Every country has its own vegetable soup and South Africa is no exception. So when the winter days are short and nights are long and cold - this soup should keep you going. Have a few friends over for a cosy lunch or dinner, serve some lovely breads and cheese and wallow in the joy of a hearty meal and good companion. Bon appetit.

Ingredients

• 180 g soup mix of lentils, oats, barley and peas (1 c)
• 4 liters water (16 c)
• 4 pieces shin with marrow
• 2 large carrots
• 2 large potatoes
• 1 large potatoes
• 1 large onion
• 1 tine (410g) whole peeled tomatoes
• 100g chopped celery (1 c)
• 100g broken spaghetti (1 c)
• 25 ml salt (5 t)
• 20 ml Worcestershire sauce (4 t)
• 1 ml curry powder (1/4)
• pinch of pepper
• finely chopped parsley

Instructions on how to make it

Soak the soup mix in the water for an hour or so. Add the soup meat and cook it until tender. Spoon out the meat. Peel the carrots and grate coarsely. Peel and halve the potatoes. Peel and chop the onion. Cut the tomatoes. Add the carrots, potatoes, onions, tomatoes with their juice and the celery to the soup mix and boil until the potatoes are soft.

Remove the potatoes from the soap and add the spaghetti, salt. Worcestershire sauce, curry powder and pepper. Boil until the spaghetti is done.

Mash the potatoes. Cut up the soup meat and add, together with the mashed potatoes, to the soup. Boil till it is well blended. Sprinkle the soup with a little parsley and serve hot.

Makes 4 litres (16 cups) of soup.