Winter Soup. Wintersop

Since the winter solstice is just a few days behind us here in the southern hemisphere I thought a post on soup would be appropriate. A colleague and I always joke about the link between overcast/rainy weather and soup. Yes, the fare in my household is quite predictable. Soup would be a safe bet on a rainy winter's day. It is not the rule, but nevertheless a common occurrence. 

One of my favourite soups (both to eat and to make) is what I call Sweet Potato and Chicken Soup, or simply Winter Soup. It is hearty, delicious and packed with anti-oxidants. The last few sweet potatoes from my haul in April went into preparing the latest batch. Yes, the sweet potatoes I harvested between the conifers and fruit trees.

Let me share the recipe with you. It serves 6-8 people, depending on the size of the pot ;-)
 

Veggies, chopped up and ready to go into the pot/Groente, opgesny en gereed om pot toe te gaan

Winter Soup Recipe:

4x medium sweet potatoes/medium patats
4x pieces of chicken/hoender
1x large onion/groot ui
3x medium turnips/medium rape
6x leeks/preie
3x parsnips/parsnepe
8x carrots/wortels
bunch of parsley/bondeltjie pietersielie
chicken spice, salt and pepper/hoenderspeserye, sout en peper

Sauté onions and leeks lightly
Brown chicken and spices together
Add water to cover chicken and onion mix and bring to the boil
Roughly chop all vegetables and add to pot
Fill the pot with water and bring to boil
Turn heat down to simmer for 2-3 hours
Add parsley 15mins before serving

The recipe isn't an exact science, but your tastebuds should guide you. If the soup tastes bitter, add another sweet potato etc.

Winter Soup - ready to be served with fresh bread/Wintersop - gereed om met vars brood geniet te word

Which soup warms your heart in winter-time?