As I was sitting down to write this column it was pouring rain outside and the howling wind sounded like it was about to uproot the tree outside my bedroom window.
The only thing missing from this perfect winter’s night was a vuurwarme bakkie sop.
And I know I’m not the only one, soup season has officially started, people.
The weather of the last few days just made me lus for soup of all and any kind.
In fact, I’ve even thought about going on a soup diet and not the boring healthy ones met net drie blare wat float op water en niks flavour.
I’m talking about a soup “diet” of some of my favourite vegetable, chicken and corn, butternut, potato or even a lekker onion soup.
And what’s a warme bakkie sop without a slice of bread or vetkoek so fresh dat dit nog steam?
OK, so maybe my idea is not a diet per se, but the idea of drinking my food from a cup, a big cup, makes me feel less guilty about the way I’ve been eating lately.
Admittedly, the closest I’ve come to a decent bowl of soup was a pakkie Cup a Soup, which doesn’t quite hit the spot the same way.
While the koswinkels have been sleg with most of their lockdown food prices, they have been generous with their veggie combo deals, so there is no excuse for why we can’t stock up on the vegetables and make lekker soup dishes.
Besides, nothing warms your insides the way jou ma se sop does.
Recipes:
Feriel Sonday's roasted butternut, pumpkin and sweet potato soup
Feriel Sonday's Heavenly Bites
Comforting and delicious as a starter or even as a meal on its own - Taste great without ideal milk too
Ingredients
• 1 Tablespoon butter
• 1 Tablespoon olive oil
• 1 red onion, diced
• half teaspoon fine Nutmeg
• 1 Tablespoon light brown sugar
• 3 sweet potatoes, peeled and cut in half
• 500 g pumpkin
• 4 cloves garlic
• plus-minus 700 g butternut, peeled and diced
• 4 sachets of Ina Parman vegetable stock
• 1 litre of boiling water
• 1 tin Ideal Milk (380g)
• Salt and pepper
Drizzle with olive oil over the veg. Roast butternut, pumpkin and sweet potato in the oven till soft
Add veggie spice over it.
Set aside
Method
1. In a large saucepan, heat butter and oil over medium heat; add onion and cook until onions are clear. Add chopped garlic cloves.
2. Add the nutmeg and lightly fry for about 2 minutes, add the brown sugar, roasted sweet potatoes, butternut and pumpkin fry lightly for about 2 minutes.
3. Add the vegetable stock sachets to boiling water in a jug and stir until dissolved. Pour liquid into the saucepan to just cover the vegetables. Simmer for 5 minutes
4. Blend with stick blender Season with pure white pepper, black grounded pepper and salt to taste.
Feriel Sonday's roasted butternut, pumpkin and sweet potato soup
Colleen Heugh Veggie soup with dumplings
Colleen Home Made Cooking
Ingredients
1 Packet split pea + 1/2cup red lentils
500g potjiekos meat or meaty bones
6-8 cups of water
4 carrots, grated
1 onion, grated
2 potatoes, grated
A handful of soup celery
Some meaty bones/ nekkies
METHOD
Put in pot ur washed split peas, and add your red lentils, meat and all your grated veggies.
Allow to cook until split peas and veggies are cooked and almost gone, but you can still see some veggies.
Add your salt and pepper and then add your dumplings
Allow dumplings to cook about 20mins. I added a packet of Knorr chicken noodle soup to my pot of soup, it thickens nicely.
DUMPLINGS
Ingredients:
4 tablespoons self-raising flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4teaspoon salt
1tblespoon fish oil
1tblespoon tap water
Method
Mix together until a soft dough, break off pieces & add to soup, close lid and cook for 10-15 minutes until dumpling are puffed up and done.
Colleen Heugh Veggie soup with dumplings
Easy Mushroom soup
Ingredients
1 large onion
1 large carrot
45 ml olive oil
250 g large brown mushrooms
30 ml butter
250 g white button mushrooms, sliced
1 x 425 g can of cream of mushroom soup
1 packet wild mushroom soup (or cream of mushroom)
finely chopped garlic (to taste)
45 ml dry sherry (optional)
generous pinch of ground nutmeg
freshly-milled black pepper
65 ml finely snipped plain or garlic chives
Method
Using the coarse grater blade in your processor, grate the onion and carrot. Heat the oil and add the onion and carrot and saute until soft and golden.
Meanwhile, grate the brown mushrooms by hand or in your processor. When the onion and carrot are golden, add the butter to the mixture. When melted, add the mushrooms (brown as well as the white) and saute until they have released their juices and are cooked through.
Add the can of soup and fill the empty can water. Add to the soup and mix well.
Now mix the soup powder with a little cold water and whisk into the soup. Add the garlic and leave the soup to simmer until thick, about 5 minutes.
Add the sherry, if using and then season to taste with nutmeg and black pepper.
Stir in the chives and serve with sour cream, croutons, cheese crackers or any garnish or accompaniment of your choice.
Easy Mushroom soup
Quick and Easy bean soup
Recipe by I love cooking
Ingredients
1 large onion
2 large sticks of celery
1 large carrot
1 large red pepper
45 ml olive oil
250 g rindless streaky bacon, cut into small dice (optional)
10 ml garlic, crushed
2 x 410 g cans of speckled sugar beans in brine
2 x 410 g cans of baked beans in tomato sauce
500 ml prepared chicken stock
garlic & herb seasoning salt
freshly-milled black pepper
Worcester sauce
white vinegar or lemon juice
Method
Finely chop the onions, celery, carrots and red pepper. In a large saucepan heat the oil and add the vegetables and saute until soft and golden. Add the bacon and cook until lightly browned then stir through the garlic.
Add the beans with its brine, the bean soup and the baked beans. Stir well then add the stock. Bring to the boil, reduce heat and simmer for 10-15 minutes or until the veggies are soft enough to your liking.
Season to taste with the seasoning salt, pepper, Worcester sauce and a splash of vinegar or lemon juice. Remove from the heat and serve with crusty whole wheat bread or rolls.