Graphic Designer / Creative Director
Dan Segal

RECIPES

soup - a - star

Since becoming a Dad, my Dad-Jokes have become more frequent and cringe-worthy. Though, nothing describes this meal better than it's title "Soup-a-star" because it's just so tasty your family will look upon (as mine do me) as the great inventor or flavour, the king of the castle! 

The recipe is simple, though I should trademark it because I thought it up on my very own! And it has so many possibilities for variations that you'll probably never make it the same twice. 

You make a soup based around a left-over meat-dish. Add vegetables, stock, noodles, rice, whatever you like! It's like gumbo meets bubble and squeak. The superstar flavour comes from meat that you lovingly cooked and then left overnight for the flavours to marry and enhance - all made possible by our favourite kind of saturated fat..meat fat!

Below are 2 versions of the recipe that my family particularly enjoy, but feel free to try it out on your own and send me your favourite flavours! 

Note : for you to be able to freestyle at this, you'll need to be an intermediate homecook as you have to know how to balance flavours and know what extras are going to work.

 

ROASTED CHICKEN SOUP-A-STAR

INGREDIENTS:

Serves 4

  • Half of a left-over roasted chicken, bones and skins removed, flesh torn up roughly. (use a store-bought BBQ chicken if you like)

  • 1/4 cup coriander roots finely chopped

  • 1 whole mild red chili finely chopped

  • 2 fresh tomatoes roughly chopped

  • 1 medium sized onion finely chopped

  • 4 cloves garlic crushed

  • 2 1/2 cups of soup stock (vegetable, chicken or beef)

  • 1 carrot roughly chopped

  • 1 handful of mushrooms finely chopped

  • 2 serves of vermicelli or 1 packet of dried instant noodles

  • 2 bay leaves

 

METHOD:

  1. In a large pot, brown the onions, garlic, coriander root and chili with 2 tablespoons of oil for 5-7 minutes. 

  2. Add the carrots, mushrooms, bay leaves, chicken bones, skin and stir around in the pot so the fat starts to release from the chicken and everything has a nice colour.

  3. Add the stock, fresh tomatoes and stir again. Bring it to the boil and then allow to simmer for 30-40mins. 

  4. Prepare your vermicelli or instant noodles by soaking in hot water for 5 mins and then draining them.

  5. Add your torn up chicken and noodles to your soup and allow 5 mins for them to heat up. 

  6. Serve up your soup and garnish it with some fresh coriander leaves and a wedge of lemon or lime.

 

 

BOLEGNESEY SOUP-A-STAR

INGREDIENTS:

Serves 4

  • 2 1/2 cups of left over bolognese sauce

  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano

  • 1 whole mild red chili finely chopped

  • 2 fresh tomatoes roughly chopped

  • 1 medium sized onion finely chopped

  • 2 cloves garlic crushed

  • 2 1/2 cups of soup stock (vegetable, chicken or beef)

  • 1 carrot roughly chopped

  • 1 bunch of parsley finely chopped

  • half a cup of old wine (red or white)

  • 1 day-old breadstick or loaf of bread (the more rustic the better)

 

METHOD:

  1. In a large pot, brown the onions, garlic, and chili with 2 tablespoons of butter for 5-7 minutes. 

  2. Add wine to pot allow the alcohol to cook off.

  3. Add the stock, fresh tomatoes, bolegnese sauce, carrots, half of the parsley and stir. Bring it to the boil and then allow to simmer for 30-40mins. 

  4. Wet your hands and dampen your bread loaf and stick it in a very hot oven.

  5. Serve up your soup and garnish it with the rest of the parsley and a well-buttered hunk of your hot crusty loaf.


DL SEGAL