Warm up this winter with these delicious soups

What better way to beat the winter chill than with a bowl of wonderful homemade winter broth?

According to Granny Mouse Country House & Spa, these are the top three soups to warm up your loved ones in the cold winter months.

Spicy squash soup with carrot-top pesto. Serves four with a preparation time of 20 minutes and cooking time of one hour.

Ingredients:
1 x 800g butternut or pumpkin
2 cinnamon sticks
2 Tablespoons (Tbsp) of garam masala
1 Tbsp yellow mustard seeds
1 Tbsp chilli flakes
10g fresh curry leaves
3 Tbsp olive oil
1 chopped large onion
3 crushed garlic cloves
1 x 5cm piece of fresh grated ginger
2 Tbsp fresh grated turmeric
4 peeled and sliced large carrots
One 500ml chicken or vegetable stock
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste and 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°. Half the butternut or pumpkin, remove the seeds and set aside.
Place the squash on a baking tray and top with the cinnamon, garam masala, mustard seeds, chilli flakes and curry leaves.
Drizzle with 2 Tbsp 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 the seed sprinkle, pesto and cultured coconut.
Toss the squash seeds in the remaining olive oil and garam masala spice to make the seed sprinkle. 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. Ideal for a family of four, with a preparation time of 20 minutes and cooking time of just over 30 minutes.
Ingredients:
2 Tbsp olive oil
400g Rosa tomatoes, halved
1 Tbsp butter
1 finely chopped onion
1 tsp finely chopped garlic
1 tsp finely chopped green chilli
1 tsp finely grated ginger
2 tsp finely grated fresh turmeric
1 Tbsp medium curry powder
1 Tbsp garam masala
4 cups vegetable stock
250g split red lentils
1 bunch of coriander

Dumplings:
150g chickpea flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 Tbsp cornflour
1 seeded and finely chopped red chilli
1 seeded and finely chopped green chilli
½ finely diced onion
¼ cup olive oil
1/3 cup plain yoghurt
1 tsp salt

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 a 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 six, with a preparation time of 25 minutes and cooking time of one hour
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.

Ingredients:
8 beef marrow bones
2 cups water
1 Tbsp sunflower oil
2 chopped onions
2 chopped celery sticks
4 chopped carrots
2 chopped leeks
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 heated cup of amasi
2 Tbsp melted butter

Method:
Preheat the oven to 180°. 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.

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