7 simply delicious soups

It’s been a pretty mild winter these past few weeks, but it can’t last. So I thought it was about time I cracked out my favourite soup recipes. Nom, nom. Hope you like them.

RECIPE: POTATO & LEEK SOUP (with hidden veggies)

Olive oil

2 leeks, white parts only, sliced

1.5 litres chicken stock

6 medium potatoes, peeled and roughly diced

1/2 small cauliflower, cut into florets

2 succhinis, peeled and chopped

1/2 cup sour cream

METHOD: Saute leeks in olive oil until soft. Add stock and vegetables. Simmer until tender. Remove from heat. Stir in sour cream. Puree with a hand mixer. Serve with a fresh cob of bread and butter.

RECIPE: THAI SWEET POTATO & CARROT SOUP

Generous splash of peanut oil

1 onion, peeled and finely diced

1 generous teaspoon red curry paste

1 litre chicken stock

1 medium sweet potato, peeled and cut into chunks

2 large carrots, peeled and cut into chunks

1 cup coconut milk

METHOD: Heat oil in a large, non-stick pot. Saute onion until soft. Add curry paste and fry 1 minute until fragrant. Add chicken stock, sweet potato and carrot. Bring to simmer and cover, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are soft. Add coconut milk and puree mixture. Serve (even though it’s Thai-flavoured, I still like serving it with a cob of fresh bread).

RECIPE: ROAST PUMPKIN & GARLIC SOUP

500g pumpkin, cut into chunks

4 garlic cloves, unpeeled

1 onion, peeled and cut into quarters

a generous slug of olive oil

1 litre of chicken stock

3 sprigs of fresh thyme, leaves only

1 tsp peri peri or chilli of choice (I added 2 tsps of peri peri as Husband found it a bit sweet with just one. Or you could skip the chilli)

1/2 cup of cream

cob of bread, to serve

METHOD: Preheat oven to 180C. Place a sheet of baking paper on an oven tray. Toss pumpkin, garlic cloves and onion in olive oil. Arrange on tray. Cover with foil and bake until tender. Pour chicken stock into a stockpot. Add thyme leaves. Add pumpkin and onion. Squeeze roasted garlic from skin into stockpot. Add peri-peri/chilli. Bring to the boil and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from heat and add 1/2 cup of cream. Puree with a stick blender. Serve with fresh cob of bread.

RECIPE: CURRIED MINESTRONE

Olive oil

2 small onions, finely chopped

1 tablespoon of curry powder

1 litre of chicken stock

500ml of water

1 stalk of celery

2 carrots, diced

2 zucchinis, diced

100g green beans, chopped

1 large potato, diced

8 mini brussel sprouts, quartered

1 red capsicum, finely diced

800g can crushed tomatoes

400g can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed

1/2 cup soup pasta

3 tablespoons of fresh basil, chopped

Grated parmesan cheese

METHOD: Heat a few tablespoons of oil in a large saucepan. Cook onion until soft, add curry powder and fry one minute. Add all the remaining ingredients except the cannellini beans, pasta and basil to the saucepan. Cook over a low heat for about 1 hour. Add the pasta and cannellini beans and simmer until pasta is tender. Stir through basil. Serve bowls of soup sprinkled with parmesan.

RECIPE: AFRICAN-SPICED CAULIFLOWER SOUP

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 medium onions, finely chopped

2 tsps cumin

1 tsp hot paprika

3 garlic cloves, chopped

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1 large head cauliflower

250ml coconut milk

1 litre chicken stock

500ml water

Chilli flakes to serve

METHOD: Heat olive oil in a stockpot. Saute onion and garlic until soft. Add spices, saute 1 minute. Add stock, water and cauliflower. Simmer with lid on stockpot until cauliflower is soft. Add coconut milk. Puree with stick blender. Reheat gently if needed. Serve adult bowls sprinkled with chilli flakes. Delicious with a fresh cob of bread and butter.

RECIPE: CARROT, SWEET POTATO AND COCONUT SOUP

* 1 tblspn olive oil

* 1 leek

* 2 tsps curry powder

* 5 medium carrots, peeled and chopped into chunks

* 1 medium sweet potato, peeled and chopped into chunks

* 1 litre chicken stock

* 500ml water

* 250ml coconut milk

METHOD: Heat oil in a heavy-based pan. Saute leek until soft. Add curry powder, saute 1 minute. Add chicken stock, water, carrot chunks and sweet potato chunks. Simmer on a low heat until vegetables are soft. Add coconut milk. Puree mixture with a stick blender or in a food processor. Reheat gently. Serve with a cob of fresh bread and butter. Mmmmmmm.

RECIPE: ROAST TOMATO SOUP

4 tablespoons olive oil

1kg roma tomatoes, halved

2 garlic cloves, halved

1 onion, sliced

small handful of thyme sprigs

1 teaspoon caster sugar

1 litre chicken stock

2 semi-dried tomatoes

1 tablespoon barbecue sauce

sea salt.

METHOD: Preheat oven to 220C. Toss tomatoes, onion and garlic cloves with olive oil. Sprinkle with thyme sprigs, sugar and salt. Roast for 20-25 minutes until caramelised. Tip into a stock pot, removing woody stalks of thyme. Add chicken stock, semi-dried tomatoes and barbecue sauce. Bring to the boil and cook for 5 minutes. Use a stick blender to puree the mixture. Reheat if necessary. Pour through a sieve if you don’t like “bits” or want a fancier result. Serve with a fresh cob of bread and butter.