I love pea and ham soup.

I especially love it so thick you can turn your spoon upside down and it all stays on the spoon.

There are lots of versions of pea and ham soup, this is the version my mother taught me. Taking two days to make, it’s not a quick fix meal. Leftovers just get better and better tasting. Serves 4 – 6.

Method

1. Place ham bone in a large pot and cover with water. Bring to the boil and simmer for a couple of hours, skimming any scum from the surface every now and then. You may need to top up the water occasionally so that the bone is covered.
2. Leave to cool and then place in the fridge overnight. This hardens any fat in the soup, making it easy to scrape off the top in the morning. Remove the fat and the bone from the water and strip the meat off the bone. Cut the meat into smaller pieces if necessary before returning it to the pot.
3. Add the vegetables and peas and bring the soup to the boil. Simmer until the vegetables are cooked and the peas have become mushy (30 – 60 minutes). Season to taste and serve.

When I make this soup I use around 3 – 3 1/2 litres of water and a whole packet of split peas and I still think it’s pretty runny for my tastes. If the soup isn’t as thick as you would like it, just add more peas and cook until they are mush.

Have you read these articles?:

1. Hearty Winter Soup
2. cauliflower soup
3. chicken and pea pasta sauce

Cauliflower soup is a wonderfully moreish and filling winter soup. To give you an idea of how much cauliflower it requires, I bought a large head of cauliflower for this soup, but only needed about half. This was our Sunday night easy dinner (I made the soup the night before while the roast chook was cooking), eaten with buttered bread rolls.

Method

1. Heat some oil in a large saucepan on medium heat and cook onion until soft but not brown. Add garlic and cook for a further minute or two.
2. Add the cauliflower, potato, stock and milk. Bring to the boil and simmer, covered for 20 minutes or until the vegetables are soft.
3. Blend the soup until smooth. Stir in the cream, mustard, lemon juice and season to taste. Reheat gently and serve.

Have you read these articles?:

1. Potato and Leek Soup
2. broccoli and cauliflower gratin
3. Hearty Winter Soup

This Winter Soup is adapted from a Margaret Fulton recipe, I’ve been cooking this soup every Winter for a few years now. It is a hearty soup, even though it is quite liquid and is very nutritious.

This soup never fails to remind me of the story about stone soup, a frugal soup that goes to show that you can make a nourishing meal from very little.

You can vary the vegetables and the beans to whatever is in season or what you have in your crisper. I sometimes substitute the potatoes for turnips or sweet potatoes. The dark bits in the photo are pieces of zucchini. Serve with some crusty bread on the side, or as an entree.

Best of all, it is easy to make, makes a huge pot of soup and it only costs a few of dollars. Serves 6.

Method

1. Heat the olive oil  in a large saucepan over low to medium heat and gently sauté all the vegetables except the spinach for about 15 minutes.
2. Add the stock or water and bring to the boil. Simmer gently for about 20 minutes or until the vegetables are tender.
3. Add the cannellini beans and spinach and simmer for a further 5 minutes. Season to taste.
4. Serve very hot. Sprinkle each bowl with grated parmesan. Finish off with a trickle of olive oil (best quality you have).

Have you read these articles?:

1. Potato and Leek Soup
2. pea and ham soup
3. cauliflower soup

This is one of my favourite soups, so comforting in the winter. If you don’t have leeks or leeks cost a fortune, then onions work just as well and make for a very frugal, yet very tasty and filling soup.

If you don’t have Worcestershire sauce, try substituting kecap manis or soy sauce. A swirl of yoghurt or sour cream gives the soup a nice finish. Serves 4.

Method

1. Melt butter in a large saucepan and cook leek and celery over medium heat until soft.
2. Add the potatoes and stock. Bring to the boil and simmer covered for 20 minutes or until the potato is tender
3. Blend soup until smooth. Stir in the Worcestershire sauce, cream and salt and pepper. Heat gently and serve.

Have you read these articles?:

1. Hearty Winter Soup
2. cauliflower soup
3. mushroom and leek stuffed chicken breast with chardonnay sauce