Pumpkin soup is a glorious warm looking yellow soup that is a firm favourite.  This recipe has been used in our home for many years.

Pumpkins are also known worldwide as Squash.

Ingredients

1 medium pumpkin (any sort but the round grey-skinned ones are good)
1 large onion
4 cloves garlic
2 tblspn olive oil
2 tspn cumin powder (or more to taste)
Salt and ground black pepper to taste
2 – 3 cups water

Method

1. Peel and dice onion, peel and cut (or use garlic press) garlic, fry both gently in oil until golden brown
2. Add curry powder and cook for a few minutes
3. Add peeled, diced pumpkin, stock or water, salt and pepper, and boil gently until pumpkin is cooked. You may need to add more water if soup is too thick.
4. Mash the soup to make is smoother or put it through a liquidiser or sieve if you want a really smooth soup.
5. Serve with a dollop of sour cream or plain yoghurt and chopped parsley  on top and slices of crusty bread.

This soup keeps in the fridge for a few days or you can freeze it.  It is a great standby for weekend lunches or unexpected visitors.

Ingredients

1 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cumin powder
½ teaspoon curry powder (optional)
½ cup milk
1 egg
1 cup grated zucchini (or courgette)
2 tablespoon cooking oil

Method

1. Sift flour, baking powder, salt and spices into a bowl.
2. Add the egg and milk and mix to combine
3. Stir in the grated zucchini and leave the batter for 15 – 30 minutes (if you have time). This allows the mixture to take in some air before cooking so the cooked fritters will be light and easy to eat
4. Heat the oil in a frying pan and when hot, drop tablespoonfuls of mixture on to the pan.
5. Cook until golden brown then turn and cook the flip side.
6. Drain on paper towels and serve hot with a green salad, and a tablespoon of tomato relish.

Zucchini (Italian) and courgettes (French) are the same vegetable.  they are the young version of a marrow.  If you see recipes that calls for zucchini, courgette or marrow, its all for the same vegetable.

Ingredients

1 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup milk
1 egg
1 450 can creamed corn
2 tablespoon cooking oil

Method

1. Sift flour, baking powder, and salt into a bowl
2. Add the egg and milk and mix to combine
3. Stir in the corn and leave the batter for 15 -30 minutes (if you have time). This allows the mixture to take in some air before cooking so the cooked fritters will be light and easy to eat
4. Heat the oil in a frying pan and when hot, drop tablespoonfuls of mixture on to the pan.
5. Cook until golden brown then turn and cook the flip side.Drain on paper towels and serve hot with plain yoghurt, or tomato salsa or your favourite chutney or relish.

Corn fritters are also a favourite brunch dish.

Ingredients

250gms macaroni
½ teaspoon salt
40 gms butter or margarine
40 gms plain flour
¼ teaspoon salt
600 mls milk
250 gms grated cheddar cheese

Method

1. Half fill a large saucepan with water and first measure of salt
2. Add the macaroni and bring water to the boil again
3. Cook the macaroni for 8-10 minutes; drain well and set aside.
4. Use this recipe to make the cheese sauce or follow the next 5 instructions
5. Melt the butter or margarine in a saucepan
6. Add the flour and salt and stir until it is bubbly
7. Add one-third of the milk and stir all the time until the sauce boils and thickens
8. Repeat this twice until all the milk is added and you have a thickened smooth sauce
9. Remove the sauce from the hob, add 175g of the cheese and stir until the cheese is well combined and melted
10. Add the macaroni to the sauce and mix well
11. You can serve it now with remaining cheese sprinkled over the top

Alternatively

1. Preheat the grill
2. Transfer the mixture to a deep suitably-sized ovenproof dish
3. Sprinkle remaining cheese over the top. At this point you can also put sliced tomato, soft breadcrumbs on top of the macaroni mixture before you sprinkle cheese over
4. Place the dish under the hot grill cook until the cheese is browned and bubbling.

Serve immediately as it is or with a green salad.   Serves 4

1. Grated cheddar cheese with tomato chutney or relish
2. Sliced cucumber with lettuce and mayonnaise
3. Sliced capsicum (fresh or roasted) with lettuce
4. Yeast extract (eg, marmite or vegemite) with lettuce and /or cheese
5. Left over roast meat with chutney and lettuce
6. Hardboiled egg, mashed with 1 teaspoon mayonnaise, 1 teaspoon fresh herbs and lettuce or fresh spinach leaves
7. Beansprouts, sliced tomato, slices cucumber and cheese

When you use tomato in sandwiches that are not going to be eaten immediately, always put a good layer of lettuce leaves between the bread and the tomato slices so that bread doesn’t go soggy.

Ingredients

1.5 kg.ripe tomatoes
1 slice bread, broken up
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon sugar
½  teaspoon fresh basil
½  tsp. fresh or dried oregano
2 cloves garlic
1 onion
2 tablespoons wine vinegar

Method

1. Put the tomatoes in a large microwave casserole, halving large ones
2. Add the bread and sprinkle with salt, sugar, basil and oregano
3. Add the chopped garlic and onion
4. Cover and cook until mushy
5. Cook on high 100% power for 10minutes, then lower to 50% and cook a further 10 minutes
6. Break up the mixture with a potato masher and serve as a chunky soup
7. If you want a smooth soup, stir and put through the food processor
8. Add 1 tablespoon wine vinegar and taste, adding more if necessary.
9. Serve immediately in a bowl with a spoonful of plain yoghurt on top and fresh crusty bread on the side

Notes

1. If you don’t have access to cheap fresh tomatoes, you can use whole canned tomatoes  instead and omit the sugar in this recipe.
2. You can make this soup in the late summer and autumn when fresh tomatoes are plentiful and cheap, then freeze for future use.

Ingredients

1 oxtail or shin of beef
2 carrots
1 swede
1 leek
3 sticks celery
1 onion
1 cup soup mix
1 litre vegetable or beef stock
2 tablespoon soya sauce
Salt and pepper to taste

Method

1. Grate the carrots and swede
2. Slice the other vegetables into small pieces no more than 1cm thick
3. Put the oxtail into the bottom of a large heavy saucepan
4. Add stock then vegetables
5. Spread the soup mix on top
6. Bring to the boil then simmer gently for 6-7 hours, stirring from time to time to stop the soup sticking to the bottom of the saucepan
7. Towards the end of the cooking time, stir in the soya sauce, salt and pepper
8. Serve hot in bowls with toast fingers or crusty bread for lunch or dinner.

Notes:

1. If you have a slow cooker, it is ideal for this soup. Follow the recipe and put the cooker on low and cook the soup for 8 hours.  The meat will simply fall off the bone.
2. For a vegetarian version, disregard the oxtail and use more soya sauce and spices such as cumin and cardamom (1-2 teaspoons of each) and sprinkle with grated cheese

.

 Ingredients

1-2 eggs per person
boiling water

 Method

1.  Heat a saucepan of water on the stovetop till water boils
2. Put each egg on a spoon and lower one at a time into the boiling water
3. Adjust the heat to keep the water simmering (that is, boiling gently not bubbling fast)
4. Leave the eggs in the simmering water until cooked
   • For soft boiled eggs cook 3-4 minutes
   • For hard boiled eggs cook  7-8 minutes
5. Serve soft boiled eggs in egg cups with toast slices (or ’soldiers’) to dip into the yolk
6. When hard boiled eggs are cooked, put them into a dish of cold water so you don’t get a grey ring around the yolk.
7. Cut into quarters and serve with sliced bread and butter or fresh crusty bread with lettuce leaves and tomatoes
8. Or serve whole in a lunch box.

Ingredients

1 275gm can tuna or salmon
1 onion1 clove garlic
1 tbsp cooking oil
2 cups cheese sauce (see How to …make cheese sauce)
1 tbsp each fresh thyme, sage, oregano
3-4 cups macaroni (or penne, shells or other similar small pasta shapes)
1 cup frozen peas
1 cup grated tasty cheese
½ cup breadcrumbs

Method

1. Turn the oven on to 180° C
2. Chop the onion and garlic into small pieces
3. Brown lightly in a frying pan with the oil
4. Add the tuna and stir until it is well mixed with the onions
5. Make the cheese sauce
6. In a large saucepan cook the macaroni according to the instructions on the packet until el dente (cooked till just soft but not mushy)
7. Cook the peas according to the instructions on the packet
8. Drain and leave in the saucepan and add the tuna and onion mix, cheese sauce and peas
9. Mix all the ingredients together then pour into an ovenproof dish
10. Sprinkle the cheese and breadcrumbs over the top
11. Put into the oven for 15 minutes to heat through and to brown the topping
12. Serve hot straight from the oven with a crisp green salad.

Serves 4

Ingredients

1 kg pumpkin (the grey skinned ones are best)
1-2 onions
1 tbsp ground cumin seeds
1 tbsp cooking oil
water

Method

1.      Cut the pumpkin into 4-5 pieces approximately the same size. Put in microwave oven for 5 minutes on high to soften the skin.  Allow to cool then remove the skin.

2.      Chop the onions finely and sauté in a large saucepan with the oil until onions are translucent.  Add the pumpkin, cumin and water, bring to the boil, them simmer till pumpkin is very soft.

3.      Remove from stove and cool a little. Mash with a potato masher for a chunky soup or put into a liquidizer if you prefer a smooth soup.  Add more water as required.

4.      Serve hot with toast fingers and chopped parsley sprinkled over the top.