Soup

It has been, among other things, a weekend of soup, stirring and simmering, and now my freezer is stocked with lots of tasty lunches for the next few weeks.

On the way back from my holiday last weekend, I picked up a copy of Saturday's Guardian, which contained a 'Soups and Stews' supplement. So far I've made two soups from it, and both have been wonderful:

Lighter French Onion Soup


Serves 4

150g haricot beans
50g unsalted butter
900g onions, sliced
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tbsp wholegrain mustard
3 tbsp white wine vinegar
1 bunch of thyme, tied with string
1.5 litres light chicken stock
50g parmesan, grated (plus a piece of rind if you have one)
A squeeze of lemon juice
2 tbsp parsley, lightly chopped

1 Soak the haricots overnight. 2 The next day, melt the butter in a pan and add the sliced onions. 3 Cook gently for 20-30 minutes, until soft and starting to caramelise, then stir in the oregano, mustard, vinegar and some seasoning. Lob in the bunch of thyme too and simmer until all the vinegar has reduced away – just a few minutes. 4 Drain the haricots, tip them into the onions, cover with the stock and bring to the boil. Toss in the rind of the parmesan now, if you have it, to infuse the flavour. 5 Once the soup has come to the boil, skim off the froth, reduce the heat to a simmer, and cook until the beans are soft and tender. This may take anywhere between 1-2 hours (it depends how old the beans are). 6 When you're sure the beans are cooked, check the seasoning and make sure you are happy with the thickness (simmer it down to thicken, add some water to thin). 7 Remove the rind and bunch of thyme. Stir in half the grated parmesan and finish with a light squeeze of lemon juice. Sprinkle with the chopped parsley and the remaining cheese once it's in the bowls.

Moroccan Carrot Soup


Serves 6

½ tbsp cumin seeds
750g carrots, chopped
30g butter
80g rice
250ml milk
1.2 litres light chicken or veg stock
2 egg yolks
Small handful of mint, chopped
Sprinkling of paprika

1 Toast the cumin seeds in a dry pan until you can smell their flavour, then crush with the side of a knife. 2 Wash and roughly chop the carrots into 3cm chunks, then sweat them on a medium heat in the butter for 10-15 minutes. 3 Cook the rice in boiling salted water for 12 minutes or until ready, then drain. 4 Once the carrots are beginning to go golden, cover with the milk and stock, bring to the boil and simmer until tender. This will take about 10 minutes. 5 Blend the soup to a rough consistency, then tip back into the pan and add the rice and cumin. Simmer for a few more minutes. 6 Pull off the heat, whisk in the yolks one by one, stir in the chopped mint, season well and serve immediately with a sprinkle of paprika.

Both utterly lovely soups, light and tasty, and easy to make, with a nice amount of kitchen pottering, and time to knit while things simmer. There are lots more lovely recipes in the booklet, I think next I will try the Salt Cod Macaroni Bake