In our household, this is known as ‘get-better-soon’ soup. Make sure you use a good chicken stock so that the soup is really flavoursome.
If you prefer, substitute wontons or mini dim sims for the noodles and use vegies of your choice. The recipe is from my book Mini Chef – Cooking with Kids.

Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 10–15 minutes

Equipment:
Measuring cups and spoons
Chopping board
Medium bowl
Strainer
Vegetable peeler
Medium saucepan
Kitchen knife
1. Place noodles in a medium heatproof bowl, cover with boiling water and leave to stand for 2–3 minutes. Drain and set aside.
2. Heat the chicken stock in a medium saucepan. While stock simmers, add the carrots and cook 2–3 minutes.
3. Add the chicken breast strips and corn kernels and cook for 1 minute. Add celery, soy sauce and noodles. Simmer very gently
for 2–3 minutes or until chicken is cooked—don’t let it boil.  Season to taste and simmer for 30 seconds.
4. Ladle into warm serving bowls and top with sliced green onions and a few drops of sesame oil, if using.

Tip: Add a few sugar snap or snow peas for more colour and goodness. You’ll find pre-cut chicken breast strips at the supermarket in the poultry section.

On a bleak winter’s day, nothing can beat this tasty Italian vegetable soup.

In a large pan, sweat the onions, garlic and bacon in the oil until onions and garlic are softened – be careful not to let them brown.  Add the celery, carrots, potatoes, zucchini and peas and cook until vegetables are softened. Add the chopped tomatoes, chicken stock, bouquet garni and season to taste. Bring back to simmering point and skim the surface.Throw in the rice and simmer gently for about 30 minutes.  Check seasoning.  Remove bouquet garni. Ladle into warm bowls, swirl through a little pesto and pass the parmesan at the table.
Tip: substitute tinned butter beans if the borlotti beans are hard to find.  Alternatively soak 125g dried beans overnight in water to cover.  Drain and cover again with water and simmer until tender.
Note: tastes even better the next day!

Pumpkins make marvellous containers for all kinds of foods, including all sorts of vegetable mixtures.
You can stir-fry the vegetables or curry them and pile them into pre-baked Golden Nugget shells for an impressive first or second course. They add colour and interest to any meal.
This divine soup is easy to make and – be warned – very rich (sorry, not for those watching Kj intake or cholesterol levels!)

Preheat oven to 200degC (180degC fan-forced).
Wash the skins of the pumpkins, and with a large sharp knife, cut off a lid.  The bottoms may also need levelling if they don’t sit straight.  Scoop out all the seeds and stringy inner bits.
In a small frying pan, cook the onion in the butter until soft and translucent.  Place an equal amount of the onion mixture into the cavity of each pumpkin.  Do the same with the cheese and sprinkle each with the spices and sage.  Fill cavities almost to the top with cream – if you fill too high, it will overflow when cooking.  Put on the lids.
Place pumpkins on a baking dish and cook for about 1 – 1 ¼ hours.  Test if the pumpkins are cooked by lifting off lids and inserting a sharp knife into the flesh.  If soft, your soup is ready.

Here’s a hearty soup recipe from a new collection of Tuscan recipes, simply called “Tuscany” (Phaidon). Ribollita literally means ‘re-boiled’ and is a method of using up stale bread and left over vegetables or beans as a soup. In some areas of Tuscany, ham fat and bacon rind are also added to the vegetables.

Put the cannellini beans into a large pan, pour in water to cover and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 40 minutes.
Meanwhile, heat the oil in another large pan. Add the onion, celery, carrots, potatoes and courgettes(zucchini) and cook over very low heat, stirring occasionally, for 30 minutes. Season with salt, add the Swiss chard and cabbage and cook, stirring, for a few minutes. Cover the pan. Drain the beans, reserving the cooking liquid. Press half the beans through a sieve (sifter) into a bowl, then stir the purée into the pan of vegetables. Add the reserved cooking liquid and simmer for 1 hour. Add the remaining whole beans and parsley and simmer for another 1 – 1½ hours.
Remove the soup from the heat and season with salt and pepper to taste. Make a layer of bread slices in a tureen and ladle some of the soup over it. Continue making alternate layers of bread and soup until all the ingredients have been used, then let stand until the bread is completely soaked. Serve immediately with a healthy drizzle of Tuscan extra virgin olive oil.

Here’s a quick, refreshing cold soup for hot summer days.
Put the peeled chopped tomatoes into the food processor and process until smooth.  Pour into a large bowl and stir through the onions.  Add enough chicken stock to make a soupy consistency.  Season to taste.  Cover and chill.
Remove seeds from melons, and with a melon baller, make balls out of the flesh.  Place the balls in a bowl, cover and chill.
When read to serve, ladle the chilled soup into bowls, put a dollop of creme fraiche on top and garnish with the melon balls and a little fresh mint.  Serve with lavash, the thin crispy Middle Eastern bread or toasted Lebanese flatbread.

Tip: you can substitute natural Greek-style yoghurt for the creme fraiche.

Note: To peel tomatoes, make a small cross in the base with a small sharp knife. Place in a pan of simmering water for 30 seconds. Using a slotted spoon, remove immediately to a bowl of iced water.  Peel the skin off, starting at the base.

Yes, it’s  Halloween next Sunday and people are doing all manner of things with pumpkins (such as carving them into Jack O’Lanterns) – apart from cooking with them!  Here’s a recipe for a lovely soup, with a touch of spice, to serve on the day – or, indeed,  at any time.  Look for a good quality red curry paste to give it depth of flavour.

In a medium saucepan, sweat the onion until soft.  Stir in the curry paste and cook 4 – 5 minutes over low heat, stirring with a wooden spoon.  Put in the pumpkin, stock and salt.  Bring to the boil, turn down heat and simmer until pumpkin is tender.
Remove from heat and cool a little before pureeing in a food processor or blender until smooth.  Return to pan, taste for seasoning and add the coconut milk.  Re-heat but do not boil as the coconut cream will split.
Ladle into warm bowls.  Swirl in a spoonful of coconut cream and garnish with fresh coconut peels and chilli.

Tip: the soup can also be garnished with finely shredded kaffir limes which will give it more of a Thai flavour.

In our household, this is known as ‘get-better-soon’ soup. Make sure you use a good chicken stock so that the soup is really flavoursome.
If you prefer, substitute wontons or mini dim sims for the noodles and use vegies of your choice. The recipe is from my new book Mini Chef – Cooking with Kids.

Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 10–15 minutes

Equipment:
Measuring cups and spoons
Chopping board
Medium bowl
Strainer
Vegetable peeler
Medium saucepan
Kitchen knife
1. Place noodles in a medium heatproof bowl, cover with boiling water and leave to stand for 2–3 minutes. Drain and set aside.
2. Heat the chicken stock in a medium saucepan. While stock simmers, add the carrots and cook 2–3 minutes.
3. Add the chicken breast strips and corn kernels and cook for 1 minute. Add celery, soy sauce and noodles. Simmer very gently
for 2–3 minutes or until chicken is cooked—don’t let it boil.  Season to taste and simmer for 30 seconds.
4. Ladle into warm serving bowls and top with sliced green onions and a few drops of sesame oil, if using.

Tip: You’ll find pre-cut chicken breast strips at the supermarket in the poultry section.

This deliciouus fortifying soup is just what you need to get you through cold winter days.  Lamb forequarter chops are good value, but you need to trim them of any fat and sinew – if you have time, the bones can be used to make stock  which can be used in the soup.

Place the lamb and water or stock in a large pot.  Bring to the boil, skimming off any froth which forms on the top.  Turn down heat and simmer gently for 45 minutes.
Add remaining ingredients except for yeast mixture.  Bring back to the boil and simmer gently for another 45 minutes.  Season to taste and add more water or stock if required.
To finish soup, dilute yeast in a little warm water.  Add the tomatoes, coriander and parsley and simmer gently for 15 minutes, then add to soup.
Serve steaming hot with a little lemon juice squeezed over each serving.

This is a delicious vegetable soup from Lesbos, given to me by Evi Mitchell  of C’Aphrodite restaurant in Cremorne.  It’s  a good one for cold winter nights and is easy to make.  It’s also a good one for children who won’t eat their vegies, (though you will probably need to omit the chilli). Make sure to cut all the vegetables the same size so they cook evenly.

Put all the prepared vegetables into a medium pan. Cover with chicken stock, bring to the boil.  Turn down heat and simmer gently, covered, until vegetables are soft.  Season with salt and pepper and add the butter, cook another minute.  Remove from heat.  Puree the vegetables in a blender or food processor and serve piping hot.