A warm bowl of soup can soothe everything from a growling stomach to winter chills.
To help you find the perfect soup for the occasion, the team at Granny Mouse Country House & Spa has shared below their favourite recipes that you can cook and indulge in at home.
From spicy squash soup to marrowbone samp soup, you will find a recipe here to fit your soup personality.
Spicy squash soup with carrot-top pesto
Serves: 4
Ingredients
1 x 800g butternut or pumpkin
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
2 cinnamon sticks
2 tbsp garam masala
1 tbsp yellow mustard seeds
1 tbsp chilli flakes
10g fresh curry leaves
3 tbsp olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, crushed
1 x 5cm piece fresh ginger, grated
2 tbsp fresh turmeric, grated
4 large carrots, peeled and sliced
1 x 500ml chicken or vegetable stock
Cultured coconut yoghurt, for serving (optional)
For the carrot-top pesto, blend:
30g carrot-tops (or Italian parsley)
¼ cup olive oil
½ lime, juiced
Method
Preheat the oven to 180°C. Halve the butternut or pumpkin, remove the seeds, and set aside.
Place the squash on a baking tray, add season for taste, and top with the cinnamon, garam masala, mustard seeds, chilli flakes, and curry leaves. Drizzle with two tablespoons of olive oil and roast until soft and tender, about 40 minutes.
Meanwhile, cook the onion, garlic, ginger, and turmeric in a large saucepan until fragrant. Add the carrots and cook for 10 minutes. Add the stock and bring to a simmer. Cook until the carrots are almost soft.
Once the butternut is soft, scoop out the flesh and add to the saucepan. Stir until smooth. Cook until the carrots are soft. Serve the soup with seed sprinkles, pesto and cultured coconut yoghurt.
Note: To make the seed sprinkle, toss the squash seeds in the remaining olive oil and the garam masala spice. Roast until golden and crunchy.
Roasting the squash in the skin adds caramelised flavour, while the flesh thickens the soup and gives it body without you having to blend it.
Dhal soup with chickpea flour dumplings
Serves: 4
Ingredients
2 tbsp olive oil
400g Rosa tomatoes, halved
1 tbsp butter
1 onion, finely chopped
1 tsp garlic, finely chopped
1 tsp green chilli, finely chopped
1 tsp fresh ginger, finely grated
2 tsp fresh turmeric, finely grated
1 tbsp medium curry powder
1 tbsp garam masala
4 cups vegetable stock
250g split red lentils
1 bunch of coriander
For the dumplings
150g chickpea flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tbsp cornflour
1 red chilli, seeded and finely chopped
1 green chilli, seeded and finely chopped
½ onion, finely diced
¼ cup olive oil
1 tsp salt
⅓ cup plain yoghurt
Method
Place the oil and tomatoes in a large saucepan and bring to a simmer. Cook for 20–30 minutes, or until the tomatoes are blistered.
Remove from the pan and set aside. Add the butter and onion to the same pan and cook over medium heat until the onions are soft. Add the garlic, chilli, ginger, turmeric and spices and cook for 3 minutes.
Add the cooked tomatoes, stock, and lentils and bring to the boil. Cook until the lentils are plump and soft.
To make the dumplings, mix all the ingredients except the yoghurt. Make a well and add the yoghurt. Whisk together until well incorporated.
Spoon dollops of the mixture into the simmering soup and cook for 5 minutes. Serve immediately, garnished with coriander.
Marrowbone samp soup
Serves: 6
Tip: Roasting the marrow bones first is important as the flavour is released into the juices, which enriches the broth. You can add dried herbs of your choice to the bread. And, instead of amasi, you could use yoghurt or buttermilk.
Ingredient
8 beef marrow bones
2 cups water
1 tbsp sunflower oil
2 onions, chopped
2 sticks celery, chopped
4 carrots, chopped
2 leeks, chopped
2 bay leaves
3 cups beef stock
1 x 400g can samp and beans
Salt, to taste
For the no-yeast bread
360g flour
1 ½ tbsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
1 cup amasi, heated
2 tbsp butter, melted
Method
Preheat the oven to 180°C. Place the bones in an ovenproof pan and add the water. Cover and roast for 30 minutes.
Heat the oil in a large saucepan. Add the vegetables and bay leaves and cook over medium heat until golden brown.
Add the bones, their cooking liquid, and the stock. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes. Add the samp and beans and warm through. Season and serve with chunks of steaming hot bread.
To make the bread, preheat the oven to 220°C. Mix all the ingredients to form a dough, then shape it into a ball. Line a tray with greaseproof paper and place the dough on top.
Add a few fresh bay leaves if you like. Bake for 30 minutes.