MINESTRONE SOUP.

Minestrone soup is a great way of using any leftover vegetables, also any small pasta shapes can be used. Canned butter beans or borlotti beans can be substituted for kidney beans. Ingredients......1 tbs of oil ( canola or rice bran), 1 onion , chopped, 150 gm of chopped bacon pieces, 2 tbs of minced garlic, 1.25 litres of beef stock, 2 tomatoes, chopped, 1 carrot, chopped, 1 potato, chopped, 1 celery stick, chopped, 2 tbs of tomato paste, 1 zucchini, sliced, 100 gm of sliced green beans, 50 gm of macaroni, 2 tbs of chopped fresh parsley, 410 gm can of red kidney beans, finely grated Parmesan cheese, to serve. Heat the oil in a large pot and cook the onionand bacon until softened. Stir through the minced garlic. Add the stock, tomatoes, carrot, potato, celery and tomato paste. Stir though to combine and slowly bring to the boil over a medium heat, now reduce the heat and simmer for 20 minutes. Add the zucchini, green beans, macaroni and chopped parsley to the pot, simmer for 15 minutes. Rinse and drain the kidney beans and add to the pot. Ladle the soup into serving bowls and sprinkle with the finely grated Parmesan cheese on top. Enjoy..

PEA AND HAM SOUP.

Pork bones are not available all year round in the supermarket meat section, but you will be able to get the bones from your local butcher shop. Ingredients.....440 gm of dried split green peas, 750 gm of ham bones, 2.5 litres of water, 1 celery stick including leaves, chopped, 1 carrot, chopped, 1 onion, chopped, 3 leeks sliced, 1 potato, chopped. Place the split peas in a large bowl and cover with water. Leave to soak overnight. Drain and place the peas in a large pot along with the ham bones, water, celery, carrot and onion. Cover the pot with a lid and slowly bring to the boil over a medium heat. Reduce the heat and simmer the soup for 2 hours or until the peas are very soft. Add the potato and leek and cook for a further 30 minutes, until the vegtables are tender. Remove the bones from the soup, allow to cool and then cut off all the meat . Finely chop the meat and set aside. Transfer the soup to a large bowl to cool, then push it through a large wire seive back into the pot. Stir through the meat and slowly reheat the soup to serve. It is optional, but you can garnish with a small sprig of carrot leaves to serve.

FRENCH ONION SOUP.

Ingredients.....1 kg of onions, about 6 onions, 60 gm of butter/ marg, 1 tsp of sugar, 30 gm of plain flour, 2 litres of beef stock, 1 stick of french bread, 60 gm of grated tasty cheese. Peel the onions and cut them into fine rings. Heat the butter/ marg.in a large pot. Add the onion rings and cook over a low heat for 20 minutes or until the onions are tender. Add the sugar and flour to the pot and cook, stirring for 2 minutes or until the mixture is just turning golden. Gradually stir in the stock and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and simmer over a low heat for 50 minutes. Season with cracked black pepper to taste. Slice the breadstick into 2 cm / 3/4" slices. Arrange the slices on a baking tray. Cook under a preheated grill until golden on one side. Turn the slices over and sprinkle each slice with the grated cheese. Cook under the hot grill until the the cheese has melted. Serve the soup topped with the grilled cheese toasts. Garnish with sliced chives( optional).

CREAM OF TOMATO SOUP.

Ingredients...1 tbs of rice bran oil/canola oil, 1 onion, finely chopped, 2 tbs of minced garlic, 3 x 400 gm cans of diced tomatoes 750 ml of chicken stock, 1 tbs of tomato paste, 1 dsp of soft brown sugar, 250 ml of cream. Heat the oil in a large pot, add the chopped onion and cook until tender. Add the minced garlic, stirring through. Add the tomatoes, stock, tomato paste and sugar to the pot. Bring to the boil over a low heat. Simmer the soup, partially covered with a lid for 20 minutes. Allow the soup to cool a little . Use a blender or a hand food processor to process to until smooth. Stir through the cream and reheat very gently over a low heat. Season with cracked black pepper to taste and dress with parsley.

A HEARTY VEGETABLE SOUP

Ingredients....220 gm of dried soup mix, ( dried soup mix is a combination of split peas, barley, lentils and dried beans. It is available from supermarkets and health food shops ), 2 tbs of rice bran oil/ canola oil, 1 large onion, finely chopped, 1 green capsicum,chopped, 2 zucchinis/ courgettes, sliced, 2 celery sticks, sliced, 125 gm of sliced mushrooms, 2 carrots, washed and sliced, 1 large potato, peeled and chopped, 500 gm of pumpkin, peeled and chopped, 2 litres of vegetable stock. Put the soup mix in a large bowl and cover it with cold water. Leave to soak for 8 hours. Heat the oil in a large pot and cook the onions until tender and lightly golden. Add the green peppers, zucchinis, celery and mushrooms. Add the potato, carrots and pumpkin and stir to combine. Pour in the stock. Drain the soup mix and add to the pot. Bring the soup to a slow boil over a medium heat. Partially cover the pot with a lid and simmer for about 45 minutes or until the vegeatables and soup mix are very soft. Season with salt and cracked black pepper to taste. Garnish with chopped parsley.

IT’S SOUP SEASON…CHICKEN NOODLE SOUP.

With a nourishing bowl of soup, a salad and some bread you have an easy, complete meal. Ingredients......2 litres of chicken stock, 1 onion, chopped, 175 gm of finely shredded cooked chicken, 150 gm of vermicelli, 2 tbs of minced garlic, 30 gm of chopped parsley. Put the stock in a large saucepan, add the garlic and chopped onion and cook over a medium heat until the onion softens. Add the shredded chicken and simmer for 2 minutes to heat through. Break the vermicelli into pieces and add them to the saucepan, cook until the noodles are tender. Stir the chopped parsley through the soup. Serve the soup hot. N.B Vermicelli noodles look like spaghetti but they are much thinner.

PIZZA MARGHERITA

Ingredients.......4 mini pizza bases, 2 tbs of olive oil, 400 gm can of diced tomatoes, 1 bay leaf, 8 chopped basil leaves, 1 tsp of dried thyme, 1 tbs of minced garlic, 150 gm of baby bocconchini cheese, thinly sliced. Preheat your oven to 210 deg C. Line two baking trays with baking paper. Place the pizza bases on the lined trays. Place the diced tomatoes, bay leaf, basil, garlic and thyme in a small saucepan along with 1 tbs of the oil in a small saucepan. Bring to a simmer over a low heat, stirring occasionally until thickened. Leave to cool and remove the bay leaf. Once cooled, spread the sauce over the bases, leaving a 3 cm / 1 and 1/4 " border. Arrange the sliced bocconcini over the top and drizzle with the remaining olive oil. Bake for 15 minutes or until crisp and bubbling. Serve warm.