Posts tagged soup

Chilled Iranian Pistachio and Cucumber Soup

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Chilled Iranian Pistachio and Cucumber Soup

Jess - Iranian pistachio soup

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ne of my favourite restaurants in London is Dock Kitchen by Stevie Parle. The style, flavours and creations resonate with my own using the best ingredients and sticking a finger up to the gadgets and modern methods that have infiltrated our restaurants recently. With no particular genre as such Stevie’s style seems to be a collaboration of inspiration from various adventures and culinary travels but with a lean towards middle Eastern in places. With a rather eclectic style myself I was delighted to know that it was the venue for our office Summer party last year. With a tempting menu of absolutely mouth watering courses that would sit wholeheartedly at my dinner table on cloud nine I was excited initially to try the much talked about ‘Lamb biryani with black cumin, coriander and almonds which was baked with love and warmth in an earthy clay pot and sealed protectively with a dough lid. With what could have been a miniature chisel, it gets delivered with elegance and flecked with gold leaf to the hungry guests and forcefully cracked open revealing succulent chunks of tender lab, rice and aromats.  Shamefully amongst the starters of fattoush, labneh and chicken livers, this dreamy main and the simple sweets I didn’t even give this pistachio dish a second glance.

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t was delivered to the now raucous and wine lubricated guesses as a humble ‘palate’ cleanser pre-main event. I’ll admit, it didn’t ever really stand a chance grabbing our attention as the scent of lamb trickled under our hungry noses but its vibrant colour oozing freshness, greenery and curiosity caught my attention on first sight and even more so on taste.

I’m not your biggest gazpacho eater or one for cucumber in anything but salads and Pimms but after just a vary mouthful of this chilled, textured and complex soup I was dying to know how it was made. It instantly placed itself royally on my to cook list and after searching for a mimic recipe I was delighted to find one and be enlightened into the ingredients. Again, shamefully over half a year later I finally gathered the short list of simple ingredients and concocteed this treat for lunch on a Spring sunny lunch.

Complex, intriguing and all so moreish it is one to try for a taste of Stevie’s culinary brain from your own home. I’m certainly due another visit not only for their chicken livers in seven spice and pomegranate molasses that is still on my ‘To cook’ list slightly below this Iranian soup but for their dynamically changing menu. It is an ideal location on a summers day when you can enjoy their gorgeous roof terrace with a glass of something chilled and ideally effervescent in your favourite sunglasses that have been in hibernation for far too long.

Serves 4

  • 75g fresh green pistachios
  • 75g blanched almonds
  • 1 garlic clove
  • 1 cucumber, roughly chopped
  • 100g red grapes
  • Bunch mint, leaves picked
  • Sprig dill
  • 1 tsp rosewater
  • Juice 1/2 lemon
  • Salt and pepper
  • Rose petals to serve
  1. Place the nuts and garlic in a food processor and blend until a fine powder.
  2. Add a splash of water and blend again
  3. Next, add most of the grapes, saving some for garnish, the cucumber, the mint and the dillJess - Iranian pistachio soup3
  4. Blend well.
  5. Next add a drop of the rose water (its powerful for add a little to begin, taste and add more if needed. It should be a subtle flavour, not there to make this soup taste like soap)
  6. Add the lemon juice and season to taste and blend again.
  7. Now add enough water to dilute the consistency to that of a thick soup.
  8. Serve with sliced grapes and rose petals and any chopped pistachios if you wish.

Jess - Iranian pistachio soup2

 

Celery Soup

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Celery Soup

 

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I first saw this recipe on a recent cookery show. ‘Which show?’ you might be wondering in bemusement because to me it feels as if television has become hostage to culinary ‘entertainment’ over the past year or so. And as a foodie I’ve ironically become frustrated and uninterested in them. We’re getting mixed messages about how cooking can be express-train fast (Jamie ahem…) using (expensive) pre-bought and usually additive laden ingredients. In utter confliction we’re being patronisingly taught that we can all cook to a budget if we spend a little more time in the kitchen and buy sensibly. As if this wasn’t a mixed enough message chefs are instructing us to be eating healthily and avoiding manufactured pre bought goods! And finally at the end of all these mantras we’re smacked round the face with a diabetes inducing screenful of cake and butter and ‘comfort food’? Rant over, this is one of the reasons I’ve avoided foodie programmes. However, like I said, I recently caught an episode of Tom Kerridge trying his hand at TV chef (cringe….sorry Tom). I’ve always admired his honest hearty cooking but when I saw a soup made of celery and his trimmed down physic I did wonder if he’d fallen off the foodie wagon. But don’t panic! Tom doesn’t let you down on sustenance….trust his gusty recipe and you’ll be pleasantly surprised. Light and delicate in flavour but a wonderfully filling and satisfying soup it makes a change from the usual suspects…

Serves 4

  • 1 sliced onion
  • 2 grated garlic cloves
  • 1 tbsp rapeseed oil
  • 1 small potato, diced
  • 1 litre hot chicken stock
  • 1kg celery, chopped (leaves reserved for garnish)
  • Bunch chives or flatleaf parsley
  • About 4 tbsp mascarpone cream
  1. Start by heating the rapeseed oil in a heavy based saucepan. When hot soften the onion for 5-10 minutes until translucent. Add the garlic and cook for a further few minutes.
  2. Add the diced potato and cool for 3-4 minutes to soften. Then add the hot stock and bring to the boil. Simmer gently for about 8 minutes or so until the potato is soft.
  3. Add the celery and continue to simmer for a further 5 minutes of so until soft.
  4. Using a hand blender, puree the soup until smooth and velvety. Add the mascarpone and the herbs and plenty of seasoning to taste.
  5. Blend again and serve, topped with a little rapeseed oil and a scattering of extra chives/parsley and some celery leaves.

Chilli Corn Soup

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Chilli Corn Soup

I’ve been creating a lot of soup recipes recently. Its such a fantastic way of getting your greens and vegetable into your diet. And with the chilly weather recently, I’ve found myself lunching on soup nearly everyday! So some variation was in order. I churn out the same old soups, for ease, taste and price. But with a little thinking time I’ve tried to come up with some more original ideas to keep lunch times more interesting.

Like my quick pea and mint soup this is another super speedy soup that can be made in about 15minutes. Its so full of flavour and punch for such a quick recipe! While served simply as it is its great for a quick or light lunch it can be bulked up by adding some raw king prawns while you heat it through or with more chunks of hot fried chorizo for more of a hearty chowder style. I’ve also been known to crush a handful of cheese laden nachos on top too….and on the side….and errr….as a second course on those chilly nights. Its improtant to keep warm you know.

(This is a chunkier and spicier sweetcorn soup to the velvety creamed corn soup version here)

Serves 4

  • 4 spring onions, chopped including green tops
  • 1 large garlic clove
  • 1 red chilli – as hot as you can handle
  • 1 tsp chilli flakes
  • 2 cans sweetcorn (net drained weight about 520g or the same weight in frozen corn)
  • About 500ml hot stock
  • 1 lime, zest and juice
  • Large bunch chopped coriander, stems reserved
  • To serve – Lime yoghurt, soured cream fried chorizo, prawns etc
  1. Heat a splash of oil in a sauce pan. Fry the spring onion lightly until softened then add the garlic and chilli and fry for a few minutes.
  2. Add the sweetcorn to the pan along with the chilliflakes and coriander stems and turn up the heat.
  3. Add just enough stock to cover the corn so there is enough for it to simmer in the liquid. Bring to the boil and simmer gently for about 5 minutes.
  4. Blend with a hand blender adding as much stock as you need to obtain the consistency you want. Grates in the zest of the lime and squeeze in the juice. Add the coriander and blend again.
  5. Serve topped with e.g. fried chorizo, fried prawns, lime yoghurt a drop of chilli oil OR…. all of the above!

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Pea and Ham Soup, Parmesan Croutons

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Bit of a belated recipe post for a festive Christmas soup to use up those leftovers and freshen the taste buds after an indulgent feast! Apologies if the posts have been a little thin on the ground recently. I haven’t stopped eating or reverted to a juice only January diet that some of my friends (sorry acquaintances) have been doing (!?). I also haven’t stopped cooking….or taking photos! Far from it. But the combination of a broken laptop and a delicious adventure to Paris over New Year stole my attention temporarily.

I’m no killjoy so don’t worry, the health benefits of the peas in this recipe can be couteracted slightly if you’ve invested some well worth time into cooking a delicious succulent sugar glazed ham and have any straggling leftovers to pop in. Simialry this can be countereacted with some cheese saturated paremsan croutons. Alternatively continue the alcohol themed festivities and serve with a delicious door-stop wedge of my served ’Boy Beer Bread’ slathered with salted butter.

Pea, Mint and Ham Soup

Serves 4

  • 550g frozen peas (50g reserved)
  • 750ml hot stock
  • 1 onion, chopped finely
  • 1 large clove garlic, diced
  • 1 large knob butter
  • Small handful thyme, leaves stripped
  • Handful fresh mint
  • Large handful of leftover shredded or chopped ham or ham hock
  • Serve with parmesan croutons below of butter slathered bread. E.g. a wedge of my ’Boy Beer Bread’
  1. Heat the butter with a splash of oil in a large saucepan until beginning to sizzle.
  2. Slowly cook and soften the onion for about 8-10 minutes until soft and translucent.
  3. Add the garlic and thyme and cook for a few more minutes.
  4. Next, turn up the heat and add the peas and mix. Add 600ml of the hot stock and half the mint leaves
  5. Bring to the boil and simmer for about 8 minutes.
  6. After this time remove from the heat and blend with a stick blender. Add more stock if you want it thinner, this with vary on how you like you’re soup.
  7. Chop the reminaing mint leaves and then add to soup and blend again.
  8. Return the soup to the hob and add the reserved whole peas and stir in the ham.
  9. Heat through for a few minutes then enjoy!

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Parmesan Croutons

  • 250g stale bread, cut or ripped into large croutons
  • 4 large dessertspoons of grated parmesan
  • About 4 tbsp olive oil
  1. Preheat the oven to 180°C.
  2. Douse the bread in the olive oil in a large baking tray. Cover with the parmesan and mix. Roast in the oven for about 10 minutes until golden and crispy.

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Thai Coquina Squash Soup

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Thai Coquina Squash Soup

 

You don’t have to use a Coquine squash here – butternut or any other meaty variety will do- but the animated colour was just so bright and vibrant to resist. The sun was finally glowing today to mark the 1st March (already! where has time gone?) so it seemed appropriate to reflect this.

This soup is like a bowl of spicy chilli flecked lava with wonderful flavours. Butternut squash is the king of soup ingredients I think as it creates such a wonderful silky texture. Feel free to use half stock and half coconut milk here for a deeper coconut flavour and an even creamier texture. I didn’t purely as I didn’t have enough to hand.

NOTE: For both garnish and if using in addition to stock, use a thick good quality coconut milk. The cheap varieties in the ethnic sections of many supermarkets are always better value and are thicker and creamier.

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Serves 4

  • 1 large squash
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 1 large clove garlic, finely chopped
  • 1 red chilli (medium hot or half a hot one…depends on taste), chopped
  • 3-4cm piece ginger, grated
  • 1 tbsp black mustard seeds
  • 1 fresh Kaffir lime leaf
  • 700ml hot chicken stock
  • 1 lime
  • Bunch coriander
  • Coconut milk (to garnish or use 350ml stock and 350ml coconut milk. and half coconut milk for a creamier soup)
  • 2 tbsp desiccated coconut
  1. Heat a splash of oil in a saucepan and gently soften the onion for about 5 minutes.
  2. Once soft, add the garlic, ginger, chilli and mustard seeds and fry for a few more minutes until the flavours have combined.
  3. Meanwhile, peel and deseed the squash reserving the seeds. Chop into chunks and add to the pan and combine with the onion mix.
  4. Add the stock (if you like you can use half stock half coconut milk) and the lime leaf and some seasoning and bring to the boil. Simmer for about 15minutes until the squash is soft.
  5. Remove from the heat and discard the lime leaf. Blend until fine and smooth with a hand blender. Add the juice from the lime and all but a handful of coriander and bend again.Taste to check the seasoning and keep warm.
  6. Heat a frying pan until hot. Remove any pith from the reserved seeds and fry in a tsp of oil for a few minutes. Add the desiccated coconut and fry until toasted. Remove from the heat.image
  7. To serve, fill warm soup bowls with the soup, drizzle with some coconut milk and garnish with the toasted seeds and extra coriander.

I served mine with some warm charred flatbreads (see here) spiked with Nigella seeds and smothered in butter.

Spice Roasted Sweet Potato Soup, Lime-cardamon Yoghurt, Coconut Flatbread

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Spice Roasted Sweet Potato Soup, Lime-cardamon Yoghurt, Coconut Flatbread

 

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Some relaxing blogging always starts the weekend off well. After a long week, it was nice to slow down and take my time over lunch instead of dashing home from work and being caped in my apron and up to my eyes in ingredients before I could even take off my coat! I love to constantly use different flavours and it really is the easiest thing to inspire a standard recipe by adding a few flavourful touches. If you haven’t got a stocked pantry of store cupboard ingredients then I highly recommend investing in a few essentials to be at hand and add to your cooking (see here). My store cupboard is by no means complete…storage space and budget don’t allow my dream pantry so for now I stick to the most useful ingredients.

This warming soup is smooth, creamy and cinnamon scented. Sweet potatoes have natural sweetness which goes really well with cinnamon and ingredients like maple syrup so the lime and cardamon yoghurt is a lovely fresh addition to top it off. Coconut flatbreads (just because) are heavenly.

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Serves 4

Soup

  • 800g sweet potato, peeled, chopped into chunks
  • 2-3 garlic cloves
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1 tsp cumin seeds
  • 1 onion, chopped finely
  • 2 pints of good, hot chicken or vegetable stock

Lime Cardamon Yoghurt

  • 150g plain natural yoghurt
  • ½ lime – zest and juice
  • Few mint/coriander leaves
  • 3-4 cardamon pods

Coconut Flatbreads

  • 15g dessicated coconut
  • 75-80ml coconut milk/water
  • 125g flour
  • Salt and pepper
  1. Preheat the oven to 200°C. Peel and chop you sweet potatoes into chunky pieces and add to a large roasting tray. Throw in your garlic cloves, whole and unpeeled.
  2. Drizzle with a couple of generous tablespoons of olive oil or sunflower oil and scatter over the cumin seeds, cinnamon and some generous seasoning. Mix until coated in the spices and roast for 30 minutes. Toss half way through cooking.
  3. Meanwhile, sweat and soften the onion in a little oil in a saucepan over the hob and prepare your stock.
  4. Make the flatbreads by combining the flour, seasoning and coconut in a large bowl. Add in your liquid and mix with a fork until combined. Bring together to form a smooth dough, adding a little more liquid if needed. Knead for a few minutes and then set aside to rest.
  5. For the yoghurt, combine in a bowl with the lime juice, zest, finely chopped mint and some salt and pepper. Bash the cardamon pods to remove the seeds inside. Grind these as fine as you can in a pestle and mortar and add to the yoghurt. Stir to combine then set aside.
  6. Once the potatoes are ready remove from the oven and pick out the garlic cloves. Add the potatoes to the sweating onion. Squeeze the roasted and sweet garlic pulp from their skins and add with the potatoes.
  7. Add the stock and simmer for 5-10 minutes until the flavours are combined and the potatoes are really tender.
  8. Puree with a hand blender until silky and smooth. Add a little more stock to thin the soup if you like.
  9. Keep warm while you cook the flatbreads. Heat a frying pan over a high heat. Divide the dough into four equal pieces and roll each out thinly on a floured surface. Fry each in a the dry hot pan for a few minutes each side until a lightly charred and they begin to puff up slightly.
  10. Serve warm immediately (or keep warm in the oven) with a generous warming bowl of spiced soup drizzled with the fresh yoghurt.

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Roasted Tomato Soup

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Roasted Tomato Soup

 

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This is an extremely rustic soup which fittingly suits the weekend Autumnal lunches that are just a halloween pumpkin away from steeling the warm summer season for another year. Although it has been surprisingly warm recently….its unnerving. With enough tomatoes in the greenhouse to put the Heinz empire to shame, it was time they were used creatively. They were sacrificed and chucked in the oven and roasted with some other tomato friendly ingredients but feel free to change quantities etc to taste or add anything else you like.

Serves 3

  • 700g-1kg very ripe tomatoes, halved
  • 1 large red onion, chopped roughly
  • 3 garlic cloves, crushed
  • Large bunch of basil
  • Balsamic vinegar
  • Olive oil
  • Salt and pepper
  1.  

    Preheat the oven to 200°C.

  2. Simply combine the tomatoes, onion, garlic and the stalks from the basil in a large roasting tin in one even layer. Season generously and drizzle with some olive oil. Spoon oven 1-2 tbsp of balsamic vinegar and roast for 20 minutes until soft.
  3. Leave to cool slightly before placing in a food processor and blitzing with the addition of the basil leaves. You can blend it as coarsely as you like.
  4. If a little thick, add a splash of hot water but the roasting juices from the tomatoes should be enough to get a soup-like consistency.
  5. Serve scattered with basil. I also used some balsamic pearls I had lurking around and some oil-soaked salty croutons…!

Tomato Consomme

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Tomato Consomme

This looks like a bowl of dishwater right? Maybe with a mild tomato flavour? That’s what my mum was thinking as I tried (hard) to convince her that it would taste good. A tomato consomme sounds fancy but this one is simple. It is basically (without sounding pretentious) a clear bowl of tomatoey ‘essence’ or broth that is packed full of natural punchy tomato flavour, chilled and served as a lovely soup/palate cleanser. In the hot summer months when the tomatoes are bursting and ripe it is great alternative recipe for tomatoes if you’re fed up of pesto and mozzarella.

Serves 3-4

  • 1kg ripe juicy tomatoes
  • ½ small clove garlic
  • Large bunch basil (reserve a few small leaves for garnish)
  • 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
  1. Roughly chop the tomatoes and place in a food processor with the garlic, basil (including stalks), salt and pepper and the red wine vinegar and blitz until slushy. Taste and adjust seasoning.
  2. Line a bowl with a couple of pieces of fine muslin and pour in the tomato slush.
  3. Pull together the corners and secure with a knot. Hang above the bowl and leave to juices to drip through. Hang in a cool place or in the fridge (a little impractical so where ever is easiest). Don’t be tempted to squeeze the bag, as you want it to drip naturally in order to get a really clear liquid.image
  4. Leave to drip for about 7 hours or until you think most of the juice has been collected. You can gently push the muslin if you like at this stage.
  5. Once collected, taste and add salt to taste. Pour into a clean jug and chill until needed. Serve in bowls or cups with some small purple or green basil leaves to garnish.

NOTE: This is a stripped back recipe from a Jamie Oliver interpretation where he infuses horseradish and adds a splash of vodka for a Bloody Mary inspired version.

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Pea and Edamame Bean soup

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Pea and Edamame Bean soup

My pea and mint soup recipe is my default lunch when I fancy a bowl of warming comfort and I’m in a rush or can’t be bothered to simmer away a pot of vegetables. This time however, I added a few extra twists on my usual standby which were a nice change. In the January months when its cold and you want to be healthy, I often find I resort boringly to the same old recipes. This can be knocked out in about 15 minutes however and kept as pain or as fancy as you like.

Soup

  • 280g frozen garden peas
  • 400ml good quality hot chicken or vegetable stock (trust me it will make all the difference if its a good cube or a homemade stock)
  • 100g edamame or soya beans
  • 25g butter
  • 1 onion, finely chopped
  • 1 garlic clove, finely chopped
  • Handful of fresh basil or mint leaves, finely chopped or shredded
  • Olive oil
  • Nigella seeds to garnish
  • Yoghurt to garnish
  1. Melt the butter and a splash of oil in a saucepan until bubbling.
  2. Add the onion and cook gently over a low heat for about 10 minutes until soft and translucent
  3. Add the chopped garlic and cook for a few more minutes.
  4. Add the frozen peas and coat in the buttery onions
  5. Add the stock and bring to the boil. Simmer for about 5 minutes.
  6. Remove from the heat and puree with a hand blender
  7. Return to the heat and stir in the frozen edamame or soya beans. If it is too thick for you at this stage, add a splash of water.
  8. Simmer for a few minutes. Then stir through the chopped herbs.
  9. Season to taste and serve garnish with a swirl or natural yoghurt and a sprinkling of nigella seeds

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Spinach, Watercress and Pea Healing Soup

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Spinach, Watercress and Pea Healing Soup

Ever feel like your body is screaming for some nutrients? After this soup, I always feel like I’ve eaten my way to adding another few years onto my lifespan! It has a deep, tasty flavour and is delicious with warm toasted soda bread and salty butter.

  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 2 sticks celery, diced
  • 1 garlic clove, chopped
  • 750ml hot chicken/vegetable stock
  • 170g peas
  • 150g spinach
  • 170g watercress
  • 150 double cream
  • Chives
  • Dukka
  1. Heat the oil and fry the onion and celery on a low heat until soft. Add the garlic for the last few minutes before adding the hot stock
  2. Add the peas and return to the boil for about 5 minutes
  3. Add the spinach and watercress and simmer for 10 minutes
  4. The blend the soup and add the cream or creme fraiche if you like.
  5. Serve scattered with chives, herbs or more  cream. I sprinkled mine with dukka for added texture and a bit of spice

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