Mixed mushroom soup ‘pot pie’
Serves: 4-6
Ingredients:
30ml (2 tbsp) butter
1 onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
500g mixed mushrooms (button, portabellini, brown and shiitake), sliced
15ml (1 tbsp) cake flour
1 litre vegetable or chicken stock
5 fresh sage leaves, finely chopped
125ml (½ cup) white wine
125ml (½ cup) milk
125ml (½ cup) fresh cream
Salt and black pepper
30ml (2 tbsp) brandy
1 x 400g roll ready-made puff pastry, thawed
1 large egg, beaten
Method:
1) Heat the butter in a large pan and fry the onion until soft.
2) Add the garlic and mushrooms and fry till the mushrooms release liquid.
3) Sprinkle the flour over and stir, then add the stock and sage.
4) Bring to the boil, reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes.
5) Add the wine, milk and cream, season and heat through.
6) Add the brandy. At this point the soup can be blended for a smooth soup, or left chunky.
7) Pour the soup into 4-6 ovenproof soup dishes and preheat the oven to 200°C.
8) Roll out the pastry and cut into discs about 2-3 cm larger than the diameter of the soup bowls. Brush the edges of the pastry with water and cover each bowl with a pastry disc, pressing down the edges to seal. Brush the top of the pastry with beaten egg and place the bowls on a baking tray.
9) Bake for 12-15 minutes until the pastry is golden brown and cooked through. Serve immediately.
Shiitake & chicken noodle broth
Serves: 4
Method:
50g dried shiitake mushrooms
5cm fresh root ginger, peeled and finely sliced
4 spring onions, sliced
2 litres water
10ml (2 tsp) dashi (Japanese stock found in Asian stores — or use any stock powder)
4 chicken breast fillets
200g udon noodles
1-2 fresh chillies, finely sliced
Soy sauce, to taste
Method:
1) Place mushrooms in a small bowl, cover with boiling water and leave to soak for 20 minutes until plumped up and softened. Drain.
2) Meanwhile, place the ginger and spring onions in a large pan with the water and dashi.
3) Bring to a simmer, then add the chicken breasts. Simmer for 12-15 minutes until the chicken is just cooked through.
4) Remove chicken with a slotted spoon, and when cool enough to handle, shred into chunks.
5) Return to the pot with the soaked mushrooms, noodles and chillies. Cook until noodles are tender and serve with a splash of soy sauce.
Roasted sweet potato & leek soup with honey bacon
Serves: 4-6
Ingredients:
3 sweet potatoes, washed
3 leeks, cut in half lengthways
30ml (2 tbsp) olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 litre vegetable stock
150g bacon
15ml (1 tbsp) honey
Method:
1) Preheat the oven to 180ºC.
2) Prick the sweet potatoes a couple of times and bake for 35-40 minutes until soft.
3) Place the leeks on a baking tray and drizzle with half the oil. Bake for 15 minutes until just tender and crisping at the edges.
4) When sweet potatoes are cool enough to handle, chop roughly with the skins on.
5) In a large saucepan, heat the remaining oil and fry the onion until translucent.
6) Add the garlic and cook for a minute.
7) Add the sweet potatoes and leeks (reserve a few leeks for serving), pour in stock and mix.
8) Stir and bring to the boil, then remove from the heat and blend till smooth.
9) Place the bacon on a baking tray and grill in the oven until crisp.
10) Turn oven to 200ºC, remove bacon and drizzle with honey, then return to the oven and allow to caramelise.
11) Serve the soup hot, topped with reserved roasted leeks and crispy bacon.
Chock-full-of-veggies chicken soup
Serves: 8
Difficulty: Easy
Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
Ingredients:
1 large free-range chicken
Sea salt & freshly ground black pepper
30ml (2 tbsp) olive oil
4 large leeks, roughly sliced
4 stalks celery, roughly sliced
200g pumpkin, peeled and roughly chopped
4 turnips, roughly chopped
2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and roughly chopped
1 x 400g can chopped tomatoes
Juice of ½ a lemon
Large chou-chou (chayote marrow), roughly chopped
Large handful spinach, roughly chopped
150g fresh corn kernels
Chopped fresh coriander or flat-leaf parsley, to serve
Method:
1) Place the chicken in a large stockpot and pour enough water over to cover. Season with salt and pepper. Bring to the boil, then simmer for 30 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through. Remove the chicken from the stock and set aside.
2) Heat the olive oil in a non-stick frying pan and sauté the leeks and celery until tender. Add leeks and celery to the chicken stock, along with the pumpkin, turnips, sweet potato, canned tomatoes and lemon juice. Season and simmer for 20 minutes or until the vegetables are tender.
3) Add the chayote, spinach and corn.
4) Remove the skin and bones from the chicken, break the flesh into pieces and add to the soup. Simmer for a further 5 minutes. Serve scattered with fresh chopped coriander or parsley.
Speedy Thai butternut & prawn soup
Serves: 4-6
Ingredients:
200ml coconut milk
15ml (1 tbsp) Thai red curry paste
1 stalk lemon grass, bruised
1 x 600g sachet ready-made fresh butternut soup
250g prawns, deveined and peeled
10ml (2 tsp) fish sauce
Zest and juice of 1 lime
Salt and black pepper
Fresh coriander, chopped, to serve
Method:
1) Place the coconut milk and red curry paste in a large pan and stir over a medium heat until combined.
2) Add the lemon grass and butternut soup, bring to a gentle simmer and cook for 15 minutes.
3) Add the prawns, fish sauce, lime zest and juice and seasoning. Bring to a simmer and cook for about 10 minutes. Serve garnished with coriander.
