My dream has always been to open a soup kitchen. The dream is still alive. It’s alive in my kitchen – I make a lot of soup every week, just ask the people who work with me what I eat the most during the year and the answer will be “Soup!”

All year long I eat soup – summer, winter – it’s all the same to me.

“Soup is cuisine’s kindest course.” Virginia Woolf

Here are some favourites (pictured):

Mushroom

Sweet Potato and Red Lentil (with the chilli on top)

Pumpkin

Roast Tomato

Soup Kitchen

Each soup feeds 4 people

Ingredients

Mushroom – 500 g mixed mushrooms, 1 onion, raw cashew, 2 cups vegetable stock

Sweet Potato and Red Lentil – 1 medium sweet potato (peeled and diced), 1 onion, 1/2 cup red lentils (rinsed), 2 cups vegetable stock

Roast Tomato – 5 x truss tomato (roasted), 1 onion, 2 cups vegetable stock

Pumpkin – 1/2 butternut pumpkin, 1/4 kent or grey pumpkin, 1 onion, 2 cups vegetable stock

What do I do now?

The method is always the same which is why soup is the king of meals for taste, convenience and healthy deliciousness.

Dice and fry your onion, add the vegetables and cook for 5 minutes over medium heat, add vegetable stock and bring to the boil, then reduce and simmer until the vegetables are soft. Cool and blend. Eat! So easy.

Anything else I should know?

Let the vegetables speak for themselves. You don’t need to add heaps of anything to create flavour. A little salt and pepper and perhaps some herbs or chilli on top if you like, but really this is about simple, fresh food that you will love.

Soup Kitchen