Submitted by mumofstig
Initial ingredients:
- Couple of rashers of bacon chopped (or any left over meat you have)
- Finely chopped onion/shallots/last few grotty spring onions
- Couple cloves of garlic
- Little chopped celery, lovage or fennel.
Method and further ingredients:
- Fry the above together very gently in a little oil and a knob of butter/butter type margarine.
- When softened, add 2 diced carrots and about the same quantity of diced swede/turnip/kohl rabbi and a potato chopped (a dodgy one from store?, cleaned up).
- Then add some of those tomatoes that are still ripening, chopped or tablespoon of tomato paste, small piece of chopped chilli pepper (make it as hot as you like), piece of rosemary, thyme and basil (tied up with a bit of string for easy removal) along with some runner bean seeds or borlotti or cheapest tin baked beans you can find.
- If you have a heel of hard cheese add this as well, it really adds a depth of flavour, but fish out before serving.
- Add enough water to cover plus an inch or so, salt and pepper to taste. Bring to boil, then simmer.
- When veg are softened, add some left over pasta chopped up, or small pasta shapes
- Add 4/5 outside leaves of cabbage or kale, cut in about 1 in pieces, carry on cooking till pasta is ready, adding more water if pasta is absorbing a lot. But should be a thick soup with not much free liquid. Remove herbs and taste.
- Season again if required. (The batch I made today needed nothing else added but according to veg used you may need to add a stock cube or 2 for extra flavour).
I have divided this into 8 generous portions, 1 is for supper the others to freeze
Only takes a few minutes in the microwave to defrost and heat through
Traditionally served with grated cheese on top
Filed under Freezer Recipes, Recipe, Soup Recipes by
Submitted by Lewjam
Ingredients:
- 1 large butternut squash
- 1 kilo of sweet potato
- A few parsnips you have left over (no more then 300g or it will overpower)
- 1 large onion
- 2 garlic cloves
- 2 red chillies (hard to quantify, I had to use 4 from this years crop as they were not very hot, play it by ear and on your own taste!)
- Coriander powder
- Cumin Powder
- Fresh coriander (if you have it, don’t buy it just for the sake of it though!)
- 1 litre of chicken or veg stock (maybe more depending on size of veg – just enough to cover)
- Drop of crème for indulgence!
Method:
OK, this recipe is best made with a good stock, however for simplicity I have found “knorr stock pots” are an excellent substitutes. Almost as good as the real thing and much better then oxo cubes!
- Peel and chop the veg into chunks (size isn’t so important as we will blitz later).
- In a little butter cook down the onions and garlic in a large pan until soft.
- Add the chilli finely chopped and stir in half a teaspoon of coriander and cumin powder.
- Add the vegetables and coat well in the spices.
- Add the stock, ensure they are just covered by the stock.
- Add fresh ground black pepper (shouldn’t need salt if your stock is good, but season to taste!)
- Again add a pinch of mixed dried herbs – not necessary if you have good home made stock!
- Put lid on and simmer over a low heat for about 35min, or until the veg is totally cooked through.
- When ready, blitz using a hand blender until thick and creamy (there should be lovely flecks of red running through the soup from the chillies).
- Add a drop of crème if you are feeling naughty (it doesn’t “make” the dish as the parsnips offer a creamy over tone on there own, but it’s still very nice!)
- Before serving (either fresh of from the freezer) add some fresh coriander if you have some to hand, if not its great anyway!
I always have some there and then with crusty bread (it goes very nicely with cheesy bread!). I then tend to bag it up into food bags and freeze in portions. Take a bag out, put it in a microwaveable box in the morning and by dinner time you can just split the bag open, pour into the box and microwave. (This saves on buying a millions boxes – my freezer is always full of “mystery bags” I just grab one in the morning and take whatever accompaniment I think might go based on what it looks like rather then labelling everything. Makes my lunch interesting).
Filed under Freezer Recipes, Recipe, Soup Recipes, Vegetarian Recipes by
Submitted by gypsy
Ingredients:
- 1 medium sized courgette
- 1 small onion
- 1 medium potato
- herbs of your choice, I use thyme or sage and bay
- chicken stock or cube
- milk or cream
Method:
- Peel the onion, chop all the veg and put them in a pan and just cover with the stock, add the herbs.
- Put on the lid and cook until tender.
- Liquidise in a blender.
- Add milk or cream to thin the soup to the consistency that you prefer.
- Season to taste.
If by chance the soup is too thin add some white bread and blitz it again in the blender.
If you are going to freeze this soup I find it best to freeze after stage 3, then add the cream etc after it has been thawed.
Filed under Freezer Recipes, Recipe, Soup Recipes, Vegetarian Recipes by
Ingredients:
- 8 oz dried peas
- 1 medium onion – peeled and finely diced
- 2 medium carrots – peeled (if necessary) and finely diced
- 2 leeks – chopped
- 4 rashers bacon
- Salt and pepper
Method:
- Soak the dried peas in 1 pint of cold water for about 8 hours (preferably overnight).
- Cut the bacon into small pieces and fry in butter along with the diced onion.
- When browned, add the other vegetables and toss. Continue to simmer for a minute or two.
- Drain the peas and put them into a pot with 2 pints of water or vegetable stock.
- As soon as the peas begin to boil, add the bacon/onion/veg mix to the pot and season with salt and pepper.
- Cover and simmer until done, stirring occasionally.
Serves 4 – Stirring in a little cream or full milk towards the end gives a richer soup.
Filed under Bean, Pulses and Rice Recipes, Recipe, Soup Recipes by
Submitted by Louise
Ingredients:
- 1 medium pumpkin
- 2 red peppers
- 1 ½ pints veg stock
- Water
- Salt and pepper
Method:
- Cut the pumpkin into melon slices and de-seed, cut peppers in half and de-seed. Season and drizzle with olive oil.
- Roast for approx 35- 40 mins in a pre-heated oven at Gas Mark 4 (180°C/350°F) for 30 to 40 mins.
- Take out of oven, remove pumpkin from skin, chop up into chunks, chop up pepper, add to liquidizer/blender with veg stock and blend.
- Then put in saucepan, heat through and simmer for 30 mins (if too thick, add some water).
Lovely winter warmer with a bit of fresh granary bread.
Filed under Recipe, Soup Recipes, Vegetarian Recipes by
Ingredients:
- ½ lb dried butter beans
- 1 large onion
- 2 sticks of celery
- 1 large carrot
- 1 small lemon
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 to 1½ pints vegetable stock
- Salt and pepper
Method:
- Soak the butter beans in 1 pint of water, preferably overnight.
- Drain and reserve the water.
- Put the beans into a large saucepan. Peel and chop the onion and add to the beans. Chop the celery and peel (if necessary) the carrot and slice and add to the pan. Cut the lemon in half and grate the rind off one half and then squeeze both parts into the pan.
- Add 1 to 1½ pints of sock to the soaking liquid and make up to 2 pints. Pour over the beans and vegetables, season with salt and pepper, and put the bay leaves on the top.
- Cover the pan and bring to the boil and then reduce the heat and simmer gently for about 2 hours or until the beans are tender.
- Either pour into a blender/liquidiser and blend or push through a sieve.
- Return the soup to the pan and re-heat. Adjust seasoning and add more stock if too thick.
Serves 4 – Hearty and filling, especially if accompanied by some crusty bread.
Filed under Bean, Pulses and Rice Recipes, Recipe, Soup Recipes, Vegetarian Recipes by
Ingredients:
- ½ lb cabbage
- 1 large onion
- 1 or 2 cloves of garlic (crushed)
- 1 large cooking apple
- ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
- 1½ pints vegetable stock (oxo cubes are fine)
- Salt and pepper
Method:
- Wash and shred the cabbage and put into a large pan.
- Peel and crush the garlic, peel and chop the onion, peel, core and chop the apple and put them all into the pan with the cabbage.
- Add the ground ginger, salt, pepper and the vegetable stock.
- Bring to the boil, cover, reduce the heat and simmer for about 10 minutes until the cabbage and apple is tender.
- Pour into a blender/liquidiser and blend until smooth.
- Return to the pan and re-heat.
- Serve hot.
Serves 4 – A lovely vegetarian soup.
Filed under Recipe, Soup Recipes, Vegetarian Recipes by
Ingredients:
- 1 lb spinach
- 1 large onion
- Salt and pepper
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 medium lemon
- 1 pint vegetable stock
- ¼ pint yogurt
Method:
- Wash and drain the spinach and remove any coarse stalks. Coarsely chop or shred.
- Peel and chop the onion and put the spinach into a pan with the onion, salt, pepper and nutmeg. Grate in the rind of half of the lemon and then squeeze in the juice from both parts. Pour in the vegetable stock and bring to the boil, cover, reduce the heat and simmer on a low heat for about 10 minutes.
- Pour the contents of the pan into a blender/liquidiser and blend until smooth.
- Return to the pan and stir in the yogurt. Re-heat but do not boil.
Serves 4 – Can be eaten hot or chilled. For a more luxurious soup, use creme fraiche instead of yogurt (but it does put the cost up).
Filed under Recipe, Soup Recipes, Vegetarian Recipes by
Ingredients:
- 4 oz haricot beans
- 1 large onion
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 8 oz potatoes
- 2 large ripe tomatoes
- 1 medium carrot
- 2 small courgettes
- 6 oz firm white cabbage
- 2 oz peas (shelled weight)
- 1 clove garlic (crushed)
- 3 pints water or vegetable stock
- 4 oz short grain rice (arborio or similar)
- 1 or 2 leaves of basil (chopped)
- Sprig of parsley (taken from the stem and chopped)
- Salt and pepper
Method:
- Soak the beans in water overnight.
- Next day drain and and cook them in unsalted water until almost tender. Drain.
- Heat a oil in a deep pan. Peel and chop the onion finely and lightly fry.
- Peel and cube the potatoes, peel and chop the tomatoes, wash and slice the carrot into small rounds, peel (if necessary) the courgettes and slice into rounds. Wash and shred the cabbage and drain. Pod (if necessary) the peas.
- Add all the vegetables and crushed garlic to the pan with the onions, stir gently and lightly fry for about 5 minutes.
- Add the water or vegetable stock and bring slowly to the boil. Add the beans and continue cooking until they are quiet tender. Add the rice, basil, parsley and salt and pepper to taste.
- Cook for about 15 minutes until the rice is tender but still has a bite.
- Serve hot.
Serves 4 and very filling. If you want you can add some diced bacon when you’re frying the onions. Also, if you prefer a more tomatoee taste, squirt in some tomato puree and stir in towards the end.
Filed under Bean, Pulses and Rice Recipes, Recipe, Soup Recipes, Vegetarian Recipes by
Ingredients:
- 4 oz dried haricot beans
- 3 pints vegetable stock
- Salt and pepper
- 1 large onion
- 1 stalk of celery
- 1 medium carrot
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 medium courgettes
- 3 medium sized ripe tomatoes
- 2 large potatoes (about 1 lb)
- 4 or 5 sprigs of basil
- 3 or 4 cloves of garlic
- Salt and pepper
- 4 oz short cut (elbow shaped) macaroni
Method:
- Soak the haricot beans overnight and then partially cook in unsalted water.
- Drain and put into a large heavy pan with 3 pints of vegetable stock.
- Peel and coarsely chop the onion. Slice the celery into ½” pieces. Slice the courgettes into ½” pieces and, if on the large size, halve again. Peel and coarsely chop the tomatoes. Peel and cut the potatoes onto small chunks. Strip the basil leaves from the stems and finely shred. Peel and crush the garlic.
- Add the onion, celery and carrot to the haricot beans and 2 tablespoons olive oil.
- Bring to the boil and season to taste. Lower the heat and simmer for about 1 hour.
- Add the courgettes, tomatoes, potatoes and basil and cook for about another 30 minutes.
- Add the macaroni and cook until “al dente” . This should take about 15 minutes.
- Serve hot.
Serves 4 and nice if accompanied by a bowl of grated cheese to be handed around.
Filed under Bean, Pulses and Rice Recipes, Pasta Recipes, Recipe, Soup Recipes, Vegetarian Recipes by