I am a great lover of soups, stews and all warming hearty dishes that can easily be filled with wholesome veggies. These days with the weather the way it is, is a perfect time for soup. Of course the best ingredients are also available....
Right now we are in the middle of root and winter vegetable heaven. This is the season for many of the greatest vegetables on earth which just happen to make wonderful soups, stews and other succulent dishes. I happen to love root and winter vegetables and include them as much as possible in meals.
Some of my favourite ones would be sweet potato, turnip, carrot, beetroot, celeriac, fennel, celery root and there are a few which grow above the ground such as pumpkin, squash, cabbage, kale and broccoli. I can't wait for a few more such as Brussels sprouts to come into season as well.
Any combination of these hearty vegetables can be included in a warming soup for rainy wet cold days such as these. I really enjoy anything with pumpkin and carrot for instance - spice it up with coriander and turmeric plus lots of garlic or leeks as this makes a creamy filling soup.
One thing I do to enhance soups in particular is to put about a 1/2 cup to a cup of lentils or beans in with the vegetables. The beans are usually soaked overnight to soften them and then cooked beforehand with a little seaweed.
However, with lentils you can place them into a pot of cold water in the morning for your evening soup. Let them sit for a few hours if you have the time and then cook together with the vegetables as the soup cooks.
Today I placed a couple of handfuls of brown lentils into a pot with some seaweed. Left it to sit for the afternoon until I was ready to make the soup. Once I was ready to start working with the vegetables I turned on the burner to give the lentils a little head start.
To the water, lentils and seaweed I added salt, pepper, turmeric, cumin at the beginning and then the vegetables. Half of a pumpkin, 5 carrots, 1 chopped onion and another onion, leek and garlic sautéd in a little olive oil.
This cooked for about 45 minutes until done. I then added 1/2 cup of chopped fresh coriander and blended the soup into a thick paste. It smelled divine and my daughter loved it! This is usually called orange soup in our house...
Great with a fresh loaf of herbed spelt bread right out of the oven...mmmm!
April
Any combination of these hearty vegetables can be included in a warming soup for rainy wet cold days such as these. I really enjoy anything with pumpkin and carrot for instance - spice it up with coriander and turmeric plus lots of garlic or leeks as this makes a creamy filling soup.
One thing I do to enhance soups in particular is to put about a 1/2 cup to a cup of lentils or beans in with the vegetables. The beans are usually soaked overnight to soften them and then cooked beforehand with a little seaweed.
However, with lentils you can place them into a pot of cold water in the morning for your evening soup. Let them sit for a few hours if you have the time and then cook together with the vegetables as the soup cooks.
Today I placed a couple of handfuls of brown lentils into a pot with some seaweed. Left it to sit for the afternoon until I was ready to make the soup. Once I was ready to start working with the vegetables I turned on the burner to give the lentils a little head start.
To the water, lentils and seaweed I added salt, pepper, turmeric, cumin at the beginning and then the vegetables. Half of a pumpkin, 5 carrots, 1 chopped onion and another onion, leek and garlic sautéd in a little olive oil.
This cooked for about 45 minutes until done. I then added 1/2 cup of chopped fresh coriander and blended the soup into a thick paste. It smelled divine and my daughter loved it! This is usually called orange soup in our house...
Great with a fresh loaf of herbed spelt bread right out of the oven...mmmm!
April
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| Winter Vegetables |
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