@chefbennett23SOUPSHOULDNOlongerbecalledsoup– callit happinessandfulfilment.Tellmea
greatfoodnationthatdoesn’tcelebratetheirculturethrougha soup?Thisnourishing
dishshouldbethevehicletodeliverseasonalproducein a waythatis excitingyet
comforting.Aswellasculture,it shouldcelebratethesimplicityofgood,quality
ingredientsandhowtheyoughttobehandled.Whetherit’sa heartysoup,ora light
andfreshinterpretation,don’tbeintimidatedandthinkyouhaveto be a ‘chef’ or
‘cook’;thinkofyourselfasa curatorofingredientsforthenight.
Andif you’rewonderinghowtomakesoupa mainstayfeatureofthenight,your
answerliesin a loafoffreshsourdough.I cannotsitdowntoa warmbowlwithoutit- oh,plussomegreatoliveoilorculturedbutter.Andmaybea goodglass of vino!
Enjoy eating these recipes as much as I have enjoyed writing them.
BABAGANOUSH &
LEMONSOUP
SERVES 6
3 (1.2kg)eggplants
(^1) / 3 cup(90g)tahini
2 tbsDijonmustard
2 cups(500ml)chickenstock
11 / 2 tspgroundcumin
(^3) / 4 cup(165ml)extravirgin olive oil
Juice of 1 lemon
CRISPYPAPRIKACHICKPEAS
400gcanchickpeas
1 tbscornflour
1 tspsmokedpaprika
2 tbs extra virgin olive oil
LEMONYOGHURT
(^1) / 3 cup(95g)Greekyoghurt
Finely grated zest and juice of 1 lemon
Heata chargrillpanorbarbecuetohigh
heat.Grilltheeggplants,turning,onall
sidesfor 40 minutesoruntiltheskinis
blackandblistered(eggplantwilllose
theirshapeandbecomesoftduetoloss
ofmoisture).Cool,thenpeelbacktheskin
andremovethestalk,discardingboth.
Transfertheeggplanttoa blenderor
foodprocessorandwhizuntilsmooth.
Graduallyaddthetahini,mustard,stock
andcumin,andwhizuntilwellcombined.
In 3 batches,addoil(thispreventsthe
soup splitting). Add lemon juice and whiz
tocombine.Transfereggplantpureeto
a saucepanovermediumheat.Bring to a
simmerandseasontotaste.
Forcrispypaprikachickpeas,place
chickpeasin a bowlwithcornflourand
paprika,andtosstocoat.Heatoilin a
fryingpanovermedium-highheat.Add
chickpeamixtureandcook,shaking pan,
for3-4minutesoruntilcrisp.
Forlemonyoghurt,combineyoghurt
andlemonjuicein a bowlandseason.
Dividesoupamongservingbowls.
Drizzlewithyoghurtand scatter with
chickpeas to serve.
CORN,PRAWN& SAFFRONSOUP
WITHSAFFRON BROWN BUTTER
SERVES 4
100gunsaltedbutter
1 tbsextravirginoliveoil
1 onion,finelychopped
2 garliccloves,crushed
1 longredchilli,finelychopped
4 corncobs,kernels sliced, cobs
reserved
1 tspsaffronthreads
6 cups(1.5L)chickenstock
400ggreenprawns, peeled, deveined,
chopped
Melthalfthebutterandoilin a large
saucepanovermediumheat.Addonion,
garlicandchilli,andcook,stirring,for
5 minutes or until onion is softened but
notcoloured.Addcornkernelsand
(^1) / 2 tspsaffron,andstirtocoatinthe
butter.Addstockandreservedcobs,and
bringtoa simmer.Simmerfor 40 minutes
oruntilstockis deeplyflavoured.Remove
cobsusingkitchentongsanddiscard.
Transferhalfthesouptoa blenderand
whizuntilsmooth.Returntosaucepan
andstirtocombine.Seasontotaste.
Meltremaining50gbutterand
remaining^1 / 2 tspsaffronin a frypanover
mediumheat.Cook,swirlingthepan,for
2-3minutestoinfusethebutterwiththe
saffron.Addprawnandcook,tossingpan,
for2-3minutesoruntilprawnis cooked
andbutterhasturneda nuttygolden
brown.Season.Dividesoupamong
serving bowls and top with prawns.
WATERCRESS,
LEMONGRASS & EGG SOUP
SERVES 4
2 tbscoconutoil
3 eschalots,finelychopped
3cmpiece(15g)ginger,grated
3 garliccloves,crushed
1 longgreenchilli,roughlychopped
1 bunchcoriander roots, washed,
chopped
Finelygratedzestandjuiceof1 lime
1.5cmpieceturmeric(20g),grated
4 cups(1L)coconutcream
(^1) / 3 cup(80ml)fishsauce
2 tsp palm sugar, grated
@VueBennett
delicious.com.au 87