by Ezmy

I do so love soup in the winter. There is just nothing better than staying in with a good glass of something red, a gigantic loaf of crusty bread, and a big bowl of hearty soup. Especially when the whole family has a cold they just can’t seem to shake…

For the Dumplings:

2 heaping tablespoons of cornmeal

2 heaping tablespoons of all-purpose flour

¼ cup softened or melted butter

water to dough-i-fy

salt and pepper (and maybe a little cayenne – get creative!)

Mix the flour and butter together, then add the spices and enough water to make a stiff dough (I believe I used about ¼ cup but add it slooooowly). Roll the dough into 1.5 inch balls and set aside.

For the Soup:

1 onion, finely sliced

2 carrots, chopped

1 medium-sized butternut squash, peeled, de-seeded and chopped

3 sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped

3 medium potatoes, peeled and chopped

1 cup frozen or fresh broccoli

2 tablespoons coriander seeds

1 tablespoon dried thyme

olive oil

4 cups vegetable stock

1 tin of coconut milk (or if you aren’t a fan of coconut milk, add ½ cup homogenized milk)

salt and pepper to taste

2 dried chilis, minced, or some cayenne pepper

In a large pot, sauté onions in a good glug of olive oil until softened, then add the carrots, coriander and thyme. Cook on medium heat for about 5 minutes. Add the potatoes, sweet potatoes and squash, and season with salt and pepper. Cover and turn heat to between low and medium, and cook for 15 minutes, shaking the pot around regularly. Stir in the vegetable stock and bring to boil. Once boiling, turn heat down to between low and medium, place dumplings on top, cover and let simmer for 35-40 minutes (time to go fold laundry!). Now stir in milk/coconut milk and the broccoli and let simmer for another 10 minutes (time to set the table!). Turn off heat, pop into bowls and top with chilis/cayenne pepper (add as much or as little heat as you need – myself, I like serious heat on those cold winter nights).

Serve with crusty bread, mixed greens and a nice glass of wine. Enjoy!

Ezmy blogs about her day to day goings on at ‘ezmy’. For ridiculous updates about stay-at-home mum-ing, follow Ezmy on Twitter: @ezmytweets.