Rose Elliot’s New Complete Vegetarian. Rose Elliot
in warm bowls.
Cream of mushroom soup
My father was brilliant at finding field mushrooms – probably due to years of practice growing up on a farm in the Yorkshire Dales – and this is the soup that my mother used to make with his precious finds. It works very well with other types of mushrooms too.
SERVES 4
225g (8oz) mushrooms
1 small onion, quartered
1 bay leaf
1 garlic clove, sliced
a few parsley stalks
575ml (1 pint) vegetable stock
50g (2oz) butter
40g (1½oz) flour
about 575ml (1 pint) milk
salt and freshly ground black pepper
freshly grated nutmeg
a pinch of cayenne pepper
1 tbsp sherry (optional)
Wash the mushrooms and remove the stalks. If you’re using field mushrooms take off the skins too, but this isn’t necessary with cultivated mushrooms. Put the stalks (and skins if you’ve removed them) into a medium-sized saucepan together with the onion, bay leaf, garlic, parsley stalks and stock and bring to the boil, then leave to simmer for 10 minutes to extract the flavours. Strain the liquid into a measuring jug (discarding the stalks) and make the quantity up to 850ml (1½ pints) with the milk.
Melt 40g (1½noz) of the butter in the saucepan and stir in the flour. When it froths, pour in a quarter of the milk mixture and stir over a fairly high heat until it has thickened. Repeat the process with the rest of the milk in three more batches.
Chop or slice the mushrooms, fry them lightly in the remaining butter and add to the thickened milk.
Season with salt, pepper, a grating of nutmeg, a pinch of cayenne and the sherry if you’re using it. Cook gently for 3–4 minutes to give the flavours a chance to blend, then serve.
Vegetarian-style minestrone soup
A filling, main course soup that’s always great for feeding a crowd.
SERVES 4
2 tbsp olive oil
3 onions, chopped
1 large carrot, diced
2 sticks of celery, sliced
2 large garlic cloves, crushed
1 large potato, peeled and cut into 1cm (½in) dice
a few leaves of cabbage, chopped
400g can chopped tomatoes
1 litre (1¾ pints) stock or water
bouquet garni
225g (8oz) dried haricot, borlotti or cannellini beans, cooked, or 2 x 400g cans
50g (2oz) macaroni or small pasta shapes
salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tbsp torn fresh basil leaves, to garnish
handful of grated strongly flavoured cheese such as pecorino or Parmesan-style, to serve
Heat the oil in a large saucepan, add the onions, carrot and celery, cover and cook gently for 5 minutes, then add the garlic and the other vegetables and cook for a further 5 minutes.
Add the tomatoes, stock or water and the bouquet garni. Bring to the boil, then boil for 10 minutes.
Add the drained cooked beans and the macaroni or pasta shapes and cook until the pasta is just tender, about 8-10 minutes.
Season with salt and pepper, and serve in warm bowls with torn fresh basil leaves sprinkled over the top. Hand the cheese round separately for people to help themselves.
Miso soup v
This soup is so quick and easy and also very soothing and nourishing. You can buy dried wakame seaweed from any good health-food shop and many supermarkets. You only need a little and what is left over will keep perfectly in a dry place for months. Good-quality, unpasterised miso is also widely available; you’ll find it a useful flavouring for many savoury dishes, but always remember to add it at the end of cooking to preserve the health-giving enzymes it contains.
SERVES 4
5cm (2in) piece of wakame seaweed
2 dried shiitake mushrooms, if available
1.2 litres (2 pints) water
4 spring onions, chopped
4 tsp brown rice miso
Soak the wakame and shiitake mushrooms in a cupful of the water for about 10 minutes, then drain, reserving the liquid.
Cut the wakame into shreds, discarding any hard bits, and slice the mushrooms. Put these into a large saucepan, along with their soaking water, the 1.2 litres (2 pints) of water, and the spring onions and simmer for 5–10 minutes.
Put the miso into a small bowl, add a ladleful of the soup and stir until blended, then tip the mixture back into the pan. Leave the pan over the heat for 2–3 minutes, without letting it boil, then serve.
French onion soup
You don’t need beef stock to make a delectable French onion soup. This vegetarian version fills the house with its aroma as it cooks and keeps everyone satisfied, I promise you.
SERVES 4
1 tbsp olive oil
450g (1lb) onion, sliced
1 tbsp flour
850ml (1½ pints) water
1 tbsp high-quality bouillon powder
3 tbsp sherry
1 large garlic clove, crushed
4 tsp Dijon mustard
salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 slices of baguette
75–125g (3–4oz) Gruyère cheese, grated
Heat the oil in a large saucepan and fry the onions slowly for 15–20 minutes until they’re golden, stirring from time to time.
Add the flour and cook for a few seconds before stirring in the water, bouillon powder, sherry, garlic, mustard and some salt and pepper.
Bring to the boil, then leave to simmer gently, covered, for 30 minutes.
Just before the soup is ready, warm four heatproof soup bowls and lightly toast the baguette. Heat the grill to medium-high.
Check the consistency of the soup, adding a splash of boiling water if it needs to be a bit thinner, and adjust the seasoning to taste.
Put a slice of toasted baguette into each bowl and ladle the soup on top. Scatter with the grated cheese and place the bowls under the grill for a few minutes. Serve the soup immediately, bubbling and oozing with molten cheese.
Parsnip soup
This is one of the soups that I grew up with, and one I often made for guests when working at a retreat centre. It’s a beautiful soup that costs next to nothing