Leek and Potato Soup with Truffle Oil [vegetarian]

Although Leek and Potato Soup might be a classic in some countries, in Poland (or at least in the area I live) it is unknown. A few years ago we went to Italy for our skiing holiday. We reached our destination after two days of driving but since it was too early to go to our hotel, we found a busy, family type restaurant for lunch. And that was the place where I tried this soup for the first time.

Leek and Potato Soup is already delicious by itself but truffle oil really moves it up to quite another level. Although the below recipe obviously is not exactly the same as at that restaurant, the soup is as lovely as the one I had a few years ago. I have made it so many times since then and it is always greatly appreciated by everyone. It is important though to have a really high quality truffle oil: the one with truffle’s pieces rather than one with just its aroma.

INGREDIENTS (for 4-6 portions):

30g butter,

450g potatoes, peeled and cut into 2-3cm cubes,

450g white parts of leeks, sliced,

1 onion, cut into cubes,

850-1000ml vegetable stock (it can be made with this concentrated stock paste),

250ml milk,

salt and pepper,

truffle oil for serving.

METHOD:

1. Melt the butter in a medium size pot.
2. Add the potatoes, leek and onions, season and then stir well to coat in the butter.
3. Scrape the sides of the pan with a spoon so all the vegetables are on the bottom, put a disc of grease-proof paper on top of them and cover the pot with a lid.
4. Decrease the heat to medium low and cook for 10 minutes.
5. Remove the paper, pour in 850ml of stock, bring to boil and cook for approx. 15 minutes or until the potatoes are soft.
6. Liquidize the soup in batches and transfer to a cleaned pot.
7. Add the milk, adjust the seasoning and bring to boil again. If the soup is too thick, add more of the stock.
8. Serve the soup in bowls, drizzled with the truffle oil.

Based on BBC Good Food recipe

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Cauliflower Soup with Pear and Gorgonzola [vegetarian]

My passion for cooking extends also to reading recipes. When I read them, I try to imagine the taste of food prepared according to them and if I like it, sooner or later I test them out. This passion makes me buy more cookery books, find more recipes on the internet but also look for recipes everywhere: in all sorts of magazines or even promotional material in supermarkets.

The below soup recipe I found in a Waitrose (British supermarket) booklet. Straight away I liked “the image of the taste” in my mind and when I cooked the slightly changed version, I really did enjoy it. I also tested the soup on my friend who liked it so much that she took the leftovers back home with her.

INGREDIENTS (for 4 portions):

20g butter,

200g shallots, peeled and chopped,

1 stick celery, chopped,

2 Conference pears, peeled, cored and chopped,

1 cauliflower (weighing approx. 500g), broken into florets,

1 l vegetable stock,

60g Gorgonzola cheese (dolce), roughly chopped,

3 tbsp chopped parsley,

salt and pepper.

To garnish:

chopped walnuts, parsley and Gorgonzola cheese.

METHOD:

1. In a big pot melt the butter; add the shallots and celery and cook on medium heat for 5 min.
2. Add the pears and cauliflower, stir and pour in the stock; cook for approx. 15 minutes till the cauliflower is soft.
3. Add the Gorgonzola and parsley, cook for 5 minutes longer.
4. Blend the soup till smooth, adjust the seasoning and serve garnished with chopped walnuts, parsley and Gorgonzola.

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Sweetcorn and Spaghetti Squash Soup [vegetarian]

After I used the spaghetti squash for the first time and saw that its strands looked like noodles, I thought it would be a great idea to use it in a soup.

When I thought which ingredients would go well with squash; sweetcorn, sage and mushrooms immediately came to my mind. This time I decided to skip the mushrooms but added a green pepper instead for a bit of crunchiness and sharpness that contrasts well with the sweetcorn.

I cooked the soup with dried sage and served it with a sage butter. I know the butter adds the fat and calories but it enhances the taste of the soup, too. If you prefer to omit the butter, you can serve it with some grated Parmesan cheese, it will taste just as good – I tried it out with some of the soup leftovers ;).

INGREDIENTS (for 4-6 portions):

0.5 spaghetti squash, deseeded (approx. 700g),

2 tbsp olive oil,

1 tbsp butter,

1 onion, chopped,

2 garlic cloves, crushed,

2 medium potatoes (approx. 200g), cut into small cubes,

2 celery sticks, sliced,

1 green pepper, deseeded and cut into cubes,

700ml vegetable stock,

0.5 tsp dried sage,

300ml milk,

1 can sweetcorn,

salt and pepper.

To serve:

2 tbsp butter,

a handful of sage leaves,

or grated Parmesan cheese.

METHOD: 

1. Heat the oven to 180 Celsius degrees (fan oven) and when hot place the half of the squash skin side up on a baking tray covered with aluminum foil and bake for 30-40 min until the skin is soft and can easily be pierced.
2. When the pumpkin is baked through, scrap its flesh with a fork to get noodle-like strands. The squash can be baked even a day earlier.
3. In a big pot warm up the olive oil and butter, add the cut onion, garlic, potatoes, celery and pepper, season, stir and when sizzling, lower the heat, cover the vegetables with a disc of parchment paper and the pan with a lid.
4. After 10 minutes increase the heat and pour in the stock and dried sage, when boiling, decrease the temperature and simmer for 5-10 minutes until the potatoes are almost soft.
5. Add the milk, sweetcorn (with the liquid) and the squash strands, bring to boil, adjust the seasoning.
6. In a small frying pan melt the butter, add the sage leaves and fry them on a medium heat till dry.
7. Serve the soup with the sage butter and sage or grated Parmesan.

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Mussel Soup with Vegetables

Fresh mussels are not widely available in shops here so whenever I go shopping and see them at the counter, I straightaway buy them. As you may know from my earlier posts, I am still a rookie as far as mussel recipes are concerned because I have prepared them only in two ways so far: with white wine and pasta.

Therefore when I bought them last time, I wanted to prepare them differently and cooking a soup with mussels seemed to be an idea worth pursuing. And it certainly was as the result proved it – this soup was a hit: delightful taste of mussels, loads of vegetables, some of them softer but other ones, like pepper and celery, wonderfully crunchy. Plus also all the warm colors of the ingredients. We all loved it and I will definitely make it (many times) again!

INGREDIENTS (for 4-6 portions):

1 kg fresh mussels,

150ml dry white wine,

400ml water,

2 tbsp butter,

1 small red onion, thinly chopped,

1 small leek (about 60g), thinly sliced,

1 medium carrot (about 120g), thinly chopped,

2 tomatoes (about 200g), peeled, deseeded and thinly chopped,

2 garlic cloves, crushed,

1 handful of parsley leaves, thinly chopped,

1 handful of basil leaves, thinly chopped,

1 celery stick, thinly sliced,

0.5 red pepper, deseeded and thinly chopped,

100ml single cream,

Salt and pepper.

METHOD:

1. Prepare the mussels:                                                                               * rinse them very well in cold water.
   * take a mussel: if it is damaged, discard it straight away and if it is open, give it a vigorous tap. If it stays open, discard.
   * if a mussel is closed (or closes after tapping), wash it and scrape off with a knife any barnacles; remove “beard” that may be between the two shells.
   * repeat the above with all the mussels.
   * rinse all of them again.
2. Pour 75ml of wine and 150ml of water to a big pot, put the mussels there, bring everything to boil and cook covered for 4-5 minutes.
3. Transfer with a slotted spoon the cooked mussels to a bowl and leave till cool enough to handle.
4. Strain the cooking liquid through a sieve, layered with a cloth to eliminate any sand and impurities.
5. In the same pot (rinsed) melt the butter, add the chopped onion, leek, carrot, tomato and garlic; fry for 2 minutes on medium-high heat.
6. Lower the heat down and fry the vegetables for 3 minutes longer, then add the reserved cooking liquid, the rest of wine (75ml) and of the water (250ml), the chopped parsley and basil and cook for approx. 10 minutes (till carrots are no longer hard).
7. Remove the mussels from their shells but leave a few for garnish.
8. Add the mussels, celery, red pepper, cream* and seasoning and serve the soup.

*In the original recipe double cream was used. I used single cream that worked very well but to make sure it doesn’t split when you add it to the soup, you should at first add a few spoons of the liquid to the cream, mix it well and only then add to the soup while stirring it.

The above dish is based on a recipe from “The New Fish Cooking Encyclopedia” by Kate Whiteman

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Spicy Parsnip Soup [vegetarian]

Parsnip is a much underrated vegetable. At least that was the case in our (Polish) family for a very long time. I can remember my mother using it in 2 dishes only: as one of the ingredients of stock and of Polish vegetable salad. Actually, it was my husband who introduced me and my side of the family to roasted parsnip and we all were surprised how delicious it tasted just by itself.

Since then I have been more open minded and used it for other meals as well, I even plan to bake a parsnip cake one day! However for now, I am sharing a parsnip soup recipe that I have tested many times. The soup is creamy and smooth, and the slightly nutty taste of parsnip is very well complimented by curry powder.

INGREDIENTS (for 4 portions):

2 tbsp rapeseed oil,

1 onion, peeled and chopped,

2 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped,

1 bay leaf,

1-2 sprigs of parsley,

0.5-1.5 tbsp curry powder (the amount depends on the heat of the powder you use and on your own preferences),

500g parsnips, peeled and chopped,

1 l vegetable stock,

250 ml milk,

salt and pepper.

METHOD:

1. Heat up the oil in a big pot.
2. Add the onion, garlic, bay leaf, parsley, 0.5 tbsp curry powder and parsnip, stir everything well to coat in the oil and curry, and cook on medium heat for 10-15 minutes.
3. Add the stock and cook the soup for another 15-20 minutes until the vegetables are soft.
4. Liquidize the soup, season it (if it is not spicy enough, you can add more curry), add the milk and bring to boil.

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Beetroot and Apple Soup [vegetarian]

If you had asked me a few months ago about beetroot soup, I could have probably come up with only three types: traditional Polish clear beetroot soup “barszcz” which can be served with little dumplings, Ukrainian borsch, and a cold beetroot soup with yoghurt which is called “chlodnik”. However, this changed recently when I went to a restaurant and tried a really delicious and different beetroot soup.

I liked it so much that I decided to re-create it in my own kitchen. Since the soup was liquidized, I obviously didn't know any of the ingredients other than beetroot so I had a bit of a riddle. I still am not sure if the taste of my soup is similar to the one tried in the restaurant, but I was pretty happy with my result!

INGREDIENTS (for 4 portions):

3-4 (650g) beetroot,

1 red onion,

2-3 (600g) apples,

0.5l vegetable stock,

1 tbsp honey + 2 tsp optionally for drizzling,

salt and pepper,

some walnuts broken into pieces and crumbled goats cheese for garnish.

METHOD:

1. Preheat an oven to 180 Celsius degrees (fan oven).
2. Wash the beetroot, dry it and wrap tightly with aluminium foil, put to the hot oven for 30 minutes.
3. Peel the onion, cover with foil and put to the oven next to the beetroot for further 15 minutes.
4. Cut the apples in halves, cut the cores, put the matching halves together and wrap tightly with foil, put to the oven along with beetroot and onion for 45 minutes.
5. Peel the beetroot and apples, put to the food processor with the onion  and process on high till smooth.
6. Combine with the stock, bring to boil, add 1 tbsp honey and the seasoning.
7. Serve the soup with walnuts and goat’s cheese.

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Asparagus and Mushroom Soup [vegetarian]

I have always preferred green asparagus, mainly because it is easier to prepare. You can just cut away the  woody end of its stem, but I prefer to bend its bottom part till it breaks. Then, it breaks just in the right place so you end up with the nice and tender vegetable without the woody part.

White asparagus is trickier: not only do you have to remove woody ends, but you also have to peel it, as its skin can be very stringy. But it has more delicate taste then the green one due to the way it is grown: white asparagus is cultivated underground to stop chlorophyll development.

When you prepare white asparagus, you have to be very careful as it not only has delicate taste, but it also has a delicate texture and  breaks easily. Luckily, in this recipe, you do not need to worry about it as - except for the top ends – all the other parts should be chopped as the soup will be liquidises anyway. So maybe this soup will be for me a beginning of a new relationship with white asparagus?

INGREDIENTS (for 4 portions):

500g white asparagus,

300g mushrooms,

1l vegetable stock,

50ml milk,

1 tbsp butter,

salt and pepper.

METHOD:

1. Snip the woody endings of the asparagus, peel it and cut into 3-4 cm pieces (keep the top ends separately).
2. Wash, dry and slice the mushrooms. Keep some slices aside together with the asparagus tops for garnish.
3. Pour the stock into a pot, add the vegetables and cook the soup for approx. 15 minutes until the vegetables are soft.
4. Add the milk, adjust the seasoning and liquidize the soup. If you want to make sure there are no stringy pieces of asparagus, strain the soup through a sieve.
5. In a frying pan melt the butter on a medium heat, add the asparagus tops and mushroom’s slices and fry them stirring for 2-3 minutes until the mushrooms are golden.
6. Serve the soup garnished with the fried vegetables.

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Lemony Soup with Kale

I am still a novice as far as kale is concerned. I have started to use it fairly recently after I heard how healthy it was, and my brief research has confirmed it. Kale has many health promoting properties but I would like to focus on only one, very important to me right now: support in the body’s detoxification process.

Plant food contain lots of different chemicals called phytonutrients that help protect these plants from various threats like bugs, fungi, etc. but they are also supposed to be beneficial to human health. Kale is a great source of one group of phytonutrients called glucosinolates that - after the vegetable is eaten and then digested - transform in our body into isothiocyanates (ITCs). Majority of toxins that may be harmful to us must be eliminated from our body by our cells through a two-step process and it is ITCs that positively influence both of these steps. Knowing how exposed we are nowadays to toxins coming from either the environment, or food we eat, makes kale an even more important component of a healthy eating plan and health promoting diet.

But it is also tasty although not in an obvious way like let’s say a tomato that you can enjoy without any additions. In kale’s case I think you need a distinct flavour added like e.g. lemon in the below recipe.

INGREDIENTS (for 4-6 portions):

2+1 tbsp rapeseed oil,

1 onion, roughly chopped,

500g cauliflower, cut into florets,

500g broccoli, cut into florets,

1.5l vegetable stock,

3+1 tbsp lemon juice,

1 garlic cloves, thinly sliced,

100g kale torn into bite-size pieces (without stems),

salt and pepper,

smoked salmon to serve (optionally).

METHOD:

1. In a big pot warm up 2 tbsp rapeseed oil, add the onion and fry for 1-2 minutes on a medium heat.
2. Add the cauliflower and broccoli and fry for another 2 minutes.
3. Pour the stock, bring to boil and cook for 10-15 minutes until the vegetables are tender.
4. Add the lemon juice, check the seasoning and liquidise in 2-3 batches.
5. On a big frying pan warm up 1 tbsp of rapeseed oil, stir in the garlic and kale, fry for approx. 3 minutes, season with salt, pepper and 1 tbsp lemon juice.
6. Serve the soup in bowls with kale, optionally garnished with strips of smoked salmon.

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Asian Soup with Salmon and Kale

I had a glimpse of how it is to be on the TV series Masterchef. I mean the moment when participants open a Mystery Box, they can see ingredients and quickly have to decide what they are going to cook. Some of them play it safe and make something they have done before, others take a risk and play it by the ear or – rather in this context – by their taste.

In my case, my Mystery Box was my fridge and the kitchen cabinets before shopping was done when there are still many - but often odd - ingredients not necessarily meant for a specific meal. Additionally everybody was getting hungry so I didn’t have all the time in the world to think what to cook and then cook it. My first idea was the safe one: stir fry. But then I thought that even though I love stir fries, I should go for something different. So I cooked this healthy soup instead.

I included in it ingredients that are typical for Asia: ginger, chilli, soya and fish sauce. White wine might not be the obvious choice, rice wine would probably be better but I didn’t have it then. Overall the combination of flavours in the stock works really well and addition of salmon, noodles and kale makes it a complete meal a whole family can enjoy on a busy weekday evening when nobody has hours to cook and nobody wants to wait for hours to eat!

INGREDIENTS (for 4 portions):

400g skinless and boneless salmon fillet cut into 2 cm cubes,

1 tsp sesame oil,

1.5l vegetable stock,

5 tbsp white wine,

2 tbsp soya sauce

1 tbsp fish sauce,

chilli flakes,

3 tsp grated ginger,

150g kale thorn into small pieces (without stems),

150g bean sprouts,

100g Chinese/wok noodles.

METHOD:

1. Put the salmon cubes into a bowl, add the sesame oil, stir well and let it marinate until you need it.
2. Heat up the vegetable stock, add the white wine, soya and fish sauces, chilli flakes and ginger.
3. When the spiced stock is boiling, add the Chinese noodles (you may break them into smaller pieces so it will be easier to eat the soup), bring to boil, add the salmon and kale and cook for 2 minutes.
4. Serve the soup with bean sprouts.

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Green Pea Soup [vegetarian]

Green peas are very high on my own list of favourite vegetables. I like them for many reasons: their slightly sweet taste, their beautiful green colour and also for their versatility. You can add them to salads, soups, stews; together with a boiled egg and a bit of mayo they make a great and speedy snack or they can be served as a side dish for a roast or any other meat or fish dish.

A list of health benefits of green peas is equally impressive. They contain phytonutrients that lower risk of stomach cancer as well as provide antioxidant and anti-inflammatory benefits. Green peas are also very good source of manganese, Vitamins K and B1. But it is the excellent protein and fibre content that regulates a rate of food digestion and keeps our blood sugar on a steady level that is especially important as it reduces risk of type 2 diabetes. 

So I hope I have convinced you that – along with other legumes (lentils, chickpeas, beans, etc.) – we should eat more green peas (at least 3 cups of legumes per week). So why not start with this delicious soup?

INGREDIENTS (4 lunch or 6 starter portions):

1 tbsp olive oil,

1 tbsp butter,

1 onion, chopped,

400g potatoes, peeled and chopped,

750ml vegetable stock,

450g frozen green peas,

150ml milk,

Salt and pepper.

METHOD:

1. In a medium size pot warm up the olive oil and butter, add the onion and sweat on a medium heat for 5 minutes stirring occasionally.
2. Add the potatoes, stir them with the onions and cook for 5 minutes more (it is important not to burn the onions).
3. Add the stock, bring to boil, lower the heat to medium and cook covered for 10-15 minutes till the potatoes are soft.
4. Add the green peas and milk, bring to boil and cook for 3 minutes more.
5. Check the seasoning and liquidise until nice and smooth.

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Fish and Tomato Soup

Good tomato soup is always a winner. I make quite a few different types of tomato soup and I am sure so do many other people. I thought about this recipe when I ended up with some fish “leftovers” after I cut out nice, thick fillets from a cod.  This soup is a great way of using such thinner parts of cod or any other white fish. It is aromatic and substantial as addition of chopped tomatoes and green peas turns it into almost a stew. Another great advantage of this soup is that is very easy and quick to prepare.

INGREDIENTS (for 4 portions):

1 onion finely chopped,

2 tbsp olive oil,

2 garlic cloves, crushed,

1 can (approx. 420g) chopped tomatoes,

800ml fish or vegetable stock,

1 tsp sugar,

1.5 tsp paprika,

0.5 tsp chilli powder,

1 tbsp fish sauce,

300g frozen green peas,

350g cod, skinless and boneless, cut into pieces,

1 tbsp lemon juice,

Salt and pepper.

METHOD:

1. Heat olive oil in a big pot, add the onions and fry on a medium heat for 3 minutes; add the garlic and fry for further 2 minutes.
2. Add chopped tomatoes, bring to boil and cook on a medium heat for 10 minutes; then add stock and cook for 10 minutes more.
3. Add all the spices (sugar, paprika, chilli and fish sauce) and frozen peas; bring to boil.
4. After 3 minutes add the fish and lemon juice, cook for 2-3 minutes, taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary.

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Chickpea and Spinach Soup (vegetarian)

There is nothing better than a bowl of hot soup on a cold and dark day: you have it and straight away you feel much better. I like creamy soups very much but I know they are insufficient  and they have to be followed by a second course. And sometimes there is simply not enough time to make two courses. 

This Chickpea and Spinach Soup is a complete vegetarian, one pot meal with plant proteins from chickpeas and lots of goodness from spinach. I have always known that spinach is good for us but since I realized how good, I have been trying to include it in many dishes to make sure it regularly appears in our diet.  So I add spinach to salads, soups and pasta dishes but I also use it as a main hero e.g. in Spanakopita.

As far as goodness is concerned, spinach is on top of the list of nutrient dense foods as it has very few calories but it is an excellent source of  vitamins K and A, manganese, folate, magnesium and iron. Spinach also helps to protect us against inflammatory, cardiovascular and bone problems as well as cancer. And if you are still not convinced how good spinach is for you, a whole long list of its benefits can be found in this link.

INGREDIENTS (4 portions):

2tbsp olive oil,

4 garlic cloves, crushed,

1 onion thinly chopped,

2tsp ground cumin,

2tsp ground coriander,

1-1.2l of vegetable stock,

350g potatoes peeled cut into 2cm cubes,

1 can (420g) of chickpeas,

1tbsp cornflour,

150ml milk,

2tbsp tahini paste,

200g shreded spinach,

Salt and pepper.

METHOD:

1. Heat the olive oil in a large pot, add the garlic and onion and fry on a low heat for 5 minutes till they are soft.
2. Add the cumin and coriander, stir and fry for 1 more minute.
3. Pour the stock, add the potatoes, increase the heat. When the soup starts boiling, lower the heat and simmer it for approx. 10 minutes.
4. Add the chickpeas and cook for 5 minutes more.
5. In a mug blend together the corn flour, tahini paste and milk, add to the soup and stir.
6. Add the spinach and season.

Source: “Vegetarian - the best-ever recipe collection” by Linda Fraser

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