Recipes - Roast Capsicum Soup

I just LOVE soups!  They're simple, versatile and can be incredibly healthy.  Perfect for winter when 'comfort food' usually means 'not going to fit into your jeans come summer'.  I think I could eat soup every day because you can use just about any and every combination of vegetable and meat with the addition of legumes, grains and pasta to create literally thousands of different varieties to suit your taste.  I created this recipe because I saw something similar somewhere and thought I'd give it a go.  So glad I did! 

Ingredients

1.5kg red capsicums, quartered, seeds and pith removed

1 spanish onion, peeled and quartered

6-8 cloves garlic, skin on

1Lt vegetable stock

natural yoghurt, to serve

chives, finely chopped, to serve

salt and pepper

olive oil

Step 1 - Preheat oven to 180°C.

Step 2 - Place capsicum, onion and garlic cloves in a large baking tray.  Season well with salt and pepper and drizzle with olive oil.  Roast in oven for 45 minutes.

Step 3 - Squeeze garlic from skin then place veggies in a large sauce pan with stock.  Bring to boil over high heat then reduce heat to low and simmer for 5-10 minutes.  Remove from stove top and set aside to cool slightly.

Step 4 - Blend soup with a stick mixer or in a blender.  Taste for seasoning and adjust if necessary.  Return to stove top over medium-low heat and simmer for a further 3-5 minutes until soup has thickened.

Step 5 - To serve, ladle a generous amount of soup into a bowl and top with a dollop of natural yoghurt and a sprinkling of chives.  

Notes:

Up to 750g of red capsicums can be replaced with yellow and/or orange capsicums.

Recipes - Pumpkin Soup

Everyone has their own way of making pumpkin soup and this is mine.  I developed this recipe after seeing a TV chef make something similar ten years ago.  Their method always stuck with me and led me to create something that has become a favourite among my family and friends.

Ingredients

2kg butternut pumpkin, skin removed and cut into large pieces

2 potatoes, peeled and quartered

2 brown or spanish onions, quartered

4 cloves garlic, whole and unpeeled 

1.5 litres chicken or vegetable stock

1 tbs ground cumin

1/2 cup cream

2 tbs chives, finely chopped

4 slices prosciutto

sour cream, to serve

Step 1 - Heat oven to 220°C.  Spray two baking trays with olive oil.  

Step 2 - Evenly distribute pumpkin, potato and onion over the baking trays.  Spray vegetables with olive oil and season well with salt and pepper.  Place trays in oven.  After 20 minutes, reduce heat to 180°C, add garlic to trays and bake for a further hour or until tender.

Step 3 - When vegetables are ready, heat stock in a large pot. Remove any excess skin from vegetables, ie onion and garlic and place vegetables in pot with stock. Blend with a stick mixer until smooth and thick.  Remove from heat and stir in cumin and cream.

Step 4 - Grill prosciutto until crispy, about 2 minutes each side and set aside to cook slightly.

Step 5 - To serve, ladle soup into bowl and top with sour cream, chives and prosciutto.   

Recipes - Veggie-ful Soup

Want a great, hearty, veggie packed soup for the whole family?  Look no further!  A great way to pack more veggies into your kids diet and a healthy lunch option for the whole family.  Freeze leftovers for up to three months and reheat for a quick dinner.

Ingredients

2 x cloves garlic, finely chopped

2 x brown onions, finely chopped

2 x carrots, finely chopped

2 x zucchini, finely chopped

4 x celery stalks, finely chopped

1 x leek, finely chopped

1/2 butternut pumpkin, peeled and chopped

1 x small sweet potato, peeled and chopped

2-3 potatoes, peeled and chopped
1 x parsnip, peeled and chopped

1/2 cabbage, chopped

1 x broccoli, cut into florets

1/2 cauliflower, cut into florets

2 tbs tomato paste

1 tsp sugar

2 x 400g tin tomatoes

1 x 400g tin chickpeas

1 x 400g tin lentils

1 x 400g tin red kidney beans

1 x 400g tin butter beans/white beans

200g short pasta, eg. shells, spirals, elbows etc

vegetable stock and water (amount varies)
salt and pepper to season

Step 1 - Heat oil on medium heat in a very large pot (approx. 10 L).  Add garlic, onion, carrot, zucchini, celery and leek and fry until veggies are soft, this can take up to ten minutes.  Add tomato paste and sugar and fry off for 2-3 minutes.
Step 2 - Reduce heat and add tin tomatoes, potato, pumpkin, sweet potato, parsnip cabbage, broccoli and cauliflower.  Add a few cups of stock and water, until the liquid is almost covering all the vegetables.  Put the lid on and slowly simmer for 4-6 hours, stirring periodically.
Step 3 - With about half an hour to go, add chickpeas, lentils, beans and pasta.  You may need to add a little more water at this stage to help the pasta cook through. 
Step 4 - Serve with a sprinkling of parmesan cheese or a few pieces of gbejniet, a lemon cheek and some fresh sourdough or pane di casa. 

Recipes - Broccoli Soup w Chorizo and Parsley Oil

I love broccoli in all its forms and when I planned to serve a broccoli soup at my Five Course Dinner Party I got straight onto taste.com.au to find a recipe that would pimp my soup.  The recipe I found is very similar to my own but the addition of parsley oil and chorizo provided a unique and modern twist on an old classic.  

Ingredients

3-4 x broccoli heads, stalk removed and florets separated

2 x small potatoes, peeled and chopped

1 x brown onion, finely diced

1 x clove garlic, finely chopped

2 cups water

2 cups chicken stock

1/3 cup cream

100mL olive oil

1/2 cup parsley

Chorizo

Step 1 - Heat a slurp of olive oil and a knob of butter in a large saucepan.  Sautee onions and garlic until cooked, but do not allow to colour.

Step 2 - Add potato, stock and water and bring to boil.

Step 3 - Add broccoli, reduce heat and simmer for 5-10 minutes until broccoli is tender.

Step 4 - Remove from heat and blend with a stick mixer.  

Step 5 - Season with salt and pepper, add cream and stir until combined.

Step 6 - Place oil and parsley in a food processor and process until combined. Pass through a fine sieve. 

Step 7 -  To serve, fry chorizo in a grill pan, pour soup into bowl, top with chrizo and drizzle with parsley oil.