A winter fighting spiced soup bowl

Spiced pumpkin soup with brown rice, blackbeans and lime whipped feta

I am not built for cold weather. To me, chill is a fun killer. I know there is skiing, and ice skating and pretty white landscapes and amazing coats and boots but this all glosses over that very banal fact that being cold completely sucks. The only redeeming feature, other than the aforementioned, means long slow cooking in the kitchen, the kind that has wafting amazing roasting type smells escaping through your windows and floorboards. And bowls of deliciousness like this spiced number that is part soup, part hearty soul fortifying meal. Basically as many comfort foods you can find to fit in one bowl with a touch of flu warding garlic and spice.

Ingredients

1/2 Jap pumpkin, thickly sliced

2 cloves garlic, chopped

2 red onions, peeled, roughly chopped

2 sprigs marjoram

1 tsp coriander seeds, ground

2 tbsp olive oil

1 tsp ground turmeric

2 tbsp freshly grated ginger

1 cup coconut milk

100g adobo sauce

4 cups chicken stock

juice and zest of 2 limes

sea salt and pepper to taste

1 cup tinned black beans, rinsed

2 cups cooked brown basmati rice

Lime whipped feta

Juice and zest of 1 lime

1 tbsp yoghurt

160g fetta

Micro coriander leaves, lime wedges and black sea salt flakes to serve

Method

Preheat the oven to 180C. Toss the pumpkin slices, garlic and chopped onion with the olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Place on a large baking tray and roast until lightly caramelized and tender, about 25 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly before adding to a blender with the herbs and spices. Turn out into a saucepan and add the coconut milk and adobo sauce. Add the chicken stock gradually until your desired soup consistency is achieved. Simmer for 20 minutes to allow the flavours to develop, adding more chicken stock as it thickens. Season.

For the whipped feta, blend ingredients in a food processor until smooth. Set aside until ready to serve.

Scoop a 1/2 cup of brown rice into each bowl. Pour soup over the rice, then top with blackbeans, lime whipped feta, and fresh coriander.

Spiced Roast Chicken with Cauliflower and Fennel Cream

BBQ spiced chicken, cauliflower and fennel cream

Roast chicken never gets old. Like never ever ever gets old. There are countless variations, flavourings and culinary persuasions to suit almost any cooking requirement. And that’s what I love the most, it can be dressed up and dressed down, there are infinite possibilities and persuasions to this humble concept. Here I’ve incorporated a cauliflower and fennel cream base for a spiced yoghurt marinated chicken; its a hunker down the weather is turning kind of roast chicken. One I’d imagine would go well with a quiet Sunday, a lovely pinot and a Netflix marathon.

Ingredients

Cauliflower and fennel cream

1kg cauliflower, broken into florets

2 baby fennel bulbs, thinly sliced

2 small onions, thinly sliced

6 garlic cloves

300ml milk

300ml cream

1 organic chicken, cut into 4 pieces (ask your butcher to do this for you)

Butter for under the skin

Salt to season

Marinade

150ml greek style yoghurt

½ onion, finely chopped

3 garlic cloves, crushed

15g (3cm piece) ginger, finely chopped

½ tsp each ras el hanout, black lime powder, sumac, onion powder, cayenne pepper

60 ml (¼ cup) olive oil

Method

For cauliflower and fennel cream, combine all ingredients in a large saucepan, bring to a simmer and cook until cauliflower and fennel are tender (12-15 minutes). Using a hand-held blender or food processor, blend mixture until smooth and season to taste. Set aside.

For spiced yoghurt marinade, process ingredients (except oil) in a food processor until a paste forms, then stir in oil. Lift skin of chickens, being careful not to tear and push pieces of butter between skin and flesh. Place chicken in a non-reactive container, rub all over with marinade and refrigerate overnight for flavours to develop.

Preheat oven to 200C. Heat a large cast-iron ovenproof frying pan over high heat, add 2 tbsp oil, then season chicken to taste and cook skin-side down until golden (3-4 minutes). Turn, then transfer to oven and roast until cooked through.

To serve, smear cauliflower and fennel cream at base of plate. Place over chicken pieces. Season with lemon juice. Serve.

A naked burrito bowl

I don't really know why foods become 'naked' just because their transport options to your mouth change vehicles but regardless, the idea of a naked burrito bowl is quite catchy.

And I have never been immune to a bowl of gorgeous fresh foods staring me in the face begging to be eaten. Instead of going down the brown rice route, I made a combination of burghul and whole wheat couscous laden with Mexican spices. Get involved, it's a Mexican holiday for your mouth. And for your insides.

Ingredients

1 chicken breast, poached and meat shredded

1 avocado, hulled, sliced

½ cup grated cheese (I used a smoked aged cheddar)

1 can (about 200g) blackbeans, rinsed

¼ bunch Marjoram, leaves pulled

250g cherry tomatoes, halved

1 small red onion, very finely chopped

Juice of 1 lime

¼ bunch Coriander, chopped

¼ bunch kale, finely sliced

2 limes

½ cup burghul

½ cup couscous

2 cobs corn

1 knob of butter

Optional: Yoghurt to serve

Spice blend combine:

1/2 tsp each: sweet smoked paprika, onion powder, coriander, cumin, chill powder, garlic powder, oregano

Method

Add the chicken, cheese and avocado to a large serving bowl. Combine the black beans and the marjoram and season generously with salt before adding to the serving bowl. Quickly blanch and refresh the kale then combine with the coriander and add to the serving bowl.

Combine the cherry tomatoes, red onion and the juice of 1 lime then also add this to the bowl.

Cook the burghul and couscous according to packet instructions. While hot combine in a bowl with the spice mix (to taste) and then add to the serving bowl.

Place the butter in a small frying pan over medium heat. Add the corn and cook for 1-2 minutes, turning regularly. Remove and hull straight into the serving bowl. Serve with Greek yoghurt and if you have any remaining spice mix, stir this through the yoghurt.