Carrot and Coriander Soup

Following on from my last post saying that it is all going to be healthy foods, I decided to make carrot and coriander soup at the weekend. All fresh and healthy.


Well it was made and the whole pot was finished in two days. My wife and 7 month old daughter loved it, and I had the nappy changes to prove it was healthy.

Anyway here is the recipe:

1 large chopped onion
2 cloves of garlic
500g of chopped peeled carrots
100g of chopped potato
2 litres of chicken stock
A good handful of fresh coriander
250ml tub of low fat Cream fresh

Method: -

1 – Put the onions and garlic in a large pan with a little oil and soften till the onions are transparent.

2 – Add the chopped carrots and potato.

3 – Add the chicken stock (you can use vegetable stock if required).

4 – Simmer the soup until the veg is all cooked and soft, usually about 45 mins.

5 – Add the coriander and liquidise using a hand blender. (you can also use the liquidiser and blitz a bit at a time, and season to taste

6 – Now you can either add the cream fresh now and stir into the soup, or add it when serving as a spoonful in the middle of the bowl.

7 – Enjoy this with some crusty bread.

Now be careful, we managed to finish all of this soup in two days, and we paid the penalty with regular trips to the toilet. Maybe too much info there, but it is so delicious.

Brocolli and Blue Cheese soup.

This is a soup i was served at a works dinner and thought that i would try and make my own version. I looked it up in books and the internet and found so many variations. I tried a few and plumped for a mix of a few. So this is my take on this classic soup.

Ingredients: -

1 litre chicken stock (you can use ham stock, but i think Ham makes it a little salty).
500g broccoli
250g blue cheese (a nice creamy cheese works best), if it’s really strong use maybe 200g
1 onion chopped
Knob of butter


Method: -
1 - Melt butter and soften onions.

2 - Add stock and broccoli. Simmer till the broccoli is cooked.

3 - Blitz the mix with a hand blender or liquidiser.

4 - Break the cheese into small pieces and add to the liquidised soup. Stir till the cheese has melted.

It’s easy and delicious. people taste it and remark how good it was, then can't believe how simple it is when I give them the recipe.

Creamy Squash Soup

I had this soup when I was in Canada snowboarding back in 2001. It is the best warming soup I have ever had, or maybe it's because it was - 10degC outside and i had spent a whole day boarding. whatever the reason its spledifurous stuff.

It's also great for a dinner party served with Croutons.



Ingredients
2 tbsp butter
1 sliced leeks
3 large cups cubed squash (you can use pumpkin for this too)
2 medium size potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 pint of chicken stock
250ml. double Cream
Salt and pepper to taste



Method:
1. Melt butter and saute leeks for a few mins until they are softened. Add the squash and potatoes and cook for around 2 minutes.

2. Pour the chicken stock and bring to boil. Simmer for 20 minutes until the vegetables are tender. Then remove from heat then let it cool.

3. When cool enough to handle use a hand blender to blitz until smooth, alternatively transfer it over to the blender and puree until smooth then add back to the pan.

4. When the mixture is smooth add the double cream and simmer for a further 5-10 minutes, and then serve.

Tip - The soup is delicious when served with croutons or crusty bread, and a little grated Parmesan is a nice touch when serving at a dinner party.