Scallop and calamari soup

Serves approx 6
Cooking Time: 3 hours
Preparation Time : 10 minutes

500ml Shellfish or Fish Stock ( I used Moredoughs)
200g squid tubes
250g scallops cleaned
4 tablespoons of olive oil
1 onion chopped finely
1 celery stalk chopped finely
1 carrot chopped finely
2 small garlic cloves diced finely
1 fennel bulb trimmed and sliced thinly
250g chopped tomatoes
handful of italian parsley chopped finely
1/2 cup of dry white wine
pinch of cayenne pepper

2 cups of white rice


Heat oil in a medium sized casserole pot over the stove top.  Add the onion, celery, carrot, fennel, garlic, tomatoes and cayenne pepper and stir through.  Then add slowly the shellfish/fish stock.  Add the white wine and the parsley and cook on a medium heat slowly for 2-3 hours stirring occasionally. Top up with water if the stock gets too low.

Cook the rice for ten minutes in boiling water when ready to serve.  Place the rice in small bowls for ten minutes and flatten the top then you can flip them over when ready into a bowl and spoon the soup around the rice mound.  

In a fry pan place some oil and a little butter and cook the scallops and calamari for around 3 minutes on each side.  Then turn heat off.

Place a few scallops and calamari onto the top of the rice mounds in little bowls and ladle extra soup around the top of each.

Serve with crusty ciabatta bread.

Potato and leek soup

Serves 2
Preparation Time: 10 minutes
Cooking Time: 20 minutes

1 white part of leek cut finely
3 medium potatoes peeled and diced finely
1/4 white onion finely chopped
1 stalk of celery cut finely
1 small clove of garlic diced finely
2-3 large cups of chicken stock
cream to serve
chives chopped finely to serve
approx 50 g butter

Place butter into large saucepan and add the onion, leek, celery and garlic.  Heat on low heat for around 15 minutes stirring with wooden spoon. Make sure not to brown.  Then add the potatoes and the stock and bring to boil.

Lower the heat to a simmer and cover for around 20 minutes.   Let it cool a little to blend with a hand blender or a food processor and return to saucepan.

Bring the heat up again and stir in the cream.  Alternatively you can add a swirl of cream when serving.

Top with fresh chopped chives from the garden.  Season with salt and pepper if desired.

Can be served hot or chilled.

Amazing!

Red lentil, celery and taleggio soup

Preparation Time: 15 minutes
Cooking Time: 1 hour
Serves 4 - 6

1 teaspoon of extra virgin olive oil
1/2 onion chopped fine
1 cup of red lentils
2 litres boiled water
1 vegetable stock cube
2 stalks of celery cut finely
3 carrots peeled and chopped
60g taleggio cheese cut into small squares (approx 6 squares per bowl)
1/3 cup of fresh chives chopped fine

Heat oil in saucepan and place onion into pan.  Cook slightly but do not brown.  Then add lentils with boiled water and vegetable stock cube.   Add the celery and carrot and bring to the boil.  Simmer for around an hour.

Turn heat off and use a hand blender or any mixer to blend soup to a puree.

Then heat up again but not until boiling point.  Place a large soup ladle into the soup and place into individual bowls.  Then add the cheese and chives into the centre of each bowl.

Thanks to my local deli cleos  for great advice on the type of cheese to use. Normally a blue cheese is used with lentil soups but this was a great choice as it was not stringy it was smooth and a little salty but perfect!

Serve hot with crusty bread.

Amazing!

Note:  as an alternative for kids i made pasta chicken noodle soup with fresh chicken stock and ladled one ladle of this lentil soup into their chicken soup so they could at least get a little extra flavour!

Red Lentil and Vegetable soup (easy)

Cooking Time: 30 minutes with preparation
Serves approx 2 large bowls or four small

1/2 cup red lentils
4 - 5 cups of boiling water (small saucepan just below the top)
2 massell chicken stock cubes
1 carrot diced
1 celery stick diced
A few tiny florets of broccoli
Handful of diced pumpkin
1 small sprinkle of chopped chives
1 small sprinkle of cumin spice
1 teaspoon of butter (lurpak)
salt and pepper to taste
sprinkle of grana padano


Place all in your saucepan and boil for around 20 minutes and taste to test salt and pepper additions.


Top with grana padano cheese.

Serve with crusty bread or some corn thins with butter

Vegetable soup

Serves: 4
Preparation Time: 15 minutes
Cooking Time: 1 hour - 2 hours simmering

Classic home made with lots of flavour! Kids loved this one


2 garlic cloves crushed slightly
olive oil
6 rounds of white end of leek chopped
500ml quality vegetable stock and 200ml water
1 potatoes peeled and diced
1 carrot peeled and diced
1/4 pumpkin peeled and diced
1 zuccini diced
2 sticks celery diced
1 small amount of chilli for taste (fresh preferred around 2 little chopped pieces)
shake of oregano
1 tablespoon of quality butter (lurpak type)


Place the leek,garlic and oil in large soup pot and cook slightly then add the stock and water.  Add all the vegetables and herbs etc.  Keep water covering all the ingredients.  Cook low heat simmering for approx 1 1/2 to 2 hours .  Cool slightly and use a hand blender if you have one to break the soup down slightly so it has a little fine bit of fine vegetable as well if you like.

Can be served next day and will actually taste even better.  Enjoy with crusty bread or even some sausages to accompany it.

Spicy and Sweet Pumpkin Soup

  Spicy and Sweet Pumpkin Soup (with lamb sandwiches)

Serves : 6 small bowls

Preparation Time: 10 mins

Cooking Time: Oven baking 20 mins and stovetop cooking 20 mins

1kg size pumpkin

2 cloves of garlic or 2 teaspoons of crushed jar garlic

8 small curls of butter or you can use olive oil to splash

1 small teaspoon of ground cumin

4 cups of fresh chicken stock (see receipe on my list) or vegetable stock (vegetarians)

Salt and pepper to taste

Cream for serving if desired

Nutmeg for serving if desired

Cut up the pumpkin into small edged pieces and lay into the bottom of a large oven baker.  Sprinkle with butter curls and dollop the garlic pieces across.  Bake for approx 20 mins (180 degress celcius) and occasionally turn the pieces so they dont start to burn. 

While this is cooking in oven prepare the chicken stock on the stovetop in a saucepan large enough to later add pumpkin.

Add the salt and pepper and cumin to the stock and check taste to how you prefer. 

Then when the pumpkin is soft and ready to mash take from oven baker and place into another large bowl and mash up.  Add this to the stock mix and cook slowly for approx 10 minutes stirring with wooden spoon occasionally.

Serve with some sandwiches or crusty bread for a winter lunch.

Sandwiches are lamb, avocado, lettuce and maasdam cheese.