HOMEMADE: SOUP MIX + Hearty Vegetable Soup

May 19th, 2022

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It has been a busy few weeks (well truthfully, months) as I have been immersed in last-minute cookbook production. Checking off the design, and making final tweaks to the content and images. It really is all-consuming, as the threads of the book are all suspended in my head at once. It is a mixture of joy and intensity to produce a book. The enjoyment of the creative process mixed, with the intensity that comes with a large scale project.

It takes a team behind the scenes to produce a book, but I think as the author we hold so much of it close to us, right to the very last minute before it goes to print. It is not long now and I will be able to share more of this new offering with you.

For now, I am craving soup, to deeply nourish and revive my weary mind and body. Scroll down for my go-to ‘soup mix’ and hearty vegetable soup + more of my favourite soups on Homegrown Kitchen:

• Beetroot, Caraway & Black Pepper Soup
• Grilled Corn & Black Bean Soup (this is a soup for autumn using fresh corn, but it can also be made with frozen corn by skipping the grilling step)
• Tuscan Soup – A Soup with Two Endings
• Soul-Warming Winter Shank Soup
• Lettuce & Pea Soup with Popped Pumpkin Seeds

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Homemade: Soup Mix + Hearty Vegetable Soup

During the cooler months, we eat a lot of soup. Having a pre-made soup mix on hand means a warming and hearty dinner is never far away. When the cool weather arrives I make up a large jar of ‘soup mix’ – consisting of equal parts brown lentils, brown rice and quinoa.

I also keep vegetable trimmings such as onion skins, mushrooms stalks, carrot tops and celery leaves in a bag in the freezer so I can quickly make a pot of vegetable stock to use in soup. Then a wander around the garden yields a harvest of silverbeet, kale leaves and parsley for fresh flavour. Serve with buttered toast, garlic bread or make a batch or beetroot flatbreads (see below).

Hearty Vegetable Soup

I like to pre-soak the soup mix to improve digestion and speed cooking time. In the morning I measure the soup mix into a bowl and cover it with 3 cups of boiling water. Cover with a plate and leave to soak during the day. When ready to prepare the soup drain and rinse the soup mix in a sieve.

Servings 4

Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 40 minutes mins

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
• 2 carrots, peeled and thinly sliced
• 2-3 celery stalks, thinly sliced
• 1 cup soup mix (see ingredients above), pre-soaked and rinsed
• 6 cups vegetable stock
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 6-8 silverbeet or kale leaves, shredded
• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar or lemon juice
• handful parsley, chopped

Instructions

• Heat the oil in a large pot over a moderate heat. Add the onions and cook for 5 minutes to soften. Add the garlic, cumin and turmeric and cook until fragrant.
• Add the carrots, celery and soup mix (see headnote), and mix over the heat for a minute or two then add the stock and salt.
• Cover with a lid and bring to a gentle simmer. Cook, stirring occasionally until the lentils, rice and quinoa are soft, about 30 minutes. Add the shredded greens and cook for 3-5 minutes until wilted. Check seasoning, adding extra salt and cracked pepper as needed.
• Remove from the heat and stir through the vinegar or lemon juice. Serve the soup scattered with parsley and warm beetroot flatbreads (recipe below) on the side.

Beetroot Flatbreads

The beetroot makes a cheerful addition to these flatbreads to serve alongside soup. I often pop a covered dish of 3-4 whole beetroot in the oven when I am baking bread or a cake. Whole roasted beetroot can take a good hour to soften so I make the most of the oven heat while it is on. Roasted beetroot will keep for 4-5 days in the fridge. They can be sliced into salads, marinated with olive oil and vinegar, or pureed to add to cake, brownies, bread and flatbreads.

Servings 8 Makes

Prep Time 30 minutes mins

Cook Time 20 minutes mins

Ingredients

• 1 whole roasted beetroot (about 150-180g)
• 1/2 cup yoghurt (can use non-dairy yoghurt)
• about 2 1/2 cups (375g) flour* + extra for kneading
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• *I used white spelt flour but a combo of white wheat, spelt and wholemeal flours can be used.

Instructions

• Peel the cooked beetroot, chop roughly and puree with the yoghurt in a food processor or blender until smooth. Pour into a bowl and add the flour, oil and salt. Mix with a fork until the dough comes together. If the dough feels sticky add 1-3 tablespoons extra flour- this will depend on the beetroot moisture content.
• Cover the bowl with a damp tea towel and leave to rest for 1 hour - or in the fridge overnight. Tip the dough onto a lightly floured bench and knead until smooth. Divide into 8 pieces and roll each into a ball. Cover with the tea towel.
• Heat a heavy-based frying pan over a moderate/high heat. Roll out the flatbreads one at a time in a 22cm wide round - leaving the others resting under the damp towel. Cook in the unoiled hot pan until puffy, then flip and cook until golden on both sides. Repeat with the remaining dough.
• Wrap the flatbreads in a tea towel to keep warm while cooking the remaining flatbreads. Serve with soup or fill with salad and falafel and accompanying sauces.

*Recipes originally created for Commonsense Organics blog.