Pumpkin soup
2 tbsp cooking oil
1 brown onion diced
2 cloves garlic, crushed
400 g butternut pumpkin, peeled and
diced
1 litre chicken stock
Heat oil in a hot saucepan, add onions and
garlic and sauté 5 minutes. Add pumpkin
and toss to coat with the onion mixture, then
add the stock and bring mixture to the boil.
Reduce heat to simmer for 20 minutes and
cook with the lid on until the pumpkin is
cooked. Allow mixture to cool and transfer in
batches to blender jug. Use speed 5/puree,
blend until smooth. Return pureed soup to
saucepan to heat through, check seasoning
before serving.
Sweet peppered tomato soup
1 tbsp oil
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 leeks, sliced
2 x 410 g canned tomatoes, mashed
2 tsp chicken stock powder
1 tbsp tomato paste
2 tsp brown sugar
1 bay leaf
¼ tsp dried thyme
1 tsp chopped fresh mint
1 tsp chopped fresh coriander
¼ tsp ground cloves
pinch cayenne pepper
2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
Heat oil in a large saucepan, add garlic and
leeks, cook over medium heat for 2-3 minutes
or until leeks are soft. Combine tomatoes,
stock powder, tomato paste, brown sugar,
bay leaf, thyme, mint, coriander, cloves and
pepper. Pour into pan with leek mixture,
bring to boil, then reduce heat and simmer,
uncoveredfor20minutesoruntilliquidhas
reduced by one third. Allow the mixture to
cool. Transfer mixture into two batches into
blender jug, using speed 5/puree, blend until
smooth. Ladle soup into serving bowls, sprinkle
with parsley and serve immediately.
Salads
Prawn salad with raspberry sauce
500 g cooked prawns, peeled and dev-
eined
100 g salad mix
100 g snow pea sprouts
1 orange, peeled and segmented
2 kiwi fruit, peeled and sliced
Raspberry Sauce
125 g fresh or frozen raspberries,
thawed
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tsp finely chopped fresh mint
1 tbsp sugar
Arrange prawns, salad mix, sprouts, orange
segments and kiwi fruit attractively on a
serving platter and chill until required. To
make sauce, place raspberries into blend-
er jug, using speed 2/chop, blend until
smooth. Push through sieve to remove seeds.
Combine raspberry puree with vinegar, oil,
mint and sugar. Pour sauce over salad and
serve immediately.
TIP: Substitute prawns for 2 lobster tails,
cooked and shells removed. Cut lobster tail
flesh into thick medallions approximately
1cm thick.
Fresh vegetable salad with pepita dressing
2 carrots, cut into thin strips
1 parsnip, cut into thin strips
125 g green beans, sliced
1 cooked beetroot, cut into thin
strips
1 red apple, chopped
2 tsp lemon juice
1 tbsp chopped fresh coriander
Pepita dressing
100 g pepita (Mexican pumpkin) seeds,
toasted
1 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 clove garlic, chopped
1 tbsp dijonaise mustard
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