recipes

Apple & celery soup

Apple & celery soup

Portions:6
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Ingredients

  • 25 g butter
  • 1 onion roughly chopped
  • 1 baking potato about 250 g diced
  • 1 cooking apple about 250 g (8 oz), quartered, cored, peeled then diced
  • 1 head of celery base trimmed
  • 750 ml chicken stock or vegetable stock
  • 300 ml milk
  • salt and pepper

Stilton & walnut cream

  • 50 g Stilton rind removed, cheese diced
  • 25 g walnut pieces chopped
  • 6 tablespoons full-fat crème fraîche
  • 2 tablespoons chopped chives or tops of 2 spring onions, chopped

Instructions

  • Heat the butter in a saucepan, add the onion and fry for 5 minutes until just beginning to soften. Stir in the potato and apple, cover and fry gently for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  • Reserve the tiny celery leaves from the centre of the celery for garnish and keep in a bowl of cold water until needed. Thickly slice the rest of the stems and add with the larger leaves to the onion and stir-fry for 2–3 minutes. Pour on the stock then season with salt and pepper and bring to the boil. Cover and simmer for 15 minutes until the celery is soft but still a pale green.
  • Purée the soup in batches in a blender or food processor until smooth. Return to the saucepan, stir in the milk and then reheat. Taste and adjust the seasoning if needed.
  • Stir half the diced cheese and half the walnuts into the crème fraîche, then mix in the chives or spring onion and a little salt and pepper. Ladle the soup into shallow bowls, then spoon the crème fraîche mixture into the centre. Sprinkle with the remaining cheese and nuts and add a little black pepper.

Notes / Tips / Wine Advice:

For apple & parsnip soup, omit the potato and celery adding 625 g (1¼ lb) diced parsnips when frying the apple. Stir in 1½ teaspoons crushed cumin seeds and ½ teaspoon turmeric, then mix in 900 ml (1½ pints) of vegetable or chicken stock and season. Bring to the boil then cover and simmer for 45 minutes. Purée and reheat with the milk. Make the Stilton and crème fraîche mixture as above, adding ½ teaspoon finely chopped red chilli instead of the walnuts.
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Course Fruit / Soup / Vegetables

Spinach bouillabaisse

Spinach bouillabaisse

Portions:6
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Ingredients

  • 1 onion finely chopped
  • 1 fennel bulb diced
  • 400 g potatoes diced
  • 4 garlic cloves finely chopped
  • 3 large pinches of saffron threads
  • 1.8 litres vegetable stock or chicken stock
  • 150 ml dry white wine
  • 125 g baby leaf spinach rinsed and drained
  • 6 eggs
  • salt and pepper

Instructions

  • Heat the oil in a large saucepan (or shallow sauté pan if possible) then add the onion and fry for 5 minutes until just beginning to soften. Add the fennel, reserving any green fronds for later, the potato and the garlic and fry for 5 more minutes, stirring.
  • Mix in the saffron, stock and white wine, then season with salt and pepper and bring to the boil. Cover and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally or until the potatoes are tender.
  • Add the spinach, tearing the larger leaves into pieces and cook for 2–3 minutes until just beginning to wilt. Taste and adjust the seasoning if needed. Scoop out most of the vegetables with a slotted spoon and divide between warmed shallow serving bowls. Add the eggs one at a time to the remaining hot stock, leaving a little space between them and simmer gently for 3–4 minutes until the whites are just set and the yolks are cooked to your liking.
  • Lift the poached eggs out of the soup carefully with a slotted spoon and place on top of the vegetables in the soup bowls. Ladle the stock around the eggs, top with any reserved and snipped green fennel fronds and sprinkle with black pepper. Serve with toasted olive ciabatta bread.

Notes / Tips / Wine Advice:

For creamy spinach & fennel soup, make the soup as above, with 1.2 litres (2 pints) stock and 150 ml (¼ pint) white wine. Purée the soup in batches in a blender or food processor when the spinach has just wilted. Reheat, omit the eggs, and serve topped with spoonfuls of crème fraîche and some fennel or dill fronds.
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Course Fish / Seafood / Soup / Vegetables

Gingered cauliflower soup

Gingered cauliflower soup

Portions:6
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Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon sunflower oil
  • 25 g butter
  • 1 onion roughly chopped
  • 1 cauliflower cut into florets, woody core discarded, about 500 g (1 lb) when prepared
  • 3.5 cm piece of fresh root ginger peeled and finely chopped
  • 900 ml vegetable stock or chicken stock
  • 300 ml milk
  • 150 ml double cream
  • salt and pepper
  • Soy-glazed seeds
  • 1 tablespoon sunflower oil
  • 2 tablespoons sesame seeds
  • 2 tablespoons sunflower seeds
  • 2 tablespoons pumpkin seeds
  • 1 tablespoon soy sauce

Instructions

  • Heat the oil and butter in a saucepan, add the onion and fry for 5 minutes until softened but not coloured. Stir in the cauliflower florets and ginger, then the stock. Season with salt and pepper and bring to the boil. Cover and simmer for 15 minutes until the cauliflower is just tender.
  • Meanwhile, make the glazed seeds by heating the oil in a frying pan, add the seeds and cook for 2–3 minutes, stirring until lightly browned. Add the soy sauce, then quickly cover the pan with a lid until the seeds have stopped popping. Set aside until ready to serve.
  • Purée the cooked soup in batches in a blender or food processor, then pour back into the saucepan and stir in the milk and half the cream. Bring just to the boil, then taste and adjust the seasoning if needed.
  • Ladle the soup into shallow bowls, drizzle over the rest of the cream and sprinkle with some of the glazed seeds, serving the remaining seeds in a small bowl for further sprinkling.

Notes / Tips / Wine Advice:

For creamy cauliflower & cashew soup, heat the oil and butter as above then add the chopped onion and 50 g (2 oz) cashew nuts and fry until the onions are softened and the nuts very lightly coloured. Mix in the cauliflower florets and stock as above, then season with salt, pepper and a little grated nutmeg. Simmer for 15 minutes. Purée and finish with milk and cream as above, ladle into bowls and garnish with 50 g (2 oz) cashew nuts fried in 15 g (½ oz) butter until pale golden, then cooked for 1–2 minutes more with 1 tablespoon honey until golden and caramelized.
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Course Soup

Pumpkin, orange & star anise soup

Pumpkin, orange & star anise soup

Portions:6
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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 / Tips / 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
Holliday Halloween

Cheat’s bouillabaisse

Cheat’s bouillabaisse

Portions:6
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Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 large onion finely chopped
  • 1 leek thinly sliced
  • 2 large pinches of saffron threads
  • 2 garlic cloves finely chopped
  • 500 g plum tomatoes skinned, roughly chopped
  • 150 ml dry white wine
  • 600 ml fish stock
  • 3 thyme stems leaves torn from stems
  • 500 g firm white fish monkfish, hake, haddock or cod, skinned and cubed
  • 400 g frozen mixed seafood defrosted, rinsed with cold water and drained
  • salt and pepper
  • ½ small French bread sliced and toasted

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 / Tips / 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 / Seafood / Soup

Kale soup with garlic croûtons

Kale soup with garlic croûtons

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Ingredients

  • 50 g butter or margarine
  • 1 onion chopped
  • 2 carrots sliced
  • 500 g kale thick stems removed and discarded
  • 1.2 litres water
  • 600 ml vegetable stock
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 300 gpotatoes peeled and sliced
  • pinch of grated nutmeg
  • salt and pepper
  • 2 kale leaves thinly shredded, to garnish

Garlic croûtons

  • 8 slices of white or brown bread crusts removed
  • 8 tablespoons olive oil
  • 3 garlic cloves sliced

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 / Tips / 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

Portions:6
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Ingredients

  • 500 goxtail pieces string removed
  • 1 onion finely chopped
  • 2 carrots diced
  • 2 celery sticks diced
  • 200 g potatoes diced small bunch of mixed herbs
  • 2 litres beef stock
  • 450 ml strong ale
  • 2 teaspoons English mustard
  • 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 tablespoon tomato purée
  • 410 g can butter beans drained
  • salt and pepper
  • chopped parsley to garnish

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 / Tips / 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

Portions:6
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Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 onion roughly chopped
  • 1 butternut squash about
  • 750 g halved deseeded, peeled and cut into chunks
  • 2 garlic cloves finely chopped
  • 2 large fresh sage sprigs
  • 1 litre chicken stock or vegetable stock
  • 65 g Parmesan rinds
  • salt and pepper

To finish

  • oil for deep frying
  • small bunch of sage
  • grated Parmesan cheese

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 / Tips / 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
Holliday Halloween

Beer broth with mini meatballs

Beer broth with mini meatballs

Portions:6
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Ingredients

  • 1 onion chopped
  • 200 g potato diced
  • 125 g swede or parsnip diced
  • 1 carrot diced
  • 2 to matoes skinned if liked, roughly chopped
  • ½ lemon sliced
  • 900 ml beef stock
  • 450 ml can lager
  • ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • ¼ teaspoon grated nutmeg
  • 100 g green cabbage finely shredded
  • salt and pepper
  • Meatballs
  • 250 g extra-lean minced beef
  • 40 g long-grain rice
  • 3 tablespoons chopped parsley plus extra to garnish
  • ¼ teaspoon grated nutmeg

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 / Tips / 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

Portions:6
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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

  • 1 teaspoon cumin seeds roughly crushed
  • 1 teaspoon coriander seeds roughly crushed
  • 2 garlic cloves finely chopped
  • 75 g butter small bunch of coriander

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 / Tips / 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