HEARTY SOUP WITH SAVOURY SPIRALS

Soup became a regular feature in my diet when I lived in Europe where it was consumed daily, and I certainly did not appreciate it at the time. Of course, today I get a real thrill at the endless possibilities with soup and one cannot deny that the long Canadian winters provide the ideal opportunity to serve soup as a meal. My mother-in-law makes some of the best soups I have ever tasted; I am more adventerous while she remains traditional in her creations. 

As winter seems to have made an early appearance this year, with snow flurries on Halloween and a light dusting yesterday, soup seemed like the perfect choice for a Sunday lunch. Murphy's Law at it's finest, the sun shone brightly and laughed at my choice but I enjoyed putting this vegetarian soup together for lunch. A big batch of soup, the kitchen warm from the sun, the smell of olive spirals baking and friends around the table made for a beautiful Sunday afternoon. 

This is really easy and contrary to my usual routine of soaking legumes, I used canned chickpeas which really sped up the cooking process. Soup's on. Enjoy!

Skill Level: Easy

Serves: 6 - 8

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 3 leeks thinly sliced
• 4 medium zucchini chopped
• 2 1/2 cups finely chopped spinach
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 x 796 mL can diced tomatoes with Italian seasoning 
• 1 x 456 g can chickpeas
• 1 x 398 mL can corn
• 2 L vegetable stock (I added three vegetable cubes to hot water)
• 2 bay leaves
• 1/2 tsp herbes de provence
• 2 tsp red chili flakes 
• 3/4 tbsp hot Hungarian paprika powder
• 8 large garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• salt and pepper to taste
• serve with crusty bread or olive spirals (recipe below)

METHOD:

1.Heat oil in a saucepan. Add bay leaves, garlic, leeks, zucchini and corn and saute for 5 minutes

2. Add chopped tomatoes, tomato paste, chickpeas, spices and the vegetable stock. cook for 5-7 minutes  

3. Add the shredded spinach and heat for 2 minutes 
4. Remove the bay leaf and serve hot with crusty bread or better yet with olive spirals (recipe below) 

SAVOURY SPIRALS

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 1/4 tsp (7g) dry yeast
• 1 1/2 cup warm water
• 1 tsp sugar
• 4 cups plain white flour
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 250 g pitted black olives 
• 1/2 cup finely grated parmesan
• 3 cloves chopped garlic

METHOD:

1. Mix sugar, yeast and 1/2 a cup of warm water in a bowl. Cover and set aside for 10 minutes or until frothy
2. Sift flour and salt into a bowl, make a well in the centre and add 1 Tbsp oil, frothy yeast and the remaining cup of warm water. Mix into a smooth dough ball. Turn onto a board and knead until smooth
3. Cover loosely with greased plastic wrap and set aside for 1 hour
4. Process the olives, parmesan and garlic in the food processor, with the motor still running, add the remaining Tbsp of olive oil and mix till you get a smooth paste
5. Once the dough has risen, punch down and knead for 1 minute. Roll out to a rectangle, spread the olive paste on the dough leaving a strip along one of the sides
6. Roll up lengthways until you have a log. Cut into 14 slices and place close together on a greased baking sheet. 
7. Cover with a dampl tea towel and set aside for another 30 minutes until well risen
8. Preheat the oven to 400 F. Bake for 30 minutes until golden brown