Here's a bunch of soothing and warming winter soups for frosty winter days...
PUMPKIN AND PEAR SOUP
A speedy, delicious winter fix. The pear picks up the sweetness of the pumpkin. and the pumpkin seed and parsley pesto adds a gorgeous green piquant touch. (It’s also nice stirred into risotto.) The pear must be absolutely ripe - my favourites are Williams - as it gets no cooking and is just added at the end before the soup is blended smooth.
Serves 6-8
2 tbsp olive oil
3 spring onions or some leek tops, finely sliced
2 shallots, finely chopped
1 onion, chopped
500g peeled, seeded pumpkin flesh, cut in chunks
250g potatoes, peeled and chopped
1 litre chicken or vegetable stock (or 1 litre water + 2 chicken or vegetable stock cubes)
1 tsp coriander seeds, crushed under the blade of a knife
salt and pepper
1 ripe Comice pear, peeled, cored and cut in small pieces
a dollop of pumpkin seed pesto (see below) or 50g butter
- Heat the oil in a large pan and cook the spring onions or leek tops, shallots and onion till soft but not brown – about 10 minutes
- Stir in the pumpkin flesh, potatoes and stock and bring to a boil
- Add coriander seeds and salt and pepper to taste and simmer for about 20 minutes or until the pumpkin is tender
- Pull the pan off the heat and add the chopped pear
- Leave the soup to infuse for 10 minutes
- Blend the soup with a hand-held blender till smooth and check the seasoning, adjusting if necessary
- Float a blob of pumpkin seed and parsley pesto or butter on top of each serving
PUMPKIN SEED AND PARSLEY PESTO
Makes about ½ a cup
50g flat-leaf parsley leaves (a huge bunch)
25g pumpkin seeds
25g grated Parmesan or Grana Padano
a pinch of salt
1 clove garlic, mashed
5 tbsp olive oil
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Put the parsley leaves, pumpkin seeds, cheese, salt and garlic in the blender
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Blend in short bursts in the liquidizer, using the pulse button, untilwell chopped – add a little water if necessary to make the blades turn
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Pour the olive oil in a steady stream through the hole in the lid
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Continue blending till the pesto is in a smooth paste, scraping down if necessary
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Keep in the fridge until needed
LEEK, CARROT AND CELERIAC SOUP WITH LEMONGRASS AND GINGER
A lovely soup with a Thai touch – nice for winter, and good for entertaining as it can be prepared well ahead. The sieving of the soup is boring but necessary, on account of the woody lemongrass stalks.
Serves 6
1 leek, finely sliced
1 carrot, diced small
a 100g piece celeriac, diced small
5 stems lemongrass, finely sliced
2 tbsp olive oil
1 clove garlic, mashed
a walnut-sized piece fresh ginger, grated
1 tbsp curry powder
1 ½ litres chicken stock, or 1 ½ litres water + 3 tsp powdered stock
200ml unsweetened coconut milk
salt and white pepper
olive oil
optional: some cooked prawns [shrimp] to garnish
- Soften the leeks, carrots, celeriac and lemongrass in the oil without allowing them to brown
Add the garlic, ginger and curry powder
- Moisten with the stock, season to taste with salt and white pepper, cover the pan and simmer for about 30 minutes.
- Remove from the heat and stir in the coconut milk
- Blend till smooth either with a hand-held blender or in the liquidiser. Push the soup through a sieve, pressing down hard with the back of a wooden spoon to extract all the flavour and to eliminate the fibrous lemongrass stems
- Discard the debris and return the soup to the pan
- Chill the soup if not to be served at once.
- Bring the soup back to a boil, whisk together again, and check the seasoning, adjusting if necessary
- Pour into soup bowls, drizzle with a little olive oil and garnish if wished with some prawns/shrimp
BEAN SOUP WITH TOMATOES AND BACON
Another yummy winter broth of mixed dried pulses (flagelots, soissons beans, split peas, lentils etc.) with tomatoes, bacon and herbs.
Serves 4-6
250 g mixed dried pulses
100 g bacon, diced small
2 onions, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, mashed
a piece of celery root, peeled and chopped
2 carrots
400 g tinned tomatoes and their juice
plenty of rosemary, oregano
a bay leaf
1.5 litres unsalted stock or water
250 g firm potatoes, peeled and cubed
200g frozen spinach, thawed and chopped
salt and pepper
Parmesan cheese, grated
- Put the pulses in a pan with cold water to cover amply
- Bring to the boil, simmer for 2 minutes, remove from the heat and allow to stand for 2 hours
- Cook the bacon cubes in a heavy pan until their fat is rendered and they are lightly golden
- Add the onions, garlic, celery and carrots
- Cover and cook gently for about 10 minutes or until slightly soft
- Raise the heat, add the tomatoes and their juice and the herbs
- Cook hard, mashing the tomatoes into the vegetables, until the juices are somewhat evaporated
- Add the stock or water and the potatoes, bring to a boil.
- Drain the pulses and add them to the soup
- Do not season yet, or the beans will harden
- Simmer for between 3/4 hour and an hour - taste to see if the pulses are cooked; if not, give them a bit longer
- Add the roughly chopped spinach at the end and simmer for 10 minutes more
- Season to taste and serve with grated Parmesan.
PARSNIP AND GINGER SOUP
Serves 4-6
2 onions, finely chopped
a walnut-sized piece of fresh ginger, peeled and cut in thin strips
2 tbsp oil (preferably ginger and garlic-flavoured)
2 litres stock
3 parsnips (about 750g), peeled and cut in chunks
2 potatoes, peeled and cubed
salt and pepper
optional: 3-4 tbsp crème fraîche
or whipping cream and a squeeze of lemon juice
- Soften the onions and ginger in the oil for about 10 minutes or until lightly golden
- Pour on the stock and bring to a boil
- Add the parsnips and potatoes, season to taste, cover and cook for 20-25 minutes or until the vegetables are soft
- Cool the soup a little, then blend it till smooth
- Check the seasoning, stir in the cream.
POTATO SOUP
Potato soup is a canvas that can be embroidered upon in lots of different ways. Here's a version (which can be served hot or chilled) flavoured with lovage. A garnish of prawns floating on top makes a happy finish. Alternative flavourings could be sorrel, leeks (for the classic Parmentier/Vichyssoise), spinach or green chiles.
Serves 6
25g butter
2-3 shallots or 1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 clove garlic
1.5 litres stock
1 kg floury potatoes, peeled and cubed
a good handful of lovage leaves, about 50g
salt and pepper
250ml whipping cream
- In a large pan melt the butter and soften the shallots or onion and garlic
- Add the stock and bring to the boil
- Add the potatoes and lovage leaves, season to taste and bring back to the boil
- Simmer for 20 minutes
- Cool a little, blend till smooth
- Whisk in the cream, check the seasoning
- Serve hot or chilled.
BEETROOT, CARROT AND CELERIAC SOUP
Another great winter warmer, and ideal for stress-free entertaining. Use sweet potatoes in place of the celeriac if you like them and can find them.
Serves 6
25g butter or 1 tbsp oil
1 large onion, roughly chopped
2 cloves garlic, mashed
250g carrots, peeled and diced
250g celeriac or sweet potato, peeled and diced
2 litres water or vegetable stock
salt and pepper
500g cooked, peeled beetroot, diced
juice of 1 orange
6 prawns [shrimp] to garnish
crème fraîche
- Heat the butter or oil in a large pan and soften the onion and garlic without allowing them to brown
- Add the diced carrots and celeriac or sweet potato, cover and cook for about 10 minutes or until just softened
- Add the water or stock, season to taste with salt and pepper and simmer for 20 minutes
- Add the beetroot and orange juice and simmer 5 minutes more
- Allow the soup to cool a little before blending till smooth
- Check the seasoning, correcting if necessary
- Serve in deep soup bowls with a dollop of crème fraîche (sour cream) on each and a prawn/shrimp if wished
