Tag: soup

🥘 Carole’s – carrot and sweet potato soup…

🥘  1 pan |  🍽 Serves 4 | ⏱ 40 mins | 🛒 7 ingredients | £5

Smooth and tasty, this vegetarian soup is perfect for main course or starter. Two of your five a day and ready in 40 minutes.

Ingredients:

  • 500g sweet potatoes peeled and cut into chunks
  • 300g carrots peeled and cut into chunks
  • 3 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 onions, finely chopped
  • 2 garlic cloves, crushed
  • 1 litre vegetable stock
  • 100ml crème fraîche plus extra to serve

Step by step:

Step 1.

Heat your oven to 220C/200C fan/ gas 7 and put the sweet potatoes and carrots into a large roasting tin. Drizzle with 2 tbsp olive oil and season well.

Step 2.

Roast the vegetables in the oven for 25-30 mins until caramelised and tender.

Step 3.

Meanwhile, put the remaining 1 tbsp olive oil in a large deep saucepan and fry the 2 finely chopped onions over a medium-low heat for about 10 mins until softened.

Step 4.

Add the 2 crushed garlic cloves and stir for 1 min before adding the 1 litre of vegetable stock. Simmer for 5-10 mins until the onions are very soft, then set aside.

Step 5.

Once the roasted vegetables are done, leave to cool a little, then transfer them to the saucepan and use a stick blender to process until smooth. Stir in 100ml crème fraîche, a little more seasoning and reheat until hot.

Step 6.

Serve in warmed bowls topped with a swirl of crème fraîche and a good grinding of black pepper or sunflower seeds .

Sunflower seeds around £1.20 per 100g
Kallo stock cubes available from most supermarkets

Variation:

  • Carrot & Parsnip with ground coriander and dressed with chopped fresh coriander .

🥘 Carole’s – vegetable soup…

🥘  1 pan |  🍽 Serves 2 | ⏱ 25 mins | 🛒 10 ingredients | £4

A great way to use up vegetables and make a nourishing, flavoursome soup. Don’t forget to add some drops of Maggi® seasoning towards the end of cooking.

Ingredients:

  • 2 rashers of bacon, chopped
  • 1 leek washed and chopped
  • 1/2 red pepper, chopped
  • 1 large carrot, peeled and chopped
  • olive oil
  • 1/2 jar of leftover pasta sauce or tomato puree, or tinned tomatoes
  • plain flour
  • 4 small potatoes, quartered
  • can of butter beans, drained
  • 1 low salt chicken stock cube

Step by step:

Step 1

Fry off the bacon, leek, pepper and carrot in a dash of oil for 3-4 minutes. Make up the stock with 500ml of boiling water in a jug.

Step 2

Sprinkle some flour on top of the ingredients in the pan, then add the pasta sauce, tomato puree or tinned tomatoes. Add the stock, potatoes and butter beans cook for 20 minutes or until everything is soft. Add some Maggi® seasoning after 10 minutes. Check the seasoning. Chop some parsley and dress the soup to serve.

Kallo stock cubes £2 from most supermarkets

🥘 Carole’s firecracker rice with vegetables and chicken …

🥘  1 pan  🍽 Serves 2   🛒 9 ingredients ⏱ 30 minutes £5

Tilda® hot and spicy Firecracker rice is free from artificial colourings and preservatives. Ready in a couple of minutes the smoky, peppery basmati rice is vegan and gluten free.

Ingredients:

  • Olive oil
  • Small Broccoli with florets cut into bite size pieces
  • ½ red pepper, chopped
  • ½ onion, chopped
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 chicken breast cut into 10 pieces
  • 1 pack Tilda® firecracker rice
  • ¼ tin of low fat coconut milk or 150ml of stock
  • Chopped parsley

Step by step:

Step 1

Fry off the chicken pieces in oil and set aside. In the same pan, add 1 tbsp of oil and fry off the onion, peppers and broccoli.

Step 2

Add the coconut milk and replace the lid (or pop a plate on top) to prevent the pan running dry. Cook for 10 minutes adding more coconut milk or stock as required.

Step 1

After 10 minutes, add the rice and chicken and put the lid back on the pan. Cook for another 3-4 minutes adding more coconut milk or stock as required. Add a dessert spoon of Maggi® seasoning.

Serve with chopped parsley and a drizzle of olive oil.

🥘 Carole’s risotto use up – arancini…

🥘  1 pan  🍽 Serves 4

Ingredients:

  • Leftover risotto
  • 1 egg
  • Breadcrumbs
  • Olive oil

Step by step:

  1. Take your leftover risotto and roll it up into small balls (approximately 2cm diameter) no bigger than a golf ball.
  2. Whisk an egg in a small bowl and place your breadcrumbs in medium size dish. Heat some oil in a sauté pan
  3. Roll the risotto balls through the beaten egg mixture and then roll through the breadcrumbs. Place the rice coated balls in the saute pan and cook until nicely browned all over.
  4. Serve with a crisp salad and some vegetables of your choice.

Broad Bean Risotto > HERE

🥘 Carole’s Risotto Primavera 🇮🇹…

🥘  1 pan  🍽 Serves 4   🛒 12 ingredients ⏱ 45 minutes £5

Spring vegetable risotto celebrates new life in the garden and this variation on the traditional Venetian recipe is delicious and easy to make.

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 a red onion, finely chopped
  • 2 sticks celery, finely chopped
  • 1/2 leek, finely chopped
  • 6 green beans, chopped in 1 centimetre lengths
  • 400g risotto rice
  • white wine
  • chicken stock cube
  • 100g butter
  • olive oil
  • 60g Parmesan or Parmigiano Reggiano, grated
  • Single cream
  • 12 asparagus spears, chopped

Step by step:

Step 1

Add a large knob of butter to a pan and sauté the red onion, celery, beans and asparagus adding more oil and butter as necessary.

Step 2

Add the rice, stir well and add white wine to taste. Start adding the stock a ladle full at a time and keep cooking on a low heat, stirring occasionally until all the stock is absorbed.

Step 3

Season with black pepper, stir through the cream and Parmesan or Parmigiano Reggiano.

Dress with sage leaves or parsley and serve.

​Adapted from favourite Italian cookbook Antonio Carluccio’s Italia (2005 Quadrille). See More: HERE

Tips:

Use your favourite vegetables and what you have to hand. We didn’t have any carrots, but they are in the usual recipe.

Use leftovers go make arancini > HERE

Aldi £2.99

🥘 Carole’s anchovy and garlic croutons…

These croutons make a tasty addition to a salad. Make them as larger rounds topped with tuna or smoked salmon for nice canapes.

Ingredients:

  • Day old crusty bread
  • Anchovies
  • Garlic
  • Salt
  • White balsamic vinegar
  • Lemon juice

Step by step:

  1. Cut the bread into small squares or cubes
  2. Pound (or blend) the anchovies, garlic and salt in a pestel and mortar and slowly drizzle in the balsamic vinegar to make a nice paste
  3. Toss the bread in the anchovy paste and place on a baking tray. Heat in a hot oven until nice and crisp
  4. Serve with a few light sprinkles of lemon juice

Notes:

  • White balsamic vinegar is a much lighter flavour than regular balsamic vinegar
  • Try it mixed with garlic, thyme and olive oil and stirred through grilled or oven cooked vegetables
  • Mixed with sage it makes a great marinade for chicken pieces without being too caramelised
Available in specialist food shops or online
Available from delicatessens and large supermarkets

🥘 Carole’s minestrone and kielbasa soup…

🥘  1 pan |  🍽 Serves 4 | ⏱ 25 mins
🛒 12 ingredients | £1.50pp

Kielbasa is the generic name for any Polish meat filled sausage and is available in most Polish supermarkets.

The smoky flavour of the sausage and addition of gnocchi makes this a delicious and hearty soup. Ready in less than half an hour, it freezes well in the very unlikely event there are any leftovers.

Ingredients:

  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 large carrot, chopped
  • 1 medium size onion, chopped
  • 2 sticks celery, chopped
  • 1 small red pepper, chopped
  • 6 mushrooms, chopped
  • 2 low salt vegetable stock cubes to make 500ml stock
  • 1 tin cannellini beans
  • 1 tin tomatoes
  • 1/4 Polish sausage, chopped
  • 1/2 packet gnocchi
  • Chopped parsley

Step by step:

  1. Sauté the chopped vegetables in the olive oil, approx 5 minutes
  2. Add the tomatoes, stock and sausage. Bring to the boil and simmer for 15-20 minutes, until the vegetables are cooked
  3. Add the gnocchi which will thicken the soup and cook for another 3-5 minutes

Notes:

We use Kallo® organic vegetable very low salt stock cubes.

£1.50 for 8 cubes – Waitrose Special Offer

🥘 Rhubarb cheesecake…

This attractive cheesecake is ideal for a dinner party dessert. Serve with stewed rhubarb pulp.

Equipment needed:

A loose bottomed 20cm round cake tin and a food processor

Ingredients:

FOR THE BASE

  • flavourless oil, to grease
  • 200g digestive biscuits
  • 75g butter, melted

FOR THE CHEESECAKE

  • 4 sheets of leaf gelatine
  • juice and zest of 2 lemons
  • 500g mascarpone
  • 2 x 180g packs full-fat soft cheese (we used Philadelphia)
  • 100g caster sugar

FOR THE RHUBARB JELLY

  • 400g rhubarb, chopped
  • 125g caster sugar
  • 4 sheets of leaf gelatine 
  1. Line the base of the cake tin and brush the sides lightly with oil.
  2. For the base, blitz the biscuits into crumbs in a food processor, combine them with the melted butter and stir well so all the crumbs are coated in the butter. Press into the base of the tin in an even layer. Chill in the fridge while you make the filling.
  3. For the cheesecake layer, soften the gelatine in a bowl of cold water for 5 minutes. Put the lemon juice in a pan and heat until just simmering. Remove from the heat. Squeeze out any excess liquid from the gelatine, then add it to the lemon juice. Stir until dissolved, then set aside to cool for 5 minutes.
  4. Put the mascarpone, soft cheese, sugar and lemon zest in a large bowl and whisk together. Add the lemon and gelatine mixture and continue to whisk until fully incorporated. Pour into the tin and smooth the top, making sure that it’s as level as you can make it. Chill in the fridge for a minimum of 2 hours or until set firm.
  5. To make the jelly, put the rhubarb and sugar in a saucepan. Heat gently until the sugar has dissolved, then bring to a simmer for 8-10 minutes, or until the rhubarb is very soft. Meanwhile, soak the gelatine leaves in cold water for 5 minutes until soft.
  6. Press the rhubarb through a sieve, catching the juice in a jug underneath, then set the rhubarb pulp aside. Add the gelatine to the hot rhubarb liquid and stir until dissolved. Set aside to cool to room temperature, then pour the jelly over the top of the cheesecake. Cover and chill for at least 4-6 hours, or overnight if possible, to set firmly.
  7. To serve, remove the cheesecake from the tin and slice into 8 slices.
£2.12 from Ocado
£2.20 from Tesco £1.20 with Clubcard

🥘 Carole’s – chicken, vegetable and noodle soup…

Cooler evenings arrive and it’s time for a warming soup. Quick and easy, this one pot soup using up yesterday’s leftover cooked chicken hits the spot.

🥘  1 pan |  🍽 Serves 4 | ⏱ 20 mins | 🛒 11 ingredients | €4

Ingredients:

  • 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 red pepper, chopped
  • 3 small potatoes, chopped
  • 1/2 red onion, chopped
  • 6 mushrooms, chopped
  • 1 tbsp plain flour
  • 750ml low salt chicken stock
  • 2 legs cooked chicken off the bone
  • 1/2 pack fideo noodles
  • 1 big handful parsley, chopped
  • croutons

Step by step:

  1. Put the oil in your pan, add all the vegetables and sauté for 5 minutes stirring occasionally. Sprinkle the flour over and cook for another 2 minutes
  2. Add 750ml hot chicken stock
  3. Continue cooking until vegetables are soft. Add the cooked chicken, noodles and parsley. Cook for another 5 minutes approx.
  4. Season to taste and serve with croutons and extra chopped parsley
Kallo stock cubes available from most supermarkets

Notes:

Use ginger, garlic and coriander for an Asian flavour variation

🥘 Carole’s asparagus quiche …

🥘  1 pot  🍽 Serves 6 – 8   🛒 10 ingredients ⏱ 80 minutes £6

Seasonal asparagus with a nutty brown butter pastry crust, punchy capers and gruyère – perfect for lunch or tea time snack.

Ingredients:

  • 250g asparagus, trimmed
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 egg yolks
  • 250ml double cream
  • 1 lemon, zested and segmented
  • 50g gruyère, finely grated
  • 2 tbsp capers, drained

Brown butter pastry:

  • 225g plain flour
  • 150g butter
  • 1 egg

Step by step:

First – make your pastry

  1. Heat the butter in a small frying pan, swirling frequently, until foaming. Cook for 1-2 minutes until it starts to turn brown and smell nutty. Transfer to a bowl to cool. When it is cool, transfer to the fridge to chill and turn solid. Once cold, cut into cubes.
  2. Whizz the flour and brown butter in a food processor until it looks like damp sand, then add the yolk and 1-2 tbsp of ice-cold water to bring it together. Wrap and chill for 30 mins.

Now make the filling

  1. Steam the asparagus for 3 minutes, then rinse under cold water and pat dry with kitchen paper. Keep 6-8 of the best spears whole, and chop the remainder into 1cm pieces.
  2. Heat your oven to 200C / 180C fan / Gas 6. Roll out the pastry to 2-3 millimetre thick and use it to line a 23cm tart tin. Prick the base all over with a fork. Fill with a piece of baking paper and baking beans. Cook for 15 minutes, then remove the paper and cook for another 5 minutes until the base looks dry.
  3. Meanwhile, whisk together the eggs, egg yolks, cream, lemon zest and cheese with some seasoning.
  4. Trim the pastry case and place the chopped asparagus over the base. Scatter over the capers and pour over the egg mixture. Arrange the remaining asparagus spears on top and cook in the oven for 35-40 mins or until set but still with a slight wobble to the middle. Serve at room temperature or cold.

Tips

We roll the pastry to just 2-3 millimetre thickness which makes a nice texture and helps ensure you don’t get a soggy bottom

Steaming the asparagus retains more of the nutrients and flavour. M&S have an excellent quality steamer for £55.

M&S 3 tiered steamer £55
Serve with salad and chips or boiled potatoes