Soup recipes

I guess this week us going to be soup making week . Some great recipes thanks folks.

Where next celeriac is another veg I'm not keen on. There aren't many either, do you reckon celery?

Any one got a celery soup recipe got a head in need of using up

Write your comments here...I suppose you could use leeks or even parsnips just to add bulk. If not then try it without anything else but add another carrot and make your onion a large one.

Had a nice Cock-a-Leekie tonight.

The chicken thighs were boneless and skinless so I poached 4 of these ina gentle simmer for about 30 minutes.

Meanwhile  gently fry 4 sliced pieces of streaky bacon in a large soup pan until the fat has been released. Then add 2 large sliced and washed leeks and a sliced carrot. Add about 1200ml of vegetable stock and a handful of halved stone out prunes. Pop in a couple of bay leaves, some thyme leaves and cook on a very gentle simmer for about 40 minutes. Check if seasoning needed.

When chickens poached take out of liquid and chop into small pieces and add to soup. At this point I also add 50g of long grain rice. Cook for another 20 minutes until rice cooked. Serve.

Try this one from River Cottage. Gorgeous if you enjoy celeriac 

• 50g Butter
• 1 Celeriac, peeled and cubed
• 1 Potato, peeled and cubed
• 1 Leek, trimmed, washed and roughly sliced
• 1 Onion, peeled and roughly chopped
• 1 Garlic clove, sliced
• 1 litre Stock, chicken, vegetable
• Parsley & walnut pesto to serve
• 
  

Melt the butter in a large, heavy-based pot over a medium-low heat. Add the celeriac, leek, potato, garlic and onion, season generously, and gently sweat the vegetables until they're all starting to soften (this will take about 10 minutes).

Add the stock, bring the soup up to a boil, turn down the heat and simmer for about 20 minutes or until the celeriac is completely tender.

Liquidise until smooth, return to the pan and reheat over a medium flame. Just before serving, check the soup for seasoning and serve with a drizzle of pesto.

We've just had a Vegetable Box Bottom Soup - using all the bits of left over veg.  The ingredients vary each time I make it, this time it was two onions, half a saggy leek, some pointy cabbage, a handful of potatoes, a few tiny Chantenay carrots, a bit of wilted celery, some red pepper, and I added spice with some chopped up German peppered salami.  I added a bit of thyme, and a couple of stock cubes, and it was delicious with some home made bread!  More remains for the next snowy day and it will go in the freezer once cooled.

We've just had a Vegetable Box Bottom Soup - using all the bits of left over veg.  The ingredients vary each time I make it, this time it was two onions, half a saggy leek, some pointy cabbage, a handful of potatoes, a few tiny Chantenay carrots, a bit of wilted celery, some red pepper, and I added spice with some chopped up German peppered salami.  I added a bit of thyme, and a couple of stock cubes, and it was delicious with some home made bread!  More remains for the next snowy day and it will go in the freezer once cooled.

Write your comments here...I sometimes think that these are the best soups, sort of accidental ones.

I've frozen some pumpkin soup, just basic ingredients, onion, sauteed pumpkin, swiss veg powdered bouillon stock and cream (BBC Goodfood.) My hand blender does the mixing and that's it, nice and easy. 

I've frozen some pumpkin soup, just basic ingredients, onion, sauteed pumpkin, swiss veg powdered bouillon stock and cream (BBC Goodfood.) My hand blender does the mixing and that's it, nice and easy. 

Write your comments here...What sort of hand blender do you use, Brue? I'm on the lookout for one.

I've just checked it WN, a basic Braun hand blender (the newer design has changed slightly) probably around £25 or less.

I've just checked it WN, a basic Braun hand blender (the newer design has changed slightly) probably around £25 or less.

Write your comments here...thanks, Brue.

The local soup in this area is "Cullen Skink", from the town of Cullen in Moray.  The term Skink generally refers to shin of beef or a soup made from it.  Cullen, being on the coast, smoked fish is substituted for beef.

Just about everyone has their own recipe, but the basics are Leek, potato and naturally smoked haddock - generally cooked in milk and thickened with cream.