Mushroom soup

We had people over today, and the planned pumpkin soup didn't pan out, due to there being a dearth of ripe pumpkin in the shops for some reason. So we had a mushroom soup instead, which worked out quite well, in my opinion. The original recipe is for 4-6, but I doubled the quantities, as we had people in and out the whole afternoon (oh, aren't we popular?).

Anyway, here goes:

500g mushrooms, finely sliced (I used a mixture of portobello and white button mushrooms (champignons), but you could add others, like chanterelles, oyster mushrooms, etc etc)
2 onions, finely diced
2 or 3 cloves of garlic, finely diced
about 90g butter (2 tbsp)
2 tbsp flour
1 litre chicken stock
a bay leaf
1/2 cup cream (the thicker the better)
salt and pepper to taste

In a gigantic pot, fry the onion and garlic in the butter until translucent, then add the mushrooms and fry for a few minutes while stirring. Add the flour and make sure the mushrooms are well covered. Pour in the stock, bring to the boil, then add the bay leaf and simmer for about 10-15 minutes. When done, leave to cool for a bit, then blend using a food processor or handheld mixer thingy. Add the cream, mix in, season to taste, and serve, perhaps with some bread, or Tabasco, or tomatoes.

Enjoy.

Butternut soup

It's miserable here, so we made a good traditional South African butternut soup yesterday. Don't use pumpkin unless you absolutely have to: this is a butternut soup, with all the fun that entails. Here's the recipe:

Should serve about 6

1.5 kg butternut (muskaatkõrvits or pähkelkõrvits in Estonian), peeled and cut into 5cm blocks
2 large onions, finely chopped
3 or 4 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
a chilli (or to taste), finely chopped
1 tbsp butter
1 litre chicken stock
2 tbsp lemon juice
250ml cream
1tsp nutmeg, ground
1tsp cumin, ground
1/2 tsp mustard seeds, ground
salt and pepper to taste
coriander leaves to serve

In a large pot, melt the butter, and fry the onion, garlic and chilli at medium heat until transparent. Add the spices, and stir around a bit until everything is well covered. Add the butternut, stock, and lemon juice, stir again, bring to the boil and then simmer for about 30 minutes or until the butternut is soft and ready. Puree it using a food processor or handheld mixer thingy, then add the cream and carefully heat it again. It should then be ready.

Serve with an extra dollop of cream and some coriander. And bread. And wine. And freeze the rest for winter.

Chicken and Chorizo Jambalaya

I don't know when I first heard about this magnificent combination of stuff, but it's become one of my favourite dishes ever. Quick, simple, and filling. And it can feed you for a week or so. Enjoy.

Jambalaya (portions here will feed about 4)

You will need:

2 chicken breasts, cut up into wee little pieces
about 200g of chorizo, also in wee little pieces
an onion, diced
garlic to taste, crushed or finely sliced
One or two chillies, depending on tastes
2 sticks of celery, sliced
A pepper or two, diced
4 tomatoes, boiled for a minute then diced, or (if you're lazy) a 400-ml tin of tomatoes
2 or 3 bay leaves
1 tsp paprika
about 400ml of chicken stock
1 tbsp of Tabasco (again, to taste)
1 cup of long-grain rice
Salt and pepper to taste

Chop stuff up. Dry-fry the chorizo until somewhat cooked in a big heavy pot with a lid. Don't worry, there's more than enough oil to coat the bottom of the pot. Remove, then fry the chicken until browned. Take that out too and put it to one side with the chorizo, then add the onion, garlic, celery and chilli, fry until soft, then add the peppers and do like-wise. When that's done, add the chicken, chorizo, and tomatoes, mix it all up, add the rice, making sure that it's all coated in oil and stuff, then add the stock, bay leaves, paprika, tabasco, and salt and pepper as needed. I also sometimes add oregano. Ensure the stock is covering the rice, then leave to cook for about 30 to 45 minutes. Don't let it get too dry - there should be some juice.

Serve it in a bowl, maybe with some salad, definitely with some wine or beer.

Enjoy.