Hua Whenua (Vegetable Soup) & Maori Bread

Hua Whenua (Vegetable Soup)

1. Firstly, heat stock so veg can be added to hot stock. Once boiling, reduce to simmer and add lentils/rice/pasta - whichever is being used.
2. Wash and prepare the vegetables: Onion: peel and dice. Celery: cut into thin slices, include any leaves. Root vegetables: peel and dice small or grate. Spinach/silverbeet: thinly slice stalks and add with vegetables, leaves shredded and added at end of cooking time.
3. Add vegetables to pot as they are prepared.
4. Bring to boil, then reduce to simmer until vegetables are tender (approx 25-30mins).  Add more stock or boiling water if more liquid is required. Add salt to taste. Flavour will improve with longer cooking time (do not boil hard, a continuous rolling simmer is best here).
5. When vegetables are cooked add shredded greens, if using, and cook for 5 more minutes.
6. Add chopped parsley before serving.

Maori Bread

1. Preheat oven to 200 degrees celsius.
2. Line a baking tray with baking paper.
3. Sieve flour, baking powder and salt into bowl. Make a well in the middle.
4. Mix water and milk in a jug in equal quantities, start with 1 cup of each and add more as required.
5. Gradually add water/milk mixture to the bowl, stirring with a knife (or your hand) to get a soft dough.
6. Turn out onto a clean, floured surface and knead lightly, add more flour if needed. You want dough to just come together, so it can be handled onto the tray.  Do not overwork dough.
7. Shape bread onto baking tray into a rectangle shape approximately 2cm high. Cut through with a knife into even pieces, but do not separate. (we always had it shaped into a circle then cut through like pizza - hence 'cartwheel bread').
8. Bake for approximately 20 minutes. Bread should sound hollow when tapped on the bottom and be evenly coloured.

Notes
You can use this same recipe for dough boys/kine kine/plastic potatoes (dumplings) for your 'boil up' pot.