Autumn - Soup Season!

It's Autumn, which means it becomes Soup Season in our house.  I also revive Slow Cooker Tuesdays and even though it is Tuesday, I have not used the Slow Cooker today so will save that for another post!  Why on earth did I even mention it then?

Back to the soup.

You know that I am all about giving credit where credit is due.  I love this soup and back when Mum was still with us, she would ask for this soup which was a real compliment given she was rapidly reaching the point of not eating much at all.  This little beauty however seemed to always hit the spot.

So without any further ado...

Today's soup is by the lovely Kim McCosker over at 4 Ingredients: the super delicious and ridiculously simple LEEK AND POTATO SOUP.

Here are the 4 ingredients you will need:

45g butter
4 leeks, chopped
350g diced potatoes
1 litre chicken stock

I sauteed my leeks first up in the butter.

The remaining ingredients are added.  Ignore the cheeky bit of leftover cauliflower I snuck in!

Once the soup has boiled, reduce to a simmer, cover and cook until the potatoes are tender - about 40 minutes.  Zhoosh with a stick blender or blend in a blender (funny that) until smooth.  Your soup is now ready to serve.  The photo below is Kim's from her
4 Ingredients One Pot One Bowl book.  The link I have included will take you straight to purchase a copy should you wish.

This is not a sponsored post, just simply giving credit where credit is due and sharing the good secrets I happen to come across.  In this case, I happen to have the whole book of them!

Do yourself a 'flavour' and follow 4 Ingredients on Facebook, Instagram and lose yourself in their Pinterest page.  Or head straight to their website http://www.4ingredients.com.au/

Bon appetit!  I'm off to serve dinner!

Turkey & Cranberry Patties

The deliciousness of this recipe is all in the Cranberry and Caramelised Red Onion Chutney.  One word. Yum!

TURKEY & CRANBERRY PATTIES

500g turkey mince

1/2 cup dried breadcrumbs (add more if required)

3 tbsp cranberry and caramelised red onion chutney

1 tbsp parsley

1 egg

1 clove garlic, crushed

Photo Cred: Yours truly!

1 tbsp olive oil

plain flour

Mix all ingredients (except oil and flour) in a bowl.

Roll mixture into the size patties you prefer, and toss in the plain flour to give them a slight dusting.

Chill in the fridge for 15 minutes.

Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a frypan and cook patties to your liking.

Serve with your preferred side of salad or vegies.  Or put them on a burger!

Bon Appetit!

NB: I have modified the original recipe because that is what I tend to do in the kitchen a lot...is improvise!  If you cannot get your hot little hands on the cranberry and caramelised red onion chutney (I got mine from Aldi), then finely chop 1 small red onion and use 2 tbsp cranberry sauce.  I also use minced garlic from a jar instead of crushing a clove.  

Recipe: Sweet Potato and Coconut Soup

Simple, easy and
ready in no time!

I have long been a fan of 'kumara' since I spent some time many years ago living in New Zealand.  I came across this recipe for Sweet Potato and Coconut Soup, tried it, and have made it every winter since. It is simple, easy and ready in no time which makes it a fantastic mid week meal!  Enjoy... 

SWEET POTATO & COCONUT SOUP

1 tbs olive oil
1 brown onion, chopped
2 tsp fresh ginger, grated
1 tsp ground cardamom
3-4 large sweet potato (kumara), peeled and sliced
3 cups chicken stock
400ml can coconut milk
1 tbs lime or lemon juice
salt and black pepper to taste

1.  In a large saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium heat.  Add the onion
       and ginger, cooking until soft.
2.  Turn the heat up to high and add the cardamom.  Stir to coat the onion.
3.  Add the sweet potato and stir.
4.  Add the chicken stock and cover.  Once boiled, turn the heat down to a 
     simmer, covered, for about 10 - 15 minutes, until the sweet potato is soft.
5.  Puree the soup with a stick blender or food processor.
6.  Stir in the coconut milk and juice.  Add salt and pepper to taste.

Serves 4.

Bon Appetit!



Photo Cred: Superfood Magazine.

The Hospitality Establishment - Tapas Dancing

It is little wonder that some things escape me.  I live in an ordinarily positive world, only capturing pieces of the news here and there.  My world would be different and more negatively impacted if the headlines ran across the bottom of the Tom and Jerry show, but thankfully, they don't.  And reading the newspaper is a thing of the past, at present!

Likewise when driving, I am watching the road or adjudicating the 'discussion' in the back with my 3 and 4 year old or (and usually the case) answering 50 gazillion questions. Most often the one that goes:-

Jai (4): "Mum, what did that sign say?"

Me: "Which sign?"

Jai: "The one back there?"

Or like on the weekend:-

Jai: "Mum, what does that one, one, zero sign mean?"

Me: "It means I can do 110 kms per hour."

Cruz (3): "Mum, do 120."

So to have driven down President Avenue at Caringbah in the Sutherland Shire numerous times and have not noticed The Hospitality Establishment does not surprise me at all.  I was however pleasantly surprised it existed when my sister suggested we do one of their cooking classes as our birthday gift. 

We are Taureans and LOVE food - cooking and eating it!  And we love a cooking class!

The Hospitality Establishment runs all sorts of cooking classes.  And, they are BYO!  

Does it get any better?  

From Rustic Italian to Superfoods to Mexican Street Food and many more delectable enticements in between.  What to choose, what to choose! You can see their assortment of classes here.  They even have ones for kids in the school holidays!

My two sisters, three sister-in-laws and myself graced The Hospitality Establishment with our presence.  

That's a lot of BYO.  

Shenanigans!

The class we chose to do was Tapas. In total there were around 15 or so doing the class - on a Friday night!  Garth and Tash ran the show.  Garth is the chef, Tash the cook. Tash came to be Garth's trusty assistant after doing numerous cooking classes, and clearly loving them. 

The class is informative, educational, hands on if you want it to be, relaxed and a whole lot of fun.  Participation is encouraged but not pressured.  You can partake in as much or as little of the cooking as you would like.  Hand-washing is mandatory.  So is the laid-back atmosphere.  My most enjoyable cooking class to date!

My sister in law, Kim,
preparing the Blue Cheese Tarts

In our Tapas class, we made...huh! The royal 'we'!  Okay okay, Garth and Tash (and a little bit of the rest of us) made Duck Spring Rolls (I'm now pretty good at rolling up these little tackers), Prawn Miang (divine), Blue Cheese Tarts (even if you don't like blue cheese, you'll luuuurve these), Lamb and Minted Pea Bruschetta (yummo), Albondigas (sounds like a country but these meatballs were delish) and Churros (please, who doesn't like Churros dipped in chocolate?)  

 

The top two are Prawn Miang,
the bottom is the start of the
Churros (looks like mashed potato!)

What a fun (and delicious) night!  It is such a friendly         atmosphere.  Everyone, including our chef and cook, 
were there for a great time.  It is a night that can, depending upon the cuisine and your experience, walk you a little sideways out of your comfort zone, teach you a thing or two and allow you to realise that making some of these tasty morsels isn't actually as difficult as one may think.  And chopping like a pro is not required! 

 All in all, I can highly recommend a night of Tapas dancing  at The Hospitality Establishment.  We had more than enough to eat, shared some great laughs, were given a handout of the recipes 'we' made and indulged in restaurant quality dishes - in taste and presentation.

What's not to love about a night like that?  

If you love cooking or the idea of doing a cooking class, then you will love what 
The Hospitality Establishment has to offer.

I wonder what class will take our fancy next time?