Kai with soul

In Spotswood College's Food and Nutrition classes, Katy Power teaches her students that the key to cooking great-tasting, nutritious meals day after day is to keep it simple. In Kai with Soul, Katy and her students let you in on how easy cooking for a family can be.

The welcome scent of daffodils and freesias are a sign that spring has arrived and the sight of baby calves and lambs dotting the countryside are a reminder that farmers are flat tack with the cycle of new life and production on the farm.

Tasty and healthy food is essential to keep the body functioning to the best of its ability during these busy times and this week's colourful soups are packed with protein, vitamins, fibre and sustenance. Soup is versatile and, once made, stores well in the fridge, so that anyone in the household can quickly reheat a bowlful at any time of the day.

Both soups use seasonal vegetables that are full of flavour and quality, so they are economical to make. Both require short cooking times and are whizzed or pureed into a thick, creamy consistency.

The Curried Carrot, Parsnip and Cashew Soup has a strong curry flavour the senior students preferred - one commented it was so good that he would pay for it in a restaurant. If you are serving this soup to young children, use less curry powder. The cashew nuts could also be replaced with blanched peanuts.

The Pea, Leek and Potato Soup is a stunning green colour and has a delicious, sweet flavour. Serve it thick and creamy and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Choose a reliable source of vegetable stock, either in liquid or powder form. We have used less stock powder to the usual water ratio to reduce the salt and rely instead on the natural flavours of the vegetables. Quality in-season vegetables will guarantee good soup flavour.

We also recommend saving your vegetable stock liquid when cooking vegetables. Instead of pouring the potato liquid, for instance, down the sink, pour it into a jug, cool, cover and refrigerate. It will keep for 2-3 days and makes great vegetable stock to put into soups, gravies, or casseroles. If you don't use it in 2-3 days, then you can throw it down the sink.

The Focaccia Bread is a yeast- based flatbread that's Mediterranean in origin. It can be made in an hour by hand and produces a medium-sized flatbread from a small amount of dough. Finely chopped rosemary is used to flavour the bread and this is added to both the dough and sprinkled on top of the loaf before baking. We used fresh rosemary picked from a plant in the school garden and the taste of the bread was amazing.

Use the new shoots, as these are high in oil and, hence, flavour. Run your fingers down a 10-12cm sprig of rosemary and remove the tiny leaves. Discard the sprig or stem and finely chop the green bits. You can, of course, use dried rosemary if you haven't any fresh.

The texture of the bread dough should be moist and soft rather than hard and dry. Add a sprinkle more flour to the dough if it is too sticky when first mixing together, but remember you'll incorporate a little more during kneading.

The baked bread is delicious with the soups or eaten fresh and hot straight from the oven. The bread can also be made into a pizza. The usual pizza toppings, starting with a tomato base and ending with cheese, can be arranged on top prior to baking.

The Focaccia Bread is fun to make and is a perfect activity for any idle teenagers. It gives them something to do and an insight into yeast fermentation and the process of breadmaking. They can put some positive energy into kneading the dough. The smell of fresh Focaccia Bread will lift the spirits of everyone as they anticipate a mouthful of freshly baked bread straight from the oven.

If you enjoy Kai with Soul recipes, the first two years' worth have been collected in a great new book. Published to celebrate the school's jubilee, you can buy it from Benny's Books, The Crafty Fox and Down to Earth for $30. All profits go to the school. Content provided by Katy Power and the Year 13 Food and Nutrition class at Spotswood College.

Pea, Leek and Potato Soup

Serves 4-5

2 Tbsp olive oil

1/2 large leek (leaves and stalk), thinly sliced

3 potatoes, cut into chunks

1 tsp crushed garlic

1 1/2 cups peas

4 cups water and 2 tsp vegetable stock powder or 2 cups liquid vegetable stock and 2 cups water

Sprinkle of freshly ground black pepper

Extra salt to taste

1/ Rinse and prepare all the vegetables. The potatoes can be scrubbed or peeled, depending on the quality, before being sliced or cut into chunks. Wash the leeks thoroughly and discard any wilted leaves.

2/ Heat the oil in a large saucepan and add the carrot, leeks, potatoes and garlic. Stir with a wooden spoon to coat all the veges with oil and cook, covered, for 10 minutes, until the vegetables are just tender. Stir regularly.

3/ Add the vegetable stock, peas and freshly ground black pepper and stir to combine.

4/ Bring to the boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 15 minutes until the vegetables are soft.

5/ Cool slightly, then ladle the vegetables and liquid into a blender or food processor until half full. Puree the vegetables and transfer into a large bowl. Repeat this process until all of the soup is pureed.

6/ Return the pureed soup into the large saucepan, heat through and simmer for 3-5 minutes. Thin with a little extra water if it's too thick. Season to taste with extra black pepper and salt.

7/ Garnish with a swirl of natural yoghurt and a sprinkle of freshly chopped herbs or a handful of grated cheese. Serve hot with your favourite bread.

 

Curried Carrot, Parsnip and Cashew Soup

Serves 4-5

2 large carrots

1 parsnip

1 medium onion

1 tsp garlic

1 Tbsp olive oil

1 Tbsp curry powder

4 cups water

2 tsp vegetable stock powder

1 cup toasted cashew nuts or peanuts

1/ Peel and dice the carrots, parsnip and onion into small pieces.

2/ Heat the oil in a large saucepan. Add the carrot, onion, parsnip and garlic and mix with a wooden spoon to coat the vegetables with oil. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5-10 minutes until the vegetables have softened.

3/ Add the curry powder and vegetable stock to the vegetables and stir for 1-2 minutes over the heat until you can smell the spices.

4/ Add the water and stir again. Bring to the boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes with the lid on.

5/ While the soup is cooking, toast the nuts by mixing with 1 teaspoon of oil, spreading on an oven tray and grilling at 200[Degree] for 1-2 minutes, until slightly golden.

6/ Blend the toasted cashew nuts in a food processor or blender until they have the consistency of ground nuts (no chunky bits).

7/ Place the ground nuts aside in a small bowl.

8/ Let the vegetable mixture cool slightly, then ladle it into a blender or kitchen whizz until half full and blend until smooth. Pour each pureed batch into a large bowl. Mix the ground cashew nuts into the blender with the last batch to whizz together.

9/ Pour the pureed mixture back into the large saucepan, season with salt and freshly ground black pepper and gently heat, stirring occasionally, until ready to serve. If too thick, thin with a little water or milk.

10/ Garnish the soup with a spoon of natural yoghurt and a sprinkle of your favourite fresh herbs (coriander, dill, parsley) and serve with a slice of fresh focaccia bread.

 

One Hour Focaccia Bread

Makes 1 medium loaf

175ml warm water (3/4 cup)

1 tsp sugar

4 tsp olive oil

2 tsp dried yeast

1 Tbsp fresh rosemary, finely chopped, or 1 1/2 tsp dried, plus extra for topping

1 1/2 cups flour

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp baking powder

2-3 olives or sundried tomatoes, chopped (optional)

1/ Place the water in a small bowl and stir in the sugar to dissolve it.

2/ Add half the oil and stir gently, then sprinkle over the yeast.

3/ Stir briefly and allow to stand in a warm place (a sunny window sill or bench, warming drawer of oven) until frothy, approximately 10 minutes.

4/ Meanwhile, sift the flour, salt and baking powder into a large bowl and stir in the chopped rosemary.

5/ Tip the frothy yeast mixture into the dry ingredients and stir with a bread & butter knife until a ball of dough is formed, then knead the dough until elastic on a lightly floured surface.

6/ Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl. Turn the dough in the oil to coat it, place the bowl in a warm place to allow the dough to rise for 10 minutes.

7/ Remove from bowl and with a rolling pin or your fingers, make a loaf approximately 10cm wide by 18cm long. It should be about a centimetre thick.

8/ Carefully lift onto a lightly greased oven tray and make dimples in the surface of the dough with your thumb or finger.

9/ Drizzle remaining 2 tsp olive oil over the dough and sprinkle a little extra chopped fresh or dried rosemary, rock salt and sliced black olives or sundried tomatoes if desired. Press these slightly into the bread. Let rise for 10 minutes.

10/ Preheat the oven to 230[Degree] bake or 210[Degree] fan bake.

11/ Bake in the centre of the oven for 10-15 minutes or until the crust is lightly golden and the bread sounds hollow when the base is tapped.

Note: The oil and rosemary topping can be replaced with your desired selection of pizza toppings for an authentic yeast- based pizza.

- © Fairfax NZ News