Mexican sopa with taco toppings, Thai green curry, carbonara pasta, dirty martini meets tomato soup

I am not a winter person. Strangely, I’m the first to take a snowy holiday, but I crave the opportunity to defrost, to feel the heat at the end of a cold day. And I think is why I adore soup. It’s heat and sunshine in a bowl, guaranteed to bring you out of the doldrums of the cold months. It’s the ideal meal when winter brings biting winds, short days and cold nights.

But to be the salve I crave, that soup must be robust. It needs texture, oomph and flavour. The following recipes, which think outside the square, are all that. Soups that comfort and fortify, bring colour back to your cheeks, and put a spring in your step. Bowls that make the winter days that little bit brighter – and leave you with a full belly to boot.

Mexican-inspired taco soup

This hearty meal is what happens when Taco Tuesday meets Soup Night. Bulk it out further by adding more finely crushed tomatoes and cooked rice to the soup base.

Ingredients

2 tbsp olive oil

1 onion, diced

2 garlic cloves, crushed

1 tsp dried oregano

1 tsp ground chipotle

1 tsp onion powder

1 tsp garlic powder

2 tsp ground cumin

2 tsp ground coriander

1 tbsp sweet smoked paprika

350g beef mince

2 x 400g cans finely chopped tomatoes

1 x 400g can black beans, rinsed and drained

1½ cups (350ml) chicken stock

To serve

tortilla chips

1½ cups grated cheese

1 fresh jalapeno, finely sliced

½ cup (125ml) sour cream

1-2 radishes, finely sliced

1-2 avocados, sliced

kernels from 1-2 corn cobs, cooked

lime wedges

coriander leaves

basil leaves (optional)

Method

Place a large saucepan or deep-sided frying pan over medium heat. Add the olive oil and once hot, add the onion and garlic and cook, stirring often, until soft. Add the oregano and spices, until the onion mixture is coated. Add the mince and cook until browned. Add the tomatoes, beans and stock, and simmer for 20 minutes until reduced.

Spoon into bowls and top with chips, cheese, jalapeno and a drizzle of sour cream. Add the radish, avocado and corn kernels, and season with salt, pepper and lime juice. Scatter with fresh herbs and serve.

Serves 4-6

Green curry and lemongrass soup

Built around frozen peas, this soup gets a tick for convenience and delivers bags of flavour in very little time.

Ingredients

1 tbsp coconut oil

2 eschalots (French shallots), sliced

3 lemongrass stems, white part only, finely sliced

3 garlic cloves, crushed

2 tbsp excellent quality green curry paste

1 x 400ml can coconut milk, reserving 2 tbsp to serve (see below)

1 cup (250ml) vegetable or chicken stock

500g frozen peas

fish sauce, to season

lime juice, to season

To serve

2 tbsp reserved coconut milk

3 makrut lime leaves, finely sliced

¼ cup puffed wild rice (see below)

crispy fried shallots

coriander leaves, to scatter

Puffed wild rice

2 tsp vegetable oil

¼ cup wild rice

Method

Add the coconut oil to a deep-sided frying pan or large saucepan and place over low heat. Once hot, add the eschalots and cook until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the lemongrass, garlic and curry paste and cook, stirring constantly, until the paste is fragrant and looks as if it is separating. Add the coconut milk and stock, stir to combine, then add the peas. Simmer gently for 5 minutes or until hot.

Use a stick blender or food processor/blender to blitz until smooth. Season to taste with fish sauce and lime juice. If it is too spicy or thick, thin it with a little more coconut milk or water. Keep warm.

To make the puffed wild rice, heat a heavy-bottomed medium saucepan with a tight-fitting lid over high heat. Once the pot is hot, add the vegetable oil. Add the wild rice and shake the pan vigorously to coat the wild rice with the oil (note: unlike with popcorn, there’s no need to place the lid on). Once you hear a popping sound, reduce the heat to medium-low and keep shaking the pan until the popping slows. Immediately pour through a strainer set over a bowl and shake the strainer to remove any excess oil.

To serve, ladle the soup into bowls. Top each with a drizzle of coconut milk, the finely sliced makrut lime leaves, puffed wild rice, fried shallots and coriander leaves. Serve hot.

Serves 6

Soup of the carbonara variety

I know, I know, true carbonara doesn’t have cream. And this barely does either; just a little splash to bring a touch of richness and comfort to this lovely, hearty soup. It’s pasta you can slurp with a spoon – something I will be here for until the end of my days.

Ingredients

180g streaky bacon

1 onion, finely diced

2 cups (500ml) chicken stock

½ cup cream

1 cup small pasta (such as ditalini, stelline, fregola)

drizzle of olive oil (optional)

¼ cup finely chopped flat-leaf parsley

½ cup finely grated parmesan, plus extra to serve

1 egg for each serving

Method

Set aside a rasher of bacon for each person and dice the rest.

Place a high-sided frying pan or large saucepan over medium heat. Once hot, add the reserved bacon rashers and cook they are until golden and crisp. Remove from the pan and set aside.

To the same pan add the diced bacon and onion and cook, stirring regularly, until the onion is soft and fragrant and the bacon is delightfully crisp. Add the stock and cream and immediately reduce the heat to low. Allow it to simmer while you prepare the other components.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil, and cook the small pasta according to packet instructions. The cooking time will vary depending on the type you choose (most take 8-10 minutes). Add the eggs to the same pot of water for the last 6-8 minutes of the pasta’s cooking time. Scoop the eggs out of the water, then strain the pasta. Carefully peel the eggs when cool enough to handle, then cut in half lengthways and set aside.

Optional step: Crispy pasta garnish. Place a frying pan over medium heat. Add a drizzle of olive oil and a few tablespoons of the cooked pasta. Cook, stirring regularly, until the pasta turns lightly golden and crisp in spots.

When ready to serve, add the chopped parsley and parmesan to the soup and stir to combine. Taste and check for seasoning. Add the boiled pasta, stirring gently, then scoop into bowls. Top each serving with a spoonful of the crispy pasta, if using, a rasher of crispy bacon and two halves of soft-boiled egg. Season again with salt and pepper and serve extra parmesan on the side.

Serves 4-6

Dirty martini tomato ‘n’ olive soup

When you’d like nothing more than an ice-cold martini but midweek life has other plans, this gives hits of salty, briny goodness. And if you have leftovers, it makes an excellent pasta sauce. Buy quality olives in brine and you will be duly rewarded with this soup.

Ingredients

1 tbsp olive oil

2 onions, diced

½ cup (125ml) olive brine

½ cup diced pitted green olives (try manzanilla or Castelvetrano), plus ¼ cup extra to serve

finely grated zest of 1 lemon

½ cup (125ml) vodka

50ml vermouth

1.4 litres tomato passata

½ cup (125ml) cream

pinch of caster sugar

To serve

3-4 tbsp capers

Method

Place a deep-sided frying pan or large saucepan over low heat. Add the olive oil, and once hot, add the onion and cook until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the olive brine, olives and lemon zest and cook until the brine has reduced a little. Add the vodka and vermouth, stirring to combine, then add the passata, cream and sugar. Simmer for 20 minutes.

Remove from the heat and allow to cool slightly, then add to a blender and blitz to combine. Taste and check for seasoning. Keep warm.

Place a small frying pan over medium heat. Add a splash of olive oil and add the capers. Fry until they bloom slightly and look crisp.

Spoon the soup into bowls. Top each with a tablespoon of chopped olives, scatter with crispy capers and serve.

Serves 6