Wonton Soup

1.5L (6 cups) chicken stock
1 tablespoon ginger
1 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon sesame oil, plus some to serve
220g packet chicken or prawn wontons
1 bunch baby bok choy, leaves separated
Thinly sliced spring onion, chili and coriander leaves to serve

Place stock in a large pot and bring to a boil. Decrease heat to medium and stir in ginger, soy sauce and sesame oil.

Drop wontons into the stock and simmer for 5 minutes or until cooked through. Remove from the heat and add bok choy and stand until it wilts. Ladle into bowls and garnish with spring onion, chili and coriander. Drizzle extra sesame oil.

Prawn and Miso Soup

soba noodles
6 sachets of instant miso soup
400g raw prawns
baby spinach leaves
1 red chili, sliced

Cook noodles, drain and set aside.

Combine soup sachets and 1.5 liters of water in a large saucepan; bring to a boi. Add prawns and cook until they change colour. Stir in spinach, chili and noodles.

Chilled Avocado Soup

1 medium poblano chile*
1 small white onion, sliced
2-1/2 cups chicken broth
2 medium firm-ripe avocados pitted, peeled, and cut into large chunks
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
2 Tbs. chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1/4 cup fresh lime juice (from 2 medium limes)
1 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. ground coriander
Kosher salt
1/2 cup plain whole-milk yogurt or sour cream
1 tsp. extra-virgin olive oil
1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper

* I won't be able to find the poblano chili in Australia so I will substitute with either a banana pepper or whole jalapenos as I like a bit of heat.

Turn a burner to high and set the poblano directly over the flame, turning it with tongs, until completely charred, 5 to 8 minutes. Put the poblano in a bowl, cover, and set aside to steam and loosen the skin. When cool enough to handle, peel, seed.
Cook onion until soft and browned in places, about 5 minutes.

In a blender, purée until smooth all the poblano, the onion, broth, avocado, cilantro, parsley, marjoram or oregano (if using), 2 Tbs. of the lime juice, cumin, coriander, and 1 tsp. salt. Blend in the yogurt. Season to taste with more salt. Chill well.

Season the soup to taste with salt and thin with broth if necessary. Divide among 6 cups or small bowls and a few pinches of chile powder.

Original recipe from finecooking.com. and can be found here.

Chilled Zucchini Soup

1/4 lb shallots, thinly sliced crosswise (1 cup)
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 1/2 lb zucchini (3 to 4 medium), peeled chopped
2 (2- by 1 1/2-inch) strips fresh lemon zest
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 3/4 cups chicken broth (14 fl oz)
1 3/4 cups water
1 cup loosely packed fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh dill
1/2 cup well-shaken buttermilk or plain yogurt


1. Cook shallots in oil in a 4-quart heavy saucepan over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes.

2. Add zucchini, zest, salt, and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until zucchini is softened, about 5 minutes. Add broth and water and simmer until zucchini is tender, about 3 minutes.

3. Purée zucchini mixture, including zest, along with parsley and dill in a blender (in 2 batches if necessary) until smooth (use caution when blending hot liquids). Transfer to a metal bowl, then set bowl into a larger bowl of ice and cold water (to quick-chill). Cool, stirring occasionally, about 20 minutes.

4. Stir in buttermilk and season with salt.


Recipe from epicurious, found here

Cauliflower soup

1 tbs oil
1 leek white part only
1 clove garlic chopped
400 g cauliflower
1 potato chopped
250ml (1 cup) chicken stock
250ml (1 cup) milk
1 1/4 cup pouring cream
1 tbs lemon juice
1 tbs horseradish cream
1 tbs chives

Heat oil in large pot and add leek and garlic. Cook 6-8 min. Increase heat to high add cauliflower, potato, stock and milk and bring just to the boil.

Reduce heat and simmer covered for 20 min. Blend until smooth. Add cream, lemon and horseradish. Top with chives and serve with croutons.

Serves 4.

Recipe from Australian Family Favourites.

Lasagna Soup

This recipe and photo is from Paula Dean on the food network. Sounds delicious!

1 pound ground chuck
1 onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon thyme
1 tablespoon firmly packed brown sugar
1 (32-ounce) box chicken broth
2 (14.5-ounce) can petite diced tomatoes
1 (15-ounce) can tomato sauce
2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups broken lasagna noodles
1 (5-ounce) package grated Parmesan cheese
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
red chili flakes
dollop of ricotta, add directly before serving

Garlic Crostini:
1 thin French baguette
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 cloves smashed garlic

Directions
In a large Dutch oven, combine ground chuck, onion, bell pepper and garlic. Cook over medium-high heat for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally until beef is browned and crumbles. Drain well.

Stir in thyme, brown sugar, broth, diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, Italian seasoning, and salt. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat; reduce heat and simmer 20 minutes. Add noodles, and simmer until noodles are tender. Stir in Parmesan cheese.

Preheat broiler. Ladle soup into 8 to 10 ovenproof bowls. Evenly sprinkle with mozzarella cheese. Broil soups, 6-inches from heat, 3 to 4 minutes, until cheese is browned and bubbly. Add a garlic crostini slice on top. Serve immediately. Top with dollop of ricotta.


For the garlic crostini:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Cut bread into 1/4-inch round slices. Place on baking sheet and brush each slice with olive oil. Season with salt and pepper; place in oven and bake until golden and crisp, about 15 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool slightly. Rub each side with smashed garlic cloves.

French Onion Soup with Beef

5 large brown onions, sliced
2 Tbp butter
1 Tbp brown sugar
2 Tbp plain flour
150ml of dry sherry (or half a beer in a bottle)
1.5 litres of beef stock
handful thyme
A crusty baguette, sliced and toasted with Parm cheese on top
1 lg piece of beef chuck, diced

1. Melt the butter in a saucepan over a medium heat. Add the onions, sprinkle generously with sea salt and cover the saucepan. Cook for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.


2. Uncover and stir in the sugar and cook for a further 30 minutes or until the onions have turned a deep, golden brown colour, stirring occasionally. Then add the flour and stir for 3 - 5 minutes.

3. Stir in the beer and then the beef stock and bring back to the boil.

4. Place beef and onion soup mixture into a slow cooker and cook on low for 8 hours.

5. Directly before serving bake the bread topped with cheese at 180 C for 7 minutes or until melted.

6. Butter the toasted baguette slices and top with the grated cheese. Place them under the grill until the cheese is bubbling hot and melted. Pour the soup into individual bowls and float the rounds of toast on top of the soup. Serve immediately.

Chicken Taco Soup

canned diced tomatoes
canned corn
black beans
taco seasoning
jalapenos/chilis
sauteed onions
sauteed red or green pepper
almost anything you can think of that you might like on a taco

Add enough chicken stock or water to make it a soup consistency, heat it well and add the leftover chicken. Serve it with tortilla chips, sour cream and shredded cheese.

Potato Leek Soup

3 cloves garlic
3 Tbs butter
1 whole leek, diced
1 medium onion, diced
5 medium wax potatoes, sliced
1 carton chicken broth
1 small container cream
4 rashers bacon
salt, pepper

Melt butter in large saucepan, add leeks, onions and bacon and cook until slightly brown. Add potatoes to the saucepan and cover with broth (just enough to cover) continue cooking until potatoes are tender. Mash using stab mixer or hand held potato masher. Turn down heat and stir frequently. Add cream and salt and pepper. Cook 15 minutes.

Chicken Coriander Noodle Soup

Serves: 4

400g chicken breast fillets

1 teaspoon grated ginger, plus 1 tablespoon

finely chopped ginger

200g egg noodles or udon noodles

1½ cups chicken stock

2 green onions (shallots), finely chopped

½ cup chopped coriander leaves

light soy sauce, roasted sesame oil (see tip), to serve

Place chicken, grated ginger and 3 cups water in a saucepan on medium heat. Bring to a simmer and poach for 6 minutes, until cooked through. Remove chicken, reserving liquid, and cool slightly. Using fingers, shred chicken and set aside. Meanwhile, prepare noodles according to packet directions. Drain and divide between bowls. Add stock to cooking liquid and bring to boil. Top noodles with chicken, chopped ginger, onion and coriander. Ladle over soup, drizzle with a little soy sauce and sesame oil and serve.

Tip: ready-roasted sesame oil tastes rich and is amber-brown in colour. A little adds a lot of flavour to soups and salads.

Recipe and photo from ninemsn.com

Prawn and shitake miso soup

100g soba noodles

1 litre (4 cups) water or light chicken stock

2 tablespoons dried wakame

8 dried shitake mushrooms

¼ cup white miso paste

1 teaspoon dashi powder

500g prawns, peeled and deveined

200g silken tofu, diced

2 green onions, sliced thinly

Cook soba noodles in a large pot of boiling salted water until tender; drain and rinse under cold water; divide among serving bowls.

Bring water or stock to a boil with wakame and shitake mushrooms; simmer 4 minutes or until mushrooms are tender.

Ladle some of the boiling water over the miso in a heatproof bowl and stir to loosen the miso. Add dashi powder and prawns to the soup and reheat gently without boiling for about 5-10 minutes so that the prawns gently poach in the soup.

Once the prawns are cooked through, add the miso mixture, tofu and green onions and stir well to combine.Ladle the soup over the top of the soba noodles in the bowls.

Photo and recipe from here

Italian Wedding Soup

Serves 8

Meatballs:
1 small onion, grated
1/3 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley
1 large egg
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon salt
1 slice fresh white bread, crust trimmed, bread torn into small pieces
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
8 ounces ground beef
8 ounces ground pork
Freshly ground black pepper

Soup:
12 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 pound curly endive, coarsely chopped
2 large eggs
2 tablespoon freshly grated Parmesan, plus extra for garnish
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

To make the meatballs:

Stir the first 6 ingredients in a large bowl to blend. Stir in the cheese, beef and pork. Using 1 1/2 teaspoons for each, shape the meat mixture into 1-inch-diameter meatballs. Place on a baking sheet.

To make the soup:

Bring the broth to a boil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the meatballs and curly endive and simmer until the meatballs are cooked through and the curly endive is tender, about 8 minutes. Whisk the eggs and cheese in a medium bowl to blend. Stir the soup in a circular motion. Gradually drizzle the egg mixture into the moving broth, stirring gently with a fork to form thin stands of egg, about 1 minute. Season the soup to taste with salt and pepper. Ladle the soup into bowls and serve. Finish soup with parmesan cheese if desired.

Tortilla Soup

Serves 8 to 12

1/2 cup each 1/2-inch diced vegetables: yellow onion, green bell pepper, red bell pepper, and tomato
1/2 cup roasted green chile, diced
2 tablespoons vegetable oil, plus more for frying
4 cups chicken broth
2 tablespoons finely chopped garlic
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
2 cups Enchilada Chicken, recipe follows
6 each white corn tortillas, cut into 1/4-inch wide strips
6 each blue corn tortillas, cut into 1/4-inch wide strips
3 tablespoons cornstarch
Chopped cilantro leaves, as needed
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
Salt, as needed
1 cup crushed corn tortilla chips

Begin with a large pot. Saute the vegetables and chile briefly in about 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil over medium-high heat for 3 to 4 minutes. When the vegetables are limp, add the broth and add the garlic and cumin and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, add chicken, and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes.

Meanwhile (or beforehand), fry the corn tortilla strips in 350 degree F oil for 2 minutes until crispy. Drain well on paper towels.

With the cornstarch in a cup-sized container, mix as little cold water as possible to form a thin paste. Bring the soup back up to a boil; stir with 1 hand and pour the mixture in slowly with the other. Continue to cook on high heat for a minute, then reduce to low. The soup will look cloudy at first but will clear up and thicken slightly. Remove from heat.

Add cilantro and lime juice. Fill 8 to 12 cups or bowls about 1/4 full of crushed tortilla chips. Ladle soup on top. Place a handful of strips on top of each and serve. This soup (without the tortillas) keeps well for 3 to 4 days refrigerated. Tortillas will also keep well for a few days if sealed well and stored at room temperature. In moist climates they may require re-crisping in a 350 degree F oven for a few minutes.

Garlicky Tortellini, Spinach and Tomato Soup

Serves: 2-3

2 tablespoons unsalted butter
6 to 8 cloves garlic, chopped
4 cups homemade or low-salt chicken broth
6 ounces fresh or frozen cheese tortellini
14 ounces canned diced tomatoes, with their liquid
10 ounces spinach, washed and stemmed; coarsely chopped if large
8 to 10 leaves basil, coarsely chopped
Grated Parmesan, preferably Parmigiano Reggiano

Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and sauté until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add the broth and bring to a boil. Add the tortellini and cook halfway, about 5 minutes for frozen pasta, less if using fresh. Add the tomatoes and their liquid, reduce the heat to a simmer, and cook just until the pasta is tender. Stir in the spinach and basil and cook until wilted, 1 to 2 minutes. Serve sprinkled with the grated cheese.

recipe & photo from the nest, excerpted from Cooking New American by the Editors of Fine Cooking. Copyright © 2004.

Asparagus Soup

serves 2
2 bunches fresh asparagus, trimmed
2 tbs olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
2 1/2 cups (625ml) vegetable stock or water
1/2 small lemon, juiced
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Cream, to serve
Chopped fresh dill, to serve

Chop the asparagus into 3cm pieces. Heat the oil in a saucepan over a medium heat. Add the onion and cook for 3-4 minutes or until soft. Add the asparagus and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes. Add the stock or water. Bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 20 minutes. Set aside to cool slightly. Blend the mixture in a food processor until smooth. Return to the saucepan. Add the lemon juice and season with salt and pepper. Serve with a drizzle of cream, and scattered with the chopped dill and freshly ground pepper.
photo & recipe courtesy of www.taste.com.au

Mixed Onion Soup

This is a delicious recipe for those chilly nights. Served with lots of crusty bread. Serves: 2
20 g butter
1 brown onion, thinly sliced into rings
1 red onion, thinly sliced into rings
1 garlic cloves, crushed
1/4 cup brandy (optional)
3cups beef or vegetable stock
4sprigs thyme
2 green onions, thinly sliced
1 cup coarsely grated Gruyere
1 baguette (I've used regular toasted bread, almost as good)

Melt butter in large saucepan until foaming. Add brown and red onions. Cook for 10 minutes. (the longer you cook the onions in butter the more rich the taste of your soup will be) Add garlic and cook 1 minute. Add brandy and bring to the boil. Add stock and thyme, bring to the boil. Reduce heat, stir occasionally for 15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Grill baguettes, sliced thinly. Sprinkle with cheese and green onions. Place in soup.

Annie's famous vegetable soup

This is the recipe that I make so much of I can't find a pot big enough. You may want to scale down on my quantities. I am guessing this makes about 12 serves.

2 yellow squash
2 small zucchini
1/2 white or red onion
6 mushrooms
12 broccoli florets
1 stalk celery
1 can stewed tomatoes
2 cups chicken broth
4 cups V8 vegetable juice
1 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp vegetable seasoning
2 tsp salt
2 tsp pepper
2 tsp garlic powder
optional: 2 tsp cayenne pepper or a couple shakes of hot sauce

Slice all veggies. Saute onions, mushrooms, broccoli, and celery in olive oil over medium heat. Add in all spices and stir. Add remaining veggies, chicken broth, and V8 juice. Cover and cook on low heat for 45 minutes. Serve with grilled cheese sandwiches.

Cheddar Soup with Tortilla Crunch

Serves: 8

3 tablespoons butter
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 to 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 jalapeno, seeded and chopped 1/2 red bell pepper, seeded and very thinly sliced
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
6 cups chicken stock
2 cups cream
6 cups grated good quality Cheddar
Salt and pepper
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin,
4 cups lightly crushed tortilla chips
2 cups store bought chunky style salsa

In a medium soup pot, melt butter. Add onions and cook 5 minutes. Add the garlic and peppers and cook 2 to 3 minutes more. Add flour and cook 1 minute. Whisk in stock slowly and stir in cream. Bring soup to a bubble and reduce heat to simmer. Stir in cheese and season the soup with salt, pepper, chili powder and cumin. Let soup reduce 10 to 15 minutes over low heat then serve with crushed chips and dollops of salsa.

***It was fabulous! A little time consuming but well worth it. I added one of the chili hot peppers I had grown in the yard along with jalapenos and cayenne pepper so it definitely had a kick! I wasn't sure how the dollop of salsa on top was going to taste at first but it was great. Next time I think I will add a can of stewed tomoatoes into the soup while it's cooking. I didn't read how much the recipe made so I followed it exactly. It made 8 servings so I have enough left to feed an army. I even ate 2 bowls since D challenged me by saying I bet you can't eat another bowl. So I ate it. And then felt like dying. It really is a very filling soup. We'll see how well it freezes.