Chen Julia - Comfort Food

This is a very easy recipe taking about 15 minutes from start, to table. It is very filling and can be a meal on its own. It could be vegan friendly by replacing the milk with soy milk.

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 sweet potatoes

2 parsnips

1 onion or leek, finely sliced

(or cup frozen diced onion)

2 cups water

2 vegetable stock cubes

2 cups boiling water

50g butter

cup flour

1 cup frozen sweetcorn

1 can creamed corn (418g)

2 cups milk

Serves 6 to 8.

Peel and dice the parsnips and the sweet potatoes, then saut in olive oil with the onion or leek for a few minutes until onion is clear in colour. Add the water, bring to boil then add the stock and cook until vegetables are tender. Stir.

In another pot melt the butter, adding the flour to form a roux. Add the milk slowly, maybe half a cup at a time, and whisk well after each addition. Season to taste. Add the frozen corn. Stir it all in and this will cook with the heat of the soup. Pour in the milk mixture and add the creamed corn and some herbs if desired. Mixed herbs go with anything if you cannot decide what youd prefer. Add a little extra water if you feel this is too thick. Pure if you wish.

Top each bowl with grated cheese to serve. Garnish with a fresh herb like parsley or chives for special occasions.

Serve with buttered toast or bread rolls.

This soup can be served as a starter in a small bowl or can be a meal on its own.

Soups can be as filling or light as one desires. They can be consumed as a meal on their own or as a light starter to a meal. Traditionally beef stock was the basis for soups, but over the course of time, with more and more people becoming vegetarians, I have used vegetable stock in all soups.

Ingredients

3 carrots

1 cup yellow split peas

1 cup green split peas

5 celery sticks

2 leeks

1 small can pinto beans, drained

1 small can cannellini beans, drained

1 small can butter beans, drained

2 vegetable stock cubes

8 cups boiling water

4 cloves garlic

2 tablespoons mixed herbs

Seasoning to taste

Serves 6 to 8.

Soak the split peas for a couple of hours, or even overnight, before starting. Drain the excess liquid.

Roughly chop all the vegetables, including the garlic. Place in a large stock pot with a couple of tablespoons of vegetable oil and saut the veg until the leeks are transparent. Add the drained split peas and canned beans. Mix together.

Pour over the boiling water and add the stock cubes and mixed herbs. Boil until the veg are soft and you can squeeze the split peas between your fingers.

Taste for seasoning.

Liquidise in batches and then replace in the saucepan and bring back to the boil.

Serve with crusty bread or a light sandwich. This is a meal by itself and also freezes well.

I first tasted this soup combination when I started working in hospitality. Several years later, having remembered the idea, I came across chesnuts and though not Christmas time, I simply had to try making the soup for myself.

Ingredients

450g parsnips (about 4)

350g small potatoes (about 7 small ones)

2 cloves of garlic

3 vegetable stock cubes

5 cups boiling water

180g packet chestnuts

Serves 6 to 8.

Peel the vegetables and dice them into small pieces. Place the veg and the garlic into a saucepan with about 2 tablespoons of veg oil. Saut the veg until they have changed colour but not burnt. Meanwhile, place the stock cubes into a jug and add the boiling water. Stir until the stock has dissolved. Pour on top of the veg, add the chestnuts and simmer until all the veg and the chestnuts are cooked. Add seasoning and tarragon to taste. Remove from the heat. Liquidize the soup with a blender until it is smooth. Return to the heat then add a little cream if you wish.

For formal dining, serve with a fresh sprig of tarragon.

This is great as a cheap winter warmer or as a light meal accompanied with some fresh bread or a sandwich.

I often like to have this sandwich as a takeaway, but why pay someone to make and pack a sandwich that I can make freshly myself? I also add my own little extras.

Ingredients

Sliced bread

Lettuce

Tomato

Avocado (sliced)

Cooked chicken

2 rashers of bacon

Mayonnaise

Margarine

Serves 1.

Spread three slices of bread per sandwich with margarine or butter. Lay lettuce leaves over one bread slice then top with avocado. Then layer some cooked chicken. I use a freshly bought cooked chicken (very nice when it is still warm). Add the next slice of bread and spread with mayonnaise. Lay down sliced tomato and finish with the cooked bacon. Either fry bacon just before making the sandwich, or cook in the oven. Top with bread. Enjoy.