Roast Tomato, Garlic and Basil Soup

Roasting all of the ingredients together not only simplifies further an already simple recipe but intensifies and locks in the flavour. Caramelising the vegetables and garlic brings out a natural sweetness. This creates a tomato soup with plenty of character and one that will quickly become your go-to family soup. Make sure to have plenty of crusty bread and good salted butter for dunking.   

Ingredients - Feeds 4

2kg fresh tomatoes

2 red onions

1 whole garlic bulb

2 tbsp olive oil

2 tbsp balsamic vinegar (or red wine vinegar) 

Salt and pepper

A handful of fresh basil

200ml hot water

1 - Pre-heat oven 200C/Fan 180C/GM6. Line an oven tray.

2 - Chop the top and bottom off the red onions, peel and slice into quarters. Place onto the oven tray.

3 - Slice the tomatoes in half and place amongst the onions. Then cut off the top of the garlic bulb exposing the cloves and place in the centre.

4 - Drizzle over the olive oil and balsamic vinegar, give it a good seasoning with salt and pepper and roast on the middle shelf for 30-40 minutes until just beginning to char.

5 - Remove from the oven and take out the garlic bulb. Tip the rest - including all the juices - into a pan and add the water and fresh basil. Then squeeze the roasted garlic cloves in. Using a stick blender, blend until smooth then taste for seasoning. You may need to add more salt and pepper and a little more vinegar. A pinch of chilli works well too.
6 - Bring to the simmer, check for flavour again then serve with crusty bread, butter and a little torn fresh basil.

Mexican Bean Soup

Ingredients - Feeds 4

2 tbsp olive oil

4 spring onions, sliced

2 sticks of celery, diced

1 red pepper, chopped

2 cloves of garlic, sliced

2 tsp ground cumin

2 tsp ground coriander

1 tsp cocoa powder

Half tsp ground cinnamon

A pinch of dried chilli flakes

2 tbsp tomato puree

1 tin each of kidney beans and haricot beans

1 tin of chopped tomatoes

400ml vegetable stock

Salt and pepper

To serve

A handful of chopped fresh coriander

3 spring onions, sliced

Lime wedges

Tortilla chips

1 - Heat the oil in a large pan. Add the spring onions and celery and soften without colouring.

2 - Add the garlic, spices, cocoa and tomato puree, stir in and cook for 1 minute.

3 - Tip in the beans, tomatoes and stock, bring to the boil then simmer with the lid slightly off for 20 minutes.

4 - Taste for seasoning then serve with fresh coriander, spring onions, lime wedges and tortilla chips.

Smoky Jerusalem Artichoke and Ginger Soup

February is proving to be as miserable as it generally succeeds in being. Not only has this recession become a scary reality, we are also going through the coldest snap of weather we have seen in years. It's dark, cold and miserable and I for one cannot wait to see March in a couple of week’s time.

To add to this, it is also a poor month for edible produce. Aside from early forced rhubarb and winter staples such as potatoes, onions, leeks and swedes, British fruit and vegetable choices are few and far between.

The one light at the end of this tunnel of depression is a brilliant vegetable, the Jerusalem artichoke. Much like last week's discussion on chard, it is a misunderstood and under-used vegetable. The name doesn't help as it has absolutely no relation the globe artichoke you will be more familiar with. It is actually the root or tuber of a particular sunflower and if you have never seen one, think of a ginger root with cylindrical rings on the surface of their gnarly skin.

The taste is quite nutty with a bit of sweetness from their natural sugars depending on how old they are. Roasted, steamed, boiled or mashed, they are such a lovely addition to the plate. My favourite thing to do with a Jerusalem artichoke is to turn it into a soup; they blend perfectly to make for the silkiest of textures. The one downside to them are their famous wind-inducing properties due to their complex carbohydrates or inulin. This of course may be an added to bonus to fans of flatulence...

Smoky Jerusalem Artichoke and Ginger Soup
Serves 2

500g Jerusalem Artichokes, peeled and sliced
2 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, roughly chopped
1 clove garlic, sliced
1 thumb size of ginger, peeled and sliced
1 tbsp tomato purée
2 tsp smoked paprika
A pinch of cayenne pepper
750ml vegetable stock
2 tbsp natural yoghurt
Salt and pepper
Pumpkin seeds (optional) lightly toasted in a dry pan

1 - Heat the olive oil in a pan and add the Jerusalem artichokes, onion, garlic and ginger. Cook for around 5 minutes until beginning to soften.
2 - Add the tomato purée, smoked paprika and cayenne pepper and cook for 1 minute, stirring all of the time.
3 - Pour in the stock and bring to the boil. Simmer for 30 minutes until the Jerusalem artichokes are soft.
4 - Using a hand blender or food processor, blend the soup until smooth. Stir in the yoghurt and taste for seasoning. Serve with optional toasted pumpkin seeds and a sprinkling of paprika.

Courgette Pakora

If you are like me and adore Indian food, you might understand the one issue that I have with it.

When entering an Indian restaurant I'm usually hungry on the verge of cannibalism. I scan the starters and mentally choose everything on there, before settling for one with a mound of popadoms and a pickle tray. I then proceed to eat it too fast that the next thing I know, I'm picking over the main course.

The point I'm trying to make is that I love Indian starters: samosa, pakora, bhaji, aloo chaat, Seekh kebab. You name them, I devour them. So much so that I would actually prefer to just have a table full of them and nothing else.

So this week I turned my hand to transforming a few courgettes into pakora, that little bundle of Indian spiced batter and vegetable that crisps to perfection and pops perfectly into a hungry gob. They could not be easier to make and the best thing about it is you can make a table full of them with ease using a variety of vegetables. Everything from onion, courgette, aubergine and carrot works. Just remember to get out as much water as you can before frying to ensure crispiness.

Courgette Pakora
Makes lots

3 courgettes, grated
100g chick pea flour
Half tsp baking powder
1 tbsp garam masala
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp chilli powder
Salt and pepper
Fresh coriander, chopped
Vegetable oil

1 - Put the grated courgette into a tea towel and squeeze thoroughly to get as much water out as possible.
2 - In a bowl, tip in the flour, spices and seasoning. Whisk in enough water to form a paste the consistency of double cream and coats the back of a spoon; not too thick, not too thin. Stir in the courgette and fresh coriander.
3 - Heat up a deep frying pan with vegetable oil. Test a pakora out by dropping in a small teaspoon if the batter. If it immediately begins to fry and turns golden in a minute, the oil is hot enough. Taste for seasoning.
4 - Fry heaped teaspoons in batches, draining on kitchen paper. Serve with fresh coriander and an accompaniment of yoghurt, pickles and/or chutney.

Roast Pumpkin, Chick Pea and Garlic Soup with Golden Salt and Pepper Pumpkin Seeds

This soup entails sticking everything onto a baking tray, roasting it for half an hour in a hot oven, tipping it into a blender with a little stock or water then puréeing it into a soup. Can anybody tell me that this is difficult? If you think so, please give it a go.

Roast Pumpkin, Chick Pea and Garlic Soup with Golden Salt and Pepper Pumpkin Seeds
Feeds 4

1 small to medium pumpkin or butternut squash, cut into large chunks with seeds removed and kept aside
1 whole onion, peeled
1 bulb of garlic, broken and cloves left whole
1 tsp ground cumin and/or caraway seeds
1 tin of chick peas
2 tbsp olive oil
Salt and pepper
750ml vegetable stock

1 - Pre-heat your oven to GM6/200C.
2 - Place all of the vegetables on a baking tray. Scatter with the mixed spice, a little salt and pepper and olive oil and mix thoroughly. Roast on a high shelf for 30-40 minutes until golden.
3 - In the meantime, scatter the seeds onto another baking tray with salt and pepper and a drizzle of olive oil. Toss together then place on the middle shelf of the oven. Cook until golden.
4 - When the vegetables have cooked, cut the pumpkin skin off and place the flesh into a blender along with the onion and the garlic cloves, squeezed straight out of their skins. Pour in the stock and chick peas then blitz to a fine purée. Taste for seasoning.
5 - Pour into bowls and serve with a scattering of delicious, nutty golden pumpkin seeds.

Salmon and Crab Chowder

The weather has taken a distinct turn for the worse this past week and after having images of a scorching hot end to May, I'm resigned to the fact that it's typical British weather again.

Far from being the pessimist I actually prefer it when it is a little cooler anyway. Exercise and sleep become easier and I can put my legs away for another year, which is always a plus for family and friends.

Food becomes more sustainable too and I love a good homemade soup or broth. A chowder is more of a complete meal than a soup, a kind children's food for adults if that makes any sense, what with chunks of half processed solids floating in a liquid.

They can take on many forms, using a multitude of vegetables but generally always containing sweetcorn. Smoked fish works particularly well with a chowder, as does shellfish such as clams, mussels and crab.

So if it is feeling a tad nippier where you are in the world, warm yourself with good chowder. It is simple to make, perfect for the whole family and makes you feel a little bit better if you are British and you suspect that sun catching is over for another year...

Salmon and Crab Chowder
Feeds 4

3 rashers of smoked bacon, sliced (optional)
1 onion, roughly chopped
2 celery sticks, roughly chopped
1 garlic clove, sliced
2 tbsp olive oil
2 large potatoes or the equivalent in new potatoes, cut into 2 cm chunks (skin on or off)
1 medium tin of sweetcorn or the fresh kernels of 2 cobs
500ml hot chicken or vegetable stock
2 bay leaves
100ml crème fraiche or double cream
2 pieces of fresh salmon, skinned and cut into chunks
The brown and white meat of 1 crab
A handful of fresh parsley, roughly chopped
Salt and pepper

1 - Heat the oil in a large pan and add the bacon if using, the onion and celery. Cook for 10 minutes until softened and beginning to colour. Stir in the garlic.
2 - Add the potatoes, sweetcorn, bay and stock. Bring to the boil then simmer for 10-15 minutes or until the potatoes are soft.
3 - Take a handheld blender and blend for a short while until you have broken up some of the potatoes to thicken it, or remove half to a blender and do the same before adding back to the pan.
4 - Stir through the salmon and crabmeat and cook for a further 5 minutes. Add the cream or crème fraiche and taste for seasoning. Serve with fresh parsley and some good crusty bread.

Roast Mushroom and Cobnut Soup with Tarragon and Nut Butter

My favourite season has definitely arrived. I know that Autumn is here as each of my windows are covered in condensation. I also know that it is here when my washing remains damp and cold on the drying line.

Something about this time of the year gets me a bit excited and brings out the food obsessive in me. I start to plan ahead with great enthusiasm. Already I have chutneys made with marrows and damsons. I've lots of jams made with various summer berries. Herbs have been dried and crumbled. Litres of sloe gin and sticky plum vodka are marinating away ready for a winter treat by the fire. I've done battle with the grey squirrels and hoarded a few bags of cob nuts.

The cob nuts excite me the most. Bags of hazelnuts, fresh ones at that, are not cheap. So a few squeaky fresh creamy textured fresh nuts make me more than happy. It is hard to resist just cracking them as I find them and eating them as they are. But if you can resist, you can make all kinds of lovely produce.

Soup is going to be pretty much a daily food in my house now that the roots and mushrooms are here in abundance. This soup combines a magnificent pairing in tarragon and mushroom, the aniseed of the dried tarragon perfectly matching the meatiness of the field mushrooms I use.  A few of my lovely cob nuts, pan roasted and distributed throughout, gives a nice crunchy surprise. There are reasons for seasons.

Roast Mushroom and Cobnut Soup with Tarragon and Nut Butter
Serves 4

1 leek, sliced
2 tbsp olive oil
500g wild mushrooms, sliced (I used field mushrooms)
2 tbsp dried or fresh tarragon
2 handfuls of cob nuts or hazelnuts
750ml vegetable stock
Salt and pepper

For the butter
25g butter
1 tbsp fresh or dried tarragon
1 tbsp cob nuts or hazelnuts

1 - Heat the olive oil in a large pan. Add the leek, mushrooms and tarragon and cook gently for 10-15 minutes, until golden and well reduced.
2 - Add the stock, bring to the boil and then simmer for 10 minutes.
3 - Blitz in a blender until smooth then return to the pan. Pan roast the cob nuts in a dry pan until golden, then roughly chop and stir into the soup.
4 - For the butter, pan roast the cobnuts then finely chop. Mash the butter with the herbs and nuts.
5 - Taste the soup for seasoning, then serve in bowls with a spoon of the butter.

Wild Nettle Pakora

I've grown to respect the nettle recently. Touch one and it has the power to numb a finger or two for several hours. But that isn't the reason for new-found respect; it is simply because I like eating them.

Nettles are packed full of iron and minerals and treat carefully, they are a welcome replacement for spinach in a curry or to be made into a soup.

My favourite way with nettles is to make Indian pakoras, all spicy, crispy, mysterious and green. They are a doddle to make and amazing to eat, even my 6 year old loves them. So next time you are tutting at the nettles in your garden, just don the gloves and pick off all of the tops of the nettles and use them in your recipes. Delicious.

Wild Nettle Pakora
Makes lots

1 large colander full of young nettle leaves
300g chickpea flour (I sometimes used rice flour, it's a little more dense)
1 tsp garam masala
Half tsp ground tumeric
Half tsp ground chilli powder
Salt and pepper
Vegetable or sunflower oil

1 - With gloves on, carefully pick through the nettles discarding any tough or bruised leaves. Wash thoroughly in a sink full of water.
2 - Pick the leaves up and put them straight into a deep pan. Turn up the heat and cook until wilted. Allow to cool, squeeze out excess water then roughly chop.
3 - In a mixing bowl, stir together the flour, spices and seasoning. Add the wilted chopped nettles. Stir in enough water to make a thick batter.
4 - Heat up the oil in a deep pan. Test by dropping in a little batter. Add teaspoons of the batter mixture and cook in batches until golden and crisp. Remove and drain on kitchen paper.
5 - Serve either as a snack with mango chutney or as an accompaniment to a curry.

Cauliflower and Cheese Soup with Watercress and Pea Purée

Cauliflower cheese has to be a true British classic. Whoever thought of combining this beautiful white specimen with a rich cheese sauce deserves a medal, as it has to be one of the few vegetable dishes you want to eat in its entirety with no accompaniment. It is simply delicious.

This soup is a true joy to eat, and any good strong cheese will suffice. I used a slab of Berwick Edge cheese from the amazing Doddington Dairy in Wooler (http://www.doddingtondairy.co.uk) as it is one of our tremendous local cheeses that sings like the best cheddar yet has a silky soft texture.

A simple purée with some peppery watercress, a few frozen peas and a little yoghurt makes this a sophisticated starter for any occasion.

Cauliflower and Cheese Soup with Watercress and Pea Purée

1 Cauliflower, trimmed and chopped roughly
2 shallots or 1 onion, sliced
Olive oil
500ml water
150g Berwick Edge Cheese (or any good strong cheddar), grated
50g butter
50g plain flour
250ml milk
Salt and Pepper

For the purée
2 handfuls of frozen or fresh peas, softened in boiling water for 2 minutes
2 handfuls of watercress
100ml yoghurt

1 - Heat the oil in a deep pan and add the shallot and cauliflower. Cook for 5-10 minutes stirring regularly, until softened but not coloured.
2 - Add the water, bring to a boil then simmer for 15 minutes until softened completely. Blitz until smooth in a food processor or using a hand processor. Push through a sieve for a smoother consistency but I prefer the texture.
3 - Make a roux by melting the butter and adding the flour, stirring for 1 minute. Add the milk gradually until you have a thick sauce, the consistency of double cream.
4 - Stir in the cheese and thoroughly combine. Then stir into the soup. Taste for seasoning.
5 - Make a simple purée by blitzing the peas and watercress then stirring into the yoghurt.
6 - Serve the soup in bowls with a good spoonful of purée and a few shavings of cheese.

Potato, Garlic, Cheddar and Chive Soup

A soup that uses the most simple of ingredients to make a flavour packed and filling meal.

Potato, Garlic, Cheddar and Chive Soup
Feeds 4

25g butter or 2 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, chopped
6 cloves garlic, sliced
6 large, floury potatoes (such as Maris Piper or King Edward), peeled and chopped
1 litre vegetable or chicken stock
250g Cheddar cheese, grated
4 tbsp Greek yoghurt or double cream
Salt and pepper

1 - Heat the oil in a large soup pan. Add the onion and garlic and cook until softened but not coloured.
2 - Add the chopped potatoes and stock. Bring to the boil then simmer for 15-20 minutes or until the potatoes are soft. Stir in the grated Cheddar cheese.
3 - Blend until smooth and reheat. Stir through the Greek yoghurt or cream and taste for seasoning. Serve in bowls with freshly chopped chives and crusty bread.

Mushroom and Parsnip Soup with Peely Crisps

This is a simple soup with a classy finish. Don't throw away those spud peelings; simply heat up a little vegetable or sunflower oil in a pan and add the peelings for a minute or two until golden brown. These can then be placed on top of the soup for that 'restaurant' touch!

Mushroom and Parsnip Soup with Peely Crisps
Feeds 4

300g chestnut mushrooms, sliced
2 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, roughly chopped
1 clove garlic, sliced
2 medium potatoes, peeled and diced
3 medium parsnips, peeled and diced
1 litre chicken stock, fresh or made from cube
Salt and pepper
2 tbsp Greek yoghurt or double cream

To make the peely crisps:
In a small pan, pour in 2 inches of sunflower or vegetable oil. Heat up and test it is ready by dropping in a piece of potato peel. If it is ready, it will fizz and rise to the surface. Add the rest of the peel and cook for 1-2 minutes, stirring with a slotted spoon until crisp and and golden. Remove and place onto kitchen roll, season with a little salt and set aside until ready.

To make the soup:
1 - In a deep pan, heat the oil and add the mushrooms. Stir through until they begin to soften, then add the onion and garlic and cook until softened.
2 - Add the potatoes and parsnips along with the chicken stock. Bring to the boil then simmer for 10-15 minutes or until the parsnips and potato are soft.
3 - Use a hand blender or pour into a blender and whizz until the vegetables are thoroughly combined. Taste for seasoning and then stir in the Greek yoghurt or double cream.
4 - Serve in deep bowls with a pile of the peel crisps.

Carrot, Lentil and Orange Soup

A soup that takes 30 minutes from slicing to serving. Fresh and vibrant with the addition of paprika and just a hint of chilli, the orange adds an unusual but welcome zesty kick.

Carrot, Lentil and Orange Soup
Feeds 4

1 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, chopped
4 carrots, peeled and grated
1 tbsp tomato puree
1 tsp paprika
A pinch of ground chilli
4 large handfuls of red lentils
750ml vegetable stock (fresh or from cube)
Juice squeezed from an orange
Salt and pepper

1 - Heat the oil in a pan. Add the onion and carrot and cook slowly for 10 minutes without colouring.
2 - Add the tomato puree and spices and stir through, cooking for 2 minutes.
3 - Add the lentils and stock, bring to the simmer and cook for 15 minutes.
4 - Blend to your preference (I prefer a bit of texture). Squeeze in the orange juice, taste for seasoning and serve.

Onion and Roast Garlic Soup

Happy days at the allotment recently when we plundered the first vegetables that were planted, the onion and garlic.

I can remember putting my onion and garlic sets in back in November when the allotment still resembled a council tip. We were optimistic, what with the forthcoming winter in store, but our onions and garlic survived quite spectacularly, producing fat vegetables that now hang proudly in our shed ready for the coming months.

I've noticed pungency and flavour in these onion and garlic like I have never tasted before. And for me, the ultimate of all recipes to show off our plucked beauties were in a classic French onion soup. I adore this soup so much and for some reason, it works in the hot months just as well as the cold. Maybe that is because it reminds me of lazy carefree summers in Brittany, but either way it is a soup that must be made and devoured.

A whole bulb of my deep purple garlic, roasted until sweet, just took the flavour levels up a notch and guaranteed a soup to banish any lingering cold bugs as well as the odd vampire. Served with simple toasted bread, rubbed with a clove of garlic and drizzled with olive oil, is all that is needed for that most majestic of onion celebrating dishes. Alternatively, if you want to be all traditional, top with a slice of crusty white bread, pile on grated Gruyere cheese and place under the grill until golden and melting.

Onion and Roast Garlic Soup
Serves 4

1 whole bulb of garlic
Olive oil
25g butter
6 large fat onions, peeled, halved and sliced thin
2 tbsp fresh thyme leaves, chopped
2 tbsp flour
800ml hot beef stock (fresh or from cube)
Salt and pepper

1 - Pre-heat the oven to 200C/GM6. Place the whole unpeeled bulb of garlic into a square of foil. Drizzle with olive oil and wrap tightly. Place on a baking tray and roast for 1 hour until soft. Remove and allow to cool. Squash out the cloves onto a plate then mash with a fork. Set aside.
2 - In a large pan, heat up the butter with 2 tbsp olive oil. Add the onions and cook gently for 30-45 minutes, stirring regularly to help tease out the sugars and make it all golden and caramelised. You can add a teaspoon of sugar to help it along if time is against you.
3 - When caramelised, add the thyme and stir through. Stir in the flour and stir for 2 minutes.
4 - Add the hot beef stock and stir thoroughly. Stir in the mashed roasted garlic. Bring to the boil then simmer for 10 minutes. Taste for seasoning then serve.

Lettuce and Mint Soup

It's been a 'trial and error' year of growing so far in 2010. The allotment that masqueraded as a council tip is now up and running and bearing some resemblance to an allotment. It may not win any awards, but there are things growing out of the ground that we can actually eat as opposed to want to throw in a skip.

One of the first things I planted as seedlings were a whole host of lettuce, and by far and the most prolific to be coming to maturity are the majestic Cos or Romaine lettuce. We have been eating the long slightly bitter leaves for a couple of weeks now in an effort to keep it under control, which is no bad thing.

If you have never tried lettuce in soup form I urge you to give it a go. A whole Cos went into a simmering pot of stock with potatoes, onion and garlic and a handful of new mint to produce a smooth summer soup bursting with freshness and subtle flavours. And it took all of 20 minutes from chop to slurp.

Lettuce and Mint Soup
Feeds 4

1 onion, chopped
1 clove of garlic, sliced
2 tbsp olive or rapeseed oil
6 small new potatoes, peeled and chopped in half
500ml vegetable stock
1 Cos lettuce, roughly chopped
1 handful of mint, roughly chopped
Salt and pepper

1 - Heat the olive oil in a pan and add the onion and garlic. Cook until softened.
2 - Add the potatoes and stock and bring to the boil. Simmer for 10 minutes until the potatoes are soft.
3 - Add the lettuce and mint and stir through for 1 minute.
4 - Blend until smooth and taste for seasoning.

Warming Three Root and Coriander Soup

'Tis the season to be jolly, but I’m sad to report that it has been far from it in our family household. With December being a fine combination of illness, injury, damaged cars and various other misdemeanours, I could be forgiven for being the ultimate Scrooge coming into the week before Christmas.

Thankfully we are all bringing ourselves around. My daughter, the cause of the various ills due to her new favourite pastime since starting nursery, Pass the Germ Parcel, appears to have the cheeky glint back in her eye and the bounce back in her step. My wife ploughs on into the storm with the strength that the female of the species only possess. And I still moan on a daily basis, but I can see the Christmas light at the end of the December tunnel. Man flu - need I say more?

Soups play a big part of any revival in our kitchen, and with cheap roots everywhere at this time of the year it is amazing what kind of super soups you can achieve with a bit of experimentation. Some old carrots, half a squash, a parsnip and a potato were the main ingredients for this winter warmer.

Blended with warming chilli and ginger and flecked with coriander, it makes for a nice alternative to the popular carrot and coriander. A squeeze of lime and a swirl of yoghurt adds sharpness to the heat and completes an otherwise impressive but simple soup, one that just about bent the corners of my mouth into some form of smile. Here's to the build up to Christmas, I can’t wait.

Warming Three Root and Coriander Soup
Feeds 4

1 onion, sliced
1 clove of garlic, sliced
1 fresh of dried chilli, chopped or crumbled
1 thumb size of ginger, peeled and sliced
4 carrots, peeled and sliced
1 parsnip, peeled and sliced
Half a large or 1 small butternut squash, peeled, deseeded and sliced
1 large potato, peeled and sliced
2 tbsp olive oil
1 litre hot vegetable stock
1 large handful of fresh coriander, roots and leaves
100ml natural yoghurt
Juice of 1 lime (optional)
Dried chilli for garnish

1 - Heat the oil in a large saucepan. Add the vegetables including the chilli, garlic and ginger and cook, stirring, for 5-10 minutes until they start to soften.
2 - Pour in the hot stock, bring to the boil and simmer for 20 minutes.
3 - Pour into a blender and blend until smooth. Put in the fresh coriander and yoghurt and blend until the coriander has broken up into small pieces rather than completely broken up.
4 - Taste for seasoning then stir in the lime juice. Pour into bowls and garnish with a sprinkle of dried chilli and a spoonful of yoghurt.

Parsnip, Apple and Cheddar Soup

There is frost on the windows this morning. This is a sure sign that I can indulge myself for (hopefully) the next few months in my love of wearing far too many of my different coats at any given opportunity. I do have too many. My wife has banned me from buying any more but I always manage to sneak one in. I am the Imelda Marcos of the coat world - well, after Liam Gallagher anyway.

Back in the kitchen, it is soup time. What with this credit crunch malarkey and the need for people to keep warm on cheap sustainable food over the winter, there is nothing better than soup to turn to. Whether it is a 'bottom of the fridge' soup in which you chuck everything into the pan, or a refined 'posh' soup using only the very best ingredients (smoked salmon and black truffle soup anybody?), soup is easy to make and accompanied with some crusty bread, becomes a meal in a bowl.

This soup uses what are in my opinion two of our very best seasonal ingredients at the moment - parsnip and apple - amongst a bumper selection of great autumnal produce. Some strong Cheddar cheese takes down the sweetness a tone or two and that is needed, especially if you decide to use some of the older and larger parsnips that have had a lot of their starch converted into sugar. So make a bowl and be happy that the cold snap has arrived. I know I am - so I'm off to get me coat.

Parsnip, Apple and Cheddar Soup
Serves 4

5 parsnips
1 large Bramley apple
1 onion
1 tbsp olive oil
1 litre hot vegetable stock
150g Cheddar cheese
Salt and pepper

1 - Pre-heat the oven to GM6/Fan 180C/200C.
2 – Peel and halve the parsnips and place into a baking tray. Score a line all around the apple and place into the baking tray. Finally, peel and quarter the onion and put that into the baking tray. Drizzle on the olive oil and coat the fruit and vegetables.
3 – Place onto the middle shelf and bake for 25 minutes, or until the onion and parsnip are golden and the apple has gone soft.
4 – Scrape out the apple flesh and put into a blender along with the onion and parsnips. Pour over the stock and blend until smooth. Pour through a sieve into a clean pan.
5 – Grate in the cheese and stir until melted through. Taste for seasoning. Serve in bowls with more grated cheese on top.

Roast Squash, Chard and Ham Soup

I might be reaching for the central heating control tonight. Despite a summer to forget, the temperatures have remained fairly moderate. But this morning, that unmistakeable 'nip' of autumn was in the air. Time for the big coats and a bit of natural central heating from our lovely Autumnal foods methinks.

Soup is the easiest and most natural food stuff to turn to when you need a bit of inner core thermal warming. I can't help but experiment when it is soup time, and with a few sad squashes in my garden somehow surviving the summer floods, the soup pot was the only humane way of putting their short lives to an honourable end.

A squash sliced into chunks and skin left on - seeds removed for roasting for a delicious snack EVERY time - before roasting to golden perfection, makes for an intensely sweet base for your soup. Leaves of iron-enriched green chard and a few slices of leftover roast ham make things even better. And before you know it, you have a 45 minute soup from start to finish that will warm you up and pack you full of cold-beating goodness. Souper.

Roast Squash, Chard and Ham Soup
Feeds 2

1 medium sized squash, sliced into chunks and seeds removed
1 onion, skin removed and cut into quarters
1 bulb of garlic, cloves separated
2 tbsp olive oil
Salt and pepper
4 handfuls of chard, washed and chopped roughly
A few handfuls of leftover ham
500ml hot vegetable stock or water

1 - Pre-heat the oven to 200 degrees, GM6.
2 - Put the squash, garlic and onion onto a baking tray, season generously and toss with the olive oil. Roast for 30 minutes until golden and caramelised.
3 - Toss the chard in a hot pan for 5 minutes until wilted.
4 - Put the roast squash and onion into a blender. Squeeze in the sweetened roasted garlic cloves from their skins.
5 - Put in the chard, ham and stock then blitz until smooth.
6 - Pour into a pan and reheat. Taste for seasoning.

Roast Squash, Garlic and Pistachio Nut Soup

Roast Squash, Garlic and Pistachio Nut Soup

Feeds 4

1 whole squash, cut into segments and seeded
1 whole bulb of garlic, separated
1 tbsp fennel seeds
1 tbsp chilli flakes
4 tbsp olive or rapeseed oil
500ml vegetable stock
Soy sauce
A handful of pistachio nuts, shelled

1 - Pre-heat the oven to 180C/Fan 160C/GM4.
2 - Slice the squash lengthways into 8 pieces and remove the seeds. Place into a baking tray.
3 - Put the garlic cloves into the baking tray. Sprinkle in the fennel seeds and chilli and then the oil. Give it a good mix then place on a high shelf. Bake for 30-40 minutes until golden and fragrant.
4 - Remove the tray from the oven and allow to cool a little. Scrape the flesh from the skin into a pan and squeeze out the garlic from the cloves. Add the stock and bring to the simmer.
5 - Blitz with a hand blender until smooth. Taste for seasoning and add a little soy sauce to taste.
6 - In a dry pan, roast the pistachios until fragrant and coloured. Roughly chop.
7 - Serve the soup in bowls with a sprinkling of pistachios, a little more chilli flakes and some of the roasting oil from the baking tray.

Crab, Cream and Whisky Soup with Crab and Chive Toasts

I adore crabs, and for me, they are superior in flavour to a lobster. Their meat is sweet and succulent and incredibly versatile to a number of dishes. Quite why it does not achieve the same culinary praise as a lobster is beyond me.

Pound for pound they are also more economical, with the average meat packed hen crab costing little more than £3. With large numbers of brown crab surrounding the United Kingdom and Ireland, and despite the much highlighted problem of over-fishing in our waters, the brown crab remains a sustainable choice of shellfish.

This is a Northumbrian soup, inspired by the Jolly Fisherman in Craster who have a version of this on their menu. 

Crab, Cream and Whisky Soup with Crab and Chive Toasts
Serves 4

2 rashers of streaky bacon, chopped
1 onion, finely chopped
1 tbsp olive or rapeseed oil
2 potatoes, diced
2 carrots, diced
150ml milk
150ml double cream
500ml vegetable or fish stock
300g crab meat, brown and white
Whisky
2 tbsp fresh chives, chopped
Salt and pepper

1 – Heat up the oil in a large pan then add the bacon and onion. Cook until soft and slightly coloured, approximately 5 minutes.
2 – Add the potato and carrot and heat through for 1 minute. Pour in the milk, cream and stock and bring gently to the boil. Cover, then simmer for 15-20 minutes until the potato and carrot are soft.
3 – Add the crab meat reserving a little of the white meat. Stir through then taste for seasoning.
4 – Pour into bowls and place some of the reserved white crab meat on top. Sprinkle with chives then with your thumb over the whisky bottle, drizzle a few drops over the soup.

Crab and Chive Toasts

4 slices of white or brown bread, toasted
1 egg white
1 tbsp corn flour
2 tbsp crab meat, white and brown
1 tbsp fresh chives, chopped
Salt and pepper
Sunflower or vegetable oil

1 – Cut the crusts off the toasted bread then cut into triangles.
2 – Mix all of the ingredients except for the oil together in a bowl. Spread onto one side of the toasts.
3 – Heat up some oil in a frying pan then place the toasts mixture side down. Cook for 2-3 minutes until golden and crisp.
4 – Remove and place onto kitchen paper

Brown Lentil, Smoked Bacon and Swede Soup

Brown Lentil, Smoked Bacon and Swede Soup
Feeds 4

1 onion, chopped
2 sticks of celery, diced
2 cloves of garlic, sliced
4 rashers of lean smoked bacon, rind removed
2 tbsp olive or rapeseed oil
A pinch of chilli flakes
A few sprigs of fresh thyme, leaves removed, or 1 tbsp dried thyme
1 small swede, peeled and cut into small cubes
250g brown lentils
A good splash of Worcester Sauce
500ml hot vegetable stock, fresh or from cube (if cubed, ensure it is the low salt variety)

1 - In a large pan, heat up the oil. Add the onion, celery, garlic and bacon and cook for 5-10 minutes until softened and beginning to colour.
2 - Add the thyme and chilli flakes and stir for 1 minute. Then add the turnip, Worcester Sauce, lentil and stock. Bring to the boil then lower the heat and simmer with the lid on for 25-30 minutes. Check to ensure that it isn't boiling dry.
3 - Serve with good a swirl of yoghurt, heart shaped if you like.