Soup
« Older EntriesTom yum chicken soup
Wednesday, March 21st, 2012
Ingredients
1 litres water
4 tbsp tom yum paste
1 red peppers, thinly sliced
4 baby courgettes, thinly sliced
3 spring onions, diagonally sliced
1 boneless chicken breasts
2 tbsp fish sauce
1 limes, juice
1 small bunch of coriander, roughly chopped
Method
1. Place the water in a large saucepan and bring to the boil. Add the tom yum paste and whisk to combine. Stir in the red pepper, courgettes and spring onion.
2. Return the soup to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for three minutes. Add the chicken and simmer for a further three minutes.
3. Stir in the fish sauce and lime juice and simmer for 3-4 minutes longer, until the chicken is cooked through. Serve immediately, sprinkled with coriander leaves.
Tags: chicken, coriander, courgette, fish sauce, lime juice, red pepper, spring onion, tom yum paste
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Tom kha gai (Thai coconut soup)
Tuesday, March 20th, 2012
Ingredients
400 ml coconut milk
400 ml chicken stock
3 small shallots, finely sliced
3 sticks lemongrass, brown ends trimmed
5 coriander roots, (see Cook’s note)
4 cm galangal, peeled and sliced (see Cook’s note)
7-8 Thai bird’s eye chillies
4-5 fresh lime leaves, (see Cook’s note)
1 tbsp palm sugar, (see Cook’s note) or soft light brown sugar
1 skinless chicken breast, cut into 1cm-thick slices
100 g chanterelle mushrooms, or other wild or button mushrooms
5 baby sweetcorn
1-2 tsp fish sauce, or to taste
1 lime, juice only, or to taste
small handful coriander leaves
Method
1. Pour the coconut milk and chicken stock into a saucepan, place over a medium-high heat and bring to a simmer.
2. Tip the shallots, lemongrass, coriander roots, galangal and chilies into a pestle and mortar and bash a few times to bruise the ingredients. Add these to the pan, along with the lime leaves, and bring back to a simmer.
3. Stir in half the palm sugar and taste. Continue adding the rest of the palm sugar until the soup tastes slightly sweet.
4. Tip in the chicken, chanterelles and corn and simmer for 5 minutes or until the chicken is opaque and cooked through.
5. Add some of the fish sauce and lime juice and taste again. Add more palm sugar, fish sauce and lime juice until you have an even balance of sweet, salty and sour.
6. Ladle the soup into warm serving bowls and scatter over the fresh coriander leaves.
Tags: baby sweetcorn, chicken, chilli, coconut milk, coriander, fish sauce, galangal, kaffir lime leaves, lemongrass, mushrooms, shallot
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Pumpkin Soup
Monday, October 17th, 2011
Ingredients
4 tbsp olive oil
2 onions , finely chopped
1kg pumpkins, peeled, deseeded and chopped into chunks
700ml vegetable stock or chicken stock
142ml pot double cream
4 slices wholemeal seeded bread
handful pumpkin seed
Method
1. Heat half the olive oil in a large saucepan, then gently cook the onions for 5 mins, until soft but not coloured. Add the pumpkin or squash to the pan, then carry on cooking for 8-10 mins, stirring occasionally until it starts to soften and turn golden.
2. Pour the stock into the pan, then season with salt and pepper. Bring to the boil, then simmer for 10 mins until the squash is very soft. Pour the cream into the pan, bring back to the boil, then purée with a hand blender. For an extra-velvety consistency you can now push the soup through a fine sieve into another pan. The soup can now be frozen for up to 2 months.
3. While the soup is cooking, slice the crusts from the bread, then cut the bread into small croutons. Heat the remaining olive oil in a frying pan, then fry the bread until it starts to become crisp. Add the seeds to the pan, then cook for a few mins more until they are toasted. These can be made a day ahead and stored in an airtight container. Reheat the soup if needed, taste for seasoning, then serve scattered with croutons and seeds and drizzled with more olive oil, if you want.
Tags: onion, pumpkin
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French Onion Soup
Sunday, October 16th, 2011
by Lee Wyatt (last updated February 1, 2010)
Have you ever noticed how quickly the news of a good French onion soup gets around? This is because of the common misconception of how difficult it is to make this kind of soup. In actuality, this type of soup is extremely easy to make. Usually there is only one difficulty that a chef can expect to face when making this soup, and that is figuring out a way to deal with watery eyes when cutting the onions. If are interested in a great tasting soup, and an easy way to impress friends and family, then use this recipe.
Ingredients:
- 1/4 cup butter
- 4 large onions (red, white, and sweet), thinly sliced
- 1 teaspoon white sugar
- 1 tablespoon flour
- 2 1/2 cups water
- 1/2 cup red wine (optional, can be replaced with an additional 1/4 cup water and 1/4 cup beef broth.
- 2 cans condensed beef broth (10 1/2 ounce cans)
- 1 dried baguette (optional)
- 8 ounces sliced cheese (Swiss, Gruyere, or Provolone)
Recipe:
- Melt. Begin making your French onion soup by melting some butter, and stirring in the sugar. You will want to use a four quart sauce pan so that you have plenty of space to be able to cook everything. After you have melted the butter and sugar, go ahead and begin to saute the onions. Continue to cook the onions until they have reached a golden brown color.
- Preheat. After you have sauted the onions, begin preheating your oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. This will allow enough time for your oven to come fully to temperature before you need it in your final step.
- Blend. Once you have started to preheat your oven, it is time to begin blending the remaining ingredients. Start by adding the flour to the onions, butter, and sugar. Slowly add the broth, water, and wine (if you are using it). Continue stirring as you add the liquid ingredients, and keep stirring until the mixture begins to boil. After boiling, reduce heat to a low simmer, and cover the soup. Allow everything to simmer for 15 minutes.
- Dish it up. Once you have allowed the soup to simmer, begin to dish it up. Place some of the soup into four baking bowls and then top with a baguette and some cheese.
- Bake. Place the bowls into the oven, and allow it to bake until the cheese has melted, or for 10 minutes.
Once you have baked the soup, remove it from the oven and serve. This recipe will serve four people with each serving being no more than 12 ounces.
Tags: onion
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Spring Minestrone
Tuesday, May 10th, 2011
Ingredients
• 6 heaped tablespoons fresh pesto
• 1.5 litres good chicken, ham or vegetable stock
• 1 bulb of fennel
• 100g fine asparagus
• 2 Romanesco cauliflowers or 1 large cauliflower
• 6 baby courgettes
• 6 plum tomatoes
• extra virgin olive oil
• 2 cloves of garlic, finely sliced
• 1 bunch of spring onions, finely chopped
100g green beans, finely sliced
• 100g yellow beans, finely sliced
• 100g peas, podded
• 100g broad beans, podded
• 100g spaghetti, broken-up
• sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 small handful of fresh green or purple basil
• 1 small handful of fresh chives
Method
There’s a whole world of minestrones out there – most of which follow very strict, authentic recipes. Personally, I feel that a minestrone should always reflect the seasons: more cabbagy, frumpy ones in the winter and lighter, more colourful ones in the spring and summer. A minestrone can also be a whole meal if you want it to be, with pasta, stale bread or rice to bulk it out. To complement the spring vegetables, I’ve put a bit of a Genoese twist on it, with a spoon of fresh pesto added at the last minute, so the flavours explode in your mouth. Give it a bash.First, if you’re going to make pesto do it now. Bring a pot of stock to the boil. Then you need to get all the vegetables prepared and put to one side. The fennel has to be halved, sliced and finely chopped, the asparagus needs to have the woody ends removed, the stalks finely sliced and the tips left whole, the cauliflowers need to be divided into small florets, the courgettes need to be quartered lengthways and finely chopped and finally the tomatoes need to be blanched. Cut them in half, remove the pips and finely slice. Now you’re ready to rock and roll.In a casserole-type pan (quite wide but not very deep) put 5 tablespoons of olive oil and heat the pan on a medium heat. Add the garlic, spring onions and fennel and gently fry without colouring at all for about 15 minutes. Then add the rest of your prepared vegetables, the pasta and your boiling stock. Bring to the boil, simmer for about 10 minutes, season, and serve in big bowls with a dollop of fresh pesto in the middle, a sprinkling of chopped basil and chives, and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.Try this: As you can see, the idea of this soup is to celebrate all the vegetables that are available at the time, so feel free to modify the soup and make it your own.And this: A good way to break up your spaghetti is to wrap it in a tea towel and then run it over the edge of your work surface.Did you know? The fact that everything is finely chopped means that the cooking time is very quick and the soup remains light and fresh.• from Jamie’s Kitchen There’s a whole world of minestrones out there – most of which follow very strict, authentic recipes. Personally, I feel that a minestrone should always reflect the seasons: more cabbagy, frumpy ones in the winter and lighter, more colourful ones in the spring and summer. A minestrone can also be a whole meal if you want it to be, with pasta, stale bread or rice to bulk it out. To complement the spring vegetables, I’ve put a bit of a Genoese twist on it, with a spoon of fresh pesto added at the last minute, so the flavours explode in your mouth. Give it a bash.
First, if you’re going to make pesto do it now. Bring a pot of stock to the boil. Then you need to get all the vegetables prepared and put to one side. The fennel has to be halved, sliced and finely chopped, the asparagus needs to have the woody ends removed, the stalks finely sliced and the tips left whole, the cauliflowers need to be divided into small florets, the courgettes need to be quartered lengthways and finely chopped and finally the tomatoes need to be blanched. Cut them in half, remove the pips and finely slice. Now you’re ready to rock and roll.
In a casserole-type pan (quite wide but not very deep) put 5 tablespoons of olive oil and heat the pan on a medium heat. Add the garlic, spring onions and fennel and gently fry without colouring at all for about 15 minutes. Then add the rest of your prepared vegetables, the pasta and your boiling stock. Bring to the boil, simmer for about 10 minutes, season, and serve in big bowls with a dollop of fresh pesto in the middle, a sprinkling of chopped basil and chives, and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.
Try this: As you can see, the idea of this soup is to celebrate all the vegetables that are available at the time, so feel free to modify the soup and make it your own.
And this: A good way to break up your spaghetti is to wrap it in a tea towel and then run it over the edge of your work surface.
Did you know? The fact that everything is finely chopped means that the cooking time is very quick and the soup remains light and fresh.
Tags: asparagus, basil, broad beans, cauliflower, chives, courgette, fennel, garlic, green beans, peas, pesto, plum tomatoes, spaghetti, spring onions, yellow beans
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Creamy asparagus soup with a poached egg on toast
Tuesday, May 10th, 2011
Ingredients
• 800g asparagus, woody ends removed
olive oil
• 2 medium white onions, peeled and chopped
• 2 sticks of celery, trimmed and copped
• 2 leeks, trimmed and chopped
• 2 litres good-quality chicken or vegetable stock, preferably organic
• sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 10 small very fresh free-range or organic eggs
• 8 slices of ciabatta bread
• a knob of butter
• extra virgin olive oil
Method
A fantastically simple asparagus soup, pureéd till it’s silky smooth, is always a winner. Delicious eaten hot (or cold on really hot days with the help of a little lemon juice). The poached egg on toast makes it for me, but of course you don’t have to serve the soup with them. I usually poach a couple more eggs than I need in case of breakages in the pan! I’ve made this for eight, but feel free to halve quantities or freeze soup leftovers.Chop the tips off your asparagus and put these to one side for later. Roughly chop the asparagus stalks. Get a large, deep pan on the heat and add a good lug of olive oil. Gently fry the onions, celery and leeks for around 10 minutes, until soft and sweet, without colouring. Add the chopped asparagus stalks and stock and simmer for 20 minutes with a lid on. Remove from the heat and blitz with a hand-held blender or in a liquidizer. Season the soup bit by bit (this is important) with salt and pepper until just right. Put the soup back on the heat, stir in the asparagus tips, bring back to the boil and simmer for a few more minutes until the tips have softened.Just before I’m ready to serve the soup, I get a wide casserole-type pan on the heat with 8 to 10cm of boiling water. Using really fresh eggs, I very quickly crack all 10 into the water. Don’t worry about poaching so many at the same time. They don’t have to look perfect. A couple of minutes and they’ll be done, as you want them to be a bit runny. Toast your ciabatta slices. Using a slotted spoon, remove all the poached eggs to a plate and add a knob of butter to them. To serve, divide the soup between eight warmed bowls and place a piece of toast into each. Put a poached egg on top, cut into it to make it runny, season and drizzle with extra virgin olive oil.
• from Jamie at Home A fantastically simple asparagus soup, pureéd till it’s silky smooth, is always a winner. Delicious eaten hot (or cold on really hot days with the help of a little lemon juice). The poached egg on toast makes it for me, but of course you don’t have to serve the soup with them. I usually poach a couple more eggs than I need in case of breakages in the pan! I’ve made this for eight, but feel free to halve quantities or freeze soup leftovers.
Chop the tips off your asparagus and put these to one side for later. Roughly chop the asparagus stalks. Get a large, deep pan on the heat and add a good lug of olive oil. Gently fry the onions, celery and leeks for around 10 minutes, until soft and sweet, without colouring. Add the chopped asparagus stalks and stock and simmer for 20 minutes with a lid on. Remove from the heat and blitz with a hand-held blender or in a liquidizer. Season the soup bit by bit (this is important) with salt and pepper until just right. Put the soup back on the heat, stir in the asparagus tips, bring back to the boil and simmer for a few more minutes until the tips have softened.
Just before I’m ready to serve the soup, I get a wide casserole-type pan on the heat with 8 to 10cm of boiling water. Using really fresh eggs, I very quickly crack all 10 into the water. Don’t worry about poaching so many at the same time. They don’t have to look perfect. A couple of minutes and they’ll be done, as you want them to be a bit runny. Toast your ciabatta slices. Using a slotted spoon, remove all the poached eggs to a plate and add a knob of butter to them. To serve, divide the soup between eight warmed bowls and place a piece of toast into each. Put a poached egg on top, cut into it to make it runny, season and drizzle with extra virgin olive oil.
Tags: asparagus, celery, leeks, onions
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Pea, pancetta & mint soup
Tuesday, May 10th, 2011
Ingredients
* 1 x 70g pack cubetti di pancetta
* 1 medium potato , peeled and chopped
* 500ml chicken stock
* 250ml frozen peas
* ½ small bunch mint , chopped
* crusty bread , to serve
Method
1. Fry the pancetta in a non-stick pan (no need for fat, as it will cook in its own). When it is crisp and browned, scoop out a little to garnish the soup then add the potato and chicken stock to the rest and simmer until potato is completely soft. Add the peas and simmer for 3 minutes, then add the mint.
2. Whizz everything together with a stick blender or in a food processor until smooth. Serve with the extra pancetta sprinkled on top and some crusty bread.
Tags: mint, pancetta, peas, potato
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Carrot & cumin soup with fresh coriander
Thursday, March 10th, 2011
Ingredients
* 1 onion , chopped
* olive oil
* 1 tsp cumin seeds , toasted
* small pinch chilli flakes or powder
* 2 tsp soft brown sugar
* 400ml chicken or vegetable stock
* 1 bunch coriander , chopped
* low-fat crème fraîche (optional)
* 6 medium carrots , peeled and chopped
Method
1. Fry the onion in a little oil until it softens. Add the cumin and chilli and cook for a minute then add the carrot, sugar and stock and bring to a simmer. Cook for 10 minutes or until the carrot is very soft, then whizz in a blender. Add some more stock or water if the soup is too thick and reheat if you need to. Stir through the coriander, season well. Add a spoonful of crème fraîche to each bowl to serve, if you like.
Tags: brown sugar, carrots, chilli flakes, coriander, cumin seeds, onion
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Kale & chorizo broth
Tuesday, February 22nd, 2011
Ingredients
* 3 tbsp olive oil
* 2 onions , finely chopped
* 4 garlic cloves , crushed
* 2-3 cooking chorizo sausages, sliced
* 4 large potatoes
* 1½ l chicken stock
* 200g curly kale , finely shredded
Method
1. Heat 2 tbsp of the oil in a large saucepan. Add the onions, garlic and chorizo, then cook for 5 mins until soft. Throw in the potatoes and cook for a few mins more. Pour in the stock, season and bring to the boil. Cook everything for 10 mins until the potatoes are on the brink of collapse.
2. Use a masher to squash the potatoes into the soup, then bring back to the boil. Add the kale and cook for 5 mins until tender. Ladle the soup into bowls, then serve drizzled with the remaining olive oil.
Health benefits
Kale is an excellent source of anti-cancer compounds. It is rich in immune-supporting nutrients, such as beta-carotene and vitamin C, which help to maintain a healthy skin and respiratory system, and can also minimise the duration of a cold.
Cooking kale
Slowly cooking shredded kale with olive oil and garlic and serving as a vegetable side dish, instead of spinach.
Tags: curly kale, garlic, onion, potatoes
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Leek, bacon & potato soup
Tuesday, February 22nd, 2011
Ingredients
* 25g butter
* 3 rashers streaky bacon , chopped
* 1 onion , chopped
* 400g pack trimmed leeks , sliced and well washed
* 3 medium potatoes , peeled and diced
* 1.4l hot vegetable stock
* 142ml pot single cream
* 4 rashers streaky bacon , to serve
Method
1. Melt the butter in a large pan, then fry the bacon and onion, stirring until they start to turn golden. Tip in the leeks and potatoes, stir well, then cover and turn down the heat. Cook gently for 5 mins, shaking the pan every now and then to make sure that the mixture doesn’t catch.
2. Pour in the stock, season well and bring to the boil. Cover and simmer for 20 mins until the vegetables are soft. Leave to cool for a few mins, then blend in a food processor in batches until smooth. Return to the pan, pour in the cream and stir well. Taste and season if necessary. Serve scattered with tasty crisp bacon and eat with toasted or warm crusty bread on the side.
Storing
This soup will keep in the fridge for a couple of days, but if you want to freeze it, don’t add the cream until you reheat it.
Tags: leeks, onion, potatoes, streaky bacon
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