Classic Root Vegetable Soup

I made this soup once at a weekend away for a friend’s hen’s party and everyone loved it.. even those who usually don’t eat vegetables!  It actually was made up on the spot, as when packing I realised I had lots of vegies in the fridge that had to be taken and used or else they wouldnt be fresh when I got back.

I had intended to roast the vegies to accompany a main meal, however when I got there the dinners had all been pretty much planned out, so I made it for lunch.

The hen, who happens to be a big meat eater, commented on the fact that she had never seen so many vegetables go into a soup before, however gave her seal of approval once she tasted it and has since learned how to make it herself.

It kind of resembles a creamy pumpkin soup, but with a much more interesting flavour.

This is a vegetarian recipe, but you can also throw some chicken in if you like.

 

Stuff You Need:

4 x carrots

2 x medium sized sweet potatoes

4 x medium potatoes (any kind)

1 x small butternut pumpkin (squash)

1 x swede

1 x parsnip

1/2 a celeriac root (if you can find one)

1/2 a small tub of thickened or cooking cream

2 cloves of finely chopped garlic

1 teaspoon of vegeta or vegie seasoning ( can substitute with vegetable stock)

1 x teaspoon of red cayenne pepper

1 x tablespoon of sugar

1 x tablespoon of salt

1 x hand full of chopped fresh herbs of your liking (Oregano, Basil, Thyme, Marjoram, alone or mixed)

How to Make it

Peel and cut all the vegetables into cubes and throw them into a large pot half filled with water.

Add spices,  & boil for about 1 hour or until soft.

Add fresh herbs and using a hand blender, blend until smooth & creamy.

Stir through the thickened cream and serve with some more fresh herbs on top.

 

Enjoy!

Milka

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Thick and Spicy Tomato Soup

This is a soup I recently put together and it has turned out to be a hit.

Not long ago I had a bag of tomatoes which needed using so I decided to make a soup in a similar way that you make Italian pasta sauce.

The first time I made it my husband loved it so much he said it had to be on permanent rotation.

I made this at Easter this year and since then, have even been asked to make it for a family party.. I hope you enjoy it as much as my family does.

Stuff you need:

• 1 kg bag of Peeled Tomatoes
• 3 tins of whole peeled or chopped tomatoes
• 4 cloves of garlic
• 1 brown onion
• two tablespoons of balsamic vinegar
• two tablespoons of dried or fresh oregano
• salt, pepper & cayenne pepper to taste
• 1 tablespoon of sugar
• 1/4 cup of thickened cream

How to Make it:

First, slice the garlic very finely and trow it into a large pot drizzled with some extra virgin olive oil.  Turn on the heat only 1/4 high so the garlic very slowly caramelises. Chop up the onion into cubes and throw it in too.

While the onion and garlic are slowly cooking, boil a small pot of water.

Take your fresh tomatoes,  slice an “X” in the bottom and cut out the stem end as shown in the pictures.

When the water has come to the boil, place the tomatoes into the water for about a minute, and once you remove them the skins will come right off. Peel all the tomatoes and chop them up into cubes and throw them into the pot. Turn up the heat to about half and let them simmer for about 15 minutes.  Add the balsamic vinegar, sugar, oregano,  salt and pepper.

 

 

Dont throw out the water you used to heat the tomatoes, this can be used to add to thesoup later.

You can use only fresh tomatoes in the soup, but I like to mix both fresh and tinned. Once your fresh tomatoes have softened, throw in the tinned tomatoes and let it all simmer for another half hour. Add a few shakes of cayenne pepper.

After half an hour add the water from the small pot and let simmer for another 10 minutes.

Using your trusty hand blender, blend up the soup, not too fine, I like a few chunks left in this one..and add the cream and enjoy the tomatoey goodness.

Milka

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My Beef Lasagne

Today I am making a few lasagne’s, one to eat for dinner tonight, and two to freeze. Havent had lasagne in ages, and the other day I saw someone eating one at a restaurant and it looked amazing.

Just quietly, I am very excited at the thought of what I am about to eat…

Stuff You Need: ( to make 3 lasagne’s)

1 x set of foil lasagne trays

2 x packs of Lasagne Sheets (fresh or dry, I am using dry as I have it lying about in the cupboard.

1 x kilo of Beef mince

2 x Tins of chopped tomatoes

2 x large Red onions

2 small sprigs each of Fresh Rosemary and fresh Oregano

2 x Carrots

1 x hand full of mushrooms (can be omitted for those who don’t like them so much)

2 x small fresh chillies

1 x sachet of tomato paste

Olive Oil, salt, pepper, cayenne pepper, sweet paprika, sugar

2 x flat teaspoons of Vegeta

 How to make it:

Chop up the onions into small cubes, and throw them into a large frypan with a little olive oil and cook on medium until it starts to caramelise. Throw in the beef mince and using a flat wooden spoon, break up the mince as it cooks.

Finely chop up the rosemary and throw it in. Grate the two carrots and throw them in. Chop up the mushrooms finely and chuck them in, mixing and breaking up the mince as you go. Add a few shakes of paprika (5), cayenne pepper(3), salt (4), black pepper (2), and a teaspoon of sugar and mix it all through. Finely chop the chillies and chuck them in along with the tomato paste.

Throw in the tinned tomatoes and half a tin of water and let this all cook together on med-low simmer with the lid on, stirring occasionally, add any salt, sugar or spices as you see fit.

Now you can start making the Bechamel sauce.

Preheat the oven to 180 C.

In a saucepan on low to medium heat, melt 2 tablespoons of butter. Once melted, add 4 heaped tablespoons of plain flour, take off the heat and whisk with a fork or whisk to remove the lumps.

Add 4 cups of milk and cook on medium heat until it starts to thicken.  Turn the heat down low and slowly add about three or four handfuls of shredded cheese , until it tastes cheesy enough for your liking. Add salt and pepper to taste and your done.

Start with a thin layer of beef at the bottom of the tray, then a layer of pasta, then bechamel sauce, ensuring the pasta sheet is covered with the sauce. Then add pasta, then beef etc until you have about 4 layers ending with the bechamel sauce. Sprinkle the top with shredded cheese and bake in a 180 degree oven for 50 minutes.

Enjoy!

Milka

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How to keep your Ginger Fresh

I love cooking with Ginger, but used to hate it when I reached for it and it was all shrivelled up and manky looking.

Well, someone once told me that I should keep my ginger in the freezer. What an awesome idea it was.

I keep both Ginger and Galangal roots in the freezer and they keep for months & months!

When I need some, I just pull it out and using a grater just grate the ginger or galangal into whatever I am cooking.  You don’t even have to peel it!

My Mamma’s Beetroot Soup

As much as I am not a fan of the cold, what’s great about winter is that I can cook comfort food, a big part of which includes huge pots of soup.

Soup is a staple food in my house, and always has been when growing up. I like to have soup in the fridge that we can heat up and have before a meal or in a cup whenever I feel like some warm yummy goodness. I even freeze soup we don’t finish within a few days and save it for those times we get home starving and don’t feel like cooking.

One thing my mamma taught me about keeping a big pot of soup in the fridge is that I need to bring it to the boil each time I heat it up. this apparently helps keep it fresh and further infuses the ingredients, meaning it tastes even better the following days. Generally a broth will stay fresh in your fridge for at least a week and anything with cream in it about 4 days.

One kind of soup I have often said that I would love to have on-tap is beetroot soup.  Being Polish, I grew up on this stuff, and still love it to this day.  I can have beetroot soup for breakfast lunch or dinner, and it is awesome as a hangover cure.  The best part of this soup is that it is not only extremely good for you, it’s dead easy to make.

Stuff You need:

2 x chicken wings ( for Vego’s, substitute with 2 x vegie stock cubes)

1 x tin of sliced beetroot

3 x medium fresh beetroots

1 x Carrot, peeled

1 x handful of short celery sticks

2 x tablespoons of marjoram

2 x teaspoons of sugar

2 x bay leaves

1 x tablespoon of Vegeta stock powder

1 x dash of balsamic vinegar

1 x clove of garlic, thickly sliced

Salt & pepper to taste

How to Make it:In a large pot filled 3/4 with water, throw in the chicken wings, garlic, bay leaves, celery & carrot. Add a few shakes of salt and the vegeta.  Bring to boil to create a nice stock.

Peel the fresh beets and slice them into wedges, throw them in, along with the tin of sliced beetroot, emptying the entire contents into the pot.

Add the marjoram, sugar, pepper and a dash of balsamic vinegar. Taste the soup and add any salt, sugar, pepper, or vinegar as you see fit. It should be a little spicy but not overpowering. I like to add a dash of cayenne pepper just for some added kick.

Let boil on medium for another 1/2 hour to 40 minutes or until the fresh beetroot starts to get soft.

Enjoy the clear soup on it’s own, or with all the vegies, it’s up to you. To make more of a meal out of this soup, cook up some beef tortellini pasta and throw a handful in a bowl with the beetroot soup, and add a spoon of sour cream on top. It is just as good in a cup, and traditionally served with a home made sausage roll on the side.

Enjoy!

Milka

xx

Soup and Sauce

OK, so it’s Monday night, I walk into the kitchen thinking I need to make some food for this evening, and use up the food left in the fridge.

I take an inventory of what I have and considering the cold weather outside, I am thinking comfort food.

Stuff  in my Fridge:

• Bag of tomatoes
• Bag of Mushrooms
• 1/2 kilo of Bacon
• 2 x chicken wings (frozen)
• 4 carrots
• bag of grated cheese

Stuff in the Cupboard:

• 1 Sweet Potato
• 1 tin of chopped tomatoes
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 1 brown onion
• tomato paste sashets
• salt, sugar, pepper, cayenne pepper

Tonight for dinner I am making an orange soup, [insert name here anyone?] not a soup out of oranges, I guess that’s the

colour it will turn out to be after all the stuff I throw in.. a creamy thick soup made of Tomatoes, carrots and sweet potato.

I also have a bag of mushrooms that desperately need to be cooked with (the stems are starting to get long) and a bag of beautiful Polish bacon my mum bought for me at the Polish Deli so I am thinking a boscaiola[-ish] sauce I can put in the fridge tonight for some pasta I can throw in the pot when I get home tomorrow.  I say boscaiola-ish because I dont actually know what is supposed to go in it, and am just guessing the ingredients… I hope I don’t offend any purists, I am just throwing stuff together here!

I called my husband while he was out walking the dog and asked him to pick up some thickened cream. When he got back he had the cream, a bottle of wine and three bunches of tulips! awww.. I am such a lucky girl..

Now, onto the food..

The Soup:

My orange soup is currently slowly bubbling along, In a large saucepan I half filled with water, I threw in the two frozen chicken wings (Vego’s substitute with 2 x vegetable stock cubes), diced carrots, sweet potato, fresh tomatoes and threw them in along with the tinned tomatoes.

I added about One and a half tablespoons of salt, one tablespoon of sugar and four shakes of red cayenne pepper (I like my tomato based soups a little spicy).

It is cooking on medium-high heat, smelling simply amazing.

I have fresh basil and oregano growing in my herb garden, so I picked a small handful and added them in too. In goes one sachet of tomato paste.

I let this cook for a good 45 mins to an hour, (until you can sqaush the carrots with a spoon against the edge of the pot), and then using my trusty hand blender gave it all a whizz (dont forget to remove the chicken wings before you do this) Add the chicken back in if you like.

Then I added a generous dollop of thickened cream to take the bite out of the tomato and make it turn a beautiful pale orange, mmmmmm… creamy goodness.  Just for a bit of a kick, I add a squeeze of tomato sauce.. eeww you say? you wont believe it but it does add a nice flavour to a good tomato based soup. Try it for yourself and you will see.

After giving my husband a try, he asked for more spice.. I added a few more shakes of cayenne pepper and some black pepper.

The Sauce:

I finely diced the onions and one clove of garlic and threw it in a large pan on low to medium heat, letting it heat up slowly so as not to burn the garlic. I took out the polish bacon (which was sliced into very thin strips) and sliced it into small strips.  Sorry Vego’s this is just not as awesome without the bacon..

Cooking on a medium heat, I let it simmer slowly to caramelize the onion and cook the bacon.

I then threw in the sliced mushrooms, and cooked it for another 10 minutes before adding one and a half small tubs of thickened cream.

Slowly, while the sauce started to simmer, I added a few handfuls of shredded cheese, letting the cheese melt into the sauce. I also threw in a splash of milk to make the sauce go further.  Just for some colour, I threw in a few handfuls of frozen peas in the last 5 minutes of cooking.

Add a few dashes of red cayenne pepper (you will soon see this is one of my favourite spices) and throw in a handful of fresh chopped oregano from the garden, a sprinkle of Vegeta (what good Polish kitchen goes without it) and Voila, a pasta  sauce to die for.  Serve with a pasta of your choice cooked “al-dente” and some grated parmesan cheese (Grana Padano of course).

Hello world!

Well, here goes…

Tomorrow is garbage night, -I love garbage night, it’s like pressing the reset button on the house. Bringing home the groceries on a Tuesday night is great too, because I can unpack everything and get rid of all the extra packaging…and then once it is all done, I can open the fridge and stare at it in admiration… brimming with yummy food. – But I Digress.. lots of stuff to do tonight before I get to that moment tomorrow..

After the Easter long weekend, and another weekend away, the kitchen is pretty bare. I need to go shopping and buy stuff to eat, however have some stuff left. So I do the usual and think of what I can make to use up the food I have in the fridge so I can re-stock the kitchen tomorrow.

While deciding what to cook, and being quite pleased with myself about what I will be eating later on, the thought dawned on me that I really have a knack for whiping up awesomeness in the kitchen with just stuff that is lying about. I cant actually remember the last time I went to the shops to buy ingredients for a particular meal.

I then figured it is about time I shared this, and hence tonight, while cooking, I registered this blog.

What I want from this blog?? To share culinary experimentalism with others, to have a place where I can actually track the food I cook, and perhaps maybe even publish a cook book some day (not that I will ever read it) and to share with my friends (and strangers) the wonders of the Polish Kitchen. I am very proud of my heritage and love that I can make so many Polish dishes that my mother and grandmothers taught me, I just hope I can do them proud.

Enjoy!

Milka

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