A BEAUTIFUL BROTH. Harira. ABOUT RACHEL Chef-proprietor

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1 A BEAUTIFUL BROTH The original winter warmer, a hearty serving of soup is a perfectly balanced meal. Rachel Demuth takes inspiration from Morocco, Thailand and the West Country for three flavour-packed, nourishing soups. In winter, soups are just so wholesome, simple and quick to prepare, plus they are frugal and great for using up leftovers. Soup is the perfect complete meal and the ultimate convenience food, as a bowl of soup can easily provide every nutritional requirement and component of a healthful and healing diet. Infinitely varied, no two batches need ever be the same, and it requires no fussy crockery or cutlery in fact, it s the original bowl food. Soups feature in cuisines all around the world and show such a variety of ingredients, form, colour, consistency, temperature and accompanying garnishes. Every culture has its own take on this liquid dish, which is often prepared from ABOUT RACHEL Chef-proprietor of the awardwinning Demuths restaurant in Bath for 25 years, Rachel is now dedicated to running the Demuths Vegetarian Cookery School, which offers a range of themed workshops, guest chef events, cookery holidays in France and Italy, and the Demuths Vegetarian and Vegan Diplomas for professional chefs and keen cooks. As a well-travelled foodie, Rachel loves to combine her passion for global cuisine with the best of locally grown produce. basic foods like root vegetables, cereals and pulses. This reflects the long tradition of peasant-food soups and shows off the essential textures, colours and flavours of the plethora of plant-based foods available in our world marketplace. Winter root vegetables are ideal for making soups, and you can add lentils and beans for a nutritious meal. You can choose your preferred texture too silky smooth, thick and wholesome, or thin and brothy. While some soups taste far better than they look, they can be made into beautifully presented dishes with the addition of vibrant garnishes like fresh herbs, spring onions and chillies, accompaniments like chermoula or pesto, a drizzle of quality olive oil, roasted seeds, croutons, kale chips or my favourite, cheese toasties. However, the secret to a great soup always starts with a great stock, and the better your stock the better your broth will be. A broth is made with a clear stock, and the main difference between a stock and a broth is that a vegetable stock is unseasoned for cooking in a variety of dishes, whilst a broth is a seasoned stock that is ready to eat as it is. So essentially, a broth is a seasoned stock. Stock making is quick and easy, and I recommend making basic stock, keeping it unsalted and using neutral flavours. This allows you to season it up to make your desired soup or stew. Homemade stock is so much better than shop-bought stock cubes or powder, which are over-salted and will give all your soups the same generic stockcube flavour. The soups I have chosen this month are all easy to make and will really warm you up! Harira is a traditional spicy lentil Moroccan soup, while our West Country cider broth is packed with winter vegetables and topped with cheese and mustard toasties, and the cleansing Thai broth has a hot chilli kick. Harira Harira is a thick, hearty Moroccan soup with lentils and split chickpeas and is eaten as a warming snack. It is served daily during Ramadan to break the fast with dates and a glass of milk. Don t be tempted to use shopbought stock to cook pulses or beans, as the salt in it will slow down their cooking. Serves 4 Prep 30 mins Cook 1 hr 2 tbsp olive oil 1 large onion, chopped 3 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped 500g tomatoes, peeled and chopped (or tinned tomatoes) 1 tbsp tomato purée ¼ tsp ginger ¼ tsp cinnamon ¼ tsp turmeric pinch of nutmeg pinch of saffron, infused in 1 tbsp hot water 100g red lentils 100g chana dhal (split chickpeas) 1 litre vegetable stock 1 tbsp lemon juice bunch of fresh coriander, chopped bunch of fresh parsley, chopped sea salt and freshly ground black pepper For the herb chermoula: 3 cloves garlic, peeled ½ tsp salt 2 tsp ground cumin 2 tsp ground coriander 1 2 tsp paprika zest and juice of ½ lemon 4 6 tbsp olive oil 2 tbsp chopped parsley 2 tbsp chopped coriander _VL91[RD_Soups]NTSJLH.indd 22 20/12/ :22

2 STOCK-MAKING TIPS l Basic stock is best made with onions (keep the skin on for colour), leeks, celery, fennel, carrots, asparagus (when in season), bay leaves, parsley and peppercorns. l Either chop the vegetables in chunks as you are making stock or use ends and outer leaves while preparing other dishes. You can even freeze scraps and ends for making into stock later; we do this with asparagus in particular when it is in season as the stalks have a lovely rich taste. Try adding dried mushrooms or kombu seaweed to add umami flavour to your stock. l Don t use starchy root vegetables such as potatoes, swede or parsnips, as they will make the stock cloudy and gummy. Any vegetables in the cabbage family smell unsavoury. Go easy on strong herbs such as rosemary that can overpower your stock. l Store vegetable stock in the fridge for 3 days, and 3 months in the freezer. HOW TO PEEL A TOMATO Make a small slit in each tomato and place them in a heatproof bowl. Pour on boiling water and leave for 5 minutes. Take the tomatoes out of the water and peel off the skins. HARIRA 1 Heat the olive oil and fry the onion until soft. Add the garlic and fry for 1 minute, then add the tomatoes, tomato purée and all the spices. Simmer for 10 minutes. 2 Add the red lentils, chana dhal and vegetable stock. Bring to the boil and simmer for about minutes, until the lentils and chana dhal are cooked. You may need to add more water if the soup gets too thick. 3 Add the lemon juice, coriander and parsley and season to taste. 4 To make the chermoula, place the garlic and salt in a pestle and mortar and pound to a paste. Alternatively, chop or grate the garlic as finely as possible, using the salt to help break it down into a paste. Mix in the rest of the ingredients, adding enough olive oil to make a loose paste. 5 Serve the soup with a generous teaspoon of chermoula swirled through and more on the table for your guests to add extra. COOK S TIP If you can t find split chickpeas (available from Asian stores), use whole chickpeas soaked overnight and cooked for 1 hour in plenty of water; drain, then add to the soup with the lentils. Or just use a tin of chickpeas and add them towards the end of the cooking. n PER SERVING 416 cals, fat 23g, sat fat 3g, carbs 36g, sugars 11g, protein 14g, salt 0.82g, fibre 6g Basic vegetable stock 1.5 litres water 1 medium onion, quartered, skin left on 2 carrots, cut in half 2 celery stalks, cut in half ¼ fennel bulb 2 bay leaves 4 parsley stems 8 whole black peppercorns l Put all the ingredients in a large saucepan and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer gently for about 1 hour, until the vegetables are cooked and the stock has reduced by a quarter. l Drain the stock into a colander over a heatproof bowl and discard the cooked vegetables. You should be left with golden clear stock which can be used immediately, will keep in the fridge for 3 days, or can be decanted into small plastic containers or freezer bags and frozen _VL91[RD_Soups]NTSJLH.indd 23 20/12/ :22

3 Tom yam with shiitake mushrooms A tom yam is a uniquely Thai dish, a broth flavoured with nam prik phao, lemongrass, lime leaves, galangal and chillies, incorporating hot, sour, salty and sweet flavours which are essential in Thai cooking. Serves 4 Prep 15 mins Cook 10 mins 1 litre Thai vegetable stock (see recipe, opposite) 1 2 tbsp nam prik phao (see recipe, opposite) 1 tbsp finely sliced lemongrass 2 lime leaves, shredded 2 tbsp lime juice 1 tsp palm sugar or brown sugar 65g shiitake mushrooms, shredded 1 tomato, seeds removed and cut into strips sea salt For garnish: fresh coriander leaves 1 spring onion, sliced in rings 1 red chilli, finely sliced 1 In a large saucepan, bring the vegetable stock to the boil and stir in enough nam prik phao to your taste. 2 Add all the other ingredients except the tomato and simmer gently for about for 6 8 minutes, until the mushrooms are just cooked. Season to taste. 3 Add the tomato strips just before serving. Serve in soup bowls, garnished with coriander leaves, the spring onions and red chilli. n PER SERVING 98 cals, fat 2g, sat fat 0g, carbs 16g, sugars 6g, protein 4g, salt 0.28g, fibre 2g 022-6_VL91[RD_Soups]NTSJLH.indd 24 20/12/ :22

4 Thai vegetable stock 1.5 litres water 1 medium onion, quartered 2 carrots, cut in half 2 celery stalks, cut in half 4 coriander stems 4 dried shiitake mushrooms ½ sheet of kombu seaweed 2 lime leaves 1 quill lemon grass, bruised thumb-sized piece of galangal 8 whole black peppercorns Put all the ingredients in a large saucepan and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer gently for about 1 hour, until the vegetables are cooked and the stock has reduced by a quarter. TOM YAM WITH SHIITAKE MUSHROOMS Nam prik phao In Thai, nam prik is chilli water and phao means roasted. Nam prik phao is the basis for tom yam soup and is also delicious as a dip for raw vegetables or fried snacks. The traditional base for nam prik phao is roasted shrimp paste, so for a vegetarian substitute the chillies, garlic, shallots and tomato are roasted and tamarind is added to give a traditional sweet and sour flavour. 4 small green chillies, destalked 4 small red chillies, destalked 2 large cloves garlic, peeled 2 shallots, peeled 1 tomato, chopped 1 tbsp tamarind pulp 1 tbsp lime juice 2 tbsp shoyu 1 tsp palm sugar l Preheat the grill to high or oven to 200C/fan 180C/gas 6. Wrap the chillies, garlic, shallots and tomato in foil and grill or roast until they soften. l Soak the tamarind in 100ml boiling water and leave to soak for 10 minutes. Squeeze the pulp with your fingers to dissolve it, then press the pulp through a strainer. Retain the liquid and discard the fibrous bits and seeds. l Unwrap the roasted chilli mix and place in a mortar and pound to a paste. Add the tamarind water, lime juice, shoyu and palm sugar and mix to a smooth sauce _VL91[RD_Soups]NTSJLH.indd 25 20/12/ :22

5 WEST COUNTRY BROTH WITH CHEDDAR AND MUSTARD TOASTS West Country broth with Cheddar and mustard toasts For this recipe we like to use our local Sharpham Park pearled spelt, Midford cider made in Bath and either Greens of Glastonbury or Godminster Vintage Cheddars, both of which are vegetarian. Serves 4 Prep 30 mins Cook 40 mins 75g pearled spelt 2 3 tbsp rapeseed oil 1 large onion, chopped 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped 1 leek, thinly sliced 2 large carrots, peeled and chopped 250g swede, peeled and chopped 400ml dry cider 800ml vegetable stock 2 bay leaves sea salt and freshly ground black pepper handful of kale or cavolo nero, stems removed and roughly chopped handful of fresh parsley, chopped, plus extra to garnish For the toasts: 100g mature Cheddar, grated 1 tbsp wholegrain mustard 1 2 tbsp cider 4 slices baguette or sourdough, toasted 1 Rinse the spelt, then place in a small saucepan with treble its volume of cold water. Bring to the boil, then lower the heat to a simmer and cook for about 20 minutes, until only just tender. The spelt grain should retain some texture, as it will continue to swell once added to the vegetable broth. 2 Heat the rapeseed oil in a large saucepan and fry the onion until soft and just golden. Add the garlic and leek, fry for a couple more minutes, then add the carrot and swede. 3 Pour in the cider, bring to the boil, then reduce the heat a little and simmer for 5 minutes. Add the vegetable stock with the bay leaves and simmer for about minutes, until the veg are tender. 4 Once the vegetables are nearly cooked, taste and season well with salt and pepper. Add the cooked spelt, kale or cavolo nero, and chopped parsley and simmer for a further 5 minutes. You may want to add a little water if the broth is very thick. 5 To make the toasts, preheat the grill. Mix the grated Cheddar with the mustard and enough cider to bind to a thick paste. Spread the slices of toast with the cheese mix and grill until bubbling and golden. 6 Serve each bowl of soup topped with a slice of cheesy toast and a sprinkling of chopped parsley to garnish. n PER SERVING 479 cals, fat 18g, sat fat 6g, carbs 51g, sugars 16g, protein 16g, salt 1.21g, fibre 10g _VL91[RD_Soups]NTSJLH.indd 26 20/12/ :23