Souper Tuesday: Leek, onion, Zamalek and Obies soup with a Parmesan crouton
Leeks, onions, Zamalek, Parmesan cheese and thyme – oh, and Old Brown Sherry – combine to create an intriguing and wholesome soup that you're likely to want to keep in your winter repertoire.
Zamalek? It's the nickname for Carling Black Label beer. And of a top Cairo-based football team that defeated Kaizer Chiefs in May 1993. Zamalek's colours were black, red and white (I think the team's kit design may have changed since that famous match).
Though smarting from the defeat, South African soccer fans started calling Carling Black Label 'Zamalek'. The name has a distinctly South African ring to it, despite its Egyptian origins.
But every bitter defeat needs a sweetener. In this soup, you need the Obies (Old Brown Sherry, a beloved South African fortified wine) because of the bitterness of the beer. It may not seem bitter when drunk, but in a soup the tongue-curling notes are accentuated. Obies to the rescue…
The Parmesan crouton plays an important role too. It's not a tiny crouton of the kind you often find on top of a soup. This is a single round crouton, topped with finely grated Parmesan. It's toasted so that the cheese sticks to the top of the crouton, then it's placed on top of the soup in the bowl.
When you tuck in, push the crouton under the surface – drown it, as it were. It will fall apart and become a delicious textural aspect to the soup.
Tony's leek, onion and beer soup with Parmesan crouton
(Makes 3-4 servings)
Ingredients
5 large or 4 medium onions, sliced in half
2 star anise
Olive oil, as needed
4 to 6 large leeks, trimmed and sliced thinly
3 thyme sprigs
3 Tbsp butter
100 ml Old Brown Sherry
330 ml Carling Black Label beer
750 ml beef stock
150 ml milk
Salt and black pepper to taste
1 to 2 cups grated Parmesan, stirred in before serving
Rounds of toast from a large shop-bought sliced wholewheat loaf, 1 slice per serving
Method
Preheat the oven to 220°C. Peel the onions, slice them in half and put them in a bowl. Add the 2 star anise and a little oil, just enough to coat the onions. Toss them around, transfer them to an oven pan and roast until golden and soft, about half an hour to 40 minutes. Discard the star anise. Let them cool, then slice the onions into thin strips. Reserve.
Trim the ends of the leeks, check that there's no soil in the end parts, and slice them thinly. Melt 3 Tbsp butter in a pan and add the leeks and thyme sprigs. Sauté the leeks on a moderate heat, stirring now and then, until very soft. About eight to 20 minutes.
Add the Old Brown Sherry (or similar fortified wine), stir, and reduce by two thirds. Add the beer and stir while it releases its bubbles. Simmer for 5 minutes. Season with salt and black pepper, to taste.
Add the beef stock, stir, bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer.
Add the onions and the milk, stir and continue cooking gently for 10 to 15 minutes. Taste and add more salt if you think it needs more.
Don't blend this soup; it is all about the texture of the leeks and onions in it, and also about the Parmesan croutons. Talking of which…
Lay a slice of bread on a clean surface. Using a small, sharp knife, carefully cut rounds out of them in the way that you cut a disc for your windscreen when your licence expires.
Toast one side of these in an air fryer; it takes only 4 to 5 minutes at 200°C.
Grate the Parmesan and take a few pinches of it to drop onto the bread rounds. Put these back in the air fryer and grill at 200°C for 3 or 4 minutes until the cheese has melted and turned slightly golden.
Reheat the soup and spoon into deep bowls (shallow bowls won't work for this soup as the croutons need to descend and then become a part of the soup).
Place a crouton on top of each serving and scatter a few thyme leaves over.
When eating this soup, push the croutons under with your spoon so that it melds and each mouthful gives you the full flavour spectrum. DM
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Maverick
a day ago
- Daily Maverick
Chicken and red fig tagine with almonds and raisins
Choose a main ingredient. Choose a pot. Decide what else would go with it. Check the cupboards. This is how recipes are formed. It's been a while since I used my tagine, the Moroccan cooking vessel with a conical lid that collects the fragrant vapours and drips them down again. In this sense, it has something in common with our humble potjie (three-legged cast-iron pot). But this recipe was conceived when I opened a packet in a cupboard and wondered what was in it. It was the dried red figs I'd bought in Calitzdorp, Klein Karoo, a few months ago. My mind went to the tagine on a dresser in the front dining room, then to chicken. A recipe was born. But this needed more. More fruit. And nuts. In the end, I bought a 100g packet of pitted raisins, and some whole almonds. These would be toasted and scattered on top when serving. But I was feeling adventurous, so I made my own harissa paste too. This is not necessarily Moroccan – more Tunisian, although it can generally be thought of as a north African condiment. It is made chiefly of red chillies and garlic, with seed spices such as cumin, coriander, fennel and sometimes caraway. A whole red pepper is the centrifuge of it, if you like, the background force that holds it all together, along with olive oil. Citrus, usually lemon, is sometimes added. I left out the citrus, because I knew that I was not going to be using all of it – I only needed two tablespoons, in fact. The rest is now in the fridge. It consists of: a red pepper, 20 red chillies, 20 garlic cloves, one red onion, ground cumin, fennel and coriander seeds, and olive oil. The reason I honed it down to these is because it means I can add it to all sorts of curries. Or to stews for a bit of a kick. Citrus would get in the way of that, altering a curry's flavour profile. It remains a traditional harissa paste however, because citrus and caraway aren't requisite ingredients in one. But that's not the whole story. I also made a simple mix of ground spices – cumin, fennel, ginger, cayenne pepper, paprika, turmeric, coriander, black pepper – to rub onto the chicken portions before frying them at the start of the cooking process. And a cinnamon stick went in too. To start with, I fried the chicken thighs in De Rustica Olive Estate's hand-harvested cold extracted medium extra virgin olive oil, which I keep near the stove and grab it at will when cooking. It comes in a one-litre cylindrical box with a tap, like a tall, round wine box. I see online that it retails for R310. Any 'evoo' today is an indulgence with a scary price, so I just use it sparingly. Sort of. Finally, I toasted raw almonds in a dry pan to enliven them, and scattered them on top before serving, with some chopped coriander leaves. Tony's chicken and dried red fig tagine with almonds and raisins (Serves 4) Ingredients For the harissa: 1 heaped Tbsp each of these seeds: coriander, fennel and cumin 1 medium red onion, chopped 1 large red pepper, diced 20 garlic cloves, crushed, husks removed 20 red chillies, whole 100 ml olive oil For the spice mix: ½ tsp each of ground cumin, fennel, ginger, cayenne pepper, paprika, turmeric, coriander, black pepper For the tagine: 8 chicken thighs, skin on All of the above spice mix 3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil 1 red onion, chopped 1 cinnamon stick 5 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped 2 cups chicken stock 2 Tbsp harissa paste 16 dried red figs, whole 100 g seeded raisins (not counting the 5 you munch before putting them in the pot) Salt to taste 2 cups couscous 50 g roasted whole almonds, toasted A small handful coriander leaves, finely chopped, for garnish Method Make your harissa paste: Trim the red pepper and red onion and chop up roughly. Trim the stems off the chillies. Crush the garlic with the flat end of a heavy knife and discard the husks. Leave the cloves whole. Add the seeds to a dry pan and toast over a moderate heat until they begin to smoke, then turn off the heat. Process them to a powder in a grinder or with mortar and pestle. Put everything in a food processor, pour in the olive oil and blend until as fine as it will ever be. There will be a little texture at the end. Mix your spices for the chicken: the ground cumin, fennel, ginger, cayenne pepper, paprika, turmeric, coriander and black pepper. For the tagine: Pat the chicken pieces dry. Rub the spice mix onto all sides of the chicken portions. Heat olive oil in the tagine base on a moderate heat and, when hot, add the chicken thighs. Brown well on all sides. Add the chopped red onion, cinnamon stick and garlic cloves. Stir 2 Tbsp harissa paste into the chicken stock and pour it in. Add (to the tagine) the dried red figs and raisins, salt to taste, bring to a boil, and reduce to a gentle simmer. Put the lid on, as always when cooking in a tagine. Leave it to cook gently for about half an hour, for the chicken portions to be cooked all the way through. Before serving, toast the almonds and set aside, then make the couscous. Measure 2 cups of couscous and add to a bowl. Pour in the same quantity of hot (not boiling) water. Stir and leave it for 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork. Spoon the couscous onto plates, add the chicken, fruit and sauce from the tagine, scatter almonds over and sprinkle with coriander. DM Tony Jackman is twice winner of the Galliova Food Writer of the Year award, in 2021 and 2023.
The Citizen
a day ago
- The Citizen
The unexpected grief that comes with moving house
Moving house brings more than stress and boxes—it can also trigger surprising emotions like grief, confusion and longing for what was left behind. As a mover, not a shaker, I have had an eye-opening experience over the past few weeks. Moving house is often seen as a milestone – a fresh start, a new beginning, or a step forward in life, I was told, but what happens after the dust settles and the final box is unpacked? The lead-up to a move is often stressful: packing, planning and logistics. All true. But once I was in my new home, a surprising wave of various emotions surfaced – sometimes joy, but also grief, confusion and even regret. This phenomenon is common, I believe, especially if you've left behind familiar streets, friends, or memories. I think it is because our homes often anchor our sense of self. The street we live on, the coffee shop we frequent, even the light through a certain window in the afternoon – these things subtly shape our identity. ALSO READ: Neighbourhood secret agents are always watching After a move, there's a strange in-betweenness: I was still me, but the context has changed. Rebuilding a sense of belonging definitely takes time. I found that I was missing things I didn't even realise mattered. It's not just an emotional experience – moving can throw one's routine into chaos. Where's the nearest pharmacy? The best place to buy groceries? Small frustrations add up, making one feel like a stranger in one's own life. ALSO READ: Why you're attracted to the unexpected If you've moved to a new city or away from your support system, like I did, loneliness can set in once the initial busyness fades. Making new connections takes effort and time. Many people underestimate how isolating the post-move period can be, particularly if you're working from home or don't have an immediate community. Despite the challenges, the aftermath of a move also carries the seed of personal growth, I found. Adapting to a new environment can stretch one in unexpected ways. I discovered how resilient I am, how I manage uncertainty and what really matters to me. ALSO READ: South African life hacks: A mix of genius, nostalgia and outright madness Over time, new routines formed, new friendships blossomed and my new house recently began to feel like a true home. The truth is, the aftermath of moving house is not just about decorating or learning a new address – it's about transition. If you are moving soon, give yourself grace. Take time to sit in the in-between, to feel both the loss of what was and the possibility of what's to come. You may just be amazed at how resilient you are.
IOL News
3 days ago
- IOL News
UCT's Rajend Mesthrie joins prestigious ranks as Fellow of the British Academy
In a significant honour for South African academia, Rajend Mesthrie, the revered linguist and emeritus professor at the University of Cape Town (UCT), has been elected as a Fellow of the British Academy. This prestigious accolade stands as one of the highest recognitions for distinguished scholars in the fields of humanities and social sciences, honouring exemplary contributions to the discipline. Mesthrie joins a cohort of luminaries, consisting of 58 new fellows from the UK, 30 international fellows, and four honorary fellows, all elected this year. The newly inducted fellows reflect a diverse array of expertise that spans across various critical fields, including the sociocultural contexts of 20th-century music, the structural causation of poverty, environmental law, and the fascinating neuroscience behind memory, language, and cognition. Each of these experts contributes a unique perspective aimed at addressing some of the pressing challenges faced by contemporary society. Following the announcement of the fellowship, Professor Mesthrie expressed his profound gratitude, noting that despite never having studied in the UK, his work has been significantly influenced by British scholarship, particularly in general linguistics, sociolinguistics, and the historical nuances of the English language. 'I am rather pleased to be recognised in this way by the British Academy. This recognition is a testament to my lifelong commitment to teaching and research in South Africa and the manifold linguistic streams that flow through our country,' he stated.
