🥘 Carole’s – carrot and sweet potato soup…

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…

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 – vegetable soup…

Ingredients:

2 tbsp olive oil
1 onion (or 2 shallots or 4 salad onions), chopped
2 cloves garlic, sliced
1 tsp ground spices (such as cumin, coriander or paprika)
150g potatoes, peeled and chopped
350g vegetables (such as butternut squash, red pepper, broccoli or a mix), peeled or scrubbed and chopped
500ml hot stock (chicken or vegetable)
4 tbsp crème fraîche (or use yogurt, single cream or double cream)
1 bunche of soft herbs (such as basil, coriander or dill), leaves whole or roughly chopped
40g toasted nuts or seeds (such as sunflower seeds, hazelnuts or almonds), roughly chopped

**We had some cherry tomatoes to use up. Place them in boiling water for a minute or so and then transfer into cold water and the skins peel of easily**

Step by step:

Step 1

Heat the oil in a large pan over a medium heat. Add the onion and a pinch of salt, then fry until soft (8-10 minutes). Stir in the garlic and ground spices and cook for another 1-2 minutes, until fragrant.

Add the potatoes and any root vegetables, along with the stock and 150ml water. Bring to the boil, then cover with a lid and simmer until very tender (20-30 minutes).

Add any other vegetables for the final 10 minutes or so of the cooking time.

Step 2

Once all the vegetables are soft, use a stick blender (or transfer to an upright blender) to whizz until very smooth, adding a splash more water to thin, if necessary. Set over a medium heat again until piping hot and season to taste. Ladle into bowls, topping each with a dollop of crème fraîche (or similar), some soft herbs and the nuts or seeds. Serve with crusty bread.

Notes:

Like many soups the flavour intensifies over a few days. So make plenty and store in the fridge or freezer (without the cream).

Great vegetable combinations:

Carrot & Parsnip with ground coriander and dressed with chopped fresh coriander .
Broccoli & Leek with nutmeg and chopped chives
Mushroom and Cauliflower with paprika and dressed with chopped fresh parsley

🥘 Carole’s couscous salad…

This attractive mediterranean salad is a great light lunch or side dish to meat or fish. It keeps for several days in a sealed tupperware container.

Ingredients:

1 mug of couscous
1 1/4 mug of hot stock
1 knob of butter
10 dried soft apricots
1 handful chopped cranberries
Seeds from 1/2 a pomegranate
1 handful chopped mint
2 handfuls of shelled pistachios, chopped

Step by step:

Put the couscous in a pan, add the stock and butter and cook over a low heat for 2-3 minutes.
Remove from the heat, leave for 10 minutes and fluff up with a fork.
Add the chopped apricots, cranberries, pomegranate seeds, mint and pistachios.

Serve with chilli and honey vinaigrette:

For the vinaigrette whisk together

4 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp honey
1 tbsp apple or white wine vinegar
1 dsp sweet chilli sauce

Stir the vinaigrette through the couscous

Notes:

Swap the pistachios for flake almonds or chopped walnuts and add any seeds that you like.
Raisins go well as does chopped cucumber and baby tomatoes.

🥘 Carole’s shredded filo börek…

Originating from Turkey, börek is similar to a frittata but made with filo pastry and is an ideal use up dish. Use any leftover pieces of cheese grated and mixed together and cooked with strips of filo pastry. We have used feta, but halloumi, parmesan, manchego, cheddar or mozzarella all go well. Use a fresh chilli finely chopped if you want it with extra zing.

Ingredients:

270g filo pastry
1 courgette
4 spring onions, trimmed and finely chopped
100g spinach, cut into 2cm-wide slices
200g feta
4 eggs
200ml milk
80ml olive oil
1 tbsp nigella seeds
1 tbsp sesame seeds
1 tsp pul biber

***Pul Biber is also known as chilli flakes***

Step by step:

Heat the oven to 220C (200C fan) gas 7. Take the filo pastry out of the packet, keeping it in a roll (it usually comes in one) and cut it into 1cm-wide shreds. Separate the shreds like noodles on to a tray and leave to dry while you make the filling. Grate the courgette, then strain off the excess liquid by squeezing it between your hands, I squeeze the courgette in a clean tea towel to remove even more moisture. Put the grated courgette into a bowl, add the spring onions and spinach, crumble in the feta and mix thoroughly.
Beat the eggs in another bowl, then add the milk and oil, and mix thoroughly. Combine the courgette and egg mixtures, then start stirring the filling into the filo pastry a handful at a time, making sure each addition has been absorbed before stirring in the next.
Tip the filo mix into a 23cm round nonstick ovenproof dish (you could also use a cake tin or any oven dish, so long as it’s roughly the same size and the mix is about 5cm thick). A square dish or tray is nice for presentation of the börek in squares. Sprinkle the sesame and nigella seeds and pul biber over the top, then bake for 30-40 minutes, until golden brown and crisp. Remove from the oven and leave to cool for at least an hour before slicing and serving.

Tips:

Use whichever vegetables you prefer, or have to use up. I often add sliced mushrooms and red onions.
Traditionally, chefs make börek with Turkish yufka dough, which is a very thin, unleavened dough made from flour, water, and salt.
If you want a sweeter börek, put a drizzle of honey on top when you serve.

Variation:

Use three sheets of yufka, placing one in the base of the baking tin and the other two hanging over the sides of the tin. Place the filling in the baking tin and pull up the sides to cover the filling completely. Brush with the egg and sprinkle more nigella and sesame seeds over. Bake for about 20 minutes checking occasionally that it doesn’t burn.

🥘 Carole’s parsnip and pear soup…

Ingredients:

For the roasted parsnip and pears

500g parsnips, peeled and chopped
2 medium sized pear, peeled, cored and quartered
Olive oil, salt and pepper
15g butter

For the soup

1 stick of celery, diced
50g onion, diced
1 litre chicken or vegetable stock
1 Bay leaf
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
80ml cup single cream
Salt and freshly ground pepper

For garnish

Chopped pistachios
chopped parsley or thyme

Step by step:

1. Preheat your oven to 210C. (180C fan) Peel the parsnips. and chop them all into similar size pieces. This will mean they cook evenly. Start by cutting the parsnips in half across the middle. Quarter the thicker top parts of the parsnip, the bottom parts will only need halving if they are quite thick.

2. Scatter the parsnips over a baking tray. Drizzle with olive oil and season with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Roast in the oven for about 15 minutes.

3. Peel, core and quarter your pears

4. After 15 minutes, turn the parsnips over, add the pears and roast for another 15 minutes, until the parsnips are tender. Be careful to get the parsnips lightly golden but not burnt. Remove any smaller pieces a few minutes earlier if needs be. Set the cooked parsnips and pears aside in a bowl. Reserve a few pieces to use as garnish if you like.

5. In a large pot, melt the butter with a glug of oil over medium heat. Add the chopped celery and onion and cook, stirring for 3-4 minutes or until the onion is tender. Add the stock, bay leaf, dried thyme and the roasted parsnips and pears. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 20-30 minutes stirring occasionally.

6. Using an stick blender, puree the soup until smooth. Add the cream and stir to combine.

7. Check the seasoning, add more salt and pepper to taste.

8. Serve the soup garnished with the chopped pistachios and some finely chopped cooked parsnip and pear if you like.

Tips:

I always go for young, smaller parsnips, they are tastier and require less chopping. You will need to vary your cooking times depending on the size of your parsnips.

Variations include chopped walnuts, crumbled goats cheese and chopped crispy bacon. Use Crème Fraîche, or milk if you prefer.

Carole’s Parsnip and Apple Soup

Carole’s Parsnip and Bacon Soup

🥘 Carole’s mushroom, celery and pasta soup…

This soup is made with leftover mushroom and celery pasta and has a fabulous flavour after being steeped in the pasta sauce.

Take the leftover mushroom and celery pasta, whizz it in a blender or, 10 seconds in a thermomix. Be careful not to over blend, you want to retain a chunky texture. Simply add a few chopped boiled potatoes and slices of chopped ham if you like.

🥘 Carole’s mushroom stir fry…

We used Tilda Jasmine rice from Tesco 250g / 95p. Chestnut mushrooms at Tesco or LIDL 69p 300g punnet 06/10/22

Ingredients:

2 spring onions, halved and sliced lengthways
100g savoy cabbage, thinly sliced
250g chestnut mushrooms, halved
2 tbsp olive oil
50g mint leaves
200g jasmine rice

For the dressing:

2 tbsp chilli oil
2 tbsp runny honey
2 tbsp light soy sauce
1 tbsp teryaki sauce

**Filippo Berio chilli oil £3, Lee Kum Kee 85p, and Amoy light soy sauce £1 with Tesco clubcard**

Step by step:

Cook the rice as per the packet instructions.
Meanwhile heat 2 tbsp oil in a large deep non stick frying pan (or wok) over a high heat, and stir fry until the vegetables are just tender (approx 5 mins). Stir occasionally to prevent them sticking.
When the vegetables are just starting to brown, add the mint leaves. Whisk the dressing ingredients together or shake them in a clean, sealed jam jar.
Serve on a bed of rice or mixed through the rice, as you prefer. Serve with the dressing drizzled over or served in a small jug.

🥘 Carole’s mushroom soup…

Use dried porcini mushrooms to make this flavoursome soup. Remember to strain them before adding them to the soup as they can be gritty. You will need a blender and the Braun range of stick blenders start at just £20.

Ingredients:

1 handful of dried porcini mushroom
1 medium size onion, finely chopped
300g chestnut mushrooms, chopped
1 vegetable stock cube
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp single cream
Chopped parsley

Step by step:

Soak the porcini mushrooms in hot water
Place the onion in the pan with the oil and sauté for 3 mins
Add the chopped chestnut mushrooms and sauté for about 5 mins. Stir occasionally so they don’t stick
Add 1 litre of hot stock
Add your (strained) porcini mushrooms and cook for another 10-15 mins
Blend the mushrooms and then add your cream and optional porcini liquid
Check the seasoning
Serve in hot bowls, with chopped parsley

Tips:

When you strain the porcini mushrooms, set aside the liquid, so you can add that later if you like a slightly stronger, mushroomy flavour

Add two thirds of packet rice during the last 5 mins of cooking time for a thicker, crunchier soup