Roasted Tomato Soup

Nothing keeps the freezing cold out like a nice hearty soup.
One of our favourite soups are from The Long Table Restaurant in Stellenbosch with their famous the Roasted Roma Tomato Soup.
Here is my version:

You’ll need:

• 500g roma tomatoes (I’ve also used 2 normal tomatoes)
• 1 large onion sliced
• Garlic chopped
• Olive oil
• Brown Sugar
• 2 cups chicken stock
• 50g tomato paste
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 3 table spoons fat free plain yoghurt
• Salt and Pepper

Method:

Put the onion, tomatoes and garlic mix on a baking tray and drizzle with brown sugar and olive oil.

Roast at 200°C until the mixture is brown.

Place the mix in a soup pot and add the stock, 1 teaspoon cumin and the tomato paste.

Allow to simmer for 30 minutes, stirring regularly.

Blitz the soup with a hand blender and add 3 tablespoons of plain yoghurt and stir until the soup is creamy.

Simmer for a couple of minutes and season with salt and pepper.

Garnish with crumbed feta and chives.

Served with toasted pitas.

 Wine match:

Sauvignon Blanc or a lightly wooded Sauvignon Blanc if the soup is very creamy.

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Poached Eggs the Easy Way!

 

Who doesn’t love poached eggs for breakfast? 
I never dared making it myself since I have been in the restaurant trade for far too long to see chefs cringe at the multiple orders of poached eggs coming in one after the other.

“Mix vinegar with water, carefully break in the egg, slowly nap the egg with the hot water and vinegar mix until the egg is firm on the outside but soft and runny in the middle…”

The egg would break and the pot would filled with floating bits of half boiled egg, discouraging many a student chef, causing them to give up and take up other professions like financial management or any other job that is as far away from cheffing as possible.
Now if student chefs struggle with this, than a layman like me, would not even stand a chance.

Until recently when I was shown an easy way to prepare poached egg by Chef Corli Els from The Long Table Restaurant and Cafe.

So with my new-found knowledge I attempted this recipe:

Poached egg à la Chef Corli!

You’ll need:

• Eggs
• Ramakin
• Non-Stick Spray
• Cling wrap
• Bag ties

Line the ramakin with cling wrap and spray with the non-stick spray.

Break the egg into the ramakin.

Close up the edges and make sure that there is no air trapped with the egg.

Seal the egg and the cling wrap with a bag tie.

Boil the egg in the cling wrap for 3 minutes.

Remove from the water, unwrap the eggs and serve.

Salt and pepper to taste or serve with a hollandaise sauce.

And Viola!

Easy poached eggs without the mess or the fuss.

There is nothing like a nice poached egg in the morning served with bacon grilled with cheese.

Let the day begin!

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