Spicy Carrot and Coriander Soup

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon of olive oil
• 2 large onions, chopped
• 5 carrots, peeled and chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 big red chilli, finely chopped (include seeds)
• 3 (400g) tins of plum tomatoes, with juice
• 250ml vegetable stock
• 1 bunch chopped fresh coriander
• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 1 dessertspoon caster sugar
• 1 tablespoon HP sauce
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 250ml double cream

Method:

1. Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat, and cook the onions, carrots, garlic and chilli pepper until tender.
2. Mix in tomatoes, vegetable stock, 1/2 the coriander, balsamic vinegar, sugar, HP and Worcestershire sauce. Season with salt and pepper.
3. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, and simmer 30 minutes.
4. Transfer the soup in batches to a blender or food processor and blend until smooth. Return to the pot, and continue cooking until heated through.
5. Remove soup from heat, and stir in the cream. Finely chop the remaining coriander, and mix into the soup before serving.
6. For a nice presentation, swirl some cream in a circle add a couple of whole coriander leaves to the centre of the soup.

Chicken Wonton Soup

Ingredients:

Wontons:

•   100  Wonton Skins
•   1  Egg beaten

Filling:

•   1 lb minced Chicken
•   3/4 inch chopped Fresh Ginger
•   4 chopped Scalions
•   3/4 tsp  ground roasted Szechwan Pepper
•   1/2 tsp  Salt
•   1 tbsp  Corn starch
•   2 tbsp  Soy sauce
•   2 tsp  Sesame oil
•   1 Egg white

Soup:

•   4 Cups Chicken Broth
•   2 tbsp Soy Sauce (1/2 tbsp per cup of broth)
•   1/2 tsp  Hot pepper flakes in oil (1/8 tsp per cup)
•   Black pepper to taste
•   4 Green onions (chopped finely)

Method:

Makes 100 Wontons - This is much more than is needed for 4 cups of broth and stored one can use later with fresh soup.

Mix the ingredients for the filling thoroughly. Add 3/4 tsp of the filling to each wonton skin, and roll the skin diagonally until reaching a little past the center of the skin. Twist the ends, moisten with the beaten egg, and pinch the ends together.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Cook 20 wontons at a time. Drop 20 wontons into pot, and after a few seconds, stir carefully with strainer to loosen any that are stuck to bottom. When water is boiling again, wait 2-3 minutes, then pour in enough cold water to stop the boiling. When boiling again, cook 2 minutes longer. Remove wontons with wire strainer/spoon.

Heat the broth, add the other ingredients. To serve, place the desired number of wontons in a bowl, pour the soup over the wontons, and garnish with the green onion.

Cauliflower Soup

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 large brown onion, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 head (1.3kg) cauliflower, cut into florets
• 500g potatoes, peeled, chopped
• 1 litre chicken/ beef/ vegetable stock
• 1/2 cup pure cream
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• Salt to taste
• ½ tsp fresh crushed Peeper 

Method:

1. Heat oil in a large saucepan over low heat, add onion and cook for 2-3 minutes, until softened but not coloured.
2. Add garlic and cumin powder and cook, stirring, for 30 seconds. Add cauliflower, potato and stock and bring to the boil. Turn heat to low, cover and simmer for 30 minutes.
3. Allow to cool slightly, then blend in batches.
4. Return soup to pan, stir through cream and reheat gently.
5. Season and serve soup topped with fresh herbs, chilli flakes, pure cream, sour cream, croutons or cooked chopped bacon.

Prawn Bisque

Ingredients:

•  450 gm Shell-on North Atlantic Prawns

•  450gr extra shells (optional)

•  2.3 litres Water

•  1 fresh Chili

•  1 medium clove of Garlic

•  90 gm Butter

•  1 peeled and diced big Carrot

•  1 chopped large Onion

•  1 bouquet garni

1 bay leaf

3 sprigs thyme

4 large sprigs parsley (including stalks)

10 cm (4 inch) piece celery stalked with leaves

two 10 cm (4 inch) pieces leek (green part)

Place the bay leaf, thyme, parsley and celery on one piece of green leek. Cover with the remaining piece of green leek. Tie securely with fine string, leaving a length of string attached so that the bouquet garni can be easily retrieved.

•  90 gm Rice

•  6 fresh Tomatoes, peeled (by dipping in boiling water), seeded and pulped

•  30 gm Tomato Puree

•  1 shot of Brandy (optional)

•  200ml Dry White Wine

•  Salt to taste

•  ½ teaspoon freshly-ground Black Pepper

•  100ml Double Cream

Method:

1. Shell the prawns, keeping the shells and setting the prawns aside in the fridge. Put the prawn shells, the water, chili and garlic - plus any shells you may have saved up in the deep freeze, in a non-corrosive (so not aluminium) pan and bring it to the boil. Reduce the cooking speed to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes, skimming off any froth as it comes to the surface.

2. Drain the stock and discard the solids.

3. Melt the butter, over a gentle heat, in a stainless-steel pan big enough to hold all the ingredients.

4. Add the carrot and onion and soften them without browning.

5. Add the peeled prawns, the flambé them with the brandy (if using). Add the white wine, then when it starts to bubble, the stock.

6. Add all the remaining ingredients, apart from the cream. Cook for 20 minutes

7. Remove from the heat and take out the bouquet garni. Pass the soup through a strong sieve using the back of a wooden spoon, or process in a food processor in batches, don't overfill the bowl, as the soup might leak, and will be very hot.

8. Return the soup to the pan and check the seasoning.

9. The soup can be served now, with the last minute addition of a little cream.

Simple Egg Drop Soup

Ingredients:

·         6 cups chicken stock

·         2 eggs, lightly beaten

·         2 green onions, minced

·         1/2 teaspoon white pepper

·         Salt to taste

·         2 tbsp cornflour

·         A few drops of sesame oil (optional)

Preparation:

1.        In a wok, bring the 4 cups of chicken stock to a boil. Add the white pepper and salt, and the sesame oil if using. Cook for about another minute.

2.        Mix corn flour with 1/2 cup of normal water. Remove the soup from the heat and add the corn flour/water mixture,. Stir well.

3.        Very slowly pour in the eggs in a steady stream. To make shreds, stir the egg rapidly in a clockwise direction for one minute. To make thin streams or ribbons, gently stir the eggs in a clockwise direction until they form.

4.        Garnish with green onion and serve.

Black bean and Sweet Potato Soup

Ingredients:

•  2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped

•  1 cup of rinsed black beans
•  1 cup onion, finely chopped
•  1 tsp chopped garlic
•  6 cups of vegetable broth
•  1-2 bay leaves
•  1 inch cinnamon stick

•  2 tsp ground coriander

•  2 tsp ground cumin

•  sour cream (optional)
•  lime wedge (optional)
•  1 jalapeno (optional)

•  1 tbsp olive oil

•  1 tsp salt
•  1/2 pepper

Method:

1. Heat oil in sauce pan and sweat the onion and garlic over low heat. 

2.Add chopped sweet potatoes and beans and cook briefly. 

3. Add vegetable broth, cinnamon and bay leaf. Turn up heat slightly and cook, covered, for 15 minutes or until sweet potatoes soften. 

4. Remove bay leaf and cinnamon stick . Blend just a bit with hand blender--be sure to leave some nice big chunks of sweet potato for contrast. Pop it back over the heat for a minute. Add salt and pepper then serve with an optional sprinkling dollop of light sour cream, lime wedge and jalapeno on top.