sop – My Whisk and I

Pea and Bacon Soup

June 30, 2024June 28, 2024by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

400g smoked streaky bacon
15ml olive oil
2 onions, finely chopped
3 cloves of garlic, minced
650g frozen peas
750ml vegetable/chicken stock
15ml butter

Place a saucepan over medium-high heat and pour in the olive oil.
Cook the bacon until crispy. Set aside.
Add the onion to the same saucepan and cook until soft.
Add the garlic and stir-fry for one minute.
Add about three quarters of the peas and all of the stock.
Bring to the boil and then turn the heat down to a low simmer for 15 minutes.
Blitz the soup with a plunge blender until smooth.
Now add the peas that you kept aside, break the bacon into pieces and add those and the butter.
Gently simmer the soup for 5 minutes.
Serve with bacon and cheese toasties.

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White Bean Soup

August 21, 2023August 2, 2023by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

30ml olive oil
30g butter
4 cloves of garlic, minced
3 x 400g cans of cannellini beans
500ml vegetable stock
5ml finely chopped rosemary
5ml finely chopped thyme leaves
sourdough croutons to serve

Place a saucepan on medium-high heat, add the olive oil and butter and wait for the pan to heat up.
Add the garlic and stir-fry for 1 minute.
Drain 2 of the cans of beans and add the beans to the saucepan.
Pour the third can of beans, liquid and all, into a liquidiser and blitz until smooth.
Add to the saucepan.
Pour in the stock and add the rosemary and thyme.
Grind over some black pepper and stir together.
Bring the soup to a boil, turn the heat down and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring every now and then.
Taste the soup and adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper.
Serve piping hot with freshly made croutons.

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Cock-a-Leekie Soup

August 8, 2023July 27, 2023by Karen Claassen1 Comment

4 large leeks, sliced into coins
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 litre chicken stock
3 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed
250ml cooked chicken, finely shredded
2 bay leaves
125ml cream

Place a saucepan over medium-high heat and add some olive oil to it.
Add the leeks and stir-fry until it is really soft.
Take about 2 spoonfuls of the leak out of the saucepan and keep aside as garnish.
Add the garlic and stir-fry for another minute.
Pour in the chicken stock, add the potato, chicken and bay leave and simmer the soup for 30 minutes.
Remove the bay leaves and mash the potato against the side of the saucepan. I like my soup to have uneven bits of potato to add texture but you may blitz it at this stage if you prefer.
Pour in the cream and season the soup with salt and black pepper.
Cook for a minute or two before serving with a fresh loaf of bread.

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Lentil Soup (Mercimec Cobrasi)

July 16, 2023June 5, 2023by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

This is a traditional Turkish soup that is delicious, easy and quick to make and freezes beautifully!

30ml + 30ml olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2 + 1 cloves of garlic, minced
60ml tomato paste
3 carrots, peeled and chopped
1 potato, peeled and chopped
1,5litres of vegetable stock
5ml + 5ml smoked paprika
250ml lentils, rinsed
5ml ground cumin
2,5ml ground coriander
1 lemon, cut into wedges

Place a large saucepan over medium-high heat and pour in 30ml of the olive oil.
Add the onion and fry until translucent.
Add the 2 cloves of garlic (minced) and tomato paste and stir-fry for one minute.
Now add the carrots and potato and pour in the stock.
Add 5ml smoked paprika, about half a teaspoon of salt and the lentils.
Bring the soup to a boil, turn down the heat to a gentle simmer and cook for 25 minutes.
Take the soup from the heat and blitz with an immersion blender, until smooth.
Pour the remaining 30ml oil, 1 clove of garlic (minced), 5ml smoked paprika, cumin and coriander to a pan and stir-fry over medium heat for 2 minutes.
Taste the soup and season with salt and black pepper.
Spoon the soup into bowls and drizzle over the flavoured oil.
Serve with a lemon wedge.

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Chicken and Sweet Corn Soup

June 29, 2023June 17, 2023by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

This is a nutritious soup and is perfect to make with cooked, left-over chicken.

2 chicken breast fillets
1,5l chicken stock
10ml sesame oil
2,5ml ground ginger
1 x 375g can of sweet corn
30ml cornflour
2 eggs
a handful of chopped chives
one packet baby corn

Place the chicken breasts in a saucepan set over medium-high heat and cover with 1 litres of the stock. Add a pinch of salt and cook until the chicken is done.
Remove the meat, but keep the stock.
Shred the chicken into large strips by pulling it apart with two forks.
Top up the chicken stock so that you have 1 litre again.
Add the sesame oil, ginger powder and sweet corn and bring to a boil.
Add the shredded chicken and bring the mixture to a simmer.
Add the cornflour to a small bowl and pour in about 60ml of the stock from the saucepan.
Stir to make a runny paste.
Drizzle the cornflour into the saucepan in a thin stream while stirring continuously.
Add the eggs to a small bowl and whisk together.
Add a spoonful of the stock in the saucepan to the eggs and whisk again.
Now, slowly drizzle in the egg while stirring.
Remove the soup from the heat, add the corn and chives and serve immediately.

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Broccoli-Cheddar Soup

June 14, 2023May 30, 2023by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

60ml butter
1 onion, chopped
60ml flour
750ml vegetable stock
1 head of broccoli, chopped into small pieces, stems included
1 large carrot, finely diced
500ml milk
750ml grated mature cheddar cheese

Add the butter to a large saucepan set over medium-high heat and wait for it to melt.
Add the onion and cook for 5-10 minutes until soft.
Sprinkle the flour over the onion and cook for 2-3 minutes, while stirring.
Drizzle in the stock while whisking continuously.
Season with salt and black pepper.
Now add the broccoli and carrot, bring the mixture to a boil and reduce to a low simmer.
Cook for 20 minutes, stirring every now and then.
Pour the milk into the mixture and stir to blend.
Decant about two thirds of the mixture into a blender and blitz until smooth.
Pour back into the saucepan and wait for the soup to come back to a low simmer.
Add the cheddar and stir through until melted.
Serve the soup piping hot with a crusty bread.

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Chunky Vegetable Soup

May 21, 2023May 18, 2023by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

The garnish for this vegetable soup was made by horizontally slicing a hotdog roll, drizzling it with olive oil and toasting it in the oven. The garnish on the crouton is homemade mayonnaise with cherry tomatoes and fresh soft herbs.

1 onion, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced
2 sticks of celery, leaves included, washed and chopped
1 x 400g tin of chopped tomatoes
1 litre chicken or vegetable stock
2 bay leaves
3 carrots, chopped
400g potato, peeled and cubed

Place a large saucepan over medium heat and add some vegetable oil.
Add the onion, garlic and celery and cook for about 10 minutes.
Add the tinned tomato and cook for another 10 minutes.
Pour in the stock, add the bay leave, carrot and potato and bring to the boil.
Turn the heat down to a simmer and cook for 50 minutes, stirring every now and then.
Mash or liquidise half of the soup, cook another 5 minutes and serve with a fresh, crusty bread.

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Sugar Bean Soup

May 11, 2023April 30, 2023by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

500g brown sugar beans
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 large/2 medium carrots, finely diced
2 leeks, finely sliced
500g beef, 1,5 – 2cm cubes
2 litres beef stock
45ml Worcestershire sauce

Soak the beans in a bowl filled with cold water for a minimum of 6 hours.
Rinse the beans and add them to a pressure cooker with enough water to cover them by 3cm. Cook for 45 minutes. (If you are cooking them in a saucepan – simmer gently for 1 – 2 hours until soft when pressed between your fingers). DO NOT ADD SALT OR ANY OTHER FLAVOURANTS AT THIS STAGE!
Place another large saucepan on a medium heat and add a splash of vegetable oil.
Add the onion, garlic, carrots and leeks and gently cook until the onion is soft and translucent.
Add the beef, season well with salt and pepper and stir-fry for 5 minutes.
Pour in the beef stock and Worcestershire sauce and bring to the boil.
Turn the heat down to a simmer and cook for 1 hour.
Drain the beans, mash them roughly and add to the beef mixture.
Simmer the soup for 30 minutes while keeping a hawk’s eye on it as it will burn easily at this stage. Stir often and regulate the temperature.
Taste the soup and adjust the seasoning.
Serve steaming hot with a fresh crusty bread.

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Thick Chicken Soup

May 1, 2023April 20, 2023by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

If you need to speed things up in the kitchen you may make this soup with store-bought stock and rotisserie chicken.

45ml olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
a small bunch of salad onion, chopped
1 clove of garlic, minced
1l chicken stock
2 eggs
60ml fresh lemon juice
375ml cooked rice
500ml cooked chicken breast, shredded

Place a saucepan on medium-high heat and add the oil, onion and salad onion.
Cook until the onion is soft and translucent.
Add the garlic and stir-fry for 1 minute.
Pour in the chicken stock and season with salt and pepper.
Bring the mixture to the boil, turn down the heat and leave to simmer.
Add the eggs, lemon juice and 60ml of the rice to a blender.
Blend until smooth.
Keep the blender running and slowly pour in 250ml of the hot stock.
Now pour this mixture into the stock mixture in the saucepan while stirring.
Add the rest of the rice and the shredded chicken.
Simmer the soup for 10 minutes, on a low heat (do not let it boil) until thick.
Spoon into bowls and serve immediately.

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Leek and Cheese Soup

June 3, 2022May 25, 2022by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

45ml butter
15ml vegetable oil
2 large leeks, sliced
2 onions, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced
600g potato, peeled and diced
2litres chicken stock
5ml salt
black pepper
200g mature cheddar cheese, grated
80g cheese and onion potato chips

Add the butter and oil to a large saucepan set over medium-high heat.
Add the leeks and onion and cook while stirring until completely wilted and soft.
Add the garlic and cook for another minute.
Add the diced potato, stock, salt and pepper and bring the mixture to a simmer.
Lower the heat to a slow simmer, cover the saucepan with a lid and cook for about 30 minutes. Check on the soup every now and then and adjust the heat as you go. The potato must be very soft.
Decant the soup into a blender and blitz together until smooth and silky.
Pour the soup back into the saucepan and place over a low heat.
Add the grated cheese and stir the soup until the cheese has melted.
Spoon the soup into individual bowls.
Crush the potato chips in the packet and sprinkle a generous amount onto each bowl of soup.
Serve immediately.