Recipes

Pumpkin, orange & star anise soup

Pumpkin, orange & star anise soup

Couverts6
Deel op Facebook Print Recipe

Ingredients

  • 25 g butter
  • 1 onion roughly chopped 1 small pumpkin, about 1.5 kg (3 lb), quartered, deseeded, peeled then diced
  • 2 small oranges rind removed with a zester, juice squeezed
  • 1 litre vegetable stock or chicken stock
  • 3 whole star anise or similar amount in pieces plus extra to garnish
  • salt and pepper
  • crushed black peppercorns to garnish (optional)

Instructions

  • Heat the butter in a large saucepan, add the onion and fry gently for 5 minutes until softened. Add the pumpkin, toss in the butter and fry for 5 minutes, stirring.
  • Mix in the orange rind and juice, the stock and star anise. Season with salt and pepper and bring to the boil. Cover and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally until the pumpkin is soft. Scoop out the star anise and reserve.
  • Allow the soup to cool slightly, then purée in batches in a blender or food processor until smooth. Pour back into the saucepan and reheat. Taste and adjust the seasoning if needed.
  • Ladle the soup into bowls and garnish each bowl with a whole star anise and a sprinkling of black pepper, or a slice of spiced orange and chilli butter. Serve with sesame bread rolls.

Notes & Wine Advice

For homemade spiced orange & chilli butter, to serve as an accompaniment, beat 75 g (3 oz) butter with the grated rind of 1 orange, a large mild, deseeded and finely chopped red chilli, a pinch of ground turmeric and a pinch of ground cloves. Shape into a sausage then wrap in clingfilm. Chill then unwrap, slice and add to soup just before serving.
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Course; Soup

Cheat’s bouillabaisse

Cheat’s bouillabaisse

Couverts6
Deel op Facebook Print Recipe

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Heat the oil in a large saucepan, add the onion and leek and fry gently for 5 minutes, stirring until softened. Meanwhile soak the saffron in 1 tablespoon boiling water.
  • Add the garlic and tomatoes to the pan and fry for 2–3 minutes then mix in the soaked saffron, wine, stock, thyme and some salt and pepper. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes.
  • Add the white fish, re-cover and simmer gently for 3 minutes. Add the mixed seafood, re-cover and simmer gently for 5 more minutes until all the fish is just cooked. Ladle into bowls and serve with toasted bread topped with spoonfuls of rouille (see below).

Notes & Wine Advice

For homemade rouille, to serve as an accompaniment, drain 3 roasted red peppers from a jar, put into a blender or food processor with 2–3 garlic cloves, 1 teaspoon finely chopped red chilli (from a jar), 1 slice white bread torn into pieces, a large pinch of saffron threads soaked in 1 tablespoon boiling water and 3 tablespoons olive oil. Blend until smooth and spoon into a small bowl.
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Course; Fish / Soup

Kale soup with garlic croûtons

Kale soup with garlic croûtons

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Ingredients

Garlic croûtons

Instructions

  • Melt the butter or margarine in a large saucepan, add the onion and fry for 5 minutes until softened and just beginning to turn golden. Add the carrots and kale in batches, stirring all the time, and cook for 2 minutes.
  • Add the water, stock, lemon juice, potatoes and nutmeg, with salt and pepper to taste. Bring to the boil, stirring from time to time. Lower the heat, cover and simmer for 35 minutes or until all the vegetables are soft. Purée the mixture in batches in a blender or food processor, adding extra water if it is too thick.
  • Prepare the croûtons by cutting the bread into 1 cm (½ inch) cubes. Heat the oil in a large frying pan, add the garlic and cook over a moderate heat for 1 minute. Add the bread squares and fry, turning frequently, until evenly golden brown. Transfer the croûtons to kitchen paper with a slotted spoon to drain. Discard the garlic, then add the thinly shredded kale to the pan and fry, stirring constantly until crispy.
  • Taste the soup and adjust the seasoning if needed and reheat without boiling. Serve in heated soup plates with the garlic croûtons and crispy kale.

Notes & Wine Advice

For spiced kale soup, fry the onion as above, add the carrots and kale in batches then stir in 1 teaspoon smoked paprika and 2 chopped garlic cloves and cook for 2 minutes. Continue as above, adding ¼ teaspoon dried crushed red chilli to the oil when frying the croûtons.
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Course; Soup
Diets; Vegetarian

Beery oxtail & butter bean soup

Beery oxtail & butter bean soup

Couverts6
Deel op Facebook Print Recipe

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Heat the oil in a large saucepan, add the oxtail pieces and fry until browned on one side. Turn the oxtail pieces over and add the onion, stirring until browned on all sides. Stir in the carrots, celery, potatoes and herbs and cook for 2–3 more minutes.
  • Pour in the stock and ale, then add the mustard, Worcestershire sauce, tomato purée and butter beans. Season well with salt and pepper and bring to the boil, stirring. Half cover the pan and simmer gently for 4 hours.
  • Lift the oxtail and herbs out of the pan with a slotted spoon. Discard the herbs and cut the meat off the oxtail bones, discarding any fat. Return the meat to the pan, reheat then taste and adjust the seasoning if needed. Ladle into bowls, sprinkle with chopped parsley and serve with crusty bread.

Notes & Wine Advice

For chillied oxtail & red bean soup, omit the bunch of mixed herbs and instead stir 2 finely chopped garlic cloves, 2 bay leaves, 1 teaspoon hot chilli powder, 1 teaspoon crushed cumin seeds and 1 teaspoon crushed coriander seeds into the vegetables. Then add the beef stock, a 400 g (13 oz) can chopped tomatoes, 1 tablespoon tomato purée and a drained 410 g (13½ oz) can of red kidney beans. Bring to the boil, simmer and finish as above.
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Course; Soup

Cheesy butternut squash soup

Cheesy butternut squash soup

Couverts6
Deel op Facebook Print Recipe

Ingredients

To finish

Instructions

  • Heat the oil in a saucepan, add the onion and fry for 5 minutes until softened and just beginning to turn golden. Add the squash, garlic and sage and fry for 5 minutes, stirring.
  • Pour in the stock and add the Parmesan rinds and salt and pepper. Bring to the boil then cover and simmer for 45 minutes until the squash is tender.
  • Scoop out and discard the sage and Parmesan rinds. Allow the soup to cool slightly, then purée in batches in a blender or food processor until smooth. Return to the saucepan and reheat. Add a little extra stock if needed then taste and adjust the seasoning.
  • Fill a small saucepan halfway with oil and heat until a cube of day-old bread sizzles the minute it is added. Then tear the sage leaves from the stems and add to the oil, frying for a minute or two until crisp. Lift out with a slotted spoon and put on to kitchen paper.
  • Ladle the soup into bowls, top with some of the crispy sage and a sprinkling of grated Parmesan, serving the remaining leaves and extra Parmesan in small bowls for diners to add their own as desired.

Notes & Wine Advice

For Halloween pumpkin soup, fry the onion as above. Quarter a 1.5 kg (3 lb) pumpkin, scoop out the seeds, peel and cut into cubes and add to the onion and fry for 5 minutes. Stir in 1 teaspoon ground cumin, 1 teaspoon ground coriander and 1 teaspoon ground ginger instead of the garlic and sage, then pour in the stock. Cover and simmer for 30 minutes, then purée and reheat the soup as above. Serve with moon- and star-shaped croûtons cut with biscuit cutters.
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Course; Cheese / Soup

Beer broth with mini meatballs

Beer broth with mini meatballs

Couverts6
Deel op Facebook Print Recipe

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Heat the butter in a large saucepan, add the onion and fry gently for 5 minutes until just turning golden around the edges. Stir in the diced root vegetables, the tomatoes and lemon.
  • Pour in the stock and lager, then add the spices and season well with salt and pepper. Bring to the boil, stirring, then cover and simmer for 45 minutes.
  • Meanwhile, mix all the meatball ingredients together. Divide into 18 and shape into small balls with wetted hands. Chill until needed.
  • Add the meatballs to the soup, bring the soup back to the boil then cover and simmer for 10 minutes. Add the cabbage and cook for 10 minutes until the cabbage is tender and the meatballs cooked all the way through. Taste and adjust the seasoning. Ladle into shallow bowls and sprinkle with a little chopped parsley if liked.

Notes & Wine Advice

For beer broth with suet dumplings, gently fry 500 g (1 lb) thinly sliced onions in the butter for 20 minutes until very soft. Sprinkle with 2 teaspoons brown sugar and fry for 10 minutes, stirring until caramelized. Add the lemon slices, stock, lager and spices, omitting the root vegetables and tomatoes. Simmer for 20 minutes. Mix 100 g (3½ oz) self-raising flour with 50 g (2 oz) vegetable suet, 2 tablespoons chopped parsley and salt and pepper. Stir in 4 tablespoons water, then shape into small balls. Add to the simmering soup, cook for 10 minutes then ladle into bowls and serve.
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Course; Soup

Split pea & parsnip soup

Split pea & parsnip soup

Couverts6
Deel op Facebook Print Recipe

Ingredients

  • 250 g yellow split peas soaked overnight in cold water
  • 300 g parsnips cut into chunks
  • 1 onion roughly chopped
  • 1.5 litres chicken or vegetable stock see pages 10 and 13
  • salt and pepper

Coriander butter

Instructions

  • Drain the soaked split peas and put them into a saucepan with the parsnips, onion and stock. Bring to the boil and boil for 10 minutes. Reduce the heat, cover and simmer for 1 hour or until the split peas are soft.
  • Meanwhile, make the butter by dry-frying the cumin and coriander seeds and garlic in a small saucepan until lightly toasted. Mix into the butter with the coriander leaves and a little salt and pepper. Shape into a sausage shape on clingfilm or foil, wrap up and chill until needed.
  • Roughly mash the soup or purée in batches in a liquidizer or food processor, if preferred. Reheat and stir in half the coriander butter until melted. Add a little extra stock if needed then season to taste. Ladle into bowls and top each bowl with a slice of the coriander butter. Serve with toasted pitta breads.

Notes & Wine Advice

For split pea & carrot soup with chilli butter, make up the soup with 300 g (10 oz) diced carrots in place of the parsnips. Purée and reheat as above. Make a chilli butter by mixing 75 g (3 oz) butter with the grated rind and juice of 1 lime, 2 chopped spring onions and ½–1 large mild and finely chopped red chilli to taste.
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Course; Soup

Honey-roasted parsnip soup

Honey-roasted parsnip soup

Couverts6
Deel op Facebook Print Recipe

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Arrange the parsnips and onions in a large roasting tin in a single layer, then drizzle with the oil and honey.
  • Sprinkle with the turmeric, crushed chillies and garlic.
  • Roast in a preheated oven, 190°C (375°F), Gas Mark 5, for 45–50 minutes, turning once until a deep golden brown with sticky, caramelized edges.
  • Transfer the roasting tin to the hob, add the stock, vinegar and salt and pepper and bring to the boil, scraping up the juices from the base of the pan.
  • Simmer for 5 minutes.
  • Allow the soup to cool slightly, then purée in batches in a blender or food processor until smooth.
  • Pour into a saucepan and reheat.
  • Taste and adjust the seasoning and top up with a little extra stock, if needed.
  • Mix the cream, ginger and a little pepper together.
  • Ladle the soup into bowls and drizzle the ginger cream over the top, then garnish with a little turmeric, if liked.
  • Serve with croûtons

Notes & Wine Advice

For honey-roasted sweet potato soup, replace the parsnips with 750 g (1½ lb) sweet potato, cut into wedges, sprinkle with 1 teaspoon roughly crushed cumin seeds in addition to the turmeric and chilli, and roast and finish as above. Serve ladled into soup bowls topped with spoonfuls of natural yogurt and a teaspoon of mango chutney drizzled over each bowl.
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Course; Soup

Squash, kale & mixed bean soup

Squash, kale & mixed bean soup

Couverts6
Deel op Facebook Print Recipe

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Heat the oil in a saucepan, add the onion and fry gently for 5 minutes.
  • Stir in the garlic and smoked paprika and cook briefly, then add the squash, carrots, tomatoes and drained beans.
  • Pour on the stock, season with salt and pepper and bring to the boil, stirring.
  • Cover and simmer for 25 minutes until the vegetables are tender.
  • Stir the crème fraîche into the soup, then add the kale, pressing it just beneath the surface of the stock.
  • Cover and cook for 5 minutes until the kale has just wilted.
  • Ladle into bowls and serve with warm garlic bread.
  • For cheesy squash, pepper & mixed bean soup, fry the onion in oil as above, add the garlic, smoked paprika, squash, tomatoes and beans, adding a deseeded and diced red pepper instead of the carrot.
  • Pour on the stock, then add 65 g Parmesan rinds and season.
  • Cover and simmer for 25 minutes.
  • Stir in the crème fraîche but omit the kale.
  • Discard the Parmesan rinds, ladle the soup into bowls and top with freshly grated Parmesan.
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Course; Soup

Beef & noodle broth

Beef & noodle broth

Deel op Facebook Print Recipe

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Trim any fat from the beef.
  • Mix the ginger with 1 teaspoon of the soy sauce and smooth over both sides of the beef.
  • Cook the noodles according to the directions on the packet.
  • Drain and rinse thoroughly in cold water.
  • Bring the stock to a gentle simmer with the chilli, garlic and sugar.
  • Cover and cook gently for 5 minutes.
  • Heat the oil in a small, heavy-based frying pan and fry the beef for 2 minutes on each side.
  • Transfer the meat to a board, cut it in half lengthways and then cut it across into thin strips.
  • Add the noodles, sugar snap peas, basil and remaining soy sauce to the soup and heat gently for 1 minute.
  • Stir in the beef and serve immediately.

Notes & Wine Advice

For minted chicken broth, replace the steak with the same weight of boneless, skinless chicken breasts and use chicken stock instead of beef. Make the soup as above, but fry the chicken for 5–6 minutes on each side until thoroughly cooked. Garnish the soup with a small bunch of torn mint.
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Course; Beef / Meat / Soup