soups
Soups to keep you warm this winter…
Cauliflower Soup with Porcini Oil
One of the quickest, easiest, most delicious soups….
Ingredients
Soup
2 tbls olive oil
1 brown onion, chopped
1 cauliflower, roughly chopped
4 cups chicken stock
4 cups water
sea salt & cracked pepper
I cup cream
Porcini Oil
5 – 10 dried procini
1/2 cup olive oil
method: cook for 5 mins in saucepan over low heat. set aside, allow to cool.
Process
heat oil in large saucepan, add oliveoil, onion and cauliflower. cool for 2 – 3 minutes until onion is tender. add chicken stock, water, salt and pepper. cook for 10 – 12 minutes.
place in food processor and process until smooth. return to pan, stir in cream and simmer for 5 mins.
serve and drizzle with porcini oil
Seafood Laksa
Ingredients
1 Jar of Laksa Paste (200g Por Kwan is the best!)
1 tin coconut milk
1 jar water
1 pkt tofu puffs
rice noodles
fresh green prawns
mussels
scallops in shells
carrot, sliced into long bits
handful mixed mushrooms, halved
shallots (optional)
1 tbs tamarind paste
lemon juice
salt & pepper
Preparation
Clean all seafood well in cold water. Shells should close upon light squeeze to indicate freshness. Clean scallops well and save washed and scrubbed shells for presentation.
Process
Put a tablespoon of peanut oil in deep pan, add laksa paste and stir vigorously on high heat. Add coconut milk and bring to boil. Simmer for 20 minutes.
Boil seafood scraps in with 1 jar of water for about 20 minutes, strain.
Add seafood stock to laksa.
Soak rice noodles in boiling water for 20 mins.
Add carrots/ shallots, mushrooms to soup. Simmer.
Add halved tofu puffs (halved is better, soaks soup up beautifully).
Add seafood.
Pour over noodles.
Squeeze over lemon juice, add salt & pepper.
Place Scallop shells in soup.
Yum!
Chicken Ball Broth with Udon Noodles
This is one of my favourite, healthy, quick TV dinners. Granted this looks like a big recipe, but it is in fact, quick & easy. Serves 4
Ingredients
Chicken Balls
500g lean chicken mince (this is also nice with Pork mince)
1 eggwhite, lightly whisked
2 tspn light soy sauce
2 tbls chopped fresh coriander
1 tbls finely grated ginger
2 tbls cornflour
Broth
1 – 2 litre/s chicken stock
1 tspn fish sauce (to taste)
splash of soy
1 tspn chili paste in soya oil (midway store)
lime juice
1 pkt udon noodles
I always pull some lemongrass out of the garden and chuck in a stick or two. I also put a few slices of galangal in there. (a jar of pickled galangal is handy to keep in the fridge for this)
Vegies – throw in any that suit, I usually add:
shallots
2 carrots, sliced
runner beans/ snow peas
mushrooms, quartered (a variety is always nice!)
roughly chopped baby bok choy
Process
make the balls:
Place all ingredients in a large bowl, combine well.
Roll into small balls with wet hands (smaller than golf balls).
Roll balls lightly in cornflour, shake excess.
make the broth:
Bring all liquids to the boil in a large saucepan, simmer.
Add chicken balls and simmer for 10 mins, until almost cooked through.
Add vegies, cook for further 1 – 2 mins.
Add udon noodles and simmer for 1 min, until soft.
to serve:
Serve immediately with a squeeze of lime juice, add a sprinkle of chopped coriander.
