

Tomato Gazpacho

I knew it was going to be stinking hot today, so I prepared the glorious Spanish soup, Gazpacho. This tomato soup is served cold, so its great for summer days. I roasted my tomatoes the day before, so this way I would not have to turn on the oven in such ridiculous weather conditions. However, you can also do this with raw tomatoes-that’s how it is done in Spain anyway.
This is an austere soup and I have tasted some revolting gazpachos in the past, insipid and watery. If you use the best bread, olive oil, vinegar and tomatoes for this dish, it will be a success.

Ingredients
1.5 kilos beautiful, red, ripe tomatoes
50g peeled cucumber, roughly chopped
150g red pepper, cut into rough chunks, seeds and membranes removed
1 garlic clove
100g crustless sourdough bread, cut into chunks
A pinch of chilli
A pinch of dried greek oregano
50ml sherry vinegar
50ml herb infused red wine vinegar
100ml extra virgin olive oil
500ml cold water
Sea salt
Fresh black pepper
Sugar, if you need it to balance the acidity

For the garnish
Very finely chopped cucumber, red and yellow peppers, tossed with a touch of olive oil

Method
Roast the tomatoes at 200c, until the skins have split, and they are tender within (about 45 minutes). Do not allow them to caramelize.
Cool and remove the skins.
Now all that is needed is to blend or process all the remaining ingredients (except the garnish). You can have your gazpacho, silky smooth or coarse and rustic. I like mine on the smooth side, but I will leave the choice up you.
Chill in the fridge and serve sprinkled with the garnish ingredients.
I like this soup with lots of bread. Enough for 6-8 serves.

Beetroot and Duck Soup

I based this recipe around the famous Russian soup, Borshch. A few months back, I had the idea of combining duck and beetroot for a soup, but I never got around to making it. I made this yesterday because this time of year is appropriate for festve food like this, and if I lived in the northern hemisphere, I probably would serve this for my Christmas Eve entree.
Even though the beetroot is only one ingredient of many, it certainly takes over (and beetroot juicer stains everything). The colour may seem garish and over the top but the flavour is superb!



Ingredients
2 duck marylands
15g butter
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 large red onion, chopped
1 large carrot, chopped
1 celery heart (the inner tender stalks and leaves from a bunch), chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 tbsp finely chopped ginger
1 tsp of ground cumin
1 tsp mustard powder
1 granny smith apple, peeled and grated
1 large beetroot, peeled and grated
1 large potato, peeled and cut into 1-2cm dice
Stock to cover
2 tbsp of cider vinegar
Sea salt
Fresh black pepper
Fresh chive
Fresh dill
Horseradish
Crème Fraiche

Method
In a soup pot, heat the oil and butter.
Add the duck pieces and brown over a gentle heat, about 5 minutes each side. Remove to a plate.
Saute the onion, carrot, celery, garlic and ginger for about 15 minutes, using the fats that are left in the pan.
Add the mustard and cumin and cook for 1 minute more.
Add the apple, beetroot and potato and give everything a good mix.
Cover with stock. Return the duck pieces to the pot and add the vinegar.
Simmer for 1.5 hours or until the duck is tender.
Remove the duck to a pate and allow to cool a little.
At this stage you can puree a small amount of the soup, to give it body.
When the duck is cool enough to handle, shred the meat. Discard the skin and bones.
Add the meat back to the soup and season with salt and pepper. Add more vinegar if you think it needs it.
Simmer gently for another 15 minutes.
Add chopped chives at the end.
Serve in soup bowls, sprinkled over with finely chopped dill and a dollop of crème fraiche mixed with horseradish to taste.
Accompany with rye bread and rocket leaves dressed with a mustard vinaigrette. Makes 4 hearty serves.

Korean Chicken and Corn Soup

You have all heard of Jewish penicillin, this is the Korean version.

My dear friend Danniel Ahn taught me to make this restorative and very tasty broth a few years ago. It was very good back then after partying, helping to fortify our vacant minds, fragile bodies and depleted souls. Of course I am older and wiser these days (so too is Danniel) and I prefer have this soup when I am of poor health, rather than when suffering from self inflicated fatigue, Lindsay Lohan style.

The following recipe is just a guideline. I did not really bother to measure anything because honestly, I am not feeling well. I have used a lot of garlic and ginger because of their health restoring properties. If you are making this purely for culinary reasons, then you probably will not want as much, so adjust accordingly. But I need as much fortification as I can get right now…

Ingredients
1 whole organic chicken
1 large onion, unpeeled and halved
1 large carrot, unpeeled and cut into chunks
1 large piece of ginger, sliced
1 whole head of garlic, unpeeled and sliced in half horizontally
1 tbsp of black peppercorns (optional)
The stalks from a bunch of coriander (optional)
Stock powder
Fish sauce, to taste
Cornflour, to thicken
400g can creamy corn
400g can corn kernels, drained and rinsed
3 eggs, free range
Sliced spring onion (optional)
Asian herbs (optional)
Sesame oil (optional)

Method
Wash the chicken to remove any surface impurities.
Place into a large stockpot with the onion, carrot, ginger, garlic, peppercorns and coriander stalks. Cover with water and bring to a simmer slowly. Do not boil.
Cook until the chicken is tender. Remove the chicken to a plate and be careful to not burn yourself removing the chicken from the pot, like I did.
Allow the chicken to cool a bit, then remove all the meat from the carcass. Reserve the meat.
Throw the bones and skin back into the stock and continue to simmer.
This entire process will take about 3 hours, or until you have a well flavoured stock. Strain, and discard all the veggies and bones.
Now, add the two types of corn to the stock, some stock powder to boost the chicken flavour, and plenty of fish sauce to season. Use the fish sauce in place of salt. I used about 150ml, which is nothing compared to the amount Danniel used. He would use the whole bottle!
Thicken with some cornflour, by mixing an amount of cornflour in a small bowl with a bit of stock and then pouring it back into the saucepan and bringing to a simmer.
Cook for about 15-20 minutes to remove the raw flavour of the fish sauce.
Add the shredded chicken meat and heat through.
Beat the eggs lightly in a small bowl.
Turn of the heat and stirring the pot slowly, drop in the egg, so it forms long threads on contact with the hot soup.
Serve in deep bowls, sprinkled with some sesame oil, spring onions and herbs if you wish. Makes approximately 6 large servings.

Pasta and Beans

Pasta e Fagioli is a traditional Italian soup with beans, pasta and salted pork. My tastebuds find this combo a bit too austere, so I like to fortify mine with tomatoes, sweet peppers and lots of herbs. Today, I am adding coriander because I have a bunch hanging around in the kitchen. But if you are a purist and the inclusion of this very non Italian herb offends, then just leave it out. It is nice though- it gives this soup a Mexican feel. Perhaps I should change the title to Fideos y Frijoles!

Ingredients
200g dried borlotti beans (or any type of bean)
100g bacon or prosciutto, chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 red onion, chopped
1 red pepper, chopped
1 dried red chilli, chopped
Fresh sage, rosemary and thyme, chopped
15 g butter
400g can Italian tomatoes, tomatoes
750ml stock (fake is fine)
Soup pasta (I do not bother to measure. Just add as much as you like)
1 tbsp of cream (35% milk fat)
Lots of fresh coriander, chopped roughly
A drizzle of extra virgin olive oil
Sea salt
Fresh black pepper.

Method
Soak the beans overnight in a bowl of water. The next day, drain away the liquid. Place the beans in a saucepan, cover with fresh water and bring to the boil.
Boil for one minute and then drain them again. Reserve the beans.
In a soup pot, sauté the bacon, garlic, onion, red pepper, chilli, herbs and the butter for about 20 minutes, or until softened.
Add the beans, stock and tomatoes with their juice.
Bring to the boil and simmer for 60 minutes.
Allow to cool a little and then puree one ladleful of the soup.
Bring back to the boil, add the pasta and cook until al dente.
Check the soup does not become too thick as the pasta cooks. This soup likes to stick to the bottom of the pot, so give it a stir every few minutes. Add some boiling water from time to time, keeping in mind the final result should be on the thick side.
Finish with the cream (the cream will soften the tomato. Add more if you think it needs it), coriander, salt and pepper.
Drizzle some olive oil into each bowl as you serve. This is good with some crusty bread.

Minestrone Verde

The green vegetable soup is perfect for spring. I like to make it easier by using frozen broadbeans and peas. Nor do I bother with making my own pesto. I just buy it fresh, from the Italian deli. Make sure you cook everything well, so all the flavours come together. There is nothing worse than watery minestrone with crisp vegetables. The vegetables should be chopped roughly the same size as the broadbeans.

Ingredients
500g frozen broadbeans
1 chopped red onion
200g chopped bacon
250g chopped green asparagus
250g chopped waxy potato
250g frozen peas
20g butter
1 litre of chicken stock (fake is fine)
1 heaped tbsp of cream (45% fat)
1 heaped tbsp of pesto, plus extra
Fresh black pepper
Freshly chopped parsley
Extra virgin olive oil

Method
Blanch the broadbeans for a minute to loosen the skins. Drain and allow to cool a little. Peel of their skins and discard. Reserve the beans.

In a soup pot, cook the butter, onion and bacon slowly, over a low heat for about 20 minutes.

Allow the onion to fuse with the bacon, without colouring.

Add all the vegetables.

Top with the stock and simmer everything together for 1 hour.

Puree some of the soup and add it back to the pot. This will give it some body and bring it all together.

Add the cream and reheat gently.

Turn of the heat and add the pesto and parsley. Add salt if it needs it and black pepper.

Serve in soup bowls with a drizzle of olive oil and a spoonful of pesto. Enough for 4.

Light and Easy

I made this last night for dinner. It is easy, light and delicious. It is also prepared in no time (yesterday was one of those days). I guess the yoghurt is optional. But it does add a certain zingy-ness. Substitute with thick cream if you are feeling that lazy. Serve this spring soup with a plate of prosciutto or Spanish jamon and crusty bread.

Cream of Zucchini (or Courgettes)

Ingredients
30g butter
2 tbsp olive oil
2 green onions, chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 tsp coriander seeds, crushed (use the mortar and pestle)
1.2 kilos of zucchini, washed and cubed
2 sprigs of fresh basil
2 sprigs of fresh parsley
1 tsp dried greek oregano
About 1 litre of chicken stock (fake is fine)
Salt
Fresh black pepper
Toasted pinenuts, for crunch (optional)

Method
Saute the onions, garlic and coriander seeds in the oil and butter for about 10 minutes, until softened.
Add the zucchini and herbs, pop the lid on and sweat for 10 minutes over a gentle heat.
Add the stock, bring to the simmer and cook for 10 minutes.
Allow to cool and then puree with whatever gadget or machine you have. Reheat and season well.
This will make enough soup for 6 soup bowls. Serve it a sprinkling of pinenuts, a dollop of mint yoghurt and a drizzle of extra virgin.

Note- of course feel free to adjust the texture and thickness of this soup, to suit your taste.

Lemon and Mint Yoghurt

Ingredients
250g sheep milk yoghurt
3 tbsp of finely chopped fresh mint
3 tbsp of finely chopped fresh parsley
3 tbsp of extra virgin
10g green onion, very finely chopped
1 lemon, zest finely chopped
½ lemon, juiced
Salt
Fresh black pepper

Method
Mix all the ingredients to combine. Apart from this soup (which is what I invented it for), serve with grilled audergines (eggplant), lamb and potatoes.

Black Cabbage and Cannellini soup

This famous peasant soup is known as Ribollita. It comes from Tuscany. As the title above implies it contains Tuscan cabbage and beans, and is thickened with bread. Traditionally the soup is kept for a few days and it is reboiled each day as you serve it. Hence the name- Ribollita translates to reboiled. I know the list of ingredients looks short and severe. You may wonder about the flavour. But trust me. There is plenty in this simple soup, as long as you use good ingredients. Use fine olive oil and real bread. Do not be tempted to use plastic bread in this. You will only end up with glue soup and it will be revolting. To be honest, I prepared this yesterday because I had a hideous hangover. There isn’t much food I can handle when I feel this way. But this went down very well, with a glass of wine of course (maybe it was a bit more than one).Note-Tuscan cabbage or Cavolo nero is available from organic food shops. It used to be quite pricey a few years ago but now it is relatively inexpensive.

Ingredients
1 large red onion, finely chopped
1-2 tbsp of olive oil, to sauté
1 bunch cavolo nero, stems cut off and the leaves chopped (you can substitute silverbeet)
1 can Italian tomatoes, chopped
1 can Italian cannellini beans, drained and rinsed (you can use borlotti beans too)
Stock to cover (I used stock powder dissolved in water)
Fresh black pepper
Aprox. 100g stale Italian style bread, crusts removed and cut into 2 cm cubes
Parmesan Cheese
Extra virgin olive oil, for drizzling

Method
Sauté the onion and olive oil in a large saucepan. Keep the heat really low and cook until the onion has melted down and is beginning to colour around the edges, about 20 minutes.
Now add the cavolo, raise the heat and cook for about 5 minutes.
Once the leaves are wilted and turned a brighter shade of green, add the tomatoes with their juice and cover with the stock.
Season with plenty of pepper and simmer for 45 minutes.
Add the beans and continue to simmer for another 15 minutes.
Allow the soup to cool a little. Puree 2 ladles of the soup (in a processor or use a mouli) and return the puree to the remaining soup.
Add the bread to the soup and turn on the heat again. Use a wooden spoon to help break up the bread. It is hard to say how much bread you need. You may need more bread or you may need more water. It is meant to be thick and rough. I like it when the bread almost dissolves, but some cooks like it with the bread still holding its shape. It is up to you. Allow your taste to guide you.
Check the seasoning and the parmesan to taste, off the heat. Serve in deep bowls with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, more pepper and more cheese.
Enough to feed 2 people with hangovers, plus plenty of leftovers.

Grandma's Chicken Soup

After lasts night disaster I wasn’t in the mood for error today. In need of comfort and ease I decided chicken soup was the way to go. Originally I was going to cook the Jewish version I make these days (I am obsessed with all things Jewish), but then I started thinking about my grandmothers chicken soup. It was light but flavorsome, fragrant with oregano and fortified with rice, potato, peas and the chicken meat. So I telephoned my grandmother to ask her what she put in it, exactly. Only a whole chicken, peppercorns, rice and potato! And apparently she removes the chicken, mixes with homemade mayonnaise and serves this as another meal. ”Are you sure that’s all?” I asked (after all it has been 30 years). “That’s all “she replied. How disappointed was I?! Maybe I am right about my memories being better than the actual foods and that these things should remain in the past. Or perhaps my grandmother has forgotten after all this time (god bless her). But who am I to argue with her. If that how she did, that’s how its done! I must have had a wild culinary imagination as a child (maybe the food wasn’t good, so I had to pretend). So here it is, as I remember it (not as it was) and I dedicate it to my grandmother wholeheartedly.

Ingredients
1 whole chicken, about 1 kilo (I didn’t use corn fed or free range, there weren’t any)
200g onion, peeled
1 tsp white peppercorns
1 fresh bayleaf, crumbled to release the fragrance
1 tsp dried oregano
1 bunch parsley stalks
3 chicken stockcubes or to taste
1 pinch dried oregano, extra
Black pepper from the grinder
1 potato, peeled and cut into 1cm cubes (I use the red waxy variety)
150g cooked long grain rice
100g frozen peas
Freshly chopped parsley
Extra virgin olive oil

Method
Place the chicken, onion, peppercorns, bayleaf, oregano, parsley and the stockcubes into a large pot.
Cover with water and simmer for 1 hour very, very gently over a low heat.
Remove the chicken from the stock. Using forks, pull away the meat from the bones and remove the skin.
Return the bones (and the skin if you wish) to the pot and continue to simmer for a further 2 hours.
Strain the stock through some chux and a sieve into a clean saucepan.
Bring back to a simmer. Taste the stock. Reduce the stock until it is full flavoured (watery chicken soup is revolting).
Whilst this is happening, remove the fat and any impurities as they rise to the surface.
Finish with the extra pinch of oregano and some fresh black pepper.
In the meantime, finely shred the chicken. - just use your hands.
Now bring the soup to the boil, add the potato and cook for about 5 minutes, until the potato is tender.
Add the peas and chicken.
Turn off the heat and add the parsley.
Place about 1 heaped tablespoon of rice into each soup plate and ladle over the soup.
Finish with some extra virgin olive oil and more fresh pepper.
Just lovely.