Citrus Burst Carrot & Butternut Soup

Wait a minute! Didn't I just post an Indian Carrot Soup recipe a few days ago? Yup, guilty as charged. You don't even need to bring the warrant of arrest, just show me the handcuffs and I'll step forward willingly to accept my fate.

But what's a poor blogger to do when she still has a load of carrots left in her freezer? And in the meantime our pantry of freebies has also grown to include butternut, potatoes and sweet potatoes. I swear we don't go begging, these things just find their way into our home. Perhaps because we are so likeable? Or more likely because our benefactors didn't have a clue what to do with the mounds of veggies in their cupboards... And so they passed the buck. (Yes I'm looking at you MIL)

But fear not! Because I bring you Carrot Soup: Round 2. Which also, conveniently, includes butternut. Will there be a round three? Dun-dun-dunnnnnnnnnnnn.

Okay all jokes aside though, this soup was truly phe-no-me-nal. Yes, I know I said that about the last one, but you want the truth? That previous carrot soup is no match for this one. There I said it. I'm sorry Indian Carrot Soup, but you just don't have that x-factor. Okay you might have the x-factor, but this one? It has the x, y and z factors. 

The citrus and especially the complex notes from the preserved lemon* gives a lovely twang to this otherwise rather ordinary rendition of carrot and butternut soup. And the toasted seeds on top? Heavenly bits of crunch. I think all soups should have toasted crunchy bits on top. Don't  you?

* Disclaimer: I might be slightly biased as I'm a recent preserved lemon convert & addict. I have to stop myself from eating it from the jar. True story.

Citrus Burst Carrot & Butternut Soup

Adapted from Running with Tweezers

Serves 6 - 8 as starter

(Serves 4 as main meal)

7 medium carrots, peeled and roughly chopped

1/2 butternut, peeled and roughly chopped

1/2 large onion, roughly chopped

3 garlic cloves (whole)

2 tbsp (30 ml) olive oil

1 tsp (5 ml) salt

3 cups water 

1 tbsp (15 ml) honey

6 tbsp (90 ml) orange juice

6 tbsp (90 ml) lemon juice from jar of preserved lemons*

1/4 preserved lemon, finely chopped*

3 tbsp (45 ml) sesame seeds

1 1/2 tsp (7.5 ml) cumin seeds

finely grated zest from one orange

yoghurt, to serve (optional)

1. Arrange carrots, butternut, onion and garlic cloves in an oven roasting tray. Sprinkle with salt and drizzle with olive oil, then place in oven at 180C to roast for 30 minutes. Vegetables should be soft at this stage.

2. Add all the veggies to a blender, including the garlic which you've squeezed out of it's skins, add a little bit of the water and puree.

3. Spoon the puree into a large enough pot, then add water, honey, orange juice, lemon juice and preserved lemons. Stir, cover and cook for another 10 - 15 minutes over medium heat.

4. Meanwhile, toast the sesame and cumin seeds in a small frying pan over medium-high heat for a few seconds (be careful as they burn easily).

5. Ladle the soup into bowls, drizzling with yoghurt (if using) and sprinkling with the toasted seeds and orange zest. Serve immediately.

* If you don't have a jar of preserved lemons handy, you can replace the juice with an equal quantity of lemon juice, and adjust the salt to taste. The taste, however, won't be quite the same.

Nutritional info (per starter serving): Calories 158.9 , Total fat 6.3 g, Saturated fat g, Polyunsaturated fat 0.9 g, Monounsaturated fat 1.3 g, Cholesterol 6.7 mg, Sodium 880.4 mg, Potassium 652.2 mg, Total carbohydrate 26.8 g, Dietary fiber 6.3 g, Sugars 6.8 g, Protein 2.8 g

Good source of: Vitamin A 327.2 %, Vitamin C 57.8 %, Manganese 23.2 %, Vitamin B-6 16.0 %

Roasted Butternut, Pear and Blue Cheese

Have I mentioned that I love butternut? I adore it in all it's forms - roasted, stuffed, turned into a soup, you name it, I've tried it. In my opinion butternut tends to get a bad rep because of it's high carb content, but really people, these are goooood carbs. Say it with me now: not all carbs are created equal!



That said, I of course have no problem with indulding in the "bad" kind every once in a while... That aside though, this sweet and salty combo really hits the spot. And the fact that it's a nutrition powerhouse? Well that's just the cherry on top!

Roasted Butternut, Pear & Blue Cheese

Adapted from The Noshery

Serves 4 - 6 as main dish (8 as side-dish)

1 large butternut (approx 1.1kg), cubed

2 small red onions, cut into large chunks

3 medium pears, cut into large chunks

1 tbsp grainy mustard

1 tbsp olive oil

2 tbsp freshly chopped sage

50g blue cheese

50g trailmix (almonds, pistachios, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, dried cranberries)

1. Arrange butternut, onions and pears in a large ovenproof casserole dish. Add mustard, oil, sage and salt to taste and massage through the vegetables to distribute evenly. Bake at 180C for about 50 minutes, or until the butternut is soft.

2. Crumble blue cheese over the vegetables and return to oven for another 5 minutes to melt the cheese.

3. Serve warm, scattered with the nuts, seeds and dried cranberries.

Nutritional info (per serving as main dish): Calories 270.8, Total fat 10.3 g, Saturated fat 2.7 g, Polyunsaturated fat 0.5 g, Monounsaturated fat 2.9 g, Cholesterol 7.5 mg, Sodium 149.2 mg, Potassium 774.9 mg, Total carbohydrate 42.8 g, Dietary fiber 10.6 g, Sugars 2.3 g, Protein 7.0 g

Good source of: Vitamin A 309.9 %, Vitamin C 62.0 %, Manganese 22.7 %, Magnesium 18.1 %

Lamb, Spinach and Butternut Pilaf

Not a lot of cooking went down this past longweekend. 


First we moved some stuff into storage space, then had a birthday party on Saturday evening, a braai (barbecue for the non-South Africans) on Sunday with friends and yesterday afternoon my parents surprised us with a visit all the way from Durban on the other side of the country. That was a really cool surprise as we haven't seen them since last December when we visited them over the Christmas holidays. They'll be around for the rest of the week, hence I don't know how much posting I'll be doing. 

So here's something I made a while ago. I'm quite pleased with how it came out - the flavours blend into a satisfying and very filling dish. 

Lamb, Spinach and Butternut Pilaf
Adapted from Taste.com.au.

Serves 4 - 6

1 butternut squash, peeled, deseeded and cubed
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
2 tsp crushed garlic
2 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp ground cumin
pinch ground cinnamon
1 tsp garam masala
1 1/2 cups brown rice
2 1/2 cups chicken stock
1 cup frozen peas
300g spinach, cut into smaller pieces
400g lamb, trimmed of fat & cut into strips

1/4 cup cashews
fresh coriander leaves, to serve

1. Preheat oven to 230°C. Place butternut on a baking tray, sprinkle with a little bit of olive oil, salt and pepper and bake for about 15 - 20 minutes, or until tender.

2. Meanwhile, heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and garlic. Saute for about 5 - 6 minutes or until onion looks glazed. Add spices and cook for another minute to release the flavours.
3. Add rice and stock to pan. Bring to the boil, then turn heat down low, cover and simmer for about 20 minutes. Add peas, cover and simmer for another 5 minutes or until rice is tender and peas cooked. Lastly add spinach, stir to combine and cover for another minute or two, until spinach is wilted.

4. In a seperate frying pan, heat the remaining oil over medium heat. Season lamb with salt and pepper and cook for a few minutes until done to your liking.
5. Add lamb, butternut and nuts to rice mixture. Stir and taste, adjusting seasoning if necessary. Serve warm, sprinkled with fresh coriander sprigs.

Nutritional info (per serving): Calories 350.8 Total Fat 14.9 g Saturated Fat 3.5 g Polyunsaturated Fat 2.0 g Monounsaturated Fat 8.0 g Cholesterol 59.2 mg Sodium 524.2 mg Potassium 1,176.9 mg Total Carbohydrate 27.6 g Dietary Fiber 5.6 g Sugars 6.0 g Protein 27.6 g

Good source of: Vitamin A 348.5 %, Vitamin C 80.4 %, Manganese 53.1 %, Folate 44.6 %, Niacin 43.9 %, Zinc 37.5 %, Magnesium 34.8 %, Riboflavin 33.2 %, Phosphorus 31.1 %, Iron 31.0 %, Vitamin B12 30.8 %, Vitamin B6 27.7 %, Copper 26.9 %, Thiamin 23.8 %

Aubergine, Goats Cheese & Butternut Stacks

The dorm where I used to stay in varsity used to serve this quite regularly and this is my approximation of it. It's very straightforward and surprisingly tasty for it's simplicity.

Aubergine, Goats Cheese & Butternut Stacks

Olive oil, for frying
2 medium eggplants, sliced into thickish rounds
2 small butternuts, sliced into thickish rounds (I normally just use the "front" part of the butternut, reserving the big seeded part for something else, so as to get solid circles as big as the eggplant slices)
3 or 4 tomatoes, sliced thickly
goat's cheese (or feta), sliced into rounds
salt & pepper to taste

1. Preheat oven to 180C.
2. Salt the eggplant and let rest for about 20 minutes in a colander. Pat dry. 3. Fry the eggplant in batches in a little bit of olive oil until soft.
4. In the meantime, steam the butternuts until cooked through.
5. To assemble - Arrange butternut circles on a baking tray, place a slice of goats cheese on top of each butternut circle, top with a slice of eggplant and finally top with a slice of tomato. Season with salt & pepper and bake for 15 - 20 minutes.
6. Serve warm.

Broccoli & Butternut Pasta Bake

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Comfort food at it's best! This was another one of those clearing-out the fridge affairs, coupled with my guilt at not often eating broccoli often enough, even though I know I should. It's not that I hate it, it's just that there are so many other less.... boring vegetables around. Like aubergine and sugar-snap peas and cherry tomatoes and... 


Well, before I get carried away, and without further ado, the recipe:

Broccoli & Butternut Pasta Bake

Serves 6

1/2 onion, chopped
1 teaspoon garlic
1 small head of broccoli (you can go half-half with cauliflower), broken into bite-size florets
1/2 butternut, cut into cubes
a handful of black olives, quartered
250g short pasta shapes, cooked until al dente
3 tbsps cakeflour
2 tbsps butter
2 cups milk
1 cup grated cheddar cheese
salt and pepper, to taste

1. Saute onion in a bit of oil for a few minutes, until just soft. Add broccoli, saute until JUST soft (remember it's still going to be baked in the oven).
2. Cook the butternut pieces as well (you can either steam it, or just pop it in the microwave)
3. Mix the pasta, broccoli, butternut, onions & olives together in a large ovenproof dish and season to taste with salt and pepper.
4. Now make the cheese sauce - melt the butter in the microwave (or on the stove, the sauce will just take a bit longer to make), stir in the flour and gradually add the milk, stirring so no lumps form. Return to the microwave in 2 minute increments, reducing to 1 minute increments as the mixture thickens. Stir before returning to the microwave each time. When the sauce is nice and thick (after about 5 or so bouts in the microwave), add a half a cup of the cheese as well as some salt and pepper to taste (keeping in mind the cheese is already salty).
5. Pour the cheese sauce over the pasta mixture in the oven dish, mix lightly to coat with the sauce. Sprinkle the rest of the cheese over the top, place in 180C oven for 30 minutes until golden. Freezes very well.

Warm Salad of Roasted Squash, Prosciutto & Pecorino

(No photo - yet)

Two Jamie recipes in one day... This time it was Sunday supper (with some leftovers for Monday's lunchbox). Prosciutto was substituted with lean, crispy bacon, and I added some mushrooms and lentils for substance.

Warm Salad of Roasted Squash, Prosciutto & Pecorino

1 butternut squash, cut into cubes
olive oil
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 small dried red chilli
1 heaped teaspoon coriander seeds
2 slices prosciutto or Parma ham
4 handfuls of rocket
6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
4 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 small block of Pecorino or Parmesan cheese

1. Preheat your oven to 190C. Rub the butternut with olive oil. Grind the chilli, coriander, salt and pepper in a pestle and mortar and sprinkle over the butternut. Roast the squash for half an hour until soft and golden. Allow to cool a little.

2. Divide the prosciutto amongst 4 plates. Spoon the butternut on top and add the rocket. Drizzle over the olive oil and balsamic and use a vegetable peeler to shave over the Pecorino.

Pizza

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I've discovered the most wonderful recipe for basic pizza dough - so easy and so good. It manages to be both crispy on the outside & light and fluffy on the inside - not such an easy combination to get! 


I've tried quite a few recipes for pizza bases, but it just never quite managed to come out right. But this one is a winner. So in honour of my success, I've thought up a couple of ideas for pizza toppings (as always, tried & tested by yours truly) and these are the results:

Basic pizza base

Makes 2 large pizzas

15g instant yeast
pinch of sugar
pinch of salt
1 cup lukewarm water
3 - 3 1/2 cups flour

1. Preheat oven to 250C.
2. Mix together the yeast, sugar, salt, water & a third of the flour. Add another cup of flour, mix well and turn onto a floured surface. Knead for a few minutes, incorporating the rest of the flour, as much as is needed to make a smooth, elastic dough.
3. Smear a mixing bowl with oil on the inside, place the ball of dough in the bowl, cover tightly with a damp teatowel and leave to rise for about 30 minutes.
4. Punch dough down to release the air and knead for 1 to 2 minutes. Divide into 2 balls and roll each out fairly thinly.
5. Place on a baking tray, top with whatever you wish and bake for about 15 mins.

Tomato & rocket topping

baby rosa tomatoes
cheddar cheese, grated
handful of capers
salt & pepper
large handful of rocket

1. Slice the tomatoes over the base, so that it catches all the juices, and arrange the tomatoes evenly over the base.
2. Scatter with capers & cheese, season with salt & pepper and bake in a pre-heated oven for approximately 15 minutes.
3. Remove the pizza from the oven, and immediately scatter over the fresh rocket, so the leaves wilt in the heat of the pizza.
4. Slice and serve immediately.

Butternut, caramelized onion & cheese topping

oil or butter for frying
1 large onion, sliced
1 small butternut, peeled and diced
1 - 2 tablespoons of sugar (brown, if you have)
salt & pepper
a few slices of camembert or brie or blue cheese or a combination
few sesame seeds for sprinkling

1. Gently fry the onion in the oil for a few minutes until almost soft. Add the butternut and sugar, cover with lid and simmer until the butternut is tender and the onions nicely caramelized.
2. Spoon this butternut & onion mix liberally onto an uncooked pizza base, seasoning with salt & pepper. Scatter with the cheese and place in a pre-heated oven to cook for about 15 minutes.
3. Remove from the oven, sprinkle over some sesame seeds and return to the oven for another minute or two to brown the sesame seeds.
4. Slice, and serve immediately.

Incidentally, I didn't intend for both these recipes to be meatless, it just turned out that way! Salami or roasted/smoked chicken would be excellent with either of the toppings.

Nutritional info (per slice, base only): Calories 88.3 Total Fat 0.5 g Saturated Fat 0.1 g Polyunsaturated Fat 0.1 g Monounsaturated Fat 0.2 g Cholesterol 0.0 mg Sodium 73.4 mg Potassium 25.1 mg Total Carbohydrate 18.0 g Dietary Fiber 0.6 g Sugars 0.1 g Protein 2.5 g

Bacon & Mint Filled Butternut

(No photo - yet)

Dinner tonight was a stroke of brilliance, if I do have to say so myself.


Was eating alone and not keen on too much effort and I had a butternut lurking in my fridge for quite some time now. Then it hit me - wouldn't bacon, onion & green pepper make a particularly yummy filling for it? Then my eye caught some fresh mint leaves left over from earlier this week's tapas menu. So I ended up with this fabulous blend of flavours.

Bacon & Mint Filled Butternut

Serves 2

1 butternut, sliced in half lengthways
1 greenpepper, diced finely
1 packet of bacon, diced finely
half a onion, diced finely
half a tomato, chopped
few sprigs of mint, chopped
1/2 cup cheddar cheese, grated

1. Put the butternut in a saucepan filled with a little bit of water, cover and cook until soft, but still sturdy enough to hold the filling.
2. Heat a seperate pan and fry the bacon for a few minutes, add the onion and green pepper, and cook until done. Add a little oil, if neccessary. Now add the tomato and mint and cook through.
3. Scoop out some of the flesh of the butternut, to make a big enough hollow for the filling, and fill up with the bacon mixture. Sprinkle over some grated cheese and either put under the grill to melt, or wait a few minutes to let it melt from the heat of the bacon mixture.

Et voila!

Note: The combination of the sweet butternut, the salty bacon and the, well, MINTY mint is fantastic!

Nutritional info (per serving): Calories 486.2 Total Fat 25.0 g Saturated Fat 11.7 g Polyunsaturated Fat 0.5 g Monounsaturated Fat 2.7 g Cholesterol 29.7 mg Sodium 1,444.0 mg Potassium 1,118.9 mg Total Carbohydrate 40.6 g Dietary Fiber 11.4 g Sugars 1.1 g Protein 44.1 g

Cajun Chicken, Butternut & Caramelised Onion Shells

This dish is a winner - easy, relatively quick and very tasty! TheFiancee is always nagging me to make it again!

Cajun Chicken, Butternut & Caramelised Onion Shells

Serves 4

400g pasta shells
2 medium onions, sliced in rings
oil & butter (approx 2 tablespoons)
1 - 2 tablespoons sugar
125ml chicken stock
1 butternut, cubed
+/- 400g deboned chicken breasts, chopped up into bite-sized pieces
ready-mix cajun spices
feta, to crumble over (for the photo, i left this out, but subbed with sesame seeds & chopped parsley - i prefer the cheese though!)

1. Heat the butter and oil together in a large saucepan/wok-type thing. Add the onions, saute-ing over medium heat until see-through. Add the sugar and cook a few minutes more to caramelize. Add the butternut cubes as well as the chicken stock and leave to simmer with the lid on until the butternut is tender.
2. Meanwhile get your pasta cooking on another stovetop, drain and keep warm until needed.
3. In a seperate frying pan, heat a little bit of oil. Coat the chicken pieces in oil and cajun spices to taste (keep in mind the spiciness is a nice contrast to the sweet onion & butternut mixture, so don't skimp too much on the spices). Fry over high heat until just cooked (be careful not to overcook, it will dry the poor chicken out).
4. Then - toss the chicken together with the butternut & onion mix and spoon over the pasta in individual pasta bowls. Crumble some feta over, and tuck in!

Nutritional info (per serving): Calories 648.5 Total Fat 13.4 g Saturated Fat 5.7 g Polyunsaturated Fat 1.5 g Monounsaturated Fat 4.7 g Cholesterol 82.8 mg Sodium 1,077.9 mg Potassium 685.1 mg Total Carbohydrate 90.2 g Dietary Fiber 4.9 g Sugars 4.4 g Protein 40.0 g