<\/p>\n
Soups are fantastically nutritious and quick and easy to prepare. <\/p>\n
Alternatively, cooking soup in bulk and freezing it for when you need it, is the winning solution for many time and energy-conscious eco-friendly families.<\/p>\n
And bread? Bread recipes are popular on the internet, but how do you know if they will turn out well and taste as good as they look in the pictures? <\/p>\n
We have put together some tasty home-made bread and soup recipes created and perfected by the South African Mushroom Farmers\u2019 Association to help you get cooking this weekend.<\/p>\n Vegan creamy cashew nut mushroom soup<\/strong><\/p>\n Serves 4-6<\/p>\n Ingredients<\/strong><\/p>\n 650g mixed cultivated mushrooms (big browns, portobellos, portabellinis, buttons, etc)<\/p>\n 1 large onion, finely diced<\/p>\n 2 garlic cloves, minced<\/p>\n 2 tbsp sherry vinegar<\/p>\n 1 tbsp white miso paste<\/p>\n 1 tbsp fresh sage leaves, minced<\/p>\n 4 cups vegetable or mushroom stock<\/p>\n \u00bd cup raw cashew nuts<\/p>\n Crispy sage leaves<\/strong><\/p>\n 1 handful of fresh sage leaves<\/p>\n \u00bc cup olive oil<\/p>\n Olive oil, for cooking<\/p>\n Salt and pepper, to taste<\/p>\n Method<\/strong><\/p>\n Roughly chop the different mushrooms.<\/p>\n Heat a drizzle of olive oil in a large Dutch oven or pot.<\/p>\n Add mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally, until mushrooms are golden brown and their moisture has evaporated.<\/p>\n Scoop out a few golden brown mushrooms for topping the soup when serving. Set aside.<\/p>\n Add onion and cook until softened.<\/p>\n Add garlic and cook until fragrant.<\/p>\n Add vinegar and cook for 2 minutes.<\/p>\n Pour in the stock, and bring to a gentle simmer.<\/p>\n Stir in the miso paste and season with salt and pepper.<\/p>\n Simmer for 5 minutes for all the flavours to come together.<\/p>\n Place cashew nuts in the jug of a blender.<\/p>\n Scoop out half of the soup and add it to the blender.<\/p>\n Begin blending at a very low speed and work up to high until the soup is completely smooth.<\/p>\n (Be careful when blending hot liquids \u2013 make sure you allow the steam to escape out the top of the jug)<\/p>\n Return the blended soup to the pot, and stir to combine.<\/p>\n Taste to adjust seasoning.<\/p>\n Just before serving make some crispy sage leaves.<\/p>\n Place the \u00bc cup of olive oil in a small saucepan.<\/p>\n Heat until a test leaf sizzles immediately in the oil.<\/p>\n Fry a few sage leaves at a time until crisp, \u00b1 10 seconds.<\/p>\n Transfer quickly with a fork, before they brown, to a tray lined with a paper towel.<\/p>\n Sprinkle generously with salt.<\/p>\n Serve the soup scattered with a few reserved mushrooms, crispy sage leaves, and a fresh crack of black pepper. Enjoy!<\/p>\n Mushroom and paneer stuffed naan<\/strong><\/p>\n Makes: 8 large naan bread<\/p>\n Ingredients<\/strong><\/p>\n Naan dough<\/strong><\/p>\n 60ml warm water<\/p>\n 1 tbsp honey or sugar<\/p>\n \u00be tsp active dry yeast<\/p>\n 180ml full cream milk, warmed<\/p>\n 260g full cream plain Greek-style yoghurt<\/p>\n 600g flour<\/p>\n 1 \u00bd tsp baking powder<\/p>\n 1 tsp bicarb of soda<\/p>\n \u00bd tsp salt<\/p>\n Filling<\/strong><\/p>\n 250g button or portabello mushrooms, sliced<\/p>\n 225g mozzarella cheese, grated<\/p>\n 225g paneer, grated<\/p>\n \u00bd cup coriander, roughly chopped<\/p>\n \u00bc cup chives, chopped<\/p>\n 1 clove of garlic, grated<\/p>\n \u00bd tsp dried chilli flakes<\/p>\n 4 tbsp butter, melted<\/p>\n Garlic butter<\/strong><\/p>\n 4 tbsp butter, melted and still warm<\/p>\n 2 tsp garlic, finely grated<\/p>\n 1 tbsp coriander, chopped<\/p>\n Olive oil<\/p>\n Salt and pepper, to taste<\/p>\n Method<\/strong><\/p>\n To make the dough<\/strong><\/p>\n In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment, combine the warm water, honey, and yeast. Allow sitting for 5-10 minutes until the yeast is activated and begins to foam.<\/p>\n Add the milk, yoghurt, flour, baking powder, bicarb of soda, and salt.<\/p>\n Mix on medium speed until the flour is completely incorporated, about 5 minutes.<\/p>\n Dust a clean work surface with flour.<\/p>\n Tip the dough out and knead until it forms a smooth ball.<\/p>\n Grease a large mixing bowl and place the dough inside and cover with cling film.<\/p>\n Allow sitting in a warm place for 1 hour, until doubled in size.<\/p>\n To make the filling<\/strong><\/p>\n Heat a drizzle of olive oil in a large frying pan on medium heat.<\/p>\n Saut\u00e9 the mushrooms until they have released all their liquid and are golden brown.<\/p>\n Season lightly and place in a bowl.<\/p>\n To the bowl add the mozzarella, paneer, herbs, garlic, chilli flakes and mix well.<\/p>\n When ready to make the naan divide the dough into 8 balls.<\/p>\n Flatten each ball out into a round.<\/p>\n Add 3-4 tbsp of the mushroom and cheese mixture to the centre.<\/p>\n Fold the dough up and around the cheese, pinching it in the centre to seal it.<\/p>\n Using a rolling pin, roll each piece of stuffed dough into a large oval.<\/p>\n Repeat with the remaining dough and filling.<\/p>\n Heat a large cast iron pan over high heat.<\/p>\n Brush both sides of the naan with melted butter.<\/p>\n Grease the pan lightly with a paper towel dipped in olive oil.<\/p>\n Carefully place the hot naan into the pan.<\/p>\n Cover with a lid and set a one-minute timer.<\/p>\n Flip and cook, uncovered for another 2 minutes on the second side.<\/p>\n Large deeply golden spots should appear all over both sides.<\/p>\n Keep the cooked naan bread in a warm oven while you finish the rest.<\/p>\n To serve<\/strong><\/p>\n Combine all the garlic butter ingredients and brush liberally over the warm naan.<\/p>\n Serve straight away with a sprinkle of flaky sea salt.<\/p>\n Brothy chicken and mushroom soup<\/strong><\/p>\n Serves: 6-8<\/p>\n Ingredients<\/strong><\/p>\n Broth base<\/strong><\/p>\n 6 free-range chicken thighs, skin on & bone in<\/p>\n 4 cloves garlic, smashed<\/p>\n \u00b1 4 sprigs of fresh thyme<\/p>\n \u00b1 3 bay leaves<\/p>\n 4 large portobello mushroom steaks, roughly torn into chunks<\/p>\n (or 6-8 large brown mushrooms)<\/p>\n 2 carrots, roughly diced<\/p>\n 2 onions, skin on, quartered<\/p>\n 2 stalks of celery, leaves included, roughly diced<\/p>\n Handful fresh parsley<\/p>\n \u00b1 3l chicken or vegetable stock<\/p>\n To finish the soup<\/strong><\/p>\n 1 large carrot, very thinly sliced<\/p>\n 1 stalk celery, very thinly sliced<\/p>\n 2 spring onions, finely sliced<\/p>\n 250g white button mushrooms, sliced<\/p>\n Salt and pepper, to taste<\/p>\n Fresh dill fronds, to finish<\/p>\n Method<\/strong><\/p>\n Place chicken thighs in a large Dutch oven or soup pot.<\/p>\n Add the garlic, thyme, bay leaves, mushrooms, carrots, onions, celery, and parsley.<\/p>\n Cover with enough chicken or vegetable stock.<\/p>\n You can also use water.<\/p>\n Bring to a gentle simmer.<\/p>\n Cook until the chicken is very tender and pulls away from the bone. About 1 hour.<\/p>\n Remove the chicken thighs.<\/p>\n Discard the skin and bones. Shred the chicken and set it aside.<\/p>\n Continue to simmer the soup for another 30 minutes to 1 hour until the soup is concentrated in flavour and very tasty.<\/p>\n Strain through a fine mesh strainer. Discard all the aromatics.<\/p>\n Return broth to the stove. Taste to adjust seasoning. If you started with water you will need a good amount of salt and pepper.<\/p>\n To finish the soup<\/strong><\/p>\n Add the finely sliced carrot, celery, and spring onions. Simmer until tender.<\/p>\n Add the white button mushrooms and simmer until just cooked through.<\/p>\n Return the shredded chicken to the pot.<\/p>\n Stir everything together.<\/p>\n Ladle the soup into bowls and finish with plenty of fresh dill fronds.<\/p>\n Serve with toasted slices of seed loaf and enjoy!<\/p>\n Gluten-free mushroom and zucchini bread<\/strong><\/p>\n Makes: 1 loaf<\/p>\n Ingredients<\/strong><\/p>\n \u00b1 1 packed cup shredded zucchini (from about 2 large zucchini or marrows)<\/p>\n 125ml good quality olive oil<\/p>\n 125ml full cream plain Greek-style yoghurt<\/p>\n 2 large eggs<\/p>\n Zest of 1 lemon<\/p>\n 325g gluten-free flour mix<\/p>\n 1 tsp baking powder<\/p>\n \u00bd tsp bicarb of soda<\/p>\n 1 tsp sea salt<\/p>\n 1 tsp smoked paprika<\/p>\n 1 tsp onion powder<\/p>\n 1 tsp garlic powder<\/p>\n 1 tsp fresh rosemary leaves, minced<\/p>\n 250g small portabella mushrooms, sliced<\/p>\n Olive oil<\/p>\n Salt and pepper, to taste<\/p>\n Method<\/strong><\/p>\n Preheat the oven to 180\u02daC.<\/p>\n Lightly brush a 22cm loaf tin with olive oil.<\/p>\n Line the bottom with a baking paper \u201csling\u201d so it is easy to lift the loaf out when cool.<\/p>\n Squeeze the water out of the grated zucchini.<\/p>\n In a medium bowl combine the zucchini, olive oil, yoghurt, eggs, and lemon zest.<\/p>\n Mix well.<\/p>\n In another bowl, whisk together the gluten-free flour, baking powder, bicarb of soda, salt, all the spices, and the fresh rosemary.<\/p>\n Heat a light drizzle of olive oil in a large frying pan and cook the mushrooms until golden brown. Season lightly.<\/p>\n Add the mushrooms to the flour mixture.<\/p>\n Mix to coat the mushrooms in the flour.<\/p>\n Pour in the wet ingredients and fold everything together until well-mixed.<\/p>\n Scrape batter into the prepared tin.<\/p>\n Bake for \u00b1 1 hour until golden brown and a cake tester inserted into the middle of the bread comes out clean.<\/p>\n Let cool in the loaf tin for 15 minutes.<\/p>\n Remove the bread from the tin and cool on a wire rack completely before slicing.<\/p>\n Serve the mushroom and zucchini bread with a generous swish of herb butter and a sprinkle of flaky sea salt, enjoy!<\/p>\n Read the latest IOL Food DigiMag here. <\/p>\n