A hug in a bowl Nothing beats a warming bowl of soup on a winter s day, and when paired with tasty toppings and hearty sides you can make a real meal of these dishes, says chef Rachel Demuth. ALL IMAGES ROB WICKS/EAT PICTURES UNLESS STATED OTHERWISE. FOOD STYLING: HELEN LAWRENCE Winter soups are the ultimate in nourishing comfort food, and they are so simple and quick to prepare. I like to turn a bowl of soup into a complete meal by adding an extra side with this month s recipes I ve served spicy ABOUT RACHEL Chef-proprietor of the award-winning Demuths restaurant in Bath for 25 years, Rachel Demuth is now dedicated to running Demuths 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 locally grown produce. baked sweet potatoes, rosemary polenta chips and a three-seed soda bread. Adorning your soup with added garnishes such as chopped herbs, croutons or drizzled pesto also makes them more interesting, while a simple swirl of your best olive oil is the perfect finishing touch. For a seasonal soup, my favourite recipes use celeriac, winter squash and leeks, as well HOMEMADE STOCK Shop-bought stock cubes are usually very salty, but a homemade stock is easy to create and will make so much difference to the flavour of your soup. For a simple stock, just put a quartered onion, two sliced carrots, a celery stalk, parsley stalks, a bay leaf, and black peppercorns but no salt into a large saucepan. Cover with water and simmer for an hour. Strain off the stock, use at once, or freeze in portions for next time. as root vegetables such as carrots, parsnips, potatoes and Jerusalem artichokes. I include lots of dark green veg like cavolo nero, kale or spring greens for vibrancy and nutrients, and for a protein boost I add pulses, lentils, rice or grains, such as spelt, barley, buckwheat or quinoa. A thicker texture is more filling and hearty, and can be created by adding potato or other root veg to the pot. The base for any soup is to fry the onions very gently until they are soft, translucent and beginning to caramelise. Only then add the garlic, otherwise it will burn and taste bitter. Next, add your vegetables in order of cooking time. Start with hard veg such as carrots, celeriac, beetroot and potatoes, then add softer ones such as courgettes and green beans. Leave soft green leaves, like spinach, until last. Finally, add your delicate herbs at the last minute to enjoy the freshness. If reheating your soup the next day, always add new fresh herbs to perk up the flavours again. Soups are ideal for batch cooking to save time on busy days, so I always recommend using a large saucepan and dividing the soup 38 038-42_VL103[RD_Soup]NTSJ.indd 38 20/12/2018 14:03
into meal-sized portions for freezing. Soups are robust and are happy to be reheated several times. Black-eyed bean and squash soup This is a chunky, filling soup. Do leave out the chilli if you don t want the heat, and add paprika rather than smoked paprika if you don t like smoky flavours. Serve topped with a watercress pistou and spicy sweet potato wedges on the side. SPICY SWEET POTATO WEDGES Serves 4 Prep 25 mins Cook 30 mins 1 tbsp olive oil 1 red onion, finely chopped 4 sage leaves 1 bay leaf 1 tbsp fresh thyme, chopped 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped 1 small red chilli, finely chopped 1 tsp ground cumin ½ tsp smoked paprika or paprika 1 small butternut squash, about 600g, peeled and diced 750ml vegetable stock 400g can black-eyed beans, drained and rinsed For the watercress pistou: 1 clove garlic, roughly chopped large handful of watercress, stalks removed 1 Heat the oil in a medium saucepan and gently sauté the onion with the sage, bay leaf and thyme. 2 When the onion is soft and translucent, add the garlic, chilli, ground cumin and smoked paprika or paprika. Fry for a minute then add the squash and vegetable stock. Simmer, partially covered for about 20 minutes, until the squash is just starting to break down. 3 Meanwhile, make the pistou. In a mini blender or pestle and mortar, blend the garlic with the olive oil, then add the watercress to make a smooth paste. Season to taste. 4 Purée the soup but retain some texture. Add the black-eyed beans and gently simmer for a further 10 minutes. Season to taste, top with the pistou and serve with spicy sweet potato wedges on the side (see recipe, right). PER SERVING 256 cals, fat 10g, sat fat 1g, carbs 29g, sugars 12g, protein 9g, salt 0.13g, fibre 8g BLACK-EYED BEAN AND SQUASH SOUP Spicy sweet potato wedges 2 medium sweet potatoes, skins partially scrubbed to remove 1 red chilli, deseeded and sliced ¼ tsp nutmeg ½ tsp cinnamon 1 tsp brown sugar Preheat the oven to 200C/fan 180C/gas 6. Cut the sweet potatoes in half and then half again to create long, even-sized wedges and place in a roasting tin. Sprinkle the chilli over the top along with the nutmeg, cinnamon, brown sugar, some seasoning and olive oil. Rub the flavouring into the wedges and arrange them skin-side down. Roast for 40 minutes, until the sweet potatoes are caramelising. www.vegetarianliving.co.uk 39 038-42_VL103[RD_Soup]NTSJ.indd 39 20/12/2018 14:24
Celeriac velouté This is a silky-smooth soup, with the flavour enhanced by making it with a white wine vegetable stock. The crunchy herb gremolata is an Italian addition and provides a delicious contrast sprinkled on top and if you have any left over it is also great used as a topping for gratin vegetables or mixed through cooked pasta. Serves 4 Prep 25 mins Cook 20 mins 1 banana shallot, finely diced 1 clove garlic, crushed 1 tbsp plain white flour 750ml white wine stock (see recipe, opposite) 600g celeriac, peeled and diced For the gremolata: 30g white bread 1 tsp olive oil 1 clove garlic, finely chopped 1 tsp finely chopped rosemary and thyme 1 tsp finely chopped parsley pinch of mild chilli flakes pinch of salt 1 Heat the oil and gently fry the diced shallot until soft, but not coloured. Add the crushed garlic and cook for 1 minute. 2 Add the flour, stir and slowly pour in the white wine stock to achieve a smooth sauce. Add the diced celeriac, bring to the boil and simmer for about 15 20 minutes until the celeriac is soft. 3 Meanwhile, make the gremolata. In a mini food processor, blitz the bread to make crumbs. Heat the oil in a frying pan and cook the garlic, herbs and breadcrumbs until golden and crispy, then add the chilli flakes and salt. 4 Purée the soup with a hand blender or food processor until very smooth. Season to taste, top with the gremolata and serve with warm soda bread (see recipe, opposite). PER SERVING 156 cals, fat 8g, sat fat 1g, carbs 13g, sugars 5g, protein 4g, salt 0.76g, fibre 9g 038-42_VL103[RD_Soup]NTSJ.indd 40 20/12/2018 14:03
WHITE WINE STOCK 1 onion, roughly chopped 1 carrot, chopped 1 stick celery, chopped 1 clove garlic, sliced 1 star anise ½ lemon peel 2 bay leaves sprig of thyme 10 black peppercorns 20 coriander seeds 2 cloves 10g parsley stalks 100ml white wine 1 litre cold water Put all the ingredients into a large saucepan and gently bring to the boil. Simmer for 25 minutes, then remove from the heat and leave for a minimum of 1 hour to infuse before using. Strain the stock through a sieve into a bowl. Discard the vegetables. THREE-SEED SPELT SODA BREAD Makes 2 small loaves 350ml soya or almond milk 75ml plain soya yogurt 1 tbsp molasses 500g wholemeal spelt flour 6 tsp baking powder ½ tsp sea salt 50g jumbo oats 2 tbsp each of sunflower, pumpkin and sesame seeds Preheat the oven to 200C/fan 180C/gas 6. Line a baking tray with baking paper. In a large measuring jug, mix the milk, yogurt and molasses together. In a large bowl, mix the flour, baking powder, salt, oats and seeds. Pour the milk mixture into the flour mixture and combine into a sticky dough. Tip the dough onto a floured surface and divide into two equal-sized portions. Shape each portion into a ball, flatten, and cut a deep cross through the top of each one, not quite all the way through. Dust with flour. Place on the prepared baking tray and bake in the middle of the oven for 30 40 minutes. COOK S TIP You can make soda bread with white flour, gluten-free flour or rye flour; add nuts, dried fruit, herbs or whatever you fancy. It dries out quickly, so it s best eaten warm straight from the oven and any leftovers popped in the freezer. PER SLICE 169 cals, fat 4g, sat fat 1g, carbs 24g, sugars 1g, protein 7g, salt 0.59g, fibre 4g www.vegetarianliving.co.uk 41 038-42_VL103[RD_Soup]NTSJ.indd 41 20/12/2018 14:25
Kale and spelt soup This is a very hearty soup, and if you leave it to cool down after cooking the pearled spelt will continue to swell until you have a risotto-style dish. Serve topped with kale and polenta chips on the side. Serves 4 Prep 10 mins + soaking Cook 45 mins 100g pearled spelt 1 tbsp rapeseed oil 1 onion, chopped 2 cloves garlic, chopped 1 small red chilli, chopped 400g can chopped tomatoes 750ml vegetable stock 200g mix of kale and cavolo nero 1 Soak the pearled spelt in boiling water for 30 minutes, then drain. 2 Heat the oil in a saucepan and fry the onion until translucent, then add the garlic and chilli and fry for 1 minute. 3 Add the chopped tomatoes, vegetable stock and pearled spelt and cook for 30 minutes until the spelt is tender. Stir often to prevent the spelt sticking to the bottom of the saucepan. Season to taste. 4 Remove the hard stalks from the kale and cavolo nero and slice into ribbons. In a separate saucepan with a little water, wilt the kale and cavolo nero for a couple of minutes. Drain and stir into the soup, leaving a little to garnish the top. Serve with rosemary polenta chips on the side (see recipe, below). COOK S TIP If you can t find pearled spelt, use pearled barley instead. The soup is lovely with whatever kale you have. PER SERVING 204 cals, fat 5g, sat fat 0g, carbs 28g, sugars 9g, protein 8g, salt 0.18g, fibre 7g Rosemary polenta chips 500ml water ¼ tsp salt 1 tbsp olive oil 125g quick easy-cook polenta 1 tbsp finely chopped fresh rosemary 3 tbsp nutritional yeast flakes sunflower or rapeseed oil, for frying Bring the water to the boil in a large saucepan. Add the salt and olive oil, remove from the heat and slowly pour in the polenta, stirring continuously with a wooden spoon or strong whisk. Return the pan to the heat and keep stirring until the polenta is thick and smooth. It is cooked when it falls away from the sides of the pan and is no longer granular in texture. Stir in the rosemary and nutritional yeast flakes and mix well to ensure the flakes dissolve into the polenta. Taste and add more seasoning, if necessary. Oil a baking dish about 12 x 12cm or slightly smaller, and pour the polenta in to about 1.5cm deep. Smooth the surface with a wet or oiled spatula, and leave until completely cold and solid. Turn the slab of polenta out onto a chopping board and slice into chips. Heat a couple of tablespoons of oil in a frying pan, add enough chips in one layer without overcrowding the pan, and fry them for several minutes. Turn them often to ensure they are golden and crispy on all sides. Drain onto paper towel and fry the remaining chips. COOK S TIP The polenta can be made ahead and stored for up to 3 days before slicing and frying. The fried chips reheat well too, so keep any leftovers and reheat in a hot oven for 10 minutes. Try adding different herbs, such as parsley, chives or thyme, and spice up with paprika, chilli flakes or smoked chipotle powder. 42 038-42_VL103[RD_Soup]NTSJ.indd 42 20/12/2018 14:03