Super bowls: Healthy and warming soups for winter
HEALTHY, tasty and warming, tuck into a lovely liquid lunch this winter.
Roast garlic and tomato soup
Serves: 4
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 70 minutes
1kg (2lb 3¼oz) ripe tomatoes
3 tbsps olive oil
Salt and pepper
1 red pepper
2 garlic bulbs
1 onion
1 tsp fennel seeds
2 tsps tomato purée
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp balsamic vinegar
1 litre (1¾ pints) vegetable stock
Croutons to serve
Preheat the oven to 140°C/275°F/gas mark 1. Line a roasting tray with baking paper.
Halve the tomatoes and place, cut side up, on the tray. Drizzle on 1 tbsp of olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Rub the pepper with olive oil and put it on the tray. Wrap the garlic bulbs in foil with a drizzle of olive oil and add to the tray. Roast for 1 hour.
Peel and thinly slice the onion. Heat 1 tbsp of olive oil in a large saucepan over a medium flame and add the onion and fennel seeds. Cook slowly until soft and translucent.
Add the tomato purée, sugar and balsamic vinegar. Cook on a low heat for 2 minutes.
Add the cooked tomatoes and pepper to the pan, along with the stock. Squeeze in the garlic, making sure to get out all the pulp. Bring to the boil and simmer for 10 minutes.
Remove the soup from the heat and allow it to cool a little. Blend in an electric blender. You will need to do this in batches.
Bring the soup back up to heat and season with salt and pepper to taste.
Serve sprinkled with croutons.
Bouillabaisse
Serves: 4
Preparation time: 25 minutes
Cooking time: 50 minutes
2 onions
2 leeks (white part only)
4 garlic cloves
2 tbsps olive oil
1 tsp fennel seeds
1 fennel bulb
1 orange
500g (1lb 2oz) tomatoes
2 tsps tomato purée
10 strands of saffron
250ml (8¾fl oz) white wine
1 tbsp Pernod
1.3 litres (2¼ pints) water
750g (1lb 8oz) fish trimmings (mostly bones)
Bouquet garni
300g (10½oz) salmon fillet
400g (14oz) pollock
12 prawns
16 mussels
16 clams
Rouille:
1 roasted red pepper
2 garlic cloves
2 egg yolks
Pinch of saffron
Juice of 1 lemon
200ml (7¼fl oz) olive oil
1 baguette
Peel and dice the onions, leeks and garlic. Put into a large pan overa medium heat with the olive oil and fennel seeds and cook until soft.
Dice the fennel, retaining the leaves, and with a peeler remove the orange skin. Add the orange segments to the pan and cook for 3-4 minutes.
Dice the tomatoes and add to the pan with the tomato purée and saffron. Cook for a further 2 minutes.
Pour in the white wine and Pernod then cook on high for 2 minutes. Add the water, fish bones and bouquet garni. Simmer for 30 minutes then strain the soup through a sieve.
Make the rouille by putting the roasted pepper, garlic, egg yolks, saffron and lemon juice in a food processor and blending until smooth and fluffy. Slowly drizzle in the oil to form a thick mayonnaise. Season.
Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/gas mark 4.
Cut 8 1cm (½in) slices of baguette, brush with olive oil and bake for 6 minutes until lightly golden.
Put the soup into a large saucepan and simmer. Season to taste.
Remove the skin from the salmon and pollock. Cut the fish into 1cm (½in) cubes.
Increase the heat under the soup to high and add the salmon, pollock, prawns, cleaned mussels and clams. Cover and simmer for 4 minutes until the fish and seafood are cooked.
Serve with fennel leaves, and croutons topped with rouille.
Watercress and omega seeds
Serves: 4
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 20 minutes
1 onion
2 celery sticks
50g (2oz) butter
2 medium potatoes
1.2litres (2 pints) chicken or vegetable stock
400g (14oz) watercress
150ml (5fl oz) single cream
Salt and pepper
Omega-3 seeds
Peel and thinly slice the onion and celery. Heat the butter in a large saucepan on a medium heat and slowly cook the onion and celery until soft and translucent.
Peel and chop the potatoes into 1cm (½in) chunks and add to the onion mixture with the stock. Bring to the boil and simmer for 10 minutes until the potatoes are almost cooked.
Roughly chop the watercress, removing any tough stems. Stir into the soup and cook for 2 minutes.
Remove from the heat and add the cream. Blend until smooth and green. You will need to do this in batches.
Season with salt and pepper and serve sprinkled with omega-3 seeds.
Celeriac and apple with spinach and hazelnut pesto
Serves: 4
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 25 minutes
1 onion
3 celery stalks
2 garlic cloves
50g (1¾oz) butter
1 medium celeriac
1 potato
700ml (1¼pints) hot vegetable stock
500ml (17½fl oz) whole milk
3 apples
100ml (3½fl oz) crème fraîche
Salt and pepper
Pesto:
50g (2oz) butter
75g (3oz) hazelnuts
100g (3½oz) baby spinach
30g (1¼oz) basil
1 garlic clove
25g (1oz) Parmesan cheese
Juice of ½ lemon
100ml (3½fl oz) olive oil
Peel and thinly slice the onion, celery and garlic. Heat the butter in a large saucepan over a medium heat and gently cook the onion, celery and garlic until soft.
Peel and dice the celeriac and potato. Add to the onion mixture, cook for 3 minutes and cover with the hot stock and milk – you may need extra stock depending on the size of celeriac. Simmer for 12 minutes.
Peel and dice the apples and add to the soup. Simmer for another five minutes until all vegetables and apples are cooked through.
Remove from the heat and allow to cool a little before blending with the crème fraîche until smooth. You will need to do this in batches.
Heat 50g (1½oz) of butter in a small pan. Add the hazelnuts and cook slowly until they are light brown. Drain on a paper towel.
Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil. Add the spinach and basil for 30 seconds, drain into a colander and cool under cold water. Squeeze out as much liquid as possible.
For the pesto, blend the spinach, basil, garlic, Parmesan, lemon juice and half the hazelnuts with the olive oil for 1 minute. Season with salt.
Reheat the soup and season. Pour into bowls and serve with a spoonful of pesto and a sprinkling of hazelnuts.
Smoked haddock and charred sweetcorn chowder
Serves: 6
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 40 minutes
2 corn on the cob
1 onion
Olive oil, for rubbing on the corn
Salt
2 garlic cloves
50g (1½oz) butter
2 medium potatoes
700ml (1¼pints) water
400g (14oz) undyed, smoked haddock
500ml (17½fl oz) whole milk
2 bay leaves
4 peppercorns
Small bunch of parsley
Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/gas mark 4.
Remove the husks and silk from the corn, rub with a little olive oil and salt then roast for 30 minutes, turning every 10 minutes until the kernels are cooked and lightly charred.
Peel and thinly slice the onion and garlic. Heat the butter in a large saucepan on a medium heat and slowly cook the onion and garlic until they are soft and translucent.
Peel and dice the potatoes. Add to the onion and garlic with the water. Bring to a boil and simmer for 15 minutes until the potatoes are tender.
Put the haddock, skin side up, in a pan with the milk, bay leaves, peppercorns and parsley. Bring to a simmer, cover and cook for 2 minutes. Turn off the hob and allow the fish to finish cooking in the residual heat.
Remove the fish from the pan. Pour the liquid through a sieve into the onion, garlic and potato mixture. Blend. Return to the pan and heat gently. Season with salt and pepper.
Hold the corn cob vertically on a chopping board and, using a sharp knife, carefully strip off the kernels. Stir half the corn into the soup.
Pour the soup into bowls. Flake the haddock over the top, scatter on the remaining corn and top with parsley.
Pho
Serves: 4
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 1½ hours
1 onion
150g (5oz) ginger
3x400ml (14fl oz) tins of beef consommé
400ml (14fl oz) water
3 star anise
1 black cardamom
1 cinnamon stick
3 cloves
2 tsps coriander seeds
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp fish sauce
2 red chillies
6 spring onions
40g (1½oz) coriander
30g (1¼oz) Thai basil
200g (7oz) bean sprouts
200g (7oz) rice noodles
Preheat the oven to 220°C/425°F/gas mark 7.
Peel the onion and ginger, but leave them whole. Roast them in the preheated oven for 30 minutes or until they are a little charred.
In a large pan, heat the beef consommé, the water, star anise, black cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, coriander, soy sauce, fish sauce, roasted onion and roasted ginger.
Simmer gently for 1 hour.
Halve, de-seed and slice the red chillies and spring onions. Roughly chop the coriander, Thai basil and mix with the bean sprouts.
Put the noodles in a pan, pour over boiling water and cover the pan with clingfilm for 3 minutes. Drain, then mix the noodles with the vegetables.
Divide the noodles and vegetables between 4 bowls. Strain the soup and pour over the noodles.
Styling by Victoria Gray
Photographs by Winfried Heinze
Home economist: Dominic Hoile