Recipes
Bloody mary soup
Bloody mary soup
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil plus extra to serve
- 1 onion chopped
- 1 red pepper cored, deseeded and diced
- 2 celery sticks sliced
- 500 g 1 lb plum tomatoes, chopped
- 900 ml vegetable stock
- 2 teaspoons caster sugar
- 4 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
- 4 teaspoons tomato purée
- 4 tablespoons vodka
- few drops of Tabasco sauce
- salt and pepper
- baby celery sticks with leaves to garnish
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a saucepan, add the onion and fry for 5 minutes until softened but not browned. Stir in the red pepper, celery and tomatoes and fry for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Pour in the stock, add the sugar, Worcestershire sauce, tomato purée and a little salt and pepper and bring to the boil. Cover and simmer for 15 minutes.
- Allow the soup to cool slightly, then purée in batches in a blender or food processor until smooth. Sieve if liked then pour back into the saucepan. Add the vodka and Tabasco to taste, and adjust the seasoning if needed. Chill well.
- Ladle the soup into small bowls or glasses, add tiny celery sticks, drizzle with a little extra olive oil and sprinkle with a little extra pepper.
Notes & Wine Advice
For virgin mary & pesto soup, fry the onion in the oil as above, add the red pepper, celery and tomatoes, then simmer in 900 ml (1½ pints) stock mixed with 4 teaspoons sun-dried tomato paste and 2 teaspoons caster sugar for 15 minutes. Purée with 1 tablespoon pesto. Chill and serve with a little extra pesto added to each bowl and garnished with a few tiny basil leaves.
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Chilled almond & grape soup
Chilled almond & grape soup
Ingredients
- 100 g stale ciabatta bread crusts removed
- 600 ml chicken stock
- 100 g blanched almonds
- 2 garlic cloves sliced
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons sherry vinegar
- salt and pepper
To garnish
- 3 tablespoons flaked almonds toasted
- 150 g seedless grapes halved
Instructions
- Tear the bread into pieces into a bowl, pour over 150 ml (¼ pint) of the stock and leave to soak for 5 minutes until softened.
- Grind the almonds and garlic together in a food processor or liquidizer until they form a fine powder then add the soaked bread with its stock, the oil, vinegar and a little salt and pepper. Blend together then gradually mix in the remaining stock.
- Chill for at least 2 hours. Taste and adjust the seasoning if needed, then ladle into small bowls and sprinkle the grapes and flaked almonds to garnish. Serve with fresh ciabatta.
Notes & Wine Advice
For chilled tomato & almond soup, make up the soup as above, soaking the bread in 150 ml (¼ pint) stock then mixing in 450 ml (¾ pint) extra stock along with 150 ml (¼ pint) passata. Chill well and garnish with toasted flaked almonds, 4 pieces sun-dried tomato in oil and some basil leaves in place of the grapes.
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Gazpacho
Gazpacho
Ingredients
- 2 garlic cloves roughly chopped
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 3 slices of thick white bread crusts removed 375 g tomatoes, skinned and coarsely chopped
- ½ large cucumber peeled, deseeded and coarsely chopped
- 1 large red pepper cored, deseeded and coarsely chopped
- 2 celery sticks quartered
- 5 tablespoons olive oil
- 4 tablespoons white wine vinegar
- 1 litre water freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Combine the chopped garlic and salt in a mortar and pound with a pestle until smooth. Alternatively, place the garlic and salt on a board and crush the garlic with the flattened blade of a knife. Place the bread in a bowl and cover with cold water. Soak for 5 seconds, then drain the bread and squeeze out the moisture.
- Place the tomatoes, cucumber, pepper and celery in a blender or food processor. Add the garlic paste, bread and oil and purée the mixture until very smooth.
- Pour the mixture into a large bowl and stir in the vinegar and water and add pepper to taste. Cover closely and chill in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours. Serve the soup very cold in individual chilled glasses. Garnish with a sprinkling of the diced tomatoes, cucumber and red onion.
Notes & Wine Advice
For chillied gazpacho, make up the soup as above, adding 1 large, mild, deseeded and finely chopped red chilli along with the other vegetables. Serve garnished with a scattering of finely chopped mint and a drizzle of olive oil.
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Fennel vichyssoise
Fennel vichyssoise
Equipment
- Saucepan
Ingredients
- 25 g butter
- 1 fennel bulb about 200–250 g (7–8 oz), green feathery tops trimmed and reserved, core discarded, bulb roughly chopped
- 4 spring onions thickly sliced
- 150 g potato diced
- 450 ml chicken stock see page 10
- 250 ml milk
- 150 ml double cream
- salt and pepper
Instructions
- Heat the butter in a saucepan, add the chopped fennel, spring onions and potato, toss in the butter then cover and fry gently for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally until softened but not browned.
- Pour in the stock, season and bring to the boil. Cover and simmer for 15 minutes until the vegetables are just tender and still tinged green.
- Allow the soup to cool slightly, then purée in batches in a blender or food processor until smooth. Pour the purée through a fine sieve back into the saucepan, then press the coarser pieces of fennel through the sieve using the back of a ladle. Mix in the milk and cream, then taste and adjust the seasoning if needed. Chill well.
- Ladle the soup into small bowls or glasses half filled with ice and garnish with the reserved green feathery tops, snipped into small pieces.
Notes & Wine Advice
For classic vichyssoise, omit the fennel and spring onions and add instead 375 g (12 oz) leeks that have been slit, rinsed well in cold water then drained and sliced. Stir half the cream into the soup and swirl the rest through the bowls before serving. Garnish with a sprinkling of a few snipped chives.
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Avocado & soured cream soup
Avocado & soured cream soup
Equipment
- Frying pan
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon sunflower oil
- 4 spring onions sliced, plus 2 extra to garnish
- 2 large ripe avocados halved and stoned
- 4 tablespoons soured cream
- 600 ml vegetable or chicken stock
- juice of 2 limes
- salt and pepper
- Tabasco sauce
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a frying pan, add the spring onions and fry for 5 minutes until softened. Cut very thin strips from the remaining spring onions to create curls. Soak in cold water for 10 minutes, then drain.
- Scoop out the avocado flesh from the shells with a dessertspoon and add to a blender or food processor with the fried spring onions, the soured cream and about a third of the stock. Blend until a smooth purée, then gradually mix in the remaining stock and lime juice. Season to taste with salt, pepper and a few drops of Tabasco sauce.
- Serve the soup immediately while the avocado is still bright green in cups or glass tumblers containing some ice. Scatter the spring onion curls over the soup and serve with breadsticks or grissini.
Notes & Wine Advice
For homemade salt & pepper grissini, to serve as an accompaniment, put 250 g (8 oz) strong white flour into a bowl and mix with ¼ teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon caster sugar and 1 teaspoon fast-action dried yeast. Add 4 teaspoons olive oil and gradually mix in up to 150 ml (¼ pint) warm water until you’ve made a smooth dough. Knead for 5 minutes on a lightly floured surface, then cut the dough into 18 pieces and roll each into a thin rope. Put these on a greased baking sheet, cover with oiled clingfilm and leave in a warm place to rise for 30 minutes. Remove the clingfilm, brush the bread with beaten egg, then sprinkle with a little coarse sea salt and a generous scattering of roughly crushed black peppercorns. Bake in a preheated oven, 200°C (400°F), Gas Mark 6, for 6–8 minutes until golden. Serve warm or cold with the soup.
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Sour cherry soup
Sour cherry soup
Equipment
- Saucepan
Ingredients
- 300 ml white riesling wine
- 450 ml water
- 2 tablespoons caster sugar
- 1 cinnamon stick halved
- 1 lemon grated rind and juice
- 475 g pack frozen pitted cherries
- 300 ml soured cream
- ground cinnamon to garnish
Instructions
- Pour the wine and water into a saucepan, add the sugar, cinnamon stick and lemon rind and juice.
- Bring to the boil and simmer for 5 minutes.
- Add the still frozen cherries and simmer for 5 minutes.
- Discard the cinnamon stick, then ladle half the liquid and cherries into a blender or food processor.
- Add the soured cream and then blend, in batches if needed, until smooth.
- Return the blended liquid to the saucepan and mix well.
- Chill the soup thoroughly, then ladle into shallow bowls so that the whole cherries can be seen and sprinkle with a little ground cinnamon to garnish. Serve with some cherries on stalks, if liked.
Notes & Wine Advice
For peppered strawberry soup, make up the syrup as above with the wine, water, sugar and lemon rind and juice, adding ½ teaspoon crushed coloured peppercorns in place of the cinnamon. Simmer for 5 minutes then add 500 g (1 lb) sliced or halved strawberries depending on their size. Finish the soup as above.
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Chillied melon foam
Chillied melon foam
Ingredients
- 2 ripe Galia melons
- 1 lime freshly squeezed juice
- 1 large mild red chilli deseeded and quartered
- small bunch of coriander plus extra sprigs to garnish
- 300 ml pressed apple juice
- lime wedges to garnish (optional)
Instructions
- Cut the melons in half, scoop out and discard the seeds, then scoop the flesh away from the skin and put it into a blender or food processor with the lime juice, chilli and coriander, torn into pieces. Add half the apple juice and blend until smooth. Gradually mix in the remaining juice until frothy.
- Pour the soup into cups or glass tumblers half filled with ice and serve immediately, garnished with a sprig of coriander and lime wedges if liked, before the foamy texture loses its bubbles.
Notes & Wine Advice
For gingered melon foam, scoop out the flesh from 2 halved, deseeded, charentais melons, then purée with 2 chopped spring onions and 150 ml (¼ pint) low-fat crème fraîche in a blender or food processor. Add 150 ml (¼ pint) ginger beer and purée until frothy. Pour into shallow bowls or back into the empty melon shells to serve.
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Crispy Air Fryer Roast Potatoes
Crispy Air Fryer Roast Potatoes
Perfectly crispy and golden roast potatoes made effortlessly in the air fryer. A delicious and easy side dish for any meal!
Equipment
- Airfreyer
- Aluminum foil (optional)
Ingredients
- 4 medium potatoes
Instructions
- Preheat the air fryer to 200°C (400°F).
- Wrap each potato in aluminum foil.
- Place the potatoes in the air fryer basket.
- Bake for 30 minutes until tender.
- For extra crispiness, unwrap the potatoes and air fry for an additional 5-10 minutes.
Notes & Wine Advice
Serving Tip:
Serve with butter, sour cream, or fresh herbs for extra flavor.
Wine Advice:
Pairs well with a light white wine like Sauvignon Blanc or a dry rosé.
Nutrition values
Calories: 150 kcal | koolhydraten: 34 g | Eiwitten: 4 g | Vet: 0.2 g | Suiker: 1 g