French onion soup

Serves four
One tablespoon olive oil
50g butter
Six large red onions – peeled and sliced
One clove of garlic – peeled and crushed
Two sprigs of thyme – leaves picked off and chopped
Two sprigs of rosemary – leaves picked off and chopped
30g plain flour
One litre of beef stock
Salt and freshly-ground black pepper
Four slices of white bread – torn into lumps
100g smoked cheese – grated

Method

In a large pan, melt the butter in the olive oil, add the onions and gently fry until they’re soft and tender – probably about 15 minutes – but be careful they don’t burn. Add the garlic and chopped herbs and gently cook for another couple of minutes before sprinkling in the flour and stirring to combine with the onions. Pour in the stock, a little at a time at first whilst stirring until all the flour is combined and the rest can be poured in without making lumps. Bring to a gentle boil and simmer for around 20 minutes before adjusting the seasoning to taste.
To serve, first, pre-heat the grill. While it’s heating, pour the soup into warmed bowls (or, for a difference, large coffee cups as we have here) making sure you get lots of the onion in each. Top each one with the lumps of bread, sprinkle on some cheese and place the bowls or cups under the grill until the cheese is melted.

Wild Nettle Soup

Nettles can be found from spring to early summer, they are a great source of calcium, magnesium, zinc, iron, cobalt, copper, potassium, trace minerals, chlorophyll, the B-complex vitamins, and more.

Not only do they benifit your health they are also good fun to harvest and cook with. Ensure you follow two simple rules when harvesting, only pick the tender tops of the nettles and more importantly ensure you wear gloves, the nettles will carry the sting until cooked, remember this when you go to chop them for the following recipe.

Ingredients
1 200g packet of smoked Pancetta
1 white onion diced
4 leaves wild garlic
4 handfuls nettles (remove all stems)
600ml vegetable stock
4 small potatoes diced
2 TBSP double cream

Method
In a little oil pan fry the Pancetta
Add the onion and fry until tender
Add the potato and garlic and cook slowly
Chop the nettles and add to the pan, add the stock also
Bring to the boil and simmer for 8 minutes
Blend with a stick blender, Sieve the soup
Add the cream and serve.

Tomato and mint soup

Ingredients
125 g Butter
500g Onions
1700G Tomato
170ml Dry sherry
2 tbls caster sugar
3 tbls chopped mnit

Method
sweat onions in butter untill soft
Add the tomatoes, sherry, sugar, mint & seasoning
Stir and cover, cook for 45 minutes
Liquidise untill smooth, pass through sieve
Add a little stock to balance out thickness of soup
Serve with cream

Dads Beetroot soup

The beetroot plant “Beta Vulgaris” can grow in a number of soils

Beetroot evolved from the wild sea beet which is a native of coast lines from India to Britain

Today beetroot is common throughout Europe; it is extensively used in Eastern European & Russian cuisine.

Today many varieties are available:-

Albino

Bull’s blood

Golden

Chioggia

Cylindra

Detroit dark red

Early wonder

Red ace hybrid

Ruby queen

Touchstone Gold  

In my kitchens I use a lot of beetroot for it’s a good source of Carbohydrates, good source of protein, contains high levels of vitamins, minerals & micronutrients, practically no fat and no cholesterol.

I use a number of varieties of beetroot for a number of dishes and today I would like to share a soup recipe that I often use.

This recipe was found one day I was pondering my cook book collection whilst cooking dinner for the family, although it is not one of my own recipes I do feel it is a success in its own rights

Beetroot soup

Ingredients

1 tablespoon light olive oil

3 ounces onion

6 ounces carrot

1 medium parsnips

0.50 teaspoon ground coriander

2 pints vegetable stock

12 ounces beetroot

4 teaspoons dill

1 pomegranate

4 teaspoons yogurt

2 tablespoons walnut pieces

Method

Heat the oil in a saucepan, then sweat the onion, carrot and parsnip for 5 minutes, until starting to soften.

Add the stock and beetroot.

Bring to the boil, and then simmer for 20 minutes, adding 2 teaspoons dill for the final 2 or 3 minutes.

Cut the pomegranate in half and extract the juice using a lemon squeezer.

Blend the soup in a food processor or blender.

Add pomegranate juice to taste.

Reheat the soup, then served garnished with the yogurt, walnuts and remaining dill.