Minestrone - or something akin to it

 

It's butter bean soup with an italian accent - I'm not sure it counts as real minestrone - but it is delicious..

Olive oil

Onion

Garlic

Carrot

Green beans

Mushroom

Roasted red pepper

Tin of butter beans

Yeast flakes

Italian seasoning

Chilli flakes

Tinned tomatoes

Pasta

Black olives

1.  Sweat chopped onion in olive oil.

2.  Add other chopped vegetables - I used carrots, green beans and mushrooms - but whatever you have really.

3.  Add crushed garlic and italian herbs, and a pinch of chilli flakes.  Fry off gently for a couple of minutes.

4.  Add chopped roasted red pepper (in this case from a jar).

5. Pour in a cup of water and simmer gently for a few minutes.

6. Tip in a drained tin of butter beans and a tin of chopped tomatoes, and another cup of water, keep simmering.

7.  Add soup pasta, and sliced black olives.  Season to taste.

8.  Simmer until pasta is cooked.

9.  Serve, scoff, smile.

Cheap, nutritious and tasty - beat that!

Leek and potato soup

It's turning quite autumnal, so what better than a big hot bowl of soup?

Olive oil
Leeks
Onion
Garlic
Potatoes
Mustard
Mixed herbs
Vegetable stock

1.  Slice and thoroughly wash leeks, sautee in olive oil with chopped onion and crushed garlic.
2.  Peel and chop potatoes into small dice, add to the leeks.
3.  Stir in a spoonful of mild mustard and add a sprinkle of herbs, salt and pepper.
4.  Add stock and simmer.
5.  After 10-15 minutes, test the potatoes - when soft  zizzz
6.  Serve, scoff

Tuscan bean hot

Sautee onion and garlic in olive oil, add some red pepper if you like.  Add whatever root veg you might have (potatoes, swede, celariac and carrot here).  Chuck in some italian herbs and tomato paste.  Add some water/stock and simmer for 10 minutes or so.  Tip in cannelloni and butter beans.  Simmer gently again.  Add in shredded kale.

When kale is cooked - serve, top with grated parmesan or chedder if you fancy.

Caribbean roast vegetable and chickpea soup

Yesterday, a lovely wedding - this meant a night in a hotel - therefore, the compulsory full english breakfast (I'm not going to name and shame - it wasn't brilliant) - leaves you quite full, or at least wanting something tasty and nutritious and not swimming in grease.  I looked in the fridage and found the remains of the veg box (nearly) were sweet potato, butternut squash, red pepper and pak choi.  Add a tin of chickpeas, tin of tomatoes and some yogurt and tadah!


Olive oil
Sweet potato, peeled and chopped into biggish bits
Red pepper, chopped and deseeded
Butternut squash, peeled and prepared
blackenned cajun seasoning
garlic, lots of it, crushed and the tough peel removed (papery bits can be left)
Stock
tin of tomatoes
tin of chickpeas, drained

lemon, zest and juice
salt
natural yogurt

pakchoi
olive oil

1.  Roast prepared vegetables and garlic in olive oil, whit a good sprinkling of cajun seasonning - in a hot oven, until soft and slightly singed.
2.  Meanwhile gently soften a chopped onion in olive oil.
3.  Add roast vegetables and garlic to onion, add a pint or so of stock.
4.  Bring up to simmer.  Add 1/2 tin drained and rinsed chickpeas and a tin of tomatoes.  Heat through.
5. Zizz to a smoot soup - add more stock/water to taste.
6.  Tip in the remaining chickpeas, and heat through.
7.  Just before serving squeeze in lemon juice (1/2 lemon)

Top with yogurt, which has a big pinch of salt, the zest of the lemon, and the other half of the lemon's juice mixed in.

Top that with shredded and fried in olive oil, pak choi.

FAB-U-LOUS!

Leek and potato soup

Olive oil
Leeks
potatoes
mustard
garlic
herbs
salt and pepper
water (and some veg stock if you wish)

Sweat down chopped leeks in olive oil.
Add chopped potatoes, and some water.
Simmer, add herbs, mustard and garlic.
Season etc
Simmer until veg is soft - Zizz


You could remove some veg to keep some chunk texture, but today I choose not to - so it's quite a thick, smooth lovely creamy texture.

Equally, you could add cream, you could serve with creme fraiche - but you don't have to.

We had this with gluten free crackers and cheddar.  There are 6 more portions for the freezer for weekday lunches.  Win-win.

Minestrone

Surprise lunch out - and stuffed full of cheese 'n onion pie, so only wanted soup for dinner.  Lovely organic veg left from the box though, so a big steaming bowl of minestrone.

olive oil
onion
garlic
carrots
turnip
tomato puree
vegetable bouillon
water
few chili flakes

1.  Sweat finely chopped onion in olive oil.
2. Add finely diced root veg and garlic.
3.  After turning in the oil for a couple of minutes add a big squirt of tomato puree and stock.
4.  Simmer for about 15 minutes.
5.  Add a few chili flakes and the chopped cavolo nero.
6.  Taste, adjust seasoning if necessary, take a few ladles out and whizz, return to the soup.
7. Scoff

Vegetable soup with noodles

We are on a health kick.  What with the sponsored swimming and sensible food we should be skinny in about 10 minutes.  It's also turned a bit cold, so I thought soup might be in order... bit of a chili kick, and it hit the spot.







Serves: 4,  Calories per portion:  approx 270;  Price:  approx 75p per portion.


Vegetable soup with noodles.

1 tbsp olive oil
1 onion
1 clove garlic
1 red pepper
2 carrots
150 g green beans
100g mushrooms
Good pinch of chili flakes
4 blocks of noodles
miso soup mix
2 pints chicken (or veg) stock
1 tsp marmite

1.  Sautee chopped onion in olive oil.
2.  Chop other veg finely and chuck into pot with onions.
3.  Add crushed garlic, chili flakes and stir.
4.  Add 1 sachet mixo soup mix, tsp of marmite and 2 pints of chicken stock.
5.  Simmer unit veg is soft, probably about 12 minutes.
6.  Add noodles and simmer for another few minutes.
7. Taste, season, scoff.

Leek and potato soup

Slice and wash 2 large leeks, peel and dice 3 large potatoes.  Sautee leeks, garlic and celery, then add the potatoes, some mustard and a litre of stock.  I also stirred in a teaspoon of vegemite and a splosh of worcestershire sauce.  Season.  Simmer until veg is soft, liquidise in blender or using stick blender.  Stir in chopped chives.  Serve with natural yogurt and parsley.

Haddock chowder

Haddock chowder, and a low fat version too.  Poached haddock briefly in a mix of soya milk and water.  Chopped and sauteed in olive oil onion and red pepper with crushed garlic - added 4 chopped potatoes and some stock, and the drained poaching liquor.  Simmered until potato was softish, added tin of sweetcorn to warm through.  Pulled out about half of the bits and zizzed the remainder.  Season.  Chuck bits back in along with the flaked fish.  Served with toast and good grinding of black pepper.  Victim ate it, but moaned as would have preferred version with double cream and butter... well, matey pants that's the way it goes for a while!  

Mushroom and broccoli soup

Victim number one wanted mushroom soup, but I knew we had other veggies to use - so invented leek, mushroom, broccoli and parsnip soup.  Recipe is not complicated - start by softening onions and/or leeks with/ or without celery.  Add crushed garlic.  Add chopped veg - mushrooms, parsnips and broccoli in this case - and a splash of brandy (entirely optional - just adds a little zing).  Add water/ stock, season - enough to cover... and a little bit extra - it is soup you know! - simmer until all veg soft (20 mins?).  Zizz.  Plate up and splash of cream (optional) mine sank... scoff ... victims had seconds :)

Easy peasy noodle soup

I am not claiming that this is cooking - open packet of chicken noodle soup, boil in water as directed on packet.  Add packet of instant noodles and flavouring sachet, add handful of peas and handful of frozen sweetcorn.  Simmer, scoff.  (add sprinkle of chili flakes if feeling daring!)

Bacon and cheese soup

Still in leftover fest after Christmas, but please not more turkey - so chop onion, garlic and leek, soften in olive oil. Add diced bacon, stir a bit add chopped potatoes and stock and simmer.  Remove some bits from the soup and whizz the remainder.  Return the bits to the soup, stir in some cream and some grated cheddar.  Yum.

Smoked haddock chowder

Back to souper December on Boxing Day with smoked haddock chowder.  Fry chopped onion, celery and red pepper in olive oil.  Poach smoked haddock in milk. Add chopped potato to vegetables.  Add vegetable stock and simmer.  Add sweetcorn, and milk from haddock.  Take some of the bits out of the soup and reserve.  Zizz the remainder.  Add the bits back into the soup and add a flaked fish and a dollop of cream.  Victims had seconds, then some additional victims dropped by and enjoyed it too.

Souper december: Grandma's hotpot (with Kale)

My Grandma used to make hotpot every Saturday - and we loved it when we went to visit.  Grandad made it occasionally too - but he put carrots in his.  I have committed an even worse crime and added kale.  Sautee chopped onion in olive oil, add chopped beef, brown, add stock.  Simmer for a while, add potatoes, simmer more - season.  About 10-15 minutes before serving add kale.  Slurp, get instantly transported to kitchen in Stockport circa 1978.  Victim loved it too (except for the kale, of course).

Chicken, veg and pesto pasta soup

Souper December is petering out a bit.  I tried a Chinese mountain soup mix - but after the required 7 hours simmering it was so revolting that it went straight down the sink, without so much as a pic.  This however, was a chucked together lunch because we were starving and it was delicious, probably even more so because we were starving, but every gathered victim had seconds, so it must have been good.  Sautee 2 chopped onions, good amount of celery and carrots in olive oil, add chicken breast cut into bite sized pieces, brown slightly.  Add just "too much" crushed garlic, turn over in oil and add chicken stock.  Simmer for a few minutes add chopped tomatoes and chicken stock.  When pasta is done stir in pesto.

Blueberry soup

Souper December taking a bit of a dive, as we have had enough main course soups to last for a while now - but when I get home after 7 I don't often fancy cooking a starter and a main for the hungry .. so opted for a main (chili) and something new - a sweet soup.  Have seen lots of fruit soups chilled, but didn't fancy that, so tried this blueberry hot soup - it's delish, like hot thick ribena.  Chuck blueberries, sugar and cranberry juice in a pan with a squeeze of lemon juice and a small chunk of ginger.  Simmer and squash, simmer and seive.  Return to the heat and thicken with 1 tbsp cornflour slaked in water.  Next time I might not thicken it, and just have it as a hot fruit drink - but it was very warming, slightly spicy, velvety fruitiness.  Some left - and I think I might try it (hot or cold) over ice cream....  Recipe (more or less) from here http://aweebitofcooking.co.uk/2008/09/10/blueberry-soup/

Chicken and vegetable noodle soup

OK Victim nearly had a soup refusal today - and then admitted having soup for lunch too (smoked haddock chowder).  So, I had to persuade with one of current favourites... well-ish... it could have been more chinese, but it was declared "yum" when every last drop was gone.  So, sautee onion, ginger and garlic in peanut oil,  add chopped chicken breast - then toss in chopped carrot, red pepper, green beans, mushrooms, radish and chili.  Add about 2 pints of chicken stock and liberal splashings of soy sauce and rice wine.  When veg is almost done add egg noodles, simmer for a minute add handful of frozen peas, sprinkle of chili flakes and good squeeze of lime, simmer then add handful of chopped kale.  Tasty, hot and sour, clean tasting and nutritious.  Victim declared yum. 

Salsify, parsnip and bacon soup

An interesting concoction using veg from the organic box, with some bacon.  It had a lovely earthy flavour, with a sweetness from the parsnip.  Would make it again.  Saute onion, bacon pieces and celery in olive oil, add chopped salsify (when peeled keep in acidulated water until it goes into the soup, to prevent browning), chopped celeriac and chopped parsnip.  Add chicken stock cube and crushed garlic.  Simmer, about 20 minutes, zizz - good grind of black pepper. Sprinkle on parsley.  Yum.

Chicken and sweetcorn soup

Under pressure from 3 generations of victims from one side of the family... they went home .. then we got the outlaws back for usual Sunday treatment.. so, to keep to Souper December this had to be easy.  Stuck a chicken breast in the oven along with the bake (potato, minced pork, onion, celariac, apple with mustard and cider)... to poach in water for 15(ish) mins.  Meanwhile.. usual onions and garlic - soften in olive oil... then add, splosh of white wine, tin of sweetcorn, most of a chopped red chili, spoonful of left over chopped tomatoes (optional ;) ).  Simmer, for, well .. a bit (stick in oven with 1 extra pint of water, come back 3 hours later will still be fine).  Zizz sweetcorn mix to medium (ie. some still whole kernals, but mostly damaged/ obliterated), shred in chicken breast - sprinkle on any reserved chili rings.  Scoff... serve seconds... observe that there will be none spare for "kitchen fairies" work lunches... result!  Bask in glory of feeding all generations of visitors without complaint... stack dishwasher (again).

Broccoli and blue cheese soup

Yes... I know, it's too orange for the title!  We had some left over tomatoes, so I chucked them in too - but, fundamentally - it IS broccoli soup with blue cheese and stuff.  Chopped an onion, squashed and chopped a garlic clove and about 3 inches of celery - fry off for a bit - chopped in 2 heads of brocolli, including most of the stalk.  Simmer, simmer, in stock (and left over tin of tomatoes).  Taste, season - add small cubes of cheese (some cornish blue today - but could be stilton... or other blue cheese) TURN HEAT DOWN... melt cheese and keep warm - zizz (as much as you want).. scoff.  Some people don't like blue cheese much (go figure), but even they will eat a bowl full, and then say - "nice, but would have been awesome without the cheese".  Strangely, none left to bung into freezer! :)