3 Winter Warmers: 1) Spinach, Tofu & Miso Soup

Because the weather has been (and, as it appears, will continue to be) cold for the foreseeable future, I've decided to post some of my favourite soup recipes for you to try at home.

Soup, in general, is easy to make. All you need is stock, vegetables and meat (optional). It's a great way to use up unwanted veg and freezes very well too (as long as there is no cream). The best thing about making your own soup is that you can experiment with so many different flavours and styles just by the ingredients you use. I always make a huge pot of soup and it lasts for days.

To get you started, here are three of my favourite recipes.

Spinach, Tofu & Miso Soup

I was worried when I first made this particular dish as my parents are the traditional Irish parents, whose concept of soup ranges from Chicken to Mushroom or (if they are being fancy) Carrot & Coriander. So making a miso soup with tofu was completely out of their comfort zone. After explaining what tofu was to them, they loved it and had 2 bowls each. I think that says it all. 

Ingredients:

1 tbsp Olive Oil

1 Onion (finely chopped)

1 Carrot (finely chopped)

1 inch Root Ginger (finely chopped/ crushed)

1 clove Garlic

2 1/2 pints Vegetable Stock

250g Tofu

250g Spinach

2 tbsp Miso Paste

Spring Onion (to garnish)

Method:

• Fry onions & carrot for 3 minutes until onions are translucent.
• Add ginger & garlic and fry.
• Add vegetable stock and bring to the boil.
• Add tofu and allow to boil for 2 minutes.
• Add spinach, bring back to boil and cook until spinach has wilted. 
• Bless miso with a little cold water to a pouring consistency. 
• Remove soup from heat and stir in the miso. 
• Serve with sprinkled spring onion. 
• Enjoy

Snowed in so decided to go wild: Jiǎozi (Chinese Dumplings)

So today I am stuck at home. Our heating is broken so I am stuck under a duvet in from of the TV. Also because of the frost we have little/no water so all in all a very fun day. Amid all this I have gotten a huge craving for dumplings. I have only had them twice and that was in a Tibetan restaurant near the Red Light district in Amsterdam but they are amazing and (I have now learned), really easy to make.

From my research online, it really seems like you can put anything you want into these dumplings, depending on what meat/ veg you have around so it is really versatile. This recipe is a mixture of a few different versions. You can also add whatever spices or sauces you want to the filling to add some interesting flavours. Also dumplings can be boiled, shallow fried or steamed. When I made mine I shallow fried them so that is the recipe I will detail below.

Dough:

Ingredients:

375g All-purpose Flour

230ml Water

1/4 tsp Salt

Filling:

Ingredients:

200g minced beef or pork

1 tbsp Soy Sauce

1 tsp Salt

1/4 tsp Ground White Pepper

1 tbsp Rice Wine/ Sherry

3 tbsp Sesame Oil

1 Spring Onion (finely chopped)

200g Cabbage/Lettue/Spinach (finely shredded)

2 slices of fresh Ginger (finely minced)

4 tbsp shredded Bamboo Shoots

1 clove Garlic (finely minced)

Method:

• Stir the salt into the flour. Stir in the cold water, adding as much as is necessary to form a smooth dough. Don't add more water than is ncessary. Knead the dough into a smooth ball. Cover the dough and let it rest for at least 30 minutes.
• Add the soy sauce, salt, rice wine and white pepper to the meat and mix. This seasons the meat before you add the vegetables. Then add the remaining ingredients and mix well.
• Divide the dough in half. Shape each half into a roll 12 inches long and cut each roll into 1/2-inch slices. You don't need to get a ruler out, you can just do this by eye.
• Roll 1 slice of dough into a (approx) 3-inch circle. Place one level tablespoon of the filling in the centre. Lift up the edges of the circle and pinch 5 pleats up to create a pouch to encase the mixture. Pinch the top together. I rolled out 4 or 5 pieces of dough at a time and then filled them. I think it saves time. 
• Heat a wok or nonstick skillet until very hot. Add 1 tbsp of oil, tilting the wok to coat the sides. Place  dumplings in a single layer in the wok. You might only fit 7 or 8 dumplings in a wok at a time so you may need to do this in batches. Fry dumplings for 2 minutes, or until the bottoms are golden brown.
• Add 110ml of water. Cover and cook 6 to 7 minutes, or until the water is absorbed. Repeat with the remaining dumplings.
• You can serve these just soy sauce, or mix soy with 1 tbsp of Sesame oil for a lovely dipping sauce.
• Enjoy