Tasty soups for winter

Listener 30/7/2011

Lauraine Jacobs

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A saucepan of soup is heartening on those cold winter days.

3 tbsp	Butter
3	Onions, (roughly chopped)
500 g	Carrots, (2-3)
2	Parsnips, (400g)
1 tsp	Ground cumin
1 knob	Ginger, (peeled and finely diced)
1 Ltr	Chicken stock, or vegetable stock
1	Orange, grated zest and juice
1 to taste	Salt & freshly ground pepper
1	Mint leaves

5 tbsp	Extra virgin olive oil
2	Baby leeks, (washed and sliced)
300 g	Silverbeet, sliced(stalk ends discarded)
2 cups	Frozen peas, thawed
1 Ltr	Chicken stock, well-flavoured(or vegetable stock)
2 stalks	Celery, (thinly sliced)
2	Fennel bulbs, (cut into small dice)
½ head	Broccoli, (cut into tiny florets)
1 to taste	Salt & freshly ground pepper
6 tsp	Fresh herbs, chopped (parsley, mint, chives) for garnish
1	Spring onion, to garnish

1 Ltr	Milk
4 sprigs	Parsley
1 tsp	Black peppercorn
2	Dried chillies
600 g	Smoked fish, firm
100 g	Butter
1	Onion
500 g	Potatoes, (chopped into 1cm cubes)
3 tbsp	Plain flour
250 ml	White wine
1 to taste	Sea salt and cracked black pepper
3 tbsp	Parsley, chopped

Carrot and parsnip soup with orange and ginger

Melt the butter in a large heavy pan, then add the onion. Fry gently until it is soft and golden.
Add the carrot, parsnip, cumin and ginger and stir well. Place a piece of baking paper on top of the vegetables and cover with the lid.
Cook the vegetables slowly over a low heat until softened. Add the stock and bring to a simmer for about 10 minutes or until the carrots are really tender.
Drain the contents of the saucepan, catching all the liquid in a bowl.
To purée the vegetables, return a little of the liquid and place them in a food processor, or use a stick blender or pass them through a mouli.
Do not over-process them, as this will make the soup frothy. Tip the puréed vegetables back into the pan and gently stir in the remaining reserved liquid with the orange zest and juice.
Season to taste with salt and pepper. Reheat when ready to serve. Add sprigs of mint or sliced mint leaves as a garnish.

Soup with six green veges

Heat a heavy saucepan, then add 2 tablespoons of oil and the leeks and sauté over a gentle heat until soft and tender.
Add the silverbeet and 1½ cups of the peas and cook a further minute, stirring gently, before adding the stock. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook for 15 minutes.
Remove from the heat and drain, catching all the liquid in a bowl. Purée the vegetables in a blender or put through a mouli, then return the purée to the pan, along with the reserved liquid.
Meanwhile, heat the remaining oil in a frying pan. Add the celery, fennel and broccoli and stir-fry until the vegetables start to soften but still have a slight crunch.
Tip the vegetables into the puréed soup with the remaining peas and heat gently. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
To serve, ladle into heated bowls and garnish with fresh herbs and a few spring onion slices in the centre of each serving.

Smoked fish chowder

Put the milk, parsley, peppercorns and chillies into a large heavy-based saucepan and bring to a boil.
Reduce the heat to a simmer, then add the fish and simmer for 3-4 minutes until it becomes flaky.
Remove the fish from the milk. Strain the milk and discard the peppercorns, chillies and parsley.
Return the pan to the heat and add the butter. When it’s sizzling, add the onion and potato and sauté for 3-4 minutes.
Add the flour and stir to combine. Add the wine, stirring constantly, and allow to bubble.
While still stirring, pour the milk into the pan and bring back to the boil. Reduce to a simmer and stir occasionally until thickened – about 6-8 minutes.
Flake the fish and return it to the pan, seasoning to taste with salt and pepper.
To serve, stir in the parsley, then ladle into warmed bowls.