Soup's on! Three nourishing, warming soups to make at home
Woman cooking vegetable soup woman cooking soup
"I created this recipe one day to use up some leftover vegetables. I gave some to my mother and I was delighted when she told me it tasted just like the soups she used to eat as a little girl needless to say, she loved it.
It is true that this soup tastes kind of old- fashioned and really comforts on a cold wintry day. Take it from my mum!"
- 2oz (50g) barley, washed
- 8oz (225g) carrots, diced
- 4oz (110g) onion, diced
- 4oz (110g) leeks, diced
- 4oz (110g) turnips, diced
- 4oz (110g) parsnips, diced
- 4oz (110g) celery, diced
- 2oz (50g) plain flour
- 4 pints (2.2 litres) hot chicken stock
- ½ pint (275ml) milk or cream
- 1 scallion, chopped
- 1oz (25g) croutons (toasted cubes of white bread)
- seasoning
Place the barley in a saucepan with ½ pint (275ml) of cold water. Bring to the boil and simmer until cooked. Drain and set aside. Now heat the butter in a large heavy-bottomed pot, add all the diced vegetables and sweat for five minutes or until they are soft.
Remove the pot from the heat and stir in the flour thoroughly. Put the pot back on a low heat and cook for 2-3 minutes. Then gradually add the hot stock, stirring constantly, and bring to the boil. Add the cream or milk, whichever you prefer, and add season. Lastly, stir in the cooked barley.
Serve in a warm bowl with croutons, chopped scallions and crusty bread.
"Most people would have potatoes and onions in the house even if the cupboards were otherwise bare, so this ‘simply delicious’ soup could be made at a moment’s notice. While the vegetables are sweating, pop a few white buttermilk scones into the oven!"
- 2 ozs (55g) butter
- 4 ozs (110g) diced onions
- 15 ozs (425g) peeled diced potatoes eg Golden Wonders or Kerrs Pinks
- 1 generous tsp salt
- Lots of freshly ground pepper
- 36flozs (1L) home made chicken stock
- 4 fl ozs (130ml) cream or creamy milk, approx.
- Parsley Pesto (see recipe below)
Melt the butter in a heavy saucepan. When it foams, add the potatoes and onions and toss until well-coated. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cover and sweat on a gentle heat for 10 minutes. Add the stock and cook until the vegetables are just soft. Puree the soup in a blender. Taste and adjust seasoning. Thin with creamy milk to the required consistency.
Put a swirl of parsley pesto on top of each soup before serving.
- 25g (1oz) flat parsley leaves (no stalks)
- 1-2 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
- 40g (1½ozs) freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano
- 25g (1oz) pine kernels
- 75ml (3 fl ozs) extra virgin olive oil
- Salt
Put all the ingredients except the oil into the food processor. Whizz for a second or two, add the oil and a little salt. Taste and correct seasoning.
"This is an all-year-round soup, with a texture of a creamy broth. The long, slow cooking of the onions is essential. This brings out the sweetness and concentrates the flavour. The trick is not to colour the onions at all so you need the lowest heat and a lid on top of the lot to trap the steam and keep the moisture inside."
- Good knob butter
- 2 large onions, thinly sliced
- 1 bay leaf
- 1.5 litres/2½ pints chicken stock (from a cube will do)
- 100ml/3½ fl.oz cream
- glass apple juice (good quality)
- pinch English powder or 1 tsp prepared English mustard
- pinch chopped fresh thyme
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
- garlic croutons and grated Cheddar, to serve
Melt the butter in a large heavy-based pan with a tight-fitting lid and once it is foaming, add the onions and bay leaf, stirring to coat. Reduce the heat right down, cover with the lid and cook for 30-40 minutes until the onions are golden brown and caramelised, stirring once or twice. Pour the stock into the onion mixture and bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and cook gently for another 10 minutes. Add the cream, apple juice, mustard, thyme and season to taste. Allow to just warm through and for all of the flavours to infuse. Ladle into warmed serving bowls and scatter over some garlic croutons and Cheddar to serve.
