Soup Weather. And Old Favourites like Chicken & Fresh Turmeric Soup

It seems to be 'soup weather' in most parts of Australia at the moment. I know I've been craving it, especially after driving through misty rain and fog to get to Thermomix demos...

...dodging potholes the size of small lakes, skidding down muddy driveways, and finally arriving home cold, damp and hungry at the end of the day. (Don't get me wrong, I love my job - I just don't love this weather!!)

Yep. Definitely soup weather.

Whipping up a quick, comforting pot of soup is so easy with the Thermomix - it usually only takes twenty to thirty minutes, and I can go have a hot shower while it cooks!

I have lots of favourite Thermie soups...

creamy chicken & brown rice soup;

meatball, vege & bean soup;

creamy smoked salmon soup;

coconut lemon chicken soup; <---- this soup has fresh turmeric in it too!

Mexican black bean & chorizo soup;

pea & lettuce soup;

corn & potato chowder with chorizo... 

... not to mention the old favourites from the Thermomix cookbooks - pumpkin soup or cauliflower soup (EDC), red lentil & sweet potato soup (GF cookbook) and chickpea & spinach soup (Full Steam Ahead cookbook).

If you usually just go crack open a tin of 'cream of' soup when you're in a hurry, save money and make your own healthier, yummier version with the tips here: 

Can the Canned Soup!! Too easy.

This Chicken & Fresh Turmeric Soup is one I've made for years, usually in a big pot on the stove where it spits and bubbles and makes a big mess and has to be stirred and watched so the rice or quinoa doesn't stick to the bottom. The other day I decided to make it in the Thermomix to show that chicken legs still come out whole cooked in the bowl. It worked beautifully and was so easy, and much tidier. So here's my converted recipe - hope you like it.

Turmeric is an amazing food with many health benefits. It's related to ginger, grown the same way, and where I live many people grow it in their backyards. It has anti-inflammatory properties, is a natural antiseptic, antibacterial agent, liver detoxifier, pain-killer, is great for fat metabolizing, and is used to treat depression and just about everything else from Alzeimer's to cancer! Of course, raw turmeric is best, so whizz some up in your next boost juice. Or you can do what I often do when there are colds and flus around - double the amounts of garlic and turmeric at the start of the recipe, remove half of it from the bowl once you've minced it, cook the soup as per the recipe, then add the reserved raw garlic and turmeric in at the end. It will have a lovely flavour and a bit more of a 'bite', and the 'goodness' won't be all cooked out.

[Note: if you can't find fresh turmeric, you can use powdered turmeric - just use 1-2 teaspoons of the power and saute with the onion and garlic. But fresh is the BEST!]

Chicken & Fresh Turmeric Soup

1. Mince garlic and fresh turmeric on speed 7 for 3 seconds:

- 2-4 cloves of garlic

- 1 'finger' of fresh turmeric, halved

2. Add onion and chop at speed 5 for 3 seconds:

- 1 brown onion, halved

3. Add butter/ghee/oil and saute for 3 minutes at 100C, speed 1:

- 40g butter/ghee or olive oil

4. Add and chop on speed 5 for 5 seconds:

- 1 vine-ripened tomato, halved

- a large handful of celery leaves

- a few sprigs of fresh thyme

    Scrape bowl down.

5. Insert butterfly. Add remaining ingredients, arranging chicken legs around butterfly, and making sure water doesn't go above the 2 litre mark on the bowl.

- 800g chicken legs (about 6 or 7 chicken legs)

- 80g quinoa or brown rice

- 3 Tablespoons chicken stock paste

- 600g water (or until it reaches the 2 litre mark)

6. Cook at 100C for 30 minutes (quinoa) or 40 minutes (brown rice) on reverse blade, speed soft.

Do you have a favourite soup recipe of your own that you'd like to convert for the Thermomix?Check out the tips in the front of the soup section of the Everyday Cookbook. If you need help, feel free to ask on my Facebook Page, or over at the Recipe Community Forum.