Baby it's cold outside and hearty chilli, veggie and tomato soup

Well, I am not sure about you but boy oh boy am I feeling the cold today, it is freezing. It is almost like the cold weather has come upon us very quickly with no gentle hints of cold at all, just cold and it really is. This kind of weather always reminds me of making delicious soups or casseroles and snuggling up on the lounge watching a movie or reading a good book or magazine. When I was younger I dreaded winter and could not wait for the summer to begin but now that I am getting older I am really starting to enjoy winter and the cold it brings. I love winter fashion, it is so much nicer than summer and I love any reason to wear a hat, gloves and coat, which you can't do in summer unless you want to lose 20 pounds.

I remember when my husband and I travelled to Holland to visit his mum for her 80th birthday and spend Christmas there. I remember thinking this is the coldest I have ever felt in my entire life and I remember thinking that my nose was going to fall off and I was so scared. My husband reassured me that my nose would not fall off and everything would be all right and it was. By day three, I was getting used to the cold weather and acclimatising and actually enjoyed it. It was lovely getting all rugged up and going for walks and going to cafes with open fires and having hot bowls of Dutch pea soup called ‘Erwtensoep’ which is served with beautiful dark rye bread and slices of speck (yummo!). Or having mugs of hot chocolate warming you from the inside out. The best hot chocolate I had in Gouda when we were there in 2012 was from a department store called V&D and they used real chocolate pieces and boiling hot milk and mixed it together, it was divine. The funny thing is we never put on any weight when we were over in Holland as we did so much walking and sightseeing that everything we consumed was used as fuel for all our walks.

When my husband and I left Sydney for Holland we had two suitcases, which is quite standard but when we were packing to leave Holland to come home, we somehow found we needed to buy another suitcase so we bought two extra suitcases and you know what? They were jam-packed. That's the funny thing about holidays; you always come back with more than you left with. We bought lots of souvenirs for family and friends and chocolate from Belgium as we had also stayed in a place called Malmedy in the Belgian Ardennes region (see picture above). And, if you are in Belgium it would be a crime not to buy chocolate. One of the things I bought in Gouda was a new coat, which is really beautiful but so heavy that when I put it on I need to stand next to a wall otherwise I will tip over. Am not sure what I will do with the coat but I am sure it will come in handy one day hahahaha.

Autumn and winter remind me of driving up to the Blue Mountains for a day trip or long weekend and walking around Leura and stopping to have a hot cup of tea or coffee and admiring the beautiful scenery and creation because it is amazing. If you have never been to the Blue Mountains, please do yourself a favour and go the next time you are in Sydney as it is well worth the drive, which doesn't take very long. One trip there I distinctly remember was a little holiday my husband and I had back in 2011. We decided to have a short break before the wedding, as we were exhausted from working and organising the big day so we had four days away in Leura. We stayed in a beautiful old place called Leura House which was built in the 1880s, you can check it out Here. When we arrived we checked in and then went to have dinner at a beautiful French bistro called the Bon Ton Cafe and had a lovely meal there and got nice and toasty by the fire. When we got back to our room after dinner we decided to unpack and get all our belongings ready for the next day and so on. My husband (who was then my fiancé) unpacked his clothes and put them away in the wardrobe. I was searching for my clothes and said "darling where did you put my clothes?" to which he replied “what clothes?" I said: “my clothes, the ones you were meant to put in the car with your clothes." And then there was silence… yes my husband who was then my fiancé did not pack my clothes that were hanging in the clothing bag, so all I had with me was a tracksuit, underwear, pyjamas and socks (wonderful). The next day I went shopping :-)

I thought today I would share with you my favourite winter soup recipe (well, one of them as there are many). This is the recipe for my Hearty Chilli, Veggie and Tomato soup and it really hits the spot on a cold day.

Hearty Chilli Veggie and Tomato Soup

Ingredients:

1 large pot, enough to hold at least 4 litres
1 onion chopped
2 cloves of garlic minced

2-3 tablespoons of garlic infused olive oil

1 small birds eye chilli chopped fine

1 bunch of chives chopped fine

2 sticks celery chopped

2 large carrots peeled and chopped

1 small to medium sweet potato peeled and diced/chopped

2 zucchini cut in half length ways and diced

2 handfuls of fresh green beans chopped

300 grams of pumpkin peeled and diced in to cubes

2 to 3 handfuls of baby spinach

2 litres of chicken stock (any stock can be used)

½ teaspoon rosemary leaves

4 bay leaves

small bunch fresh parsley washed and chopped (dried can be used as well ½ teaspoon)

Small bunch of fresh basil washed and roughly chopped

2 to 3 tins of diced tomatoes

1 teaspoon tamari or gluten free soy sauce (you can add more if you would like it saltier)

Additional Cayenne pepper if you want it spicier

Method:

In your large soup pot place the garlic infused oil and put on a medium heat. Then add the diced chilli, onion, garlic and chives and sauté for a minute or two and then add all the chopped veggies and sauté for 5-10 minutes or until they get a little soft and caramelised on the edges.

Next, add the stock and the tinned diced tomatoes.

Then add the bay leaves and fresh and dried herbs and cook for around 30-45 minutes with the lid off.

Add the tamari and stir and taste and if more is required add another teaspoon but that should be sufficient.

This is the time to add any additional cayenne pepper if required.

Now you can add the baby spinach leaves and cook for a further 5-10 minutes. If you don’t have baby spinach leaves then silverbeet will work just as well and you can also use kale, although that will require a little more cooking as it is a little tougher. So if you are going to use kale add that to the pot when the veggies have cooked for 30 mins and then cook for an additional 15-20 mins.

I have this soup on top of brown rice for lunch or dinner and it is wonderfully warming. If you want to add a protein you can add kidney beans or chickpeas or lentils.

Enjoy

© Lisa Maree van der Draay 2015. Except as provided by the Copyright Act 1968, no part of this publication may be reproduced, communicated to the public without the prior written permission of the publisher.