Keeping Warm this Winter

In this icy cold weather, there is nothing better than wrapping up warm indoors, cozing up with your man, and sipping on your favourite wine. For those who don’t drink alcohol and/or are boyfriendless, here’s some delicious soup recipes to keep you warm on a chilly day anyway. 

This cauliflower and blue cheese soup is a firm favourite of our follower Bianca Serrao, a final year speech and audiology student at Wits.

Cream of Cauliflower and Blue Cheese Soup

Serves 6.

 

50 ml butter

2 leeks, washed, trimmed and chopped

400 g cauliflower florets

500 ml chicken or vegetable stock

250 ml milk

50 ml cream

100 g blue cheese

Salt and milled pepper to taste

Garnish

Lightly fried cauliflower florets

Crumbled blue cheese

1. Melt butter in a saucepan and sauté leeks lightly.
2. Add cauliflower and stock and simmer for 15 minutes, or until cauliflower is tender.
3. Add milk and cream and heat through.
4. Purée with blue cheese until smooth.
5. Season to taste, garnish and serve. 

Our follower Noma Vilakazi, an operational risk consultant for Absa Bank, absolutely loves green pea and ham soup. Here are two variations of this hearty soup.

Pea and Ham soup

Serves 12.

100 ml butter

2 small leek or onion, finely chopped

1000 g frozen peas

500 g ham, diced

4.0L vegetable or chicken stock

Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

30 ml chopped fresh mint

1. Melt the butter in a large saucepan and sauté the leeks/onions until glossy.
2. Add the peas and diced ham and stir.
3. Add the stock, bring to the boil and reduce the heat. Simmer for 15 minutes and season with salt and pepper to taste.
4. Cool the soup slightly and purée half in a food processor. Add to the remaining soup in the saucepan and add the mint.

Green Pea and Bacon soup

Serves 12

540 g smoked bacon

1500 g frozen green peas

3L chicken or vegetable stock

Bouquet garni (a sprig of thyme, a few parsley stalks and a bay leaf tied up with string)

375 ml fresh cream

Salt and pepper to taste

1. Remove the rind and dice bacon into large squares.
2. Blanch the bacon in boiling water for 2 to 3 minutes. Remove.
3. In another pot, add the frozen peas, diced bacon, seasoning and bouquet garni to boiling chicken stock. Simmer for 20 minutes.
4. After 20 minutes, remove bouquet garni and bacon. Purée soup in a blender and return to clean pot. Add bacon and stir in cream.
5. Gently reheat soup without boiling. Serve with croutons or bread fried in garlic butter.

Since young I have always enjoyed pureed vegetable soup. Here is a delicious carrot and pumpkin soup with a slight twist (by Angela Day of The Star).

Roasted Pumpkin and Carrot Soup

Serves 6-8.

750g pumpkin, peeled and diced

500g carrots, peeled and dices

50ml olive oil

Salt and pepper

2 onions, chopped

2 cloves of garlic, crushed

5ml mustard seeds

10ml ground coriander

5ml cumin

5ml turmeric

A pinch of chilli powder

1L vegetable/chicken stock

500ml water

1. Put the pumpkin and carrots on an oven tray, toss with 30ml of the olive oil and season. Roast at 180C for 30-40 minutes
2. In the meantime, heat the remaining olive oil in a saucepan and sauté the onion and garlic until soft
3. Add the mustard seeds, coriander, cumin, turmeric and chilli powder and fry for a minute.
4. Add the roasted carrots and pumpkin, stock and water. Simmer for 15 minutes.
5. Puree in a blender or in a processor until smooth.
6. Adjust seasonings. 

With love,