Soups and starters

 Ingredients:

• 1 tbsp sunflower oil
• 1 medium onion , chopped
• 2 celery sticks, chopped
• 2 medium potatoes , about 350g/12oz total weight, peeled and cut into small chunks
• 1 tbsp curry paste
• 1.2 litres  vegetable stock, made from a stock cube
• 550g leftover roasted or boiled vegetables, such as Brussels sprouts , carrots, parsnips and squash, roughly chopped natural yoghurt or crème fraîche, to serve.

Method:

1. To fry the vegetables, heat the oil in a large saucepan and fry the onion for 5 minutes until golden. Stir in the celery and fry for 5 minutes, then tip in the potatoes and fry for a further 1-2 minutes, stirring often.
2. Stir in the curry paste, let it cook for a minute or so, then pour in the stock. Bring to the boil and stir well. Lower the heat, cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes until the potatoes are tender.
3. To serve, tip the leftover veg into the pan and warm through for a few minutes. Pour the soup into a food processor or blender and blitz to a smooth purée. Thin down to the consistency you like with hot water or stock (we added 300ml) then taste for seasoning. Cool and freeze, or serve in bowls with spoonfuls of yogurt or crème fraîche swirled on top.:

Ingredients:

• 2 ½ kg fresh peas in the pods
• 100g unsalted butter
• 175g spring onions
• 1 garlic clove, finely chopped
• 1 ½ litres of vegetable stock
• 100g crème fraîche
• 1 bunch of lovage (10 sprigs), leaves picked
• Bread, to serve

Method:

1. Shell the peas. Melt half the butter in a large pan, then gently cook the spring onions and garlic with the lid on for 5 mins. Add the stock, bring to the boil, then add the peas and whole pods and simmer for 2-3 mins until tender. 
2. Tip in the crème fraîche, then the lovage or mint, and blitz with a hand blender until smooth. Season to taste. Leave to cool, then chill in the fridge if serving cold.
3. To serve hot, bring the soup to a gentle simmer. Can also be served cold. Don't forget a big slice of crusty bread!

If you’re worried about ‘garlic breath’, try chewing some parsley after eating. No more pong!

Ingredients:

• 2 Garlic Bulbs – outer skins removed
• 5 Tbsp olive oil
• 4 Sprigs Thyme
• 1 large squash – halved and seeded
• 2 diced onions
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• 1.2 litres vegetable stock
• 3 tbsp chopped fresh oregano or marjoram
• Salt & Pepper

Method:

1. Heat the oven to 220’C/425’F/gas 7. Place the garlic on a piece of foil and pour over half the oil, add the thyme and fold the foil into a parcel enclosing the garlic completely.
2. Place on a baking sheet with the squash, brush the squash with oil and roast for 25 minutes.
3. Reduce the oven temperature to 190’C/375’F/ gas 5 and roast for a further 25 minutes or until the squash is tender 
4. Heat the rest of the oil in a large heavy based pan, add the onions and coriander and cook gently for about 10 minutes or until softened. 
5. Squeeze the garlic out of its papery skin and add to the onions. 
6. Scoop the squash out of its skin and add to the onions, add the stock and bring to the boil. 
7. Simmer for 10 minutes and season to taste. Add the oregano.
8. Use a blender or blending stick and process until smooth.

:

General:

This recipe is the basic recipe for many vegetable soups, you can experiment  with different combinations of vegetable, add some lentils if you like a thicker soup, or chilli if you enjoy some heat.

Ingredients:

• 1 butternut squash
• I sweet potato
• 2 small celeriac, or half a larger one
• 1 medium onion
• 600ml (1 pint) vegetable stock

Method:

1. Peel and chop all the vegetables. 
2. Fry the onion gently in a little oil for 2 minutes then add the vegetable stock, using boiling water. 
3. Add the vegetables, make sure that the liquid covers them, add some more hot water if needed. 
4. Stir and add some ground pepper then cover, bring to the boil and simmer for at least 20 minutes, until the vegetables are soft. 
5. Liquidise once cooked, then reheat and add a bit more water if it’s too thick.

Ingredients

4 small celeriac or one large one- trimmed and chopped into chunks 

A tablespoon of tender chopped celeriac leaves 

1 small onion or shallot 

1 clove of garlic 

1 small piece of ginger, grated 

Stock to cover 

A shake of cumin, ground coriander, mild chilli powder, salt and pepper. 

Method

Fry the onion in a little olive oil until soft, adding the garlic and the spices.  

Add the chopped celeriac leaves and the celeriac.  

Cover with the stock and bring to the boil. 

Simmer very gently for 15 to 20 minutes. Allow to cool a little and then whizz with a blender in the saucepan until smooth and creamy. 

Reheat as you wish. 

Serve with a few more chopped celeriac leaves, a slice of lemon and a dollop of cream or coconut cream. 

If you haven't prepared artichokes before, as they look a bit intimidating, it may be useful to check online for some tips on how to deal with them, though Caitlyn's recipe is quite straightforward.

Preparing and cooking the Artichoke

1) Cut off all the thorns with scissors and pull off the outermost leaves.

2) Cut off most of the stem and the top quarter of the artichoke and rub the ends with lemon juice.

3) Pour boiling water into a pan/pot add to about 25mm (or one inch) deep from the kettle.

4) Add a tablespoon of oil, squeeze half a lemon and drop the rind in too. 

5) With everything simmering, nestle in your artichoke at the bottom of the pot (it shouldn't be covered by much water).

6) Then pop a lid on and leave to steam for 30 minutes (depending on the size of the artichoke, it may need longer).  Check regularly that there's still enough water in the bottom. 

7) Remove the artichoke and with a spoon scrape out the fluffy centre until it mostly resembles the picture. 

8) Then it should be about ready to eat. It can be quite a messy business but you can pull off the leave and dip it into garlic butter and scrape off the artichokey bit at the bottom with your teeth. Then once you reach the middle you'll have found the artichoke heart which is the yummiest part. 

The Garlic Butter 

1) Whilst your artichoke is steaming, finely mince as much garlic as you like. For one person, I used 3 big cloves. 

2) Add about 2 tablespoons of butter into a small pan/pot. Heat until melted then add in the garlic along with some salt, pepper and Italian herb seasoning. 3) On a very low heat, leave this to cook for about 10 mins. I ended up adding some leftover lemon juice as well to give it a bit of zing. 

4) Once cooked, pour into a little bowl ready to dip your artichoke into.