Cuisine – Soul soup

Winter is well and truly here. For the past fortnight, the smell of burning fires has permeated the air and all of my thermal undergarments have moved from the dark recesses of my cupboard to my bedroom drawers. Thick woolly socks and roast dinners are a personal favourite at this time of year, but nothing beats a good hearty soup. Cooking it in a big pot on the stove warms the home and the soul.

With a heavy workload, a young family or a baby in the house, it is often hard to find the time for such a nutritious meal. Let alone the energy! The great thing about this issue’s recipe is that it doesn’t involve much of either. Pop the baby in the walker and give the kids a potato peeler. With a bit of team effort you’ve got a thick, delicious soup equipped to beat the winter blues and service the soul.

Kumara and butternut soup

500g kumara, peeled and diced
A butternut squash, peeled, deseeded and diced
1 Tbsp. Manuka honey
2 Tbsp. olive oil
2 onions, diced
3 large garlic cloves, crushed
1L vegetable stock
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg 100ml double cream
Heat the oven to 180°.

Place the kumara and squash on a baking tray after smothering in the Manuka honey. Drizzle over 1 Tbsp. of the olive oil. Roast for approximately 45 minutes or until vegetables are soft and caramelized. Make sure you turn the kumara and squash occasionally so they do not burn. Whilst roasting the vegetables fry the onions with the remaining olive oil in a large non-stick frying pan. Once the onions are soft, add the garlic. Then add the stock, cinnamon and nutmeg. Bring everything to the boil and summer for five minutes. When the roasting is done add the kumara and squash to the stock. Blend everything until smooth with a stick blender and add cream. Simmer lightly.

Season with salt and pepper, and enjoy.