CHINESE VELVET CHICKEN AND CORN SOUP 
CHINESE VELVET CHICKEN AND CORN SOUP Serves 4
300g skinless chicken breast fillets, finely diced
2 teaspoons dry sherry
1 teaspoon salt
2 egg whites, lightly whisked
2½ cups gluten-free chicken or vegetable stock
1 cup tinned creamed corn (see note below)
1 teaspoon very finely grated green ginger root
3 teaspoons gluten-free sweet chilli sauce (page 253)
3 teaspoons maize cornflour mixed to a paste with ¼ cup cold water
2 spring onions, finely sliced
Combine the chicken, sherry, salt and egg whites in a bowl.
Place the stock, creamed corn, ginger and sweet chilli sauce in a large saucepan and bring to the boil. Stir in the chicken mixture and bring back to the boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer for 2 minutes. Stir the cornflour paste into the soup and continue to stir until thickened slightly.
Serve garnished with the spring onion.
Note: Creamed corn may contain thickener. If the source of the thickener is wheat or another gluten-containing grain, this will be stated on the label.
CORN CHOWDERServes 4
1 tablespoon butter*
1 onion, peeled and finely chopped
1 stalk celery, diced
1 carrot, peeled and diced
1 red capsicum, deseeded and diced
2 rashers lean gluten-free bacon, diced
440g tin creamed corn (see note below)
1½ cups water or gluten-free chicken stock
125ml pouring or thickened cream**
1 spring onion, finely chopped
Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat, add the onion, celery, carrot, capsicum and bacon and sauté, stirring often, for 5 minutes. Add the creamed corn and water or stock and bring to the boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes.
Season with salt and pepper to taste. Stir in the cream and reheat; do not allow to boil.
Serve garnished with the spring onion.
Dairy-free option
* Substitute dairy-free margarine.
** Omit.
Note: Creamed corn may contain thickener. If the source of the thickener is wheat or another gluten-containing grain, this will be stated on the label.
Serves 4
As a young child, I spent many school holidays with cousins in Ulverstone in north-western Tasmania. We often visited their grandfather, my uncle Harry, at nearby North Motton, spending a night or two with him. Early in the mornings, we would go mushrooming in the lush fields of his property. Though at that time I loathed eating them, there was great fun in the gathering; some of the specimens were at least as large as a bread and butter plate.
Nowadays I love to eat mushrooms, particularly this mushroom soup, and very often as I make it I wish I could be transported back just once more to the time and the fields of North Motton, picking mushrooms in the morning mist.
500g mushrooms, wiped clean with a damp cloth
1 tablespoon olive oil 30g butter
1 onion, peeled and finely diced
2 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
3 cups gluten-free chicken, beef or vegetable stock, or water with 3 teaspoons stock powder
2 teaspoons gluten-free Worcestershire sauce (page 256) (optional)
2 teaspoons brandy
1½ cups milk
125ml pouring cream
2 rashers lean gluten-free bacon, diced
1 small onion, peeled and grated
1 cup grated tasty cheese
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
2 teaspoons gluten-free tomato chutney (page 254)
4 slices gluten-free bread
snipped chives, to serve
sour cream, to serve
Chop the mushrooms into 1cm pieces. Heat the oil and butter in a large saucepan over medium-high heat and add the mushrooms. Sauté until the juice from the mushrooms has evaporated. Reduce heat to medium, stir in the onion and garlic and sauté for 1 minute more. Pour in the stock, bring to the boil, reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes. Purée, if desired, or leave chunky.
Add the Worcestershire sauce if using, brandy, milk and salt and pepper to taste and bring to the boil. Reduce heat to low and stir in the cream. Do not allow to boil.
Meanwhile, to make the savoury triangles, mix together the bacon, onion, cheese, egg, parsley and chutney in a bowl. Toast one side of the bread under the grill. Spread the other side generously with the bacon topping and place under the grill until melted and bubbly. Cut each slice into four triangles.
Ladle the hot soup into bowls and top with a dollop of sour cream and a sprinkle of snipped chives. Serve immediately with the hot savoury triangles.
MINESTRONEServes 4—6
This hearty soup is a meal in itself. Add extra macaroni to make a tasty pasta dish.
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, peeled and finely chopped
1 carrot, peeled and diced
1 small potato, peeled and diced
1 red capsicum, deseeded and diced
125g green beans, cut into 1cm pieces (optional)
4 tablespoons chopped lean gluten-free bacon
4 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
2 gluten-free chorizo, diced (optional)
4 tablespoons tomato paste
2 teaspoons gluten-free chicken or beef stock powder
1 teaspoon dried thyme
400g tin crushed tomatoes
2 cups water
2 cups cooked gluten-free macaroni
grated parmesan cheese* and chopped parsley, to serve (optional)
Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat, add the onion, carrot, potato, capsicum, beans and bacon and sauté for 5 minutes, or until the vegetables are almost tender. Stir in the garlic and chorizo, if using, and cook for 1 minute more. Add the rest of the ingredients, except the macaroni, parmesan and parsley, bring to the boil, reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender. Mix in the cooked macaroni and heat through. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Serve sprinkled with the parmesan cheese and parsley.
Tip: Other types of short pasta, such as spiralli, can be used in place of the macaroni.
Dairy-free option
** Omit.
PEA AND HAM SOUPServes 4
This simple soup is a great old-fashioned favourite especially good on a cold winter’s evening, but delicious anytime.
250g split peas
500g gluten-free ham hock or bacon bones
6 cups water
2 medium onions
1 small swede (optional)
1 parsnip
2 carrots
1½ teaspoons salt
Place the split peas, ham hock or bacon bones and water in a large saucepan.
Peel and chop the vegetables and add to the pan, together with the salt. Bring to the boil, reduce heat and simmer for 1½–2 hours. Take the bones out of the soup, remove the flesh and dice, then return to the soup before serving
VARIATION
One of our children’s particular favourite was what they called a ‘pie floater’—a bowl of pea and ham soup with a meat pie ‘floating’ in the middle. The soup is a meal in itself, even without the addition of the pie, but if you want to try a pie floater, see the recipe for mini meat pies (see page 105) and use pie tins that hold ½ cup of the meat mixture.
POTATO AND LEEK SOUPServes 4—6
60g butter*
1 large onion, peeled and finely diced
3 large leeks, white part only, cleaned and finely sliced
300g potatoes, peeled and diced
2 cups gluten-free chicken or vegetable stock
2 cups milk**
1 cup pouring or thickened cream***
Melt the butter or margarine in a large saucepan over medium heat, stir in the onion and leek and sauté until softened. Add the potato, stock and milk and bring to the boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 20 minutes, or until the potato is very soft. Purée the mixture, then return to heat on low. Stir in the cream and serve.
VARIATION
This soup can be served cold as Vichyssoise. If serving cold, place a dollop of sour cream*** in the middle of each bowl of soup and garnish with snipped chives.
Dairy-free option
* Substitute dairy-free margarine.
** Substitute 2 cups of water.
*** Omit.
QUICK CHICKEN AND VEGETABLE SOUPServes 4
I often used to prepare this meal-in-minutes soup for our children when they arrived home from school. Served with savoury triangles (see cream of mushroom soup on page 32), it was a healthy snack to tide them over until dinnertime. Left-over savoury triangles were used in packed lunches the next day.
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon butter*
1 cup frozen corn kernels
4 skinless chicken thigh fillets, chopped
2 onions, peeled and finely chopped 1 carrot, peeled and diced
1 stalk celery, diced
3 teaspoons gluten-free chicken or vegetable stock powder
5 cups water
½ teaspoon dried basil or thyme (optional)
3 teaspoons maize cornflour mixed to a paste with ¼ cup cold water
½ cup grated tasty cheese,** optional
Heat the oil and butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the chicken and sauté until almost cooked through, then add the vegetables, reduce heat to low and cook, covered with the lid. After 5 minutes when the vegetables are almost tender, add the stock powder and cook for 2 minutes.
Stir in the water and herbs, if using, bring to the boil, reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes, or until all the vegetables are cooked through. Thicken the soup with a little maize cornflour paste. Mix in the cheese, if using, and serve.
Dairy-free option
* Substitute dairy-free margarine.
** Omit.
RATATOUILLE SOUPServes 4—6
1 medium eggplant, diced
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 onions, peeled and finely diced
2 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
125g mushrooms, wiped clean with a damp cloth and sliced
3 small zucchini, sliced
1 red capsicum, deseeded and sliced
½ cup tomato paste
1½ teaspoons dried basil or 3 tablespoons shredded basil
1 tablespoon gluten-free sweet chilli sauce (page 253)
3 teaspoons gluten-free chicken or vegetable stock powder
2 cups diced tinned, bottled or fresh tomatoes
2 teaspoons brown sugar
4 cups water
Place the eggplant in a colander, sprinkle with salt and leave to stand for 30 minutes. Rinse well and drain.
Heat the oil in a large saucepan over low heat, add the onion and eggplant, and gently sauté for 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic and sauté for 1 minute more. Increase heat to medium–high, add the rest of the ingredients and bring to the boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 30 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste.
This soup can be thickened with a paste made from 3 teaspoons maize cornflour and ¼ cup of water. It can then be used as a pasta sauce or as a topping for potatoes cooked in their jackets. Sprinkle liberally with some freshly shaved parmesan cheese.*
Dairy-free option
* Omit.
ROAST SWEET POTATO, APPLE AND ONION SOUPServes 4
This recipe came about because our children had an ongoing aversion to pumpkin, so there was no way they would eat pumpkin soup. Sweet potato is a great substitute and works well with the apple.
1 dessertspoon softened butter*
1 tablespoon olive oil
750g sweet potatoes, peeled and diced
½ apple, peeled, cored and diced
1 onion, peeled and finely chopped
2 teaspoons gluten-free chicken stock powder
3 cups water
½ cup pouring or thickened cream**
sour cream*** and gluten-free sweet chilli sauce (page 253), optional, to serve
Heat the butter and oil in a large saucepan over medium heat and add the sweet potato, apple and onion. Stir to coat, reduce heat to low, cover with the lid, then cook for 7 minutes, or until the vegetables are almost tender. Stir in the stock powder and cook for 1 minute more. Pour in the water, bring to the boil, reduce heat and simmer until the vegetables are very soft. Purée, then return the soup to the pan and reheat. Add the cream and salt and pepper to taste and stir well. Do not allow to boil after the cream is added.
Serve with a dollop of sour cream and a little sweet chilli sauce if liked.
The method above recommends slow roasting the vegetables in the pan, which is certainly best; however, if you are short on time, omit the oil and butter, and cook the vegetables in the water and gluten-free stock powder, then proceed from puréeing as for the rest of the recipe.
Of course pumpkin can be substituted for the sweet potato, but be sure to choose one with dark, rich flesh or it will be less than ideal in colour, texture and flavour.
Dairy-free option
* Substitute dairy-free margarine or olive oil.
** Omit cream and substitute gluten-free soy milk.
*** Omit.
Serves 4
Any type of fish can be used in this soup.
250g fish fillets, lightly steamed or poached
6 cups milk
5 teaspoons maize cornflour, mixed to a paste with ½ cup cold milk
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 teaspoons gluten-free mayonnaise (page 257)
½ cup grated tasty cheese
½ cup pouring or thickened cream
Cut the fish into bite-sized pieces.
Bring the milk to the boil in a large saucepan over medium heat and thicken with the cornflour paste, whisking constantly. Stir in the lemon juice, mayonnaise and cheese and simmer until the cheese is melted. Add the fish, stir in the cream or evaporated milk and heat through; do not boil.
VARIATION
You can use shellfish, such as prawns, scallops or mussels, if you prefer.
VEGETABLE SOUPServes 4
My children often viewed particular vegetables with suspicion. To incorporate vegetables in their diet, I developed some clever strategies. This tasty and easy-to-prepare soup served me well many times over.
6–8 cups vegetables, peeled and chopped (include some onion)
6 cups gluten-free vegetable stock (or 4 teaspoons gluten-free vegetable stock powder and 6 cups water)
2 teaspoons maize cornflour mixed to a paste with ¼ cup water
1 cup grated tasty cheese*
⅓ cup milk or pouring cream (optional)**
Combine the vegetables and stock in a large saucepan over medium–high heat. Bring to the boil, reduce heat to low and simmer for 20 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender. Purée, then return the soup to the pan and bring back to the boil.
Thicken the soup with the cornflour paste. Add the cheese and stir until melted. Pour in a little milk or cream, if you prefer a thinner soup, and reheat. Do not allow to boil after the cream is added.
Tip: This soup is great for using up any small pieces of vegetable lurking in the crisper of the fridge.
Dairy-free option
* Omit.
** Omit, if soup needs thinning use gluten-free soy milk.