Cooking for the exam cram
Eating well while you're busy
cranking out essays and poring
over study notes can be a challenge.
The simplest solution is
cooking a big batch of brain food
that you can warm up during study
breaks. This batch of Harvest Soup
will make about 12 generous servings,
and keeps for up to two
weeks in the fridge. You'll need:
- 1 large sweet potato
- 1 large russet potato
- 1 large butternut squash
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 2 tbsp dried sage
- 1 large carrot
- 1 large sweet onion
- 1 10 oz. can sweet corn, drained
- 2 litres chicken stock
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1 litre buttermilk
- 1 cup sour cream (optional)
- 1/2 cup crumbled cooked bacon (optional)
- salt and pepper to taste
1. Preheat your oven to 400°F.
2. Peel and chop your potatoes and squash into 1-inch cubes, drizzle them with 1/2 cup of olive oil, and toss them into a large baking dish with your sage, salt and pepper.
3. Cover the dish with foil, and bake for 20 minutes covered. Then remove the foil and bake uncovered for another 20 minutes, or until nice and tender.
4. Meanwhile, heat the remaining olive oil on medium high in the largest pot you can get your hands on.
5. Peel and chop your onion and carrot into small pieces, and toss them into the pot.
6. Cook the mixture on medium heat until the onions become translucent.
7. Add the sweet corn, sugar and chicken stock and simmer the soup on low, covered until your roasted vegetables are ready.
8. Add your squash and potatoes to the stock, and let the soup continue to simmer. The longer it cooks, the more flavourful it will become, but you should leave it on the heat for at least 30 minutes.
9. Now it's time to puree the soup. If you have a submersion blender, you can puree the soup while it's still in the pot. Otherwise, working in batches, transfer the soup into a blender, puree it, and put the pureed soup into a second pot until you've finished the entire pot.
10. Leaving your soup off of the heat, slowly stir in the buttermilk. If you prefer a slightly sweeter soup, you may not want to add the entire litre. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
11. To serve, add a dollop of sour cream, or some bacon bits if you like.
When you can't possibly stare at a textbook any longer, microwave a bowl of soup to refuel. You'll be surprised how productive a wellfed brain can be!
- 1 large sweet potato
- 1 large russet potato
- 1 large butternut squash
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 2 tbsp dried sage
- 1 large carrot
- 1 large sweet onion
- 1 10 oz. can sweet corn, drained
- 2 litres chicken stock
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1 litre buttermilk
- 1 cup sour cream (optional)
- 1/2 cup crumbled cooked bacon (optional)
- salt and pepper to taste
1. Preheat your oven to 400°F.
2. Peel and chop your potatoes and squash into 1-inch cubes, drizzle them with 1/2 cup of olive oil, and toss them into a large baking dish with your sage, salt and pepper.
3. Cover the dish with foil, and bake for 20 minutes covered. Then remove the foil and bake uncovered for another 20 minutes, or until nice and tender.
4. Meanwhile, heat the remaining olive oil on medium high in the largest pot you can get your hands on.
5. Peel and chop your onion and carrot into small pieces, and toss them into the pot.
6. Cook the mixture on medium heat until the onions become translucent.
7. Add the sweet corn, sugar and chicken stock and simmer the soup on low, covered until your roasted vegetables are ready.
8. Add your squash and potatoes to the stock, and let the soup continue to simmer. The longer it cooks, the more flavourful it will become, but you should leave it on the heat for at least 30 minutes.
9. Now it's time to puree the soup. If you have a submersion blender, you can puree the soup while it's still in the pot. Otherwise, working in batches, transfer the soup into a blender, puree it, and put the pureed soup into a second pot until you've finished the entire pot.
10. Leaving your soup off of the heat, slowly stir in the buttermilk. If you prefer a slightly sweeter soup, you may not want to add the entire litre. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
11. To serve, add a dollop of sour cream, or some bacon bits if you like.
When you can't possibly stare at a textbook any longer, microwave a bowl of soup to refuel. You'll be surprised how productive a wellfed brain can be!
