Day: 10 October 2018

Courgette and tomato soup

I got this recipe from Lindsay Bareham’s book, ‘A Celebration of Soup‘ – which is a classic.

INGREDIENTS:

  • 3 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 onions, sliced
  • 225g courgettes, diced
  • 450g tomatoes, peeled and chopped
  • 2 small potatoes, peeled, diced and rinsed
  • 1.1L boiling water
  • 100g broad beans
  • 40g pasta (small pasta, broken pasta)
  • salt and pepper
  • 3 cloves of garlic
  • basil leaves
  • 2 egg yolks
  • 2 tbsp grated parmesan
  • 1 tbsp chopped flat-leaved parsley

METHOD:

  • Heat the olive oil and gently cook the sliced onions, so that they get very soft, 10 to 15 minutes.
  • Add the diced courgettes, and cook gently for another 10 minutes.
  • Meanwhile, peel and chop all but 2 of the tomatoes, and soften with the other ingredients in the pot.
  • Once the tomatoes have cooked in, add the diced potato and hot water, and bring to the boil. Simmer for 10 minutes.
  • Add the beans and the pasta, and the seasoning.
  • While all of this is going on, grill the reserved tomatoes, skin them and remove the seeds.
  • In a mortar, pulverise the garlic, adding the tomatoes, basil and then the egg yolks, to make a smooth paste like mayonnaise.
  • When the pasta is cooked, take a ladleful of soup, and beat it into the egg mixture, then pour this back into the soup pan, stirring all the time.
  • Just before serving, stir in the parmesan, and garnish with chopped parsley.

Broccoli and cheese soup

Still in catch-up mode – 10 years of recipes to put back onto the site. This is an oldie and a goodie. It can be made using cooked brussel sprouts as well. The cheese thickens the soup and makes it so smooth.

INGREDIENTS:

  • 25g butter
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • Sprig of tarragon, chopped
  • 2 large potatoes, peeled and grated
  • Salt and pepper
  • 1.75 litres of stock
  • 700g broccoli, cooked
  • 175g grated cheese, cheddar or similar
  • 1 tbsp chopped parsley (could substitute chive flowers, or other herb garnish)

METHOD:

  • Melt the butter and fry the onion until soft, 5 minutes at least
  • Add the tarragon, potatoes, salt and pepper, mix and add enough stock to cover the ingredients.
  • Bring to the boil and then simmer for 10 minutes.
  • Add the cooked broccoli and the rest of the stock. Bring the soup back to the boil, and then use a soup blender to liquidise, until it is completely smooth.
  • Stir in the grated cheese and herbs, and heat through without boiling, before serving.

Cod, Chorizo and Sherry

MMMM

INGREDIENTS:

  • Olive Oil
  • 1 onion, sliced
  • 1 red pepper, sliced
  • 1 clove of garlic, sliced
  • 1 chorizo ring, thinly sliced
  • 150ml dry sherry, such as Tio Pepe
  • 1 tsp smoked paprika
  • 1 can butter beans
  • 4 fillets of cod
  • 1 can of chopped organic tomatos
  • Chopped parsley

METHOD:

  • Heat the oil, and fry the onion on a medium heat until soft, then add the peppers for another couple of minutes
  • When the pepper is softening, add the garlic, then the chorizo (effectively, chop the onions, and fry, chop the peppers while the onion is frying, prepare the garlic while the pepper is frying, chop the chorizo while the garlic is frying.)
  • After a couple of minutes, add the paprika and allow the flavours to mingle.
  • Pour the sherry over the hot mixture, and let it bubble, then add the tomatos and butter beans.
  • Bring to a simmer then add the cod fillets, and season.
  • After 5 minutes or so, when the cod seems nearly done, take of the heat, add the parsley and serve with fresh crusty bread.