chocolate brownies

Creamy Veggie Soup

Creamy Veggie Soup

‘Writing is a lot like making soup. My mind cooks the idea but I have to sit down at the computer to pour it out.’ Robin Wells

I recently moved to a new suburb after spending most of my life in Pinelands, Cape Town. I have become closer to a new friend and we go to church together and also belong to the same ‘book-club” … read wine club. 

In conversation I mentioned a yummy zucchini soup I had made that morning, she asked for the recipe, so I typed it out for her.

Here it is for you to try this autumn – there are a few variations so take your pick.

Creamy veggie soup

Ingredients:
1 large Onion – diced
2 medium garlic cloves – minced
Small carrot – diced
Zucchini [or butternut/pumpkin or broccoli or cauliflower …] cut into chunks
Potato (optional)
Stock [veggie or chicken]
Salt pepper
Cream

Directions:
Gently fry onions and veggies in a knob of butter and olive oil until golden then add
garlic. Fry until garlic is cooked.

Add stock to cover the veggies, cook on medium heat until the veggies are soft.

When they are cooked, blend until smooth and add 125ml cream. (approx.)

To serve add feta cheese and chopped parsley.

Butternut/pumpkin Version
Add a spoon of curry powder to the soup when frying off the veggies
You can add a swirl of cream to butternut soup in place of feta.

 

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chocolate brownies, brownies, cake

Chocolate Brownies

JRR Tolkien once wrote: ‘If more of us valued food and cheer and song above
hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world.’

I subscribe to living a merrier, more authentic life and I looking back my favourite
recipes reflect to some extent my personal journey.

This recipe was passed onto me by my sister, now living in New Zealand we still
share recipes regularly. Truth be told both my sister and my mom phone me often for
recipe and cooking advice.

My sister made my wedding cake, chocolate brownies to
be exact. The brownie recipe lasted longer than my marriage. Enjoy. x

Chocolate Brownies

Mix together:

2 cups flour
2 cups sugar (I always reduce sugar in my recipes, so I use 1/1/2 cups)
pinch salt
1 teaspoon bicarb

Boil together:

125 g butter
1 cup water
1/2 cup oil
1/2 cup cocoa

Beat:

2 eggs
1/2 cup buttermilk or plain yoghurt
Handful pecans (optional)


Add butter and cocoa mixture to the flour. Fold in buttermilk and eggs.  Pour into a greased square dish and bake at 180 C for approximately 25 minutes.

Ice when cool with chocolate icing or ganache.  Melted chocolate with a little warmed cream to make it runny.  When cool, dust with icing sugar (or my favourite edible glitter).

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