March 22, 2020
Considering we are not running to the grocery store every day now it is good to have a few recipes of good food you can cook from staple panrty items and this soup is just such recipe. Made with beans, canned tomatoes and pasta, you can whip it up in no time and have a delicious and nourishing soup that for us means dinner. You can use canned beans or dried beans but dried beans... View Article
November 4, 2019
Making a beet soup doesn’t have to be a big production. You can use raw or cooked (roasted) beets and simply grate them in a food processor instead of chopping with a knife. I had a few roasted beets in the fridge that didn’t get used so I made them into a soup. I usually add a few potatoes at the beginning, or put cooked potatoes in the soup bowl when serving and pour... View Article
November 15, 2017
Once fall arrives soup season begins in my kitchen. I make a soup in a large le Creuset pot and then store it in 2-3 mason jars in the fridge so it’s ready to warm up or play with as I wish. Lentil soups are regulars here and I usually mix 2-3 types of lentils together to make it more interesting. Soup for me is second nature and I don ‘t need a recipe to... View Article
January 11, 2017
Sometimes I just crave this soup but to get the one that satisfies my craving I have to make it at home. It’s really quite a simple soup to make, you just need the patience to brown the onions slowly so the soup has the characteristic rich caramelized flavour. You finish the soup in the oven with grilled bread and plenty of cheese that melts and gives the soup the unique topping that one cannot... View Article
October 21, 2016
Once you understand how to construct a soup you hardly need a recipe. This is especially so in a simple and hearty soup such as this one, full of vegetables, beans and pasta and believe me, nothing could be simpler. I start with a heavy soup pot, my favourite is an enamelled cast iron pot such as Le Creuset, put in a little olive oil, heat it up and then begin adding the ingredients I... View Article
May 6, 2015
I am sure anyone who cooks has some foods that they can make without a recipe and soups must be among them. Do soups really need a recipe? You kind of build a soup layer by layer with what you have on hand. This beans and pasta soup is the one I go to when I need a good hearty soup that doesn’t require any special trip to the store because I usually have all... View Article
June 12, 2014
In my last post about Joy Road catering alfresco dinner in the vineyard I promised to publish this asparagus soup recipe and here it is. This soup has been in my repertoire for a long time in a few variations (see here). I make it most often in the spring when local asparagus is fresh and full of flavour. Sometimes I use the potatoes to thicken it up, sometimes I just use loads of asparagus... View Article
December 14, 2013
A couple of nights before I left for Paris Val and I attended a cooking class at the fabulous Mission Hill Estate winery. The topic was Tour de France and it was a culinary journey through the provinces of France. The first dish was, you guessed it, a cauliflower soup. The soup was so creamy and delicious, my favourite dish of the evening (and also the only vegetarian one). Executive Chef Mathew Batey, who taught... View Article
November 5, 2013
We had our first snow fall here and the weather has cooled down. My husband is reluctantly talking about closing down his beloved sailboat for the season. He is in love with her and has been pushing the boundaries, unable to leave her and (motor) sailing her up to yesterday with the heater and a hot drink keeping him warm. I, on the other hand, don’t have to close down my kitchen and in fact... View Article
June 25, 2013
To be honest, I seldom make a soup exactly the same twice. I tend to build a soup up from what I have in the fridge, what inspires me that day and of course, what I may be “in the mood for” at the time. This hearty yet not heavy soup makes a perfect complete dinner, nice when served with a crisp salad and crusty bread. One caveat: don’t use dried herbs. The aroma and... View Article
October 4, 2012
I have been making lentil soups for as long as I have been cooking, mostly in variations on a theme. Lentil soup is “fast food” in my kitchen because it doesn’t take long to prepare. Unlike other legumes (think beans), lentils do not require soaking and take only about 30-45 minutes to cook. From start to finish you can probably have a hearty lentil soup ready in about an hour. It also keeps nicely in the... View Article
September 27, 2012
A fruit compote, or fruit “soup” is more common in the mediterranean than here in North America. What is it? It’s an assortment of summer stone fruits cooked in a sugar syrup (I add sweet wine and orange juice) on medium heat until the fruits break down slightly but still retain some texture. You can also make a winter fruit compote using dried fruits, but the recipe I am offering today is definitely a summer... View Article
