Jerusalem Artichoke

It is this flavour which lends itself especially well to a simple soup. While it may seem a recipe cop-out to simply make a soup out of every vegetable which comes along, this served up with a touch of double cream and just a few drops of truffle oil on top can make a really impressive first course. You could also skip the pureeing process and the double cream altogether for something chunky and a little healthier, but either way tastes perfect.

If you’ve never tried the Jerusalem Artichoke before, now is the time – they’re in season right through Winter and you should be able to get hold of them all the way through till late February. A word of warning though – they are reported to have *ahem* rather gassy side effects. Luckily I’ve never experienced that, but don’t say I didn’t warn you!

Jerusalem Artichoke Soup Recipe – Ingredients & Method

• 750g of Peeled & diced Jerusalem Artichokes
• 1 stick of celery, chopped
• 1/2 large onion, diced
• 1 leek, chopped
• 1 UK pint (roughly 1.25 US pints) of chicken stock
• Double cream (optional)
• Butter
• Salt & Pepper to taste

Start out by putting your celery, onion and leek into a saucepan with the butter and cook over a low-medium heat for 5 minutes or so until softened slightly, then add in your Jerusalem Artichokes and cook for another 3 minutes stirring regularly.

Now pour in your chicken stock and bring to a boil, reducing down to a simmer and leaving for 15 minutes approximately until everything is soft.  Now you have the choice between serve as-is (add a bit more chicken stock if needed to thin the soup down) or puree; if you are pureeing it, simply add a little double cream off the heat to create a velvety smooth texture.

Season before serving and drizzle a little truffle oil over the top (if pureed) for a touch of luxury.  You’ll love it, I promise.

Czarnina - Duck Blood Soup

Despite the fact that I didn’t take my camera with me on my recent trip to Poland (hence the less than flattering photo), and the fact that this is hardly festive (actually, in retrospect, the cloves and allspice give this a great Christmas smell), I couldn’t resist sharing with you this crazy sounding but delicious sweet and sour soup made from duck’s blood.

Czarnina is pretty much a traditional Polish dish, yet shows just how much we in the Western world (UK, in my case) have become detached from our food.  All meat has blood in it, but the mere mention of a soup where blood is the primary ingredient still never fails to raise an eyebrow (even, in my “testing”, with people who gladly eat black pudding).  Indeed, I bet that’s what grabbed your attention in the headline.

There seems to be a thousand variations on this soup all around Poland.  I’ve tweaked my Mother In Law’s recipe slightly here to simplify it a bit (she’ll probably kill me), but I promise you’ll love it.  Still, it may turn out to be more of a theoretical exercise, since the chance of getting hold of a bottle of fresh duck blood (sold at practically every farmers’ market in Poland) may be easier said than done.  Still, if you have your own duck, or access to a freshly killed duck…

Polish Czarnina Soup Recipe – Ingredients & Method

• Fresh ducks blood (about 450ml or 2 cups)
• 200ml (just less than 1 cup) white wine vinegar
• 4 tbsp plain flour
• Various duck parts (offal included)
• Marjoram
• 5 Allspice buds
• 5 Cloves
• 1 Pear
• Handful of dried fruits including cherries and prunes
• Salt & Pepper, to taste
• Sugar, to taste

1. If your duck blood is fresh, mix with the vinegar to prevent it clotting.  If you’re buying it, it’s probably already mixed with vinegar anyway.
2. Next step is to make a stock from the duck parts; throw them in a large pot with about 2.5 litres of water and the spices and slowly bring to the boil, taking any scum from the surface, before reducing the heat down to a simmer and leaving for 1 more hour or until the meat is tender.
3. This is how my mother in law did the next bit; remove all the duck pieces and remove from the heat.  Next, add in the fruit, blood, and flour (gradually) while stirring to thicken.
4. Remove the meat from the bones and add back into the soup.  Offal was served separately as a “chef’s perk”!
5. Taste and season with salt, pepper and sugar as required.

My Mother In Law served it with potato dumplings, but you could use pasta.  Let me know what you think to it!

No, they're not parsnips.

Now, how to cook a white carrot and still keep it interesting?  A quick scan of the internet shows recipes ranging from white carrot juice to white carrot cake.  Since I’ve not tasted white carrot before, I opted for a recipe which would highlight its flavour (a bit more delicate than a “normal” carrot, I think); the humble soup.

Before you ask, the reason there’s no picture of the finished article (the soup) is down to a pure lack of skill on my behalf. An very pale bowl of soup is hardly photogenic and I have neither the talent nor the patience to make it so, but I make no apology.  You want carrots, you got ‘em.

And did you know that orange carrots have only been around since the 16th century, when they were developed by the Dutch?

White Carrot Soup Recipe – Ingredients & Method

• Bunch of white carrots (I’m no good with exact quantities; go for around 6 decent sized carrots), diced
• 2 Leeks, sliced
• 1 Stick celery, sliced
• Pinch dried thyme
• 1/2 Clove Garlic, finely sliced.
• Chicken stock
• Salt and pepper to season
• 1 tbsp Italian Chestnut honey (buy normal if preferred)
• 1 tbsp Double cream

Begin by sweating off the vegetables in a little olive oil for 5 minutes before pouring in 750ml of chicken stock and adding the thyme.  Simmer for 20 minutes until all of the vegetables are soft, then whizz in a blender until smooth.  Add the honey and double cream and stir well.  If too thick thin with water to the desired consistency then season to taste.

Some variations on the net use Gruyere Cheese as an addition which sounds delicious.

I’ve had my eye on the stinging nettles near where I take the dog for a walk for a while now; nettles are one of natures great freebies and I really needed to grab some before it was too late (fresh young leaves are the best, so March / April are the best times).  I’ve tried Nettle Soup before, which is fantastic, but never ventured further than that; now I can happily report that Nettle Pesto is delicious too.

Nettle Pesto

Luckily the weather this weekend has been superb. We ventured off the beaten track a little bit to try and grab nettles that were less likely to have been marinated in dog pee; Gosia (who is now 8 months pregnant) typically took over the majority of the picking duties.

“I used to pick nettles for my Auntie to feed to the ducks”, she said, before giving me a lesson in how to pick them without getting stung.  Grabbing them by the stem instead of the leaf seems to be the key – it apparently worked for Gosia but no such luck for me as I stung my hand on the first attempt and then again on the second.  In the end I gave up and resorted to the tried and tested rubber glove tactic.

Try the pesto mixed with your favourite pasta, or spooned over a freshly cooked lamb steak.  I’m sure you’ll like it!

Once you’ve checked out this recipe perhaps you’d like to check out a couple of articles elsewhere which gave me the inspiration to try it; River Cottage’s “What’s Good Now” for March, Egg But No Bacon’s Nettle Pesto and delicious:day’s Radish Leaf Pesto Recipe.

Nettle Pesto Recipe – Ingredients

• 1/3 of a Carrier Bag full of Nettle tips.
• 6 Garden Mint leaves
• 1 Clove garlic
• 75g (2.6 oz) Pine Nuts
• 100g (3.5 oz) Parmesan
• 75ml (2.5 fl. oz)Extra Virgin Rape Seed Oil (This works really well with the nettles.  More about this in a future post!)
• Salt and Pepper, to taste

Nettle Pesto Recipe – Ingredients

1. First start out by picking your nettle leaves from the stems – it’s best to use rubber gloves to do this.  You’ll then need to rinse the nettles in a colander to remove any dirt, insects etc.
2. Bring a pan of water to the boil and place your nettles inside for one minute – this will remove the sting.  Drain well and squeeze out any excess moisture.
3. Place all dry ingredients in a food processor and pulse until chopped up.  Slowly add the oil whilst blending until the desired consistency is reached (mine needed about 75ml / 2.5 fl. oz).
4. Taste and season as required.  It can be used straight away or stored in sterilised jars for around a month in the fridge.

One last note.  I poured away the water which I used to cook the nettles but this bright green liquid would make a fantastic tea or base for a soup.

Curried Parsnip Soup

The parsnip.  Not a very exciting vegetable on its own and certainly one that always seems to be left lurking when my vegetable box is almost empty, but one which works incredibly well with other flavours.  A curried parsnip soup is one way of using this vegetable which is becoming pretty well known, so here’s my take on that classic.  Parsnip seems to work really well with tomato, I can’t see why the combination is not used more often.

Soups are so easy I can barely see a reason why most people still insist on getting them from a tin. I know time isn’t the issue (despite most people’s protest that it is), since this soup took me around 20 minutes in total including preparation.  No excuses!

The chilli flakes in the picture are perhaps a little overkill – I enjoyed them but some of you may not.  Leave them out if you feel it necessary.

This recipe is also my entry to this weeks food blogging event “Weekend Herb Blogging”, being held over at Kopiaste.

Spiced Parsnip and Tomato Soup Recipe – Ingredients

• 3 Large Parsnips, peeled & diced
• 1 Tin Plum Tomatoes, in juice
• 1 Litre (2.11 pints) Chicken Stock
• 1/2 Onion, diced
• 1 tsp Curry Powder
• 1 tsp Paprika
• 1 tsp Cumin

Spiced Parsnip and Tomato Soup Recipe – Method

1. Start by gently frying the onion in a little olive oil until softened (5 mins approx).
2. Add the powdered spices and stir.
3. Pour in the chicken stock and add both the tinned tomatoes and parsnips.
4. Simmer until the parsnip is soft, then purée.  Add a little water to loosen if too thick.
5. Pour in approx 1tbsp double cream and stir well; add a little more to give it a velvety smooth texture.

Serve with crusty bread and a sprinkling of chilli flakes if you like it spicy.  Enjoy!

Barszcz - Polish Beetroot Soup

This bright red beetroot soup is popular throughout the whole of Eastern Europe and it’s easy to see why – the colour is stunning and the taste is delicious!

I’ve opted to cook the Polish version, Barszcz (pronounced barshch – the final sound is like the “shch” in “freshcheese”), for obvious reasons; my wife is Polish and can cook with far more authenticity than I could ever lay claim to.  Many people will be familiar with the Russian version called “borscht“, of which this is a variant.  Each country and each family seem to have their own way of cooking it, and I present you with ours.

I am submitting this recipe to the fantastic seasonal food blogging event “In The Bag” being held over at A Slice of Cherry Pie.  This January is the Detox Special and I urge you to check it out.

Barszcz Czerwony: Polish Beetroot Soup Recipe – Ingredients

Serves 4.  35 mins total cooking time.

• 2 Litres of Chicken stock (fresh or from cube)
• 10 medium size Beetroots (cooked, peeled and diced; you can use pre-packed beetroot for ease)
• 2 Carrots – diced
• 2 Parsnips – diced
• 1/2 Celery stick – diced
• 1/4 Leek – cut in half lengthways
• 1/4 Onion, diced
• Marjoram, finely chopped (you can use dried)
• Bay Leaf
• 2 Allspice Berries
• Spirit Vinegar, to taste
• Salt & Pepper, to taste

Barszcz Czerwony: Polish Beetroot Soup Recipe – Method

Note: Our version of the soup is fairly rustic with chunks of vegetables in the bowl for you to enjoy.  If you prefer, a crystal clear version can be made by puréeing all the vegetables at the start before adding to the stock, and filtering through a muslin cloth at the end.

1. Heat chicken stock in a large pot.
2. Place all vegetables, bay leaf and allspice into the stock.  Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer until vegetables are soft (20 minutes approximately)
3. Dice beetroots and place into the stock, making sure to add any leftover juice (don’t waste any – this really helps the colour)
4. Add spirit vinegar – start with 1tbsp or so, this will prevent the colour from dulling, as well as giving a traditional sour flavour.
5. Heat until beetroot is soft; add the marjoram about 5 minutes before finished.  Add salt & pepper to taste, along with more vinegar if needed.
6. Ladle in bowls while hot and enjoy.  You could try this accompanied by mashed potato topped with lardons of fried bacon, as illustrated.  Delicious!

Pappa al Pomodoro

I’ve used entirely tinned tomatoes in this recipe for the simple reason that “fresh” tomatoes taste rather bland at this time of year (it being January in the UK right now); you could easily replace up to half the tomatoes by weight with either cherry or plum tomatoes though (the latter being my preference).  If you do, I’d suggest roasting them in the oven at 180 degrees for half an hour or so to soften and add flavour before use.

Another point worth mentioning is the addition of sugar as a seasoning below; this is certainly something not to be afraid of.  Tomatoes are a fruit after all containing natural sugars, and sometimes need a little help to be restored back to their best.  I needed around 1 teaspoon and it really did make all the difference without tasting un-natural.  It’s also important that you use good tinned tomatoes; the cheap supermarket brands lack any real flavour.

This recipe is also being submitted for this weeks “Weekend Herb Blogging”, being held at “The Crispy Cook“.

Pappa al Pomodoro Recipe – Ingredients

• 4 * 400g Tins Plum Tomatoes
• 500g Stale bread (I used sourdough), crusts removed & torn into rough chunks.
• 2 Cloves Garlic
• Handful of fresh Basil
• Olive Oil
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• Salt & Pepper, to season
• Sugar (optional)

Pappa al Pomodoro Recipe – Method

1. Begin by chopping your garlic into thin slices, then heating gently in a pan with a good sized glug of olive oil (50ml approx).
2. Before the garlic starts to go brown add in all four tins of tomatoes and 300ml of water.  Stir well.
3. Mush the tomatoes up a bit with a wooden spoon and bring the whole thing up to the boil before reducing down to a simmer.
4. Simmer for 30 minutes; about 5 minutes before the end add in your bread and basil and stir.
5. Remove from the heat and check for seasoning, making the necessary adjustments with salt, pepper and sugar (if needed).  Allow to stand for a couple of minutes.
6. Pour in approx 100ml Extra Virgin Olive Oil and stir loosely to combine.  Add more water if needed whilst stirring to create a thick, porridge like consistency.
7. Ladle into bowls and top with yet more extra virgin olive oil and a sprig of fresh basil.
8. Enjoy!

Broccoli Soup

Here’s a soup to kick-start your new healthy living (however short a fad it may be), and one that is really quick and easy to prepare, too. The ingredients are nothing more than broccoli and chicken stock, with a garlic clove thrown in for good measure. Truth be told this soup is inspired by a Gordon Ramsay version containing just the broccoli and water – a little bland for my liking (hence the modifications) but feel free to try it either way!

Broccoli is a really super healthy vegetable that is underused in the kitchen, high in vitamin c and fibre as well as being a natural diuretic with anti-carcinogenic (cancer reducing) properties.  Phew – I feel healthier just talking about it!

This recipe is also my entry to the great “Weekend Herb Blogging” event – now in its 164th edition – being held over at Cook (almost) Anything at Least Once.

Broccoli Soup Recipe – Ingredients

• 1.2 litres (approx) chicken stock or water
• 600g (approx) broccoli (a whole head, basically) – chopped up roughly
• 1 Clove garlic – chopped / minced
• Salt & pepper, to taste.

Broccoli Soup Recipe – Method

1. This one is too simple.
2. Simply boil the broccoli in the liquid until slightly softened (5 mins or so) before transferring to a blender – retain about 1/4 of the stock liquid as we’re going to add that back in gradually.
3. Whizz up the soup until smooth and, as suggested above, add the remaining liquid up until the desired consistancy is reached.
4. Season to taste.  If you’re eating this as part of a detox it’s worth remembering that salt makes your body retain water, pretty much counteracting some of the diuretic effect of the soup.
5. Enjoy!

Some of you might be put off by the word ‘chilled’ in the title. Don’t be! There’s a whole world of difference between ‘cold soup’ and soup which is straight from the fridge on a hot summer’s day. And if you still can’t be persuaded, it’s delicious hot, too.

I’ve taken use of 3 seasonal vegetables for this soup, and a couple that aren’t. Radish is just coming to the end of it’s season, and the leaves are always very underused. Asparagus is just perfect right now (and it’s hard to resist not just steaming and eating it), and spring onions are delicious and add an extra fresh zing to any dish.

This is also an entry for the monthly food blogging event ‘In The Bag’, which you can learn more about over at this link. ‘In The Bag’ is a monthly food blogging event highlighting seasonal ingredients and is ran by myself, A Slice of Cherry Pie, and Cherry’s English Kitchen. We each take it in turns to host on a rotating basis.

Chilled Radish Leaf and Asparagus Soup – Ingredients

• Leaves from 1 bunch of Radish (couple of handfuls), washed
• 7 Sticks of Asparagus, roughly chopped
• 2 Spring onions, chopped
• 1/2 Onion, chopped
• 1 Stick of Celery, chopped
• 1 Potato, peeled and chopped
• 25g Butter
• 1 litre Strong Chicken Stock (natural or made via a stock cubes)
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• Double Cream

Chilled Radish Leaf and Asparagus Soup – Method

1. Heat butter in a large pot until melted
2. Add onion, spring onion, celery, radish leaves and asparagus. Stir over a gentle heat for approximately 5 minutes.
3. Add stock to the pot. Stir well, cover, and leave for 15 minutes.
4. Add potato to the pot and leave for a further 15 minutes.
5. Purée the soup and add a touch of double cream (if desired) for a professional finish.
6. Leave to cool and then refrigerate.

Enjoy chilled (as above) or while still hot straight after cooking – it’s delicious and healthy, either way! Enjoy!

Poaching gives a great texture and nice flavour to what is an otherwise quite bland meat. I like to serve it alongside a fresh and crisp salad – tarted up with a dressing of Blood Orange juice.

There’s a couple of interesting things about this recipe. First, it’s cooked with the heat turned off (which probably has something which Molecular Gastronomy could explain better then me), and secondly, the resulting stock liquid can be turned into a soup quickly and easily. Dinner for two days!

Perfect for the very warm April weather it seems Britain has been having while I’ve been away. Oh, and on that note – it hasn’t rained in over 20 days in my location (North Lincolnshire) – but the day I get home from holiday, guess what? Rain. Typical!

Poached Chicken Breast Recipe – Ingredients

• 2 Chicken Breasts
• 1 Stick Celery (chopped)
• 2 Spring Onions (chopped)
• Fresh herbs of your choice – I used a round handful of Marjoram.
• Salt & Pepper
• 1 Carrot peeled and chopped (for the soup)
• 1/2 Potato, peeled and chopped (for the soup)

Poached Chicken Breast Recipe – Method

1. Place celery, spring onions, herbs and salt and pepper in water and bring to a boil, simmering for 15 minutes.
2. Place chicken in the water, then turn off and remove from heat.
3. When water is cool, your chicken can be sliced and eaten.

Simple yet delicious!

And the soup?

Well, we don’t want to waste anything, so…

Place carrot and potato in the water (now almost a stock – but you might want to add a little more – or a stock cube). Bring to a boil and simmer for 15 minutes.

Purée with a blender, then add 1 tsp of Honey and 1tbsp double cream.

Stir well and enjoy!