Hot with chillies and the flavours of New Orleans, this soup will warm you up on a wintery night. Serve it with buttered cornbread.

Ingredients

• 2 large onions
• 4 stalks celery
• 100 grams butter
• 1 ham steak
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 teaspoons white pepper
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 teaspoon ground cayenne
• 1 tablespoon Tabasco sauce
• 2x 400 gram cans tomatoes in juice
• 1 litre stock
• 500-750 grams green prawns, shelled weight
• ¼ cup chopped fresh thyme, or 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• ¼ cup chopped fresh basil, or 1 teaspoon dried basil

Method

1. Peel and finely chop the onion. Trim and finely slice the celery.
2. Heat the butter in a large saucepan, add the onion and celery and cook over a medium heat for about 10 minutes until the onion is soft but not browned. Stir frequently.
3. Remove the rind from the ham and chop into small dice. Add to the onions with the white pepper, black pepper, cayenne pepper, Tabasco sauce and bay leaf. Cook a further 3-4 minutes until the spices are fragrant.
4. Add the tomatoes in their juice and the stock and bring the mixture to the boil. Simmer gently for 30 minutes.
5. Chop the prawns and add to the soup. Simmer only until the prawns have changed to their pink colour. Add the thyme and basil and season with salt. Serve in large bowls with cornbread.