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TOMATO AND MUSHROOM SOUP

This is such a quick and easy soup to make – delicious for those cold evenings, especially when you have a cheesy braaibroodjie to dip into it.

Ingredients

(serves 4)

2 tablespoons butter

1 tablespoon oil

250 g button mushrooms, finely chopped 3 leeks (just the white sections), washed and chopped – or use a white onion if you can’t find leeks

1 stalk celery, finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, crushed

A pinch each dry turmeric, ground cumin and dry mixed herbs

1 tablespoon flour

1 tin (400 g) of tomato purée

1 tin (400 g) chopped tomatoes

1 cup chicken stock a pinch of sugar salt and black pepper to taste cream to taste

Here’s how

1 Melt the butter and oil and fry the mushrooms over high heat until very caramelised. Don’t stir them around too much at the start, otherwise they won’t have time to brown.

2 Add the leeks, celery and garlic as well as the spices and herbs, and fry the mixture until all the vegetables are fragrant. Keep a close eye on the heat so the garlic and spices don’t catch flame.

3 Stir in the flour and fry everything for another minute. Stir in the tomato purée, chopped tomato and stock, and season the mixture to taste with salt, pepper and sugar. Allow to simmer for 10 minutes.

4 Add cream to taste in the soup in the pot, or top each steaming cup of soup with a dollop of cream when serving.

Drive & Camp says If you like your tomato soup nice and smooth, remember to pack your stick blender.