Rose Elliot’s New Complete Vegetarian. Rose Elliot
of freshly ground pepper and grated nutmeg. Reheat, serve in warm bowls, and scatter over some crunchy golden flaked almonds.
Celery soup with lovage
The flavour of lovage is often likened to that of celery. It’s more pungent and aromatic, but goes well with celery and together they make a lovely soup. In a perfect world, where the seasons are observed in cooking, this would be made with the first of the English celery and the last of the lovage from the garden – it’s a perfect soup for a crisp autumn day. If you can’t get hold of any lovage, use some finely chopped celery leaves instead.
SERVES 4
2 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, chopped
outside stalks from 1 head of celery (about 450g (1 lb) in total), sliced
225g (8oz) potatoes, peeled and cut into even-sized chunks
1.2 litres (2 pints) light vegetable stock or water and 1 tsp vegetable bouillon powder
2 tbsp chopped fresh lovage
150ml (5fl oz) single cream (optional)
salt and freshly ground black pepper
Heat the oil in a large saucepan, add the onion and fry for 5–7 minutes until soft but not browned. Add the celery and potatoes and cook for a further 2–3 minutes, stirring often.
Pour in the stock or water and add the bouillon powder. Bring to the boil, cover and simmer for about 30 minutes until the vegetables are very soft.
Blend well, but stop when it’s the consistency you like. Stir in the lovage, cream (if using) and a good seasoning of salt and pepper. Reheat gently before serving.
Celery and tomato soup v
This is a quick soup with a refreshing flavour and a chunky texture. If you make it in a pressure cooker it can be on the table in less than 30 minutes from start to finish.
SERVES 4
3 onions, chopped
outside stalks from 1 head of celery, chopped
1 tbsp olive oil
2 garlic cloves, crushed
400g can chopped tomatoes
575ml (1 pint) water or vegetable stock
salt, sugar and freshly ground black pepper
a squeeze of lemon juice
Fry the onions and celery together in the oil without browning for 5–10 minutes.
Add the garlic, tomatoes and water or stock, and simmer for a good 30 minutes or until the celery is meltingly tender.
Taste and season with salt, pepper, sugar and a squeeze of lemon juice to taste.
Chilled cherry soup
No one finds it odd to start a meal with melon and a fruit soup is simply taking this a stage further! This black cherry soup looks so delicious with its topping of soured cream or yoghurt that I don’t think you’ll have much trouble persuading people to try it. Plump, perfectly ripe, deep-red fresh cherries are best eaten exactly as they are, without any adornment, so for this soup I use frozen, stoned black cherries.
SERVES 6
450g (1lb) frozen, stoned black cherries
850ml (1½ pints) water
2 tbsp arrowroot
caster sugar, to taste
150ml (5fl oz) dry red wine
a little lemon juice (optional)
150ml (5fl oz) carton of soured cream, to garnish
Put the cherries into a saucepan with the water, bring to the boil and simmer gently until tender. This only takes a few minutes.
Mix the arrowroot with a little cold water to make a smooth paste, then stir a ladleful of the hot cherry liquid into the arrowroot mixture, mix and add it to the saucepan. Simmer for 2–3 minutes or until slightly thickened.
Remove from the heat and leave to cool, then add 40–50g of sugar to make it slightly sweet but refreshing. Chill in the fridge.
Before serving, taste and add a little more sugar if necessary or a drop or two of lemon juice to sharpen the flavour slightly. Top each bowlful with a spoonful of soured cream.
Spanish chickpea soup with garlic and mint v
1 recommend using dried rather than canned chickpeas for this Spanish soup because the flavour depends on the quality of the few ingredients: chickpeas, fresh herbs, garlic and olive oil. The oil is used both in the soup and to fry the crispy croûtons.
SERVES 4
225g (8oz) dried chickpeas (high-quality, Spanish variety if possible)
2 garlic cloves, crushed
a handful of fresh mint, stalks removed
a small handful of parsley, stalks removed
6 tbsp olive oil
salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 large slices of bread, cut into cubes
Soak the chickpeas overnight in plenty of water, then drain, place in a large saucepan, cover generously with fresh water and simmer for about 1½ hours or until really tender. The time can vary, so go on cooking them until you can crush one easily between your fingers.
Drain the chickpeas and reserve the cooking liquid. Blend or process the chickpeas with 850ml (1½ pints) of their liquid (made up with extra water if necessary), the garlic, mint, parsley and half the olive oil until very smooth.
Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper and reheat gently. While this is happening, fry the bread cubes in the remaining olive oil until golden brown.
Serve the croûtons in a bowl for people to add immediately before eating.
Chilled creamy cucumber soup
In contrast to the next recipe, this is a cooked cucumber soup. It’s light, delicate and very refreshing.
SERVES 4
1 large cucumber, peeled and diced
1 small onion or shallot, chopped
850ml (1½ pints) vegetable stock
2-3 sprigs of fresh mint
2 tsp arrowroot or cornflour
4 tbsp double cream
salt and freshly ground black pepper
sprigs of fresh mint, to garnish
Put the cucumber and chopped onion or shallot into a large saucepan with the stock and sprigs of mint. Bring to the boil and cover, simmering for 10–15 minutes.
Purée the soup thoroughly and return to the pan. Blend the arrowroot or cornflour with the cream and stir into the soup.
Bring to the boil, stirring all the time, and cook for a few seconds until thickened slightly. (If you’re using arrowroot, don’t overcook it, because that will prevent the soup from thickening.) Season to taste.
Chill thoroughly, then serve in chilled