The Naranga Newsletter

Home Economics 

with Ms Athiniotis

WINTER WARMERS

This week our senior and junior students made soup from scratch, preparing vegetables and adding stock and herbs. Soups are a quick and easy meal just right for the winter months. Our students tried pumpkin, tomato and Thai ginger carrot soups. Ingredients such as lentils, sweet potato and sour cream can be added to thicken the soup. 

Pumpkin soup             

Ingredients

630 g butternut pumpkin, peeled and chopped

1 onion diced

1 potato, diced

2 small carrots, diced

1 small sweet potato

1 teaspoon curry powder

1 litre chicken stock

1 tablespoon oil

1 tablespoon butter

Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Method:

Skills: safely peeling and chopping vegetables. Using the blender safely. 

  1. Peel and cut all vegetables, except onion into chunks.
  2. Finely chop the onion. Lightly fry the onion in oil and butter until transparent. 
  3. Add curry powder and stir for one minute. Add the chopped vegetables and stir. 
  4. Add the rest of the ingredients and bring to the boil. Put lid on saucepan and reduce heat to simmer. Cook about 25 minutes or until vegetables are soft. Blend with a stick blender or in blender. Return to pan to reheat. 

Tomato, basil and thyme soup

Ingredients

1 800g can peeled tomatoes, chopped

2 Small sweet potatoes

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 large onion, finely chopped         

2 cloves garlic, crushed

1 litre vegetable stock

4 fresh thyme sprigs

2 tablespoons tomato paste

2 tablespoons shredded fresh basil

Method

  1. Heat the oil in a saucepan and add the onion and garlic. Cook over medium heat for 3 minutes, or until the onion is soft. Then add diced sweet potatoes. Place the stock in a separate saucepan and bring to the boil. 
  2. Add the tomato and thyme to the onion mixture. Cover and cook for 4 minutes, or until the tomato has softened slightly. Add stock and tomato paste and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, covered, for 10 minutes, or until the onion and tomato are soft. Remove the thyme sprigs. 
  3. Transfer the soup to a blender or food processor and blend in batches until smooth. Reheat gently, and stir in the shredded basil. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper. (A little sugar can be added if needed)  Ladle into four soup bowls and serve with herb bread.