Gordan Ramsay's Broccoli Soup

This is by the far the most easiest soup I've ever made! Yummy and super healthy- it's also a great way to get some greens into your diet

Ingredients

2 medium broccoli
1.5L water
1 tablespoon salt
olive oil

Method

1. Bring water to a boil in a large sauce pan. Add salt. Add broccoli and boil rapidly for 4 minutes. Your broccoli is ready when you can piece it with little or no effort.
2. Remove broccoli using a slotted spoon and put into a blender. Pour the broccoli water to fill the blender half way. Add a pinch (or more) of salt. Use several pulses on your blender to break the broccoli up and then puree for several seconds.
3. Pour soup into a bowl. Drizzle lightly with olive oil and serve at once!

Pearl Barley & Smoked Paprika Minestrone Soup

Warm, hearty and healthy soup

Recipe adapted from taste.com.au, April 2014

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 brown onion, diced into 1cm cubes
1 carrot, diced into 1cm cubes
1 zucchini, diced into 1cm cubes
2 garlic cloves, crushed
2 teaspoons smoked paprika
2x400g cans diced tomatoes
1.5L-2L vegetable stock
⅓ cup pearl barley
400g can barlotti beans, rinsed, drained
½ bunch kale, shredded
flat leaf parsley leaves, roughly chopped, to serve

Method

1. Heat oil in a large saucepan over high heat. Add onion, carrot, zucchini and garlic. Cook stirring for 5 minutes or until onion softens.
2. Add paprika and stir to combine. Add tomatoes, stock and barley. Bring to the boil. Reduce heat to medium-low. Cook, stirring occasionally for 30 minutes or until barley is tender. Add beans and kale. Stir until kale wilts. Taste and season with salt and pepper.
3. Divide soup among serving bowls. Sprinkle with parsley to serve. 

Papaya, Carrot & Sweet Corn Soup

Home style Chinese comfort food. This is great to drink in Summer or Winter for hydration

Ingredients

½ papaya, peeled and chopped into large chunks
1 sweet corn- chopped into large chunks
1 carrot, chopped
750ml-1L water
80g rock sugar
2 honey dates
1 ginger slice
1 white fungus (optional)

Method

1. Add all the ingredients into a pot and boil for 10 minutes
2. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes
3. Serve warm or cool

Mango Sago Dessert

This is a nice and refreshing dessert to have on a hot summer's day!

Ingredients

2 mangoes
400ml mango juice
mango essence (optional)
125ml evaporated milk
100g sago pearls (approx. 1/2 cup)
250ml water
6 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp tapioca flour 
1 tbsp cold water
extra 50ml water

Preparation of sago pearls

1. Soak sago pearls in cold water till they turn translucent (about an hour or two).
2. Boil the pearls in 3 cups water until it turns totally transparent, about 10 minutes.
3. Pour the cooked pearls into a sieve and wash it with cold tap water to remove the starch.

Method

1. In a small saucepan, boil 250ml water, add sugar and stir until sugar dissolves
2. Mix tapioca flour with 1 tbsp water and pour into the syrup and stir over low heat until mixture is smooth.
3. Take syrup and tapioca flour mixture off the heat and leave it to cool.
4. Meanwhile, cut the sides of the mango and cube them.
5. Scrape the remaining mango and put in a blender with 50ml water. Blend until pureed then put aside.
6. Add blended mango, cubed mango, mango juice and evaporated milk into the syrup solution then stir.
7. Add sago pearls and stir. If too thick, add a bit more mango juice.
8. Chill before serving.

Pumpkin & Red Lentil Soup

 Recipe from Delicious Vegetarian Food, page 67

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 long red chilli, seeded and chopped
1 onion, finely chopped
500g butternut pumpkin, chopped
350g orange sweet potato, chopped
1 litre vegetable or chicken stock
½ cup red lentils
1 tablespoon tahini

Method

1. Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat, add the chilli and onion and cook for 2-3 minutes, or until the onion is soft. Reduce the heat to low, add the pumpkin and sweet potato and cook, covered, for 8 minutes, stirring occasionally.
2. Increase the heat to high, add the stock and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat to low, and simmer, covered, for 10 minutes. Add the lentils and cook, covered, for 7 minutes, or until tender.
3. Blend the soup in batches in a blender, food processor or by using a stick blender. Add the tahini and blend until smooth. Return to the saucepan and gently heat until warmed through. Garnish with chilli and serve with bread.

Notes & Tips

The soup can be made up to a day ahead. Keep covered with plastic wrap in the refrigerator and reheat in a saucepan or in the microwave.

Potato & Leek Soup

The nights are getting colder so warm yourself up by making this creamy potato and leek soup!

Ingredients

¼ cup olive oil
1 brown onion, halved, chopped
1 garlic clove, crushed
4-5 medium (about 700g) peeled desiree, pink eye or pontiac potatoes, cut into 2cm cubes
2 leeks, pale section only, washed, dried, thinly sliced
1.25L (5 cups) salt reduced chicken stock
3 thick slices day-old white bread, crusts removed, cut into 2cm cubes
½ cup thickened cream
Pinch of salt
2 tbs finely chopped fresh chives

Method

1. Heat 1 tbs of the oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook, stirring, for 3 minutes or until the onion softens. Add the potato and leek and cook, stirring, for 5 minutes or until leek softens. 
2. Add the stock and bring to the boil. Reduce heat to medium and gently boil, uncovered, for 20 minutes or until potato is soft. Remove from heat and set aside for 10 minutes to cool.  
3. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 180°C. Place bread in a roasting pan. Drizzle with remaining oil and toss until bread is evenly coated. Toast in preheated oven, shaking pan occasionally, for 10 minutes or until crisp. Remove croutons from oven and set aside. 
4. Transfer one-third of the potato mixture to the jug of a blender and blend until smooth. Transfer to a clean saucepan. Repeat in 2 more batches with the remaining potato mixture. 
5. Place the soup over medium heat. Add the cream and stir to combine. Cook, stirring, for 5 minutes or until hot. Taste and season with salt. 
6.  Ladle the soup among serving bowls. Sprinkle with chives and top with croutons. Serve immediately.

Notes & Tips

This soup will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.

To blend soups, use a stick blender, jug blender or food processor.

Chinese Sweet Potato and Ginger Soup

This Chinese dessert soup is homely comfort food. When I was little, I always looked forward to when my mum would make this soup for me. It's so simple to make and so delicious to eat! I very much enjoy drinking the sweet soup and eating the sweet potato with the warming properties of ginger. It always makes me feel all warm and fuzzy on the inside after I drink this soup :) This dessert soup can be eaten hot or cold but I prefer to eat it hot.

Ingredients

2 large sweet potatoes
2 inches fresh ginger, skinned and sliced
3 ½ cups water
60g rock sugar

Method

1. Peel, wash and chop sweet potatoes into chunks (size is dependent on personal preference, I like mine chunky).
2. Bring water in a pot to a boil; then add ginger slices, sweet potatoes and rock sugar. Bring to a boil again then simmer on low heat for 15 minutes with lid on.
3. Serve hot or cold.

Mung Bean Soup

Mung beans, according to Chinese physicians, have a 'cooling' effect on the body, so this is a very popular dish in Summer. This dessert soup can be served hot or cold.

Serves 6

Ingredients

½ cup split yellow mung beans
6 cups of water
5 tablespoons sugar or adjust to taste

Method

1. Soak beans overnight, or at least for 4 hours, in plenty of cold water
2. Place mung beans in a large pot, add 6 cups of water
3. Bring to a boil, add sugar, stir, and simmer for 1 hour
4. Let cool, then refrigerate for 1 hour, and serve

Notes & Tips

If you prefer your mung bean soup to have more of a yellow tinge, substitute the white sugar with rock sugar instead.

Lotus Root Soup

One of the things I love most about my mum's cooking is that she makes very nice and tasty soups. Feeling a bit homesick, I decided to try and make a lotus root soup using a secret ingredient that my mum always adds to sweeten and flavour Chinese soup- dried honey dates. This secret ingredient sure didn't disappoint. The taste of pork ribs complimented the sweetness of these dried honey dates and the end result was a very light and refreshing soup that hubby and I just couldn't stop sipping.

Ingredients

1 strip lean pork ribs
1 lotus root (fresh or frozen)
2 dried honey dates
8-10 dried red dates
2 pieces dried squid
1 tbsp dried wolfberries (kai chee)
6 cups water
Salt to taste

Method

1. Cut the pork ribs into short lengths, remove any visible fat and set aside.
2. Peel off the skin of lotus root and cut into slices. 
3. Bring a pot of water to boil and add in all the ingredients. 
4. Cover the pot and simmer for 1 hour or until well cooked. Add salt to taste.

Vegetable Soup

I've been out of action in the kitchen for a few days since I've been struck down with the flu. I felt a bit better today so I thought I'd make myself a simple yet nutritious meal to help kick start the immune system, so what better to make than vegetable soup? Packed full of nutrients, vitamins and anti-oxidants, this recipe is also super easy to make if you have a slow cooker. Just set and forget... a couple of hours later... a nice meal awaits :)
 
I added some chopped bacon to this soup since I had some left over in the fridge, but for a meat free version, just omit it from this recipe. I also added some chilli flakes for a bit of kick.

You can pretty much add to this soup any kind of vegetable, whatever is in season or whatever happens to be in your fridge.

This recipe is also freezer friendly. A handy tip I learnt was to put the soup into individual microwavable soup containers. That way you can very easily take it out of the freezer and put straight into the microwave. Yummy soup in a matter of minutes!

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 brown onion, finely chopped
125g bacon, chopped (optional)
2 garlic cloves, crushed
2 carrots, peeled, chopped
2 celery sticks, chopped
2 small zucchini, chopped
4 cups vegetable or chicken stock
2-3 cups water
400g can diced roma tomatoes
1 tub tomato paste
¼ tsp chilli flakes (optional) 
⅓ cup dried risoni pasta (optional)
⅓ cup flat-leaf parsley leaves, roughly chopped

Method

1. Heat oil in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion, bacon and garlic. Cook, stirring, for 5 minutes or until soft. 
2. Add all ingredients except the risoni and parsley into a slow cooker and stir to combine.
3. Cover and cook on high for 2- 3 hours or on low for 4 to 6 hours.
4. Stir in risoni pasta during the last hour of cooking. Alternatively, if making ahead, cook the risoni pasta separately and stir into the soup just before serving.
   
5. Stir through parsley. Ladle soup into bowls. Serve with warm crusty bread.
   

Notes & Tips

To freeze: Store soup in an airtight container. Label, date and freeze for up to 3 months.

Sweet Corn & Potato Soup

This is a very filling soup for a cold winter's day :)

Ingredients
6 medium potatoes, peeled and quartered
500ml chicken or vegetable stock
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
175g rind-less bacon, finely chopped
310g corn kernels
185ml light evaporated milk
Salt and pepper, to taste
Parsley for garnish

Method

1. Heat a large non-stick saucepan over a high heat. When hot, add the bacon and cook, stirring for 5 minutes, until golden. Remove and set aside.
2. Place the potatoes, onion, garlic and stock into the saucepan.
3. Bring to the boil and then lower the heat and simmer, partially covered, until the potatoes are soft.
4. Place the potato mixture into a food processor. Then add bacon and process until smooth.
5. Place mixture back into saucepan. Add corn kernels and evaporated milk to the potato mixture and bring almost to the boil. Remove from heat.
6. Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve. Garnish with parsley

Notes & Tips

Evaporated milk contains less fat than cream, allowing you to rekindle your love for creamy food :)

Roast Pumpkin Soup

For a fuller & sweeter pumpkin flavour, I would recommend taking the extra time to roast the pumpkin first. If you don't have the time, you can just add all the ingredients to a pan and bring to the boil then simmer on low heat for 20-30 minutes or until vegetables are tender, prior to blending and adding the milk.

Ingredients

1 onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1kg pumpkin, peeled, seeded and chopped
1 chicken stock cube
¼ tsp ground nutmeg
2 cups water
freshly ground black pepper
185mL can evaporated milk
2 tbs olive oil
rosemary & thyme sprigs (optional)

Method


Preheat oven to 220°C. Arrange the pumpkin and onion in a single layer, in a large roasting pan. Drizzle over the olive oil, season with salt and pepper and toss to coat. Add some rosemary & thyme sprigs. Roast in oven, turning once halfway through cooking, for 30 minutes or until golden & tender.

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant. Add the pumpkin & onion mixture (with the herbs removed), stock cube, water, nutmeg and bring to the boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer, covered, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes or until it reduces slightly. Remove from heat.

Place the mixture in food processor or blender and process until mixture is smooth.

Return to pan, season with salt and pepper to taste. Add evaporated milk, return to boil stirring constantly. Sprinkle with parsley and season with freshly ground pepper before serving.

Notes & Tips

Evaporated milk contains less fat than cream, allowing you to rekindle your love for creamy food :)