IT'S THE WEEKEND: Food and drink - Soups and stews to beat the winter blues

TECHNICALLY it is not yet winter, but the temperature has dropped this week and it may now be time to plan the meals that will tide you through the long (and did we mention cold?) days ahead.

One dish guaranteed to warm the cockles is Rachel Haines' Winter Balti Stew. Mrs Haines, 40, from Rogerstone, describes her signature creation as “a delicious Balti dish but with added winter vegetables to make it a lovely hearty meal... packed with spices that have great health benefits too!”

She started cooking after leaving home aged just 15 and now runs Rachel’s Curry Kitchen in Newport’s Indoor Market. She describes her soup as “my own variation of a Chicken Balti, but with added vegetables and curry sauce which make it a real winter warmer.”

Its spicy kick is sure to bring some heat to the chilly, days but if you've had enough of chilli by then you can also amend the recipe to taste.

Another tasty option comes from Matt Tebbutt, who runs The Foxhunter restaurant in Abergavenny as well as having presented several cookery shows on television such as Food Unwrapped, Great British Food Revival on BBC2 and Saturday Kitchen.

One of his favourite soups is Cauliflower, Bacon and Chicory Soup with Dijon Mustard, which is featured in his new recipe book ‘Guilty Pleasures’. There he says: “I’ve thrown a decent amount of bacon into this mustardy soup, but you can always leave it out if it’s not your thing: there’s enough flavour going on even without. The Dijon brings a silky warmth to the soup, rather than a powerful kick. Any other mustard would overpower.”

We've included the recipes for both these soups but there are many other options which have mouths watering in Gwent.

Julie Nelson, from the Raspberry Tea Room in Cwmbran, said: “Leek and potato is still a firm favourite at Raspberry Tea Room and it’s easy to make with local produce.”

Simon Coopey, from Newport, said the best winter soup was “butternut squash, made with butternut squash, carrot, potato, onion, coriander, fenugreek and cumin, dusted with nutmeg.”

He added that leek and potato would be a worthy opponent in second place however, with “a hearty carrot soup” at number three.

Other Argus readers suggested “simple lentil soup”, “tomato, basil, chilli and orange” and Cavolo Nero Soup.

Why not try one of these recipes for a hearty and filling meal?

Cauliflower, Bacon and Chicory Soup with Dijon Mustard

Ingredients (serves four)

50g salted butter

2 tbsp olive oil

8 rashers of streaky bacon, chopped

2 garlic cloves, chopped

1 onion, diced

2 heads red or white chicory, thick end

removed and diced, leaves shredded

2 small heads cauliflower,

roughly chopped

500ml hot vegetable stock or water

500ml milk

100g cream cheese

100g Cheddar cheese, grated

1 tbsp Dijon mustard

100g blue cheese, crumbled, to serve

Salt and pepper

Method (from the Guilty Pleasures cook book)

- Preheat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan/Gas 6.

- Heat the butter and 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large ovenproof saucepan or

flameproof casserole over a high heat, then throw in six of the chopped rashers

of bacon and cook until coloured. Add the garlic and onion and the diced

chicory ends and cook over a low heat for 10 minutes to soften.

- Stir in the cauliflower and cook gently for another 10 minutes without letting the

veg colour. Now add the stock (or water) and the milk – the top of the vegetables

should be sticking out of the liquid. Place the whole pot in the oven without the

lid and cook for 40 minutes to start getting some colour on top.

- Meanwhile, fry the remaining bacon in the rest of the olive oil, until crispy.

-When the cauliflower starts to brown and look roasted, remove and blitz

everything with a hand-held blender or in a food processor. Taste, season with

salt and pepper, and strain into a clean pan. Stir in the cream cheese, Cheddar

cheese and Dijon mustard.

-Serve with the crumbled blue cheese, reserved crispy bacon and shredded

chicory leaves scattered over.

Winter Balti Stew

Ingredients (serves four):

500g of chicken breast

4 tbsp olive oil

1/2 tsp cumin seeds

1/2 ground cumin

1 tsp ground coriander

1 inch stick of cinnamon

4 green cardamons

1/2 tsp turmeric

25 fl oz curry sauce

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp chilli powder

1/2 tsp paprika

1 medium size onion

1 green pepper

1 tomato

1/2 tsp garam masala

1 tbsp chopped coriander

1 potato cooked and chopped into chunks (optional)

3 cooked cauliflower florets (optional)

Method (Rachel's own lovingly tested instructions):

Heat 3 tablespoons of oil. Add cumin, coriander, cinnamon, cardamons and turmeric. Stir for a few seconds then add the chicken.

Stir fry for 5 mins then add the curry sauce, chilli powder, salt and paprika. Bring to the boil then simmer for 15 minutes.

Peel and quarter the onion then slice each quarter in two. Slice the pepper in half, deseed it and then cut it into 1 inch squares. Quarter the tomato.

Heat 1 tablespoon of oil and add onion and pepper. Stir fry for 5 mintes then add tomato.

Add the onion, pepper etc to the chicken. Add the cooked potato and cauliflower, stir gently, sprinkle over the garam masala then gently simmer for 10 minutes.

Serve with warm naan bread: delicious!