Here’s a tasty and simple soup adapted from a recipe by Charlotte Binns-McDonald in Delicious magazine.

Serves 6

Ingredients

1 large brown onion or 1 leek, diced
2 medium potatoes, peeled and diced
3 cloves garlic – diced
750g broccoli – chopped (but shave some tiny bits off the top and save them to top the soup at the end)
6-7 cups of chicken stock
1 large handful of spinach leaves – chopped
3-4 wasabi leaves – chopped (optional – but we have them in the garden!)
2/3 cup grated parmesan cheese
2/3 cup grated cheddar
2/3 cup of cream
1 cup corn kernels
4 rashers good quality bacon – fried and diced
1 large chicken breast – cooked and shredded

Cook the onion or leek gently in butter for 5 mins, then add the garlic and potato  cook for a few minutes.

Add the broccoli and just enough chicken stock to cover. Cook for at least 20 mins or until soft.

Add the chopped leaves and stir in for a couple of minutes.

Allow to cool, then blitz with a food processor.

Reheat soup and add cheeses, then cream. Be careful not to boil it.

Season with sea salt and cracked black pepper.

Serve sprinkled with reserved broccoli tops, corn, chicken and bacon.

Simple, easy and tasty.

I’ve just been reminded of this soup recipe that I made up almost a year ago. I’m posting it here so as not to lose it. This photo is from that week but it must in fact be a different soup as the following has tomato or pumpkin in it…

Cut these up and roast them in the oven on 180-200C for a while – 30-40 mins until going golden brown.

1 brown onion
2 cloves garlic
a heap of carrots
1/2 fennel bulb
1/2 red capsicum
8 small parsnips

Add to a large saucepan with

2 sticks celery, peeled and sliced
2 green apples, peeled and diced
1/2 cup sultanas

Cover (just barely) with either water, vegetable stock or chicken stock. Bring to a simmer.

Add the following. If you want to toast the spices a little in a dry frypan first, go ahead. If you want to use cumin seeds and coriander seeds, toasted then crushed, please do.

1 tbsp cumin powder
1 tbsp coriander powder
1 tbsp smoked paprika
1 tbsp turmeric powder
1 tsp caraway seeds
1 tbsp brown mustard seeds
1 tbsp toasted black sesame seeds (or white)
1/2 long red chilli (or 1 tsp minced chilli)
2 knobs of ginger sliced (or 2 tbps minced ginger)

Simmer for at least 45 mins. Then blitz with a food processor.

At the end, add
zest of 1/2 lemon
salt
pepper