Just in Time for Winter

Winter will always be the season of soups. They prove to be an easy meal when you have a cold and really don't have the energy to do much more than lie in bed wishing it was over.

The classic soup- pumpkin can be a drag to peel and chop so I went to for a less physical alternative- carrot!

And another good thing about soup is that it is not necessary to chop the vegetables all 'nicely' because in the end it all gets blended up anyway. The important thing is making sure the vegetables are cooked through and soft.

And my goodness, you end up with a sweet, moreish soup. Maybe it was because I used half of the proposed 150g of butter...

The original recipe also contained 1 bouquet garni but who has time to sort that out! For those of you who aren't aware of what this is; sprigs of thyme and parsley, and a bay leaf are tied together with non coloured string which gets placed in the liquid so the flavours diffuse and is then removed at the end. An alternative is to tie up the dried versions of the herbs mentioned in some muslin cloth.

SO do have a try of this simple, budget conscious recipe and let me know what you think!

Curried Carrot Soup

75g butter

1 onion, chopped

2 garlic cloves, crushed

6 carrots, peeled and chopped

1 tsp cumin seeds

½ tsp curry powder

500ml chicken stock

A sprinkle of dried coriander, to serve

Melt the butter in a saucepan and sweat the onion, garlic and carrots until softened.

Meanwhile toast the cumin seeds in a separate saucepan until fragrant. Add the toasted cumin seeds and curry powder to the vegetables and cook a further 2-3 minutes.

Add the chicken stock and 100ml water and bring to the boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook for 30 minutes.

Once the vegetables have cooled down, blend the soup until smooth. Delicious!

Traditional South African Food

I'm all about embracing cultures and the foods that accompany that. I myself was born in South Africa, a country that has had a particularly interesting history. And one that has involved different culinary influences. This dish is made up of many spices- arising from South Africa's Indian heritage. The mixture and proportions can be played around with to suit your taste. It is a delicious meal that would be prefect for a quick dinner on a winter's night. It is usually served with yellow rice (coloured by tumeric) and chutney.

Baboti

Serves 6 

2 teaspoons curry powder
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper or paprika
2 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper

2 small onions, roughly chopped
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon apricot jam
1 handful raisins
2 tablespoons chutney
1 tablespoon worcestershire sauce
4 slices white bread, roughly chopped
500g mince
1 egg
3/4 cup milk

Heat a large pot over medium-high heat. Put in first 8 ingredients, warm thoroughly.

Add next 6 ingredients. Return to low heat and mix until bubbly.

Dampen bread with milk. Squeeze out excess milk and add to mixture. Stir well.

Add mince and cook for 15 minutes.

Fill a large oven-proof dish with the Baboti mixture.

Beat the egg with milk. Add salt and pepper to taste. Pour over Baboti mixture.

Bake at 180C for 45 minutes (until custard is golden).