Winter is soup season, particularly the first few months of the new year when we get back into routines (and perhaps with a renewed focus on healthy eating) after the Christmas and New Year’s festivities. Whether for lunch or a lighter evening meal, soups are varied and versatile. Rather than buying or relying on tinned or carton soups, making your own is more rewarding, tastier, and a great way to save money or use up leftovers. Here are four Philleigh Way favourite soup recipes to try out over the coming weeks:
Cornish Fish Soup
*Click here to download and print the recipe
1 onion
2 sticks celery
1 carrot
1 fennel bulb
2 cloves garlic
¼ Leek
1 red chilli , deseeded
1 tbsp fennel seeds
1 Star anise
2 tbsp brandy/cognac (or red wine vinegar or small glass white wine)
Thyme/rosemary
Sprinkle of saffron (optional)
2 tablespoons olive oil , plus extra for drizzling
800 g chopped plum tomatoes
½ butternut squash or potatoes, peeled and finely cubed
500 ml organic fish stock
300g fish (skinned) from sustainable sources, ask your fishmonger
Finely chop the onion, fennel, celery, carrot , garlic, star anise, saffron and chilli. Peel the potato/squash and dice.
Heat the oil in a large pan, add the veg and sweat gently until soft. Season.
Add the wine/brandy/vinegar, tomatoes, squash and stock and bring to the boil.
Cover and simmer gently for 30 minutes. Season and gently break up the tomatoes.
Roughly chop the fish and add to the pan simmer for 5 minutes or until just cooked. Blitz.
Taste the soup and season it again with salt and pepper and a squeeze of lemon if necessary.
Serve drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with the chopped parsley
Traditional Italian Soup
*Click here to download and print the recipe
4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil , plus extra to serve
1 onion , finely chopped
1 celery stick , cut into chunks
750g pumpkin or squash, peeled, deseeded and cut into small chunks
1 carrot , peeled and cut into chunks
3 garlic cloves , chopped
3 tbsp tomato purée
1.2l chicken stock or vegetable stock
75g farro or peal barley
50-80g parmesan rinds or vegetarian alternative (optional), plus a few shavings to serve
400g can cannellini beans , drained
2 handfuls baby spinach
2 tbsp chopped parsley or 8 whole sage leaves
Heat the oil in a heavy-bottomed saucepan. Add the onion, celery, pumpkin or squash and carrot and cook until the vegetables have some colour. Add a splash of water and some seasoning, then cover the pan and let the vegetables cook over a very low heat for 5 minutes.
Add the garlic and cook for another couple of mins, then add the tomato purée, stock, mixed grains, parmesan rinds, if using, and some seasoning. Simmer for about 15 mins (or until the grains are cooked), adding the beans for the final 5 mins. In the last few mins, add the spinach, then taste for seasoning.
If you want to use sage, fry the leaves whole in a little olive oil before adding to the soup. If you prefer to use parsley, you can just add it directly to the soup. Serve with shavings of parmesan and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil on top of each bowlful. Remove the parmesan rinds and serve.
Vietnamese Pho
*Click here to download and print the recipe
Two Cinnamon sticks
3 whole cloves
2 star anise
1 large white onion, peeled and quartered 3 garlic cloves 1 red chilli 4-inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and halved lengthwise
2 vegetable stock or broth
4 cups water
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 large handful rice noodles
1 tablespoon sesame oil
5 mushrooms
Rice wine vinegar
Asian Paste (optional)
Garnishes
Mung bean sprouts
Sprigs of fresh basil (use Thai basil if you can find it) or coriander
Sprigs of fresh mint
Thinly sliced spring onions
1 Carrot (julienne)
1 Courgette (julienne)
Warm a medium soup pot over medium heat. Add the cinnamon sticks, cloves, and star anise and toast until fragrant, stirring occasionally, about 3 to 4 minutes. Add the onion, chill, garlic ginger, vegetable stock, water and soy. Raise the heat to high and bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat as necessary to maintain a gentle simmer. Simmer for 30 minutes to give the flavours time to meld.
In the meantime, prepare your rice noodles by cooking them according to package directions. Set them aside.
To prepare the mushrooms, warm the oil in a medium skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Add the mushrooms and a few dashes of salt. Cook until the mushrooms are tender and lightly browned, about 4 to 6 minutes, then set them aside. Julienne your veg.
Once the broth is done cooking, strain out the onions, ginger and spices (this is easiest with a small metal sieve, but you can also strain the mixture through a colander into another large bowl). Season it to taste with extra tamari and/or salt until the flavours of the spices really shine.
Ladle the broth into bowls, add cooked noodles and mushrooms, and fresh garnishes to your heart’s content. Serve immediately, with chopsticks and soup spoon
Smoked Celeriac Soup
*Click here to download and print the recipe
1 large celeriac
2 onions
4 garlic cloves
Veg or chicken stock cube
70ml double cream (or creme fraiche)
Peel the celeriac, then par boil until it can take a knife. Then light your BBQ and have coals and one log fired up. Smoke the celeriac indirectly at 180-200C for 45 minutes to an hour.
While that is smoking…. Dice the onions and garlic, then sweat off in a deep pan and season.
Once the celeriac has been smoked to your liking, dice and add to the pan along with the stock and then top up with boiling water just above the line of the veg.
Simmer until everything is soft. Then blitz and add the cream. Season to taste and serve with crusty bread and butter.