Butternut squash soup

This is a simple and satisfying soup for a cold, rainy day like today.
It is also one of my favorite ways of eating this squash. I've used a pinch of cayenne to cut down the sweetness of the squash, but you can always skip that or try chili oil as a variation.
I typically like to top this soup with crispy sage (love that combination!) but today, I used rosemary as flavouring and topped it with some grated sheep's milk cheese instead...the options are endless!


Ingredients:
Butternut squash - 4- 6 cups (cut, peeled and cubed)
1 cup diced onion
3-4 cups chicken or veg. stock
salt
pepper
1 pinch cayenne
2 tbsp. hard, grated cheese
1/2 cup milk or cream
Rosemary 1 sprig


Method:

Heat a tbsp of butter in a pot. Add the onions, salt, pepper, rosemary and cook until translucent.
Add the squash, chicken stock and simmer until the squash is tender and cooked through. Discard the rosemary sprig and puree with a hand-held blender until smooth and silky. Stir in the cayenne, milk or cream to give it extra creaminess.

Serve warm with the grated cheese on top.

Hearty bread soup

This is a Portuguese inspired, hearty, bread soup. I used left over baguette from a day ago but you could use similar stale, crusty bread (not sourdough). I also served it with homemade piri-piri sauce for extra zing!

Ingredients:
1/2 baguette, torn into large pieces
a handful of rocket or arugula
4-5 garlic cloves, smashed
4 cups chicken or vege. stock
salt
black pepper
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 red onion, sliced
1 bay leaf
1 sprig fresh or dried rosemary

Method:
Saute the onion, bay leaf and garlic in hot oil until softened. Add the stock, bread, rosemary and simmer. Season with salt and pepper to taste. The bread should soften in a few minutes...you can additional water if needed. Now, add the rocket and stir until wilted.
Turn off heat, ladle into bowls and top with some piri-piri.

Thai soup (tom yum)

There that those that swear by chicken soup when you have the sniffles or are recuperating from a cold or flu. Then, there is me...I crave for tom yum or rasam (think mulligatawny!).

My version is extremely simple, flavourful and you can substitute the veges with pretty much anything in your fridge. It can become a vegetarian soup by skipping the fish sauce and substituting stock with water.

I also add shrimp (or tofu) to it sometimes for a protein boost. Add them to the soup in the end and cook for a few minutes longer until the prawns turn pinkish and succulent.



Ingredients:

lemongrass - 1 stick, slice the white parts only
galangal - 1" piece, sliced (substitute with fresh ginger if needed)
kaffir (lime leaves) - 3 or 4, sliced
chicken stock - 4 cups
fish sauce - 2 tbsp
soy sauce to taste
spring onions - 4, sliced (separate the white and green parts)
mushrooms - 10, cut into large chunks
baby bok choy - 2, sliced
1 large red chili, sliced
thai red curry paste - 1 tsp
1 tsp oil
juice of 1 lime

Method:

Heat the oil in large pot. Add the white parts of the scallion and saute until soft. Then add the red curry paste and saute, followed by the stock. Now add the rest of the seasoning - galangal, kaffir, fish sauce, lemon grass, bring to a boil. Then reduce the heat, add the mushrooms, bok choy and the green parts of the spring onions and simmer for a few more minutes on low heat until cooked through. Serve steaming hot with some lime squeezed in it.

Moroccan style stew

This is a Moroccan inspired, hearty stew that is best with some crusty bread for dipping. Moroccan cuisine typically includes lamb or beef and not pork sausages! However, I find that using sausage cuts down the cooking time drastically while keeping a lot of the flavour. I have used andouille sausage here because I was in the mood for spicy food :) but you could always use milder Italian sausage or even kielbasa.


The picture below is from a few days ago when it was cold and dreary outside (it has that comforting quality)....and served it with some savoury biscotti, which is also a good accompaniment.





Ingredients:

fava beans - 1 cup, frozen or fresh
andouille sausages - 2 (small)
lentils - 1/2 cup (red lentils or yellow spilt peas or toor dal), pressure cooked until soft
chicken stock - 4 cups
onion - 1 (small), chopped
thyme - 1/2 tsp, dried
oregano - 1/2 tsp, dried
cumin powder - 1/2 tsp
coriander powder - 1/2 tsp
1 large red chili - sliced
sea salt to taste
fresh parsley - 1 tbsp, chopped
garlic cloves - 2 large, chopped
Olive oil
Canned diced tomatoes - 1
1 bay leaf


Method:


Heat a large pot, add a tsp of olive oil, then add the sliced sausages and saute until it has browned at the edges. Now, add the garlic, bay leaf and the onions to this and saute until translucent.

Add the fava beans, cumin, coriander and saute for a few more minutes. Now we are ready for the stock, thyme, oregano, canned tomatoes, sliced chili and the salt. Add more waster if needed and bring this mixture to a boil. Mash the lentils and add to the stew as a thickening agent, also add salt to taste.

Continue to simmer on low heat until the fava beans are cooked (around 10-15 mins.) and the desired consistency is reached.
Top with parsley and serve with bread or biscotti.

African plantain stew

I tasted this raw plantain stew in Zanzibar and it's truly indicative of the melting pot of cultures that Zanzibar is...five to be precise - Arab, Persian, Indian, African and Portuguese! It was served with pan seared king fish as an accompaniment but it's also delicious with plain white rice as a main course.

I was lucky to find raw plantains at the Indian grocery store one day but you can use raw bananas instead.























Ingredients:

3-4 raw plantains
2 onions, chopped
1 can peeled, diced tomatoes in juice
1 small can coconut milk
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp coriander powder
salt to taste
1 tbsp oil
2 star anise
2 large cardamom pods (black), give it a quick whack with the back of the knife so it opens
2 bay leaves



Method:

Peel the plantains, cut into 1'' thick slices and place in a pot of water. Add turmeric, salt and boil until cooked through. Drain and reserve.


Heat 1 tbsp oil in a pan, add cardamom, star anise and bay leaves and saute for a few minutes. Add onions and saute until translucent, then add chili powder, coriander powder, salt and toss until combined. Now add the tomatoes and cook until it is well combined and oil float to the top.


Finally add the coconut milk and cook through until it bubbles, then add the plantains and simmer for a few minutes until flavours are absorbed.


Serve spooned over white rice with piri-piri sauce on the side.