A Trio of Delicious Soup Recipes

 We are great soup lovers in this house.   Homemade soups for the most part.  I only ever rarely buy a ready made soup.  My mother was a fabulous soup maker.  I grew up with wonderful homemade soups.  I am not afraid to make my own soup.  It's something which I find very easy to do and we often have a bowl of homemade soup and some crusty bread for a simple and easy supper.  I was recently sent a lovely vegetable box and some of the new Covent Garden Souper Booster's to try out and spent several days last week experiementing with them to see what I could come up with.

 

These new Souper Booster Pastes come in four delicious flavours.  Mexican Chilli.  Roasted Moroccan.  Wild Garlic and Herb.   Aromatic Thai.



First up I created a delicious Spring Vegetable Soup using the Wild Garlic and Herb paste.    This paste had a very pleasant odour and nice flavour, without it being overpowering.   It contains ingredients such as wild garlic,  white wine vinegar, salt, parsley, thyme, rosemary, lemon juice, white pepper, and spinach extract amongst a few others and I thought it would be lovely in this vegetable broth/spring vegetable soup.  It was really quick to throw together.  I used grated fresh vegetables and a few frozen bits, along with some rice and we were both very pleased with the end results.

*Spring Vegetable Soup with Wild Garlic and Herbs*

Serves 4

Printable Recipe 

A delicious vegetable soup with fabulous colours and flavours.  It's quick and it's easy.  Makes a nice light lunch. 

900ml of good vegetable stock (4 cups)

1 medium carrot, peeled and grated

1 small parsnip, peeled and grated

1 small white turnip, peeled and grated

100g of long grain rice, uncooked (1 cup)

1 handful of frozen petit pois

1 handful of frozen cut green peans

1 handful of frozen broccoli florets

1/2 tube of Covent Garden  Wild Garlic and Herb Souper Booster

(Contains wild garlic,  white wine vinegar, salt, parsley, thyme, rosemary, lemon juice, white pepper

and spinach extract) 

Bring the vegetable stock to the boil in a large saucepan.  Add the grated vegetables and rice.  Reduce to a simmer and cook for about 10 minutes, until the rice is tender.   Add the frozen vegetables and the souper booster.  Simmer until the vegetables are cooked through.   Serve hot, ladled into heated soup bowls or cups.




Next I took advantage of some of the root vegetables included in the box and used the Moroccan Souper Booster Paste to make a Moroccan Roasted Root Vegetable Soup.  Instead of stirring the souper booster into the finished soup to flavour it, I tossed the root vegetables with some of it along with some oil and roasted them in it, with most delicious results.    The roasted vegetables were then combined with hot stock and then pureed.   Croissant crips on top finished it off deliciously.  This was a thick and hearty soup and Todd really loved it.  He adores thick soups.   The Moroccan Souper Booster paste ontains white wine vinegar, tomato, Ras el Hanout, roasted garlic, roasted red chili, pomegranate molasses, ginger, cumin, mint, ground coriander, lemon juice, honey, coriander leaf, apricot concentrate and  cinnamon amongst a few other bits.

*Moroccan Roasted Vegetable Soup*

Serves 6 to 8

Printable Recipe 

A delicious roasted root vegetable soup spiced with warm Moroccan spices.  Thick and moreish. 

For the roasted vegetables:

1 pound of carrots, peeled and cut into chunks

1 pound parsnips, peeled and cut into chunks

1 large sweet potato, peeled and cut into chunks

1 large onion, peeled and cut into chunks

About 1 pound of butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cut into chunks

3 TBS of olive oil

1/2 tube of Roasted Moroccan Souper Booster

(Contains white wine vinegar, tomato, Ras el Hanout, roasted garlic, roasted red chili, pomegranate molasses,

ginger, cumin, mint, ground coriander, lemon juice, honey, coriander leaf, apricot concentrate and  cinnamon)

For the soup:

1350ml of good quality hot vegetable or chicken stock

salt and white pepper to taste

croissant croutons (see below) (optional) 

Preheat the oven to 200*C/400*F/ gas mark 6.  Butter well, a large baking tray with sides.   

Mix the prepared vegetables in a bowl, along with the olive oil and the souper booster, tossing to coat.    Scatter them on the baking tray.   Roast in the preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes until tender, giving them a good stir several times to help prevent them from sticking. 

Dump the roasted vegetables into the hot stock.  Coarsely puree with a stick blender until you have a thickish soup, with a bit of texture.  You do not want it to be totally smooth.  If it is too thick, you can add some more hot stock as desired.  Taste and adjust seasoning as desired with salt and white pepper to taste.  Serve hot with or without croutons on top. 

Note - To make the croutons, slice stale croissants into 1/4 inch slices crosswise.   Lay on a baking tray and toast in a hot oven until golden brown and crisp. 

Finally I used the Mexican Chili Souper Booster to make a delicious Mexican Corn Chowder.  I basically just used my normal corn chowder recipe, adding half a tube of the souper booster to give it an extra flavour boost with some really delicious results.   This was hearty and warming, with lovely Mexican flavours.   The Mexican Chili Souper Booster contains  white wine vinegar, hickory smoked red pepper, shallots, oak smoked red chilli, red pepper, honey, smoked salt, coriander, lime juice concentrate, chilli powder, smoked paprika, cumin, dried chilli flakes amongst a few other bits. 

*Mexican Corn Chowder*
Serves 4

Printable Recipe 

 

This is a quickly put together soup that encompasses some delicious Mexican Flavours. 

1 TBS butter
2 large floury potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 inch chunks

1 stick of celery, coarsely chopped

1/2 red bell pepper, coarsely chopped

1/2 green bell pepper, coarsely chopped

1 medium onion, chopped

boiling water or stock
1 425ml tin creamed style corn
450ml whole full fat milk (2 cups)

1/2 tube of Covent Garden Mexican ChilliSouper Booster

(contains  white wine vinegar, hickory smoked red pepper, shallots, oak smoked red chilli,
red pepper, honey, smoked salt, coriander, lime juice concentrate,
chilli powder, smoked paprika, cumin, dried chilli flakes)  

 

                                                                              

Heat a heavy bottomed medium large saucepan over medium heat and add the butter.  Once it begins to foam, add the celery, peppers and onion.  Cook, stirring frequently, over medium heat until beginning to soften.  Add the potatoes, and water or stock just to cover.  Bring to the boil, then reduce to a low simmer.  Simmer until the potatoes are tender.   Stir in the creamed corn, milk and Souper Booster.  Gently heat through.   Serve hot with some crusty bread or crackers. 

 

Note - A grating of a nice cheddar or jack cheese would not go amiss on this. 

 

One thing which we really like to enjoy with homemade soups is delicious homemade breads and the quick bread (loaves, muffins, etc.)  fits the bill perfectly in that they can be thrown together very quickly and with little effort.    One of our favourites is this gorgeous Custard Filled Cornbread.  I guarantee you will love it.

 *Custard Filled Cornbread*
Makes 1 8-inch square pan
Printable Recipe



This is the most delicious and moist cornbread you will ever eat.  It goes wonderfully with stews and soups, and to be perfectly honest . . . a piece of this all warm and covered with Maple Syrup is a wonderful, wonderful breakfast . . . one bite and you will be totally smitten.  I kid you not.



2 large free range eggs
3 TBS sweet butter, melted
(plus extra to butter the pan)
3 TBS sugar
3/4 tsp salt
2 cups whole milk  (450 ml)
1 1/2 TBS white vinegar
1 cup flour (140g)
3/4 cup yellow cornmeal (130g)
1 tsp Baking Powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 cup of tinned corn, well drained (about 225g)
1 cup of heavy cream (double cream) (225ml)

Pre-heat the oven to 180*C/350*F.  Butter an 8 inch square pan really well with some butter, and then put the pan into the oven to get it hot while you mix up the batter.

Beat the eggs together in a mixing bowl.  Beat in the butter and the sugar until well blended.  Stir in the milk, salt and vinegar.  Beat well.

Whisk together the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, and baking soda.  Mix well.  Pour this mixture all at once onto the wet mixture.  Mix together just until the batter is uniformly moist, fairly smooth with no lumps.   Stir in the corn kernels.  Pour into the hot dish.  Immediately pour the cream right into the middle of the dish.  Don't stir it at all.  Just pour it in and let it sit.

Bake in the heated oven for 50 minutes, until lightly browned.  Remove from the oven and cool for about 15 minutes before cutting into squares to serve.  Serve warm.

 To find out more about these new and delicious Covent Garden Souper Boosters, or to purchase them, check out the Covent Garden page.  I found them to be quite flavourful and easy to use.  I would probably buy these.

Many thanks to Covent Garden for sending them to me.  Although I was provided with the vegetables and boosters for free, any opinions and thoughts on them are my own and I was not required to write a positive review.