Soup - the ultimate comfort & nourishing food for Mothers
This is the first of my collection of recipes for Mothers. Because I think as a new mother, and a not so new mother (yes with two eight year olds I still need these!) having food that is 1) nourishing and good for you 2) Quick and simple to make and 3) delicious is what we need.
Defaulting to deliveroo every night s not good for us , or our health or our bank balance (but necessary at times too - don’t get me wrong!) , but the thought of shopping for and cooking food every day can be overwhelming, tedious and exhausting. So these recipes I hope will be helpful, so you can have yummy and nutritious food - but also spend less time and effort doing it!
Starting with my current favourite soup - it’ s a brilliant batch cook (make once, enjoy many times over - huge win!), simple and like a hug in a bowl. You can even drink it from a mug - if one handed eating with a baby is required. Perfect! I mean what more could you want?? Enjoy…
There’s a printable of the recipe too, at the end of this article.
Why Soup?
Soup could be, for me, possibly the most Autumnal for foods. Well, maybe toffee apples come close! As the colder and darker months arrive, there's a real carving for comfort for me. It's call about candles, chucking another log on the fire, a hot chocolate after the school run and digging out the woolly hats and chunky jumpers. Ahhhhh. Soup is like the food equivalent of a warm cosy blanket on an autumn day.
And even better, soup is super nourishing, quick to make for busy people - AKA Mothers!
It’s super simple requiring little effort for something so tasty and filling. Plus it's also the best 'big batch' make. Cook a huge pan full at the start of the week, and you've got lunch all week long. And the same soup can be changed up with lovely textured toppings and accompaniments - making it something special and different each time.
Here's my current go to Autumn soup
Roasted Butternut Soup
It's colourful, full of beta-carotene and vitamins. Plenty of fibre, and the fennel and/or seeds aid digestion too, warmed by plenty of black pepper and some chilli flakes too if you like.
Makes around 8 (depends how hungry you are!)
Ingredients:
2 onions
2 carrots (unpeeled)
4 cloves of garlic
vegetable or olive oil
1 butternut squash
I bulb of fennel (optional)
1 tablespoon fennel seeds
2 litres vegetable stock (from bouillon or stock cube)
Salt and Pepper
1 tablespoon of Red Chilli or Ancho or Turkish chilli flakes
How to make it:
Put the oven on at 200 C.
Chop the onions, garlic, and fennel.
Chop the carrots and butternut (unpeeled) into 1cm ish cubes.
Tumble all the chopped veg into a roasting dish, add enough oil to cover, plus salt and pepper and fennel seeds. Roast at 200 degrees C for around 40 minutes, until all the veg is soft.
Boil the kettle, get your biggest pan out.
Once the vegetables are soft and smelling delish, put the roasted veg in the pan with 2 litres of veg stock, bring to the boil, then turn down to a simmer and cook for 15 mins, stirring occasionally. Top up with more hot water if it starts to look a little thick.
Whizz with a stick blender, wither completely or leave some chunky bits to be more stew like if you prefer. Taste and add more seasoning, and add the chill. flakes if you want to
Then dig in with some bread or a toasted pitta (super quick - always have these in the freezer), or cool and store it in the fridge. Also freezes really well.
Options to pimp your soup:
~ serve with a dollop of yoghurt or a drizzle of EV olive oil
~ add a tin of drained chic peas of white beans for protein
~ add some cooked brown rise, or some orzo pasta
~ sprinkled with chilli flakes or chopped fresh red chilli
~ drizzle with herb oil
There you go - the ultimate simple Autumn comfort food.. Enjoy everyone
And do let me know if you make it and how you get on too.
Susan x
