Well, not consommé exactly, but “soup” doesn’t start with a C!
I really hate Winter. With a passion. A big passion. My flat is freezing, and even with the heating on I have to sit with 2 pairs of socks on, a quilt on my lap and a hot water bottle under my feet, in order to feel warm enough to work on my embroidery. Thank goodness Winters here are very short. This 3 month period is a nightmare for me every year and I just can’t wait for Spring and shorts/bare feet weather to be here again!
I’ve got a cold at the moment, my second this Winter which is very annoying. This time it isn’t as bad as back in April (that was a real shocker, I even went to the doctor’s which is just not like me!), but still I’ve been needing to nurture myself a bit. I picked up a whole cauliflower very cheap so decided to make cauliflower soup – but in the past I’ve never been able to make one with decent flavour. I’ve made many variations and it’s always a bit bland and boring, so this time I just made it up as I went along and in order to cleanse my nostrils haha, I chucked in a teaspoon of chilli paste. Well, that did the trick. Spicy and flavoursome, and really good for clearing my head!
Cauliflower & Leek Soup
1/2 head of a large cauliflower, cut into big chunks
1 carrot, peeled & cut into chunks
1 leek, sliced
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp thyme
1 tsp chilli paste
1/4 cup white wine
4 cups chicken stock (use a vegetarian stock if you prefer)
2 tbsp soy sauce
cracked pepper, to taste
1/3 cup milk
chopped fresh parsley, to taste
Heat olive oil in a large saucepan and saute the cauliflower, carrot & leek until leek is softened – about 5 minutes.
Add thyme and chilli paste, stir to coat and saute for 1 minute.
Add wine, chicken stock, soy sauce and pepper. Bring to boil and simmer for about 15 minutes until vegies are cooked.
Remove saucepan from heat and blend the soup using a stick blender (or put in a food processor in batches, then return to saucepan).
Place back on low heat, add milk and parsley and slowly bring JUST to a simmer then turn heat off.
Serve with fresh bread and a glass of something bubbly (for medicinal purposes, of course….).
I’ve been borrowing a lot of medieval cookbooks lately, through the library I work at, and also ploughing through websites and generally having a good old medieval surf! I was looking at the latest information about the gorgeous kitchens at Kew and Hampton Court Palaces (when I was at HCP a few years ago I saw the most enormous mortar & pestle, amazing), and I saw that they now have videos and recipes for a couple of authentic recipes from the Georgian and Tudor eras.
I made the Soupe Barley from the Kew kitchens page, as it seemed so easy but nourishing – barley’s such great Winter comfort food – mind you, it’s stinking hot here at this time of year so doesn’t really go with that, but oh well never mind. I’ll be over there in May and Kew Palace/Gardens is on my list as a place to visit this time, can’t wait.
The soup was very easy and tasted good. The inclusion of a few raisins I found quite interesting and it did add a bit of a sweet flavour, without being overpowering. I did add a little fresh thyme at the end as well, which seemed to me to go with the barley and also be in keeping with the era.
It was intended to be a starter, and I can well imagine how the Georgian upper classes must have felt SO full after eating an array of courses, if just the starter was as filling as this broth!
This is supposed to be made with turkey, but I could only find turkey mince or drumsticks last week, so made it with chicken breast fillets instead. I don’t think it makes any difference to the taste really, so use whichever you prefer.
The topping used here makes a wonderful crust and could be used to top any casserole type dish, instead of the regular kind of dumpling or scone topping.
Polenta-Topped Turkey Bake
1 tbsp olive oil
1 brown onion, sliced
600 gms turkey breast (or chicken), cut into 3 cm cubes
4 small carrots, peeled & diced
1/2 cup frozen peas
410 gm can cream of asparagus soup
Topping:
3/4 cup plain flour, sifted
3/4 cup polenta
pinch of salt
2 tsp baking powder
60 gms butter
1 egg, lightly beaten
3/4 cup milk
Heat the olive oil in a saucepan and saute the onion and turkey until the meat is browned and the onion softened.
Mix in the carrots, peas, thyme and soup. Bring to a gentle boil then reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Spoon the turkey mixture into a deep pie/baking dish, and spoon the topping over it evenly. Bake in a 190C oven for 30 minutes or until the topping is cooked and golden.
To make the topping:
Mix flour, polenta, salt and baking powder together. Add butter and rub in with fingertips until mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs. Whisk egg and milk together and stir into flour mixture until well combined.
My lovely neighbour gave me a HUGE half cabbage the other week, after a visit to a local vegie market (along with some very juicy fresh lemons, carrots and roma tomatoes – lucky me). It sat in the fridge for a week and then started to go brown along the cut edge, so I knew I needed to do something with it without further delay.
After doing a bit of searching for something different, I ended up making this Scalloped Cabbage recipe from author Cherie Stihler‘s cabbage recipe pages.
I followed the recipe exactly, estimating the cabbage quantity as 1/3 of a large one (which could be more than a 10-ounce package I suspect but it worked out fine), and I used a large oval ovenproof dish with lid. It turned out very well and tasted great, quite oniony and creamy – although as you can tell from the pics, the dish REALLY got disgustingly dirty – thank goodness Robert Gordon pottery is so easy to scrub and always comes perfectly clean. I love that stuff so much.
This dish made enough for about 6 I reckon – so lots of leftovers for me, plus I still only used half of the half a cabbage – it really was that big! I made a bowl of coleslaw today for my lunch, and still have a bit of cabbage left!
Well I moved house a week ago, but have had no proper Internet connection until now. I have my iPhone, with the WordPress app on it, but I don’t seem to be able to actually post anything that way. I also had no hot water for 4 days and still have a couple of minor problems waiting to be fixed, but the lack of wifi was my main concern!
As I mentioned, I did end up having Crust pizza on the evening of the move (see above – tandoori chicken with yoghurt drizzled on top, delicious), which actually did me for the next night as well. I love that pizza so much!
I am not completely unpacked yet, but the bulk of it is done. I am still manouevring my way around several large boxes in the middle of the floor though, as I don’t have room to put the things in them, so am just leaving some stuff packed up rather than have to repack it again in a year’s time when I will be moving again.
In the meantime it has been lovely finding old friends like my wok and bread machine, and of course my cookbooks. I was too tired to do much but collapse, for the first few days, especially as it was 38-40C for a few days in a row and there is no air conditioning (yet – it’s coming apparently) or pool where I am now. I have been working a lot and studying hard as well, but I finally felt back to normal a couple of days ago and decided to throw a few things in the crockpot for dinner when I came home from my day’s classes. I found an old “French chicken stew” recipe from years ago, and revamped it according to what I had in my (not yet restocked properly) pantry.
Coming home to the smell of something cooking is so divine!
Crockpot Chicken Stew
425 gm can cannellini beans, drained
2 cps chicken stock
6 chicken thigh fillets (skinless), cut into large chunks (you can use breast fillets, but they do dry out easily)
420 gm can tomato soup
3 small potatoes, roughly chopped
1 carrot, peeled & diced
1 brown onion, roughly chopped
4 cloves garlic, crushed
2 bay leaves
½ tsp dried basil
½ tsp dried oregano
½ tsp paprika
cracked pepper to taste
1 tsp cornflour (optional)
Place all ingredients in crockpot except cornflour; mix well, cover and cook on LOW for 8-10 hours.
A couple of hours before you are ready to eat, mix the cornflour to a paste with a little cold water; add to the crockpot and mix through, to thicken.
You know that I love salmon beyond almost anything in life….and so it follows from there that I adore sushi and sashimi. In fact I adore raw tuna just as much as raw salmon, and if I get the chance to have really great raw fish I have a wonderful time. I love all sorts of Japanese food, but I really think if you’re going to go to a Japanese restaurant you have to go with what they do best, which is amazing fresh sushi and sashimi. Divine, it just melts in your mouth, and no matter how full you get, you don’t get a bloated “omg I’ll never eat again” feeling like you do if you overload on pasta or Indian.
I’ve been to many delightful Japanese restaurants, in various countries. My favourite in the whole world (so far) is Matsuri in Adelaide. Now this is a very common restaurant name – there’s one here in Perth, and I’ve been to a Matsuri in Chile as well – not affiliated with each other in any way. Matsuri in Adelaide does the most amazing “sushi boat” – see the second photo down the page, here. It’s such a relaxing experience, taking your time over a big pile of little bits, with lots of wasabi, pickled ginger, miso soup and a bottle of white wine (or 2, by the time you’ve finished eating – this is absolutely not fast eating).
I think my second best sushi/sashimi experience has been at Japan Restaurant at the Hotel Nippon, in Santiago (Chile). Unfortunately, as I am not likely to live there again, I won’t be going back there anytime soon 😦
Last weekend I went to Seizan here in the city. I’ve been here twice before, but not for a couple of years. Luckily I had booked, as whilst waiting outside beforehand I saw 2 groups of guests arrive and be turned away, as it was fully booked out. Now this place is not the most fantastic Japanese I’ve had, but it certainly holds its own and is the better of the Perth options that I have tried to date.
Seizan is also in the Entertainment Book, so that meant a discount of $28 – nothing to be sneezed at!
We were the last to leave the restaurant, in fact they were prodding us to go as they were closing up! A very nice, spread out meal, leaving lovely flavours and textures to remember and go back for again.
This simple soup is sure to become a family favourite, and it is light and refreshing enough to be served in Summer as well as cold Wintery days.
Tomato & Lentil Soup
1 tbsp olive oil
4 carrots, peeled & chopped
2 leeks, washed & sliced
2 medium brown onions, peeled & chopped
200 gms dried red lentils
1.5 litres (6 cups) vegetable stock
2 x 425 gm cans diced tomatoes
2 tbsp tomato paste
2 tsp worcestershire sauce
cracked pepper, to taste
Heat oil in large saucepan; add carrots, leeks and onions. Saute for a few minutes, stirring occasionally, until slightly softened. Add remaining ingredients and simmer for about 30 minutes.
Blend with hand-held blender (or blend in batches in a food processor). Reheat and serve.
I’m not usually an eater of highly processed foods, especially things that might contain trans fats or loads of additives. I prefer to make things from scratch most of the time and use fresh ingredients rather than already-prepared frozen things etc.
This is a rare exception, and it’s not a recipe I make very often, but it is very tasty, convenient and a little bit different. I made it this week for a special treat! Feel free to use a different flavour soup ie cream of asparagus or chicken, or use crumbed chicken nuggets instead of fish fingers.
Fish Finger Wraps
1 small brown onion, finely chopped
420 gm can cream of mushroom soup
1 tbsp sweet chilli sauce
1 fresh green chilli, finely chopped
200 gms low-fat Greek yoghurt
cracked pepper, to taste
3/4 cup tasty cheese, grated
12 frozen fish fingers (thaw beforehand if you like – doesn’t really make any difference)
6 flour tortillas (the medium size – about 20cm/8″)
3/4 cup extra tasty cheese, grated
In a large bowl, combine the onion, soup, chilli sauce, green chilli, yoghurt, pepper and grated cheese. Place 2 fish fingers down the centre of each tortilla; spoon 2 tbsp of sauce mixture over each and spread along to cover the fish.
Carefully fold tortillas up and place, seam-side down, on a greased baking dish. Spoon the remaining sauce evenly over the tortillas and sprinkle with extra grated cheese.
Bake in a 180C oven for 25-30 minutes, until sauce is bubbling and tortillas golden.
This is adapted from a soup my cousin used to make years ago. It is very thick and filling, a meal in itself. Definitely great crusty-bread-and-red-wine-by-the-fire Winter comfort food.
Curried Chicken Soup
1 tsp butter
1 tbsp olive oil
350 gms chicken thigh fillets (skinless), diced
3 rashers bacon (rindless), diced
1 brown onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, crushed
2 tsp curry powder
1 tbsp plain flour
3/4 cup white rice (I use basmati)
1 carrot, peeled and grated
420 gm can creamed corn
large pinch dried oregano
large pinch dried thyme
6 cups chicken stock
cracked pepper, to taste
Melt butter & oil together in large saucepan; add chicken and bacon and saute over medium heat for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add onion, garlic and curry powder and sauté for a further 2-3 mins. Sprinkle with flour and stir to coat.
Add remaining ingredients, bring to a simmer then reduce heat to low and cook for 40 minutes.
Stir the soup frequently as it thickens and sticks very easily as the rice cooks and expands!
Makes about 6 servings, depending on the size of your soup bowls!
In some parts of the country, cooler weather is starting to happen. Not near me though, but I hate Winter so I am quite happy about that. We have a long weekend here at the moment, which makes no difference to me really as I don’t have any classes on Monday anyway – but it means my friends are available to hang out with – usually involving food, beer & wine 🙂
You know by now that I love soups, no matter what time of year – here’s a hot one to contrast with the Gazpacho earlier in the week.
This recipe is from my very awesome mummy, and is one of my favourite soups. Every time I visit her in Melbourne I request this for lunch. Sooooooo yummy. And it freezes well too.
Pea & Ham Soup
800g ham bone (hock)
1 medium onion, peeled & chopped
2 cups yellow split peas
2 stalks celery, chopped
2 medium carrots, peeled & chopped
2 bay leaves
10 cups water
cracked pepper, to taste
Combine all ingredients in saucepan. Simmer, covered, for 1-1/2 hours, stirring occasionally.
Remove ham bone, remove meat from bone, chop meat finely and discard bone. Return meat to saucepan; stir until heated through. Discard bay leaves before serving. Serves 4.
Delicious!
Thanks to Katydid for sending me her soup photos. Happy Fooding!
Salmon & Avocado 