Soup Recipes

Wow!! Is it just because I've had a couple of weeks off at home, or has it genuinely gotten coooold these past few days? I woke up this morning and it was so cold my immediate thought was 'The first thing I'm going to do when I get home this evening is to make soup!" Anyone who knows me or who has read this blog before will know I am a big soup fan. If I recall, Dublin had such bad weather in the 'summer' that I posted a soup recipe in June!

I've recently started a Twitter account and started following BBC Good Food Blog. Though they don't seem to tweet too much, I was delighted when I saw a recipe for tomato and courgette soup. Yum! I have made it lots of times and have changed it quite a bit. The original recipe is here, but below is my personal take on it - make at your peril!!

Courgette and Tomato Soup

Ingredients

• 1 large onion
• 2 or 3 courgettes (depending on size)
• 5 or 6 tomatoes (again depending on size)
• a decent knob of butter
• 1 tablespoon of plain flour
• 2 to 4 garlic cloves (to personal taste)
• 2 red chillies (chili powder also works)
• a pinch of turmeric
• 1 litre of chicken or vegetable stock (homemade or shop-bought)

Method

1. Melt the butter slowly in a heavy-bottomed pot. Add the onion and courgettes. Cook for about four minutes, stirring occasionally.
2. Add tomatoes, garlic, chillies and flour. Stir continuously so that flour doesn't go lumpy. 
3. Add the turmeric and stock and allow to simmer for 30 minutes.
4. Blend to desired thickness.

Take or leave various ingredients to your personal or family's liking. I know a friend of mine put lardons in it and she said it was really lovely. Even if you're not used to cooking or making soups, it's really easy to make and also easy to play around with. As long as you keep the fundamentals, I don't think you could mess it up too much. (Let me know if you do - I will eat my words and make some fresh stuff for you! ;) )

The next soup I'm going to give the recipe for probably breaches copyright or something, but here goes! I recently had a couple of weeks off between jobs and took the Avoca cook book out. I have only made one or two things from the book since I got it as a present because I find a lot of the recipes take too long and I don't have the time after work, etc. Anyway, being a lady of leisure (of sorts) I thought I would make a stab at a few things. I found this soup amazing! And I mean seriously amazing! It makes a lot and one serving is filling enough by itself. Again, I have made a couple of changes because I'm a fussier eater than I care to admit, but my way or 'their' way, I guarantee delicious lunches - for a week!

Sweet Potato and Carrot Soup with Coconut and Chili

Ingredients

• 3 large sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped
• 2 large onions, peeled and chopped
• 50g butter
• 2 potatoes, peeled and chopped
• 3 large carrots, peeled and chopped (I didn't peel them as most nutritious stuff is in the skin)
• 1 red chili 
• 1 x 420g coconut milk
• 600ml vegetable stock (I just used shop-bought stuff)
• a handful of coriander leaves (optional)
• lemongrass stalk (optional)
• salt
• ground black pepper

Method

1. On a low heat in a heavy saucepan  gently cook the onions in the butter for about eight minutes. Keep the lid on them, checking occasionally and stirring. 
2. Add remaining vegetables, stock and chili. Season well, cover and simmer until all vegetables are soft. It should take 15 to 20 minutes.
3. Remove from the heat and add the coconut milk and fresh coriander. Liquidise until smooth. If you use the lemongrass, make sure to remove it before this.
4. Taste and add seasoning if required.

This is potentially the nicest soup I have ever had. Well, definitely the nicest I have ever made. I have also gotten mega brownie points for it, despite the fact that it doesn't take long to prepare or to make! (I'm not complaining!) I make it without the potatoes as it is very thick with them. Also, I don't really like potatoes. I guess you could substitute one sweet potato for a regular one or some combination along those lines if you really wanted potatoes. I didn't use the coriander because, need I say again!, I hate it. The first time I made it I used regular coconut milk. It was quite heavy. I have since used light coconut milk, which doesn't have as strong a taste, but still adds a lovely taste to the soup. If you don't like coconut, just make it without. I gave my mother the recipe without it in as I knew she wouldn't like it and might be put off if I included it.

A pot of this has about eight to ten bowls in it. It could be the cheapest lunch you'll have this year! Full of yumminess, not to mention nutrition, especially from the sweet potatoes.

If you make either of these, please let me know what you think. Let me know what ingredients you add or leave out and what the result is like. Would love to hear your tips and advise, or other soup recipes. I don't think this cold weather is going anywhere for a while, so lets get sharing I say.

Enjoy! :-D