Tomato Soup--Cooking Books

Tomato soup

Ingredients

1-1¼kg/2lb 4oz-2lb 12oz ripe tomatoes
1 medium onion
1 small carrot
1 celery
 stick
2 tbsp olive oil
2 squirts of tomato purée (about 2 tsp)
a good pinch of sugar
2 bay leaf
1.2 litres/ 2 pints hot vegetable stock (made with boiling water and 4 rounded tsp bouillon powder or 2 stock cubes)

Method

1. Firstly, prepare your vegetables. You need 1-1.25kg/2lb 4oz-2lb 12oz ripe tomatoes. If the tomatoes are on their vines, pull them off. The green stalky bits should come off at the same time, but if they don't, just pull or twist them off afterwards. Throw the vines and green bits away and wash the tomatoes. Now cut each tomato into quarters and slice off any hard cores (they don't soften during cooking and you'd get hard bits in the soup at the end). Peel 1 medium onion and 1 small carrot and chop them into small pieces. Chop 1 celery stick roughly the same size.

2. Spoon 2 tbsp olive oil into a large heavy-based pan and heat it over a low heat. Hold your hand over the pan until you can feel the heat rising from the oil, then tip in the onion, carrot and celery and mix them together with a wooden spoon. Still with the heat low, cook the vegetables until they're soft and faintly coloured. This should take about 10 minutes and you should stir them two or three times so they cook evenly and don’t stick to the bottom of the pan.

3. Holding the tube over the pan, squirt in about 2 tsp of tomato purée, then stir it around so it turns the vegetables red. Shoot the tomatoes in off the chopping board, sprinkle in a good pinch of sugar and grind in a little black pepper. Tear 2 bay leaves into a few pieces and throw them into the pan. Stir to mix everything together, put the lid on the pan and let the tomatoes stew over a low heat for 10 minutes until they shrink down in the pan and their juices flow nicely. From time to time, give the pan a good shake – this will keep everything well mixed.

4. Slowly pour in the 1.2 litres/ 2 pints of hot stock (made with boiling water and 4 rounded tsp bouillon powder or 2 stock cubes), stirring at the same time to mix it with the vegetables. Turn up the heat as high as it will go and wait until everything is bubbling, then turn the heat down to low again and put the lid back on the pan. Cook gently for 25 minutes, stirring a couple of times. At the end of cooking the tomatoes will have broken down and be very slushy looking.

5. Remove the pan from the heat, take the lid off and stand back for a few seconds or so while the steam escapes, then fish out the pieces of bay leaf and throw them away. Ladle the soup into your blender until it’s about three-quarters full, fit the lid on tightly and turn the machine on full. Blitz until the soup’s smooth (stop the machine and lift the lid to check after about 30 seconds), then pour the puréed soup into a large bowl. Repeat with the soup that’s left in the pan. (The soup may now be frozen for up to 3 months. Defrost before reheating.)

6. Pour the puréed soup back into the pan and reheat it over a medium heat for a few minutes, stirring occasionally until you can see bubbles breaking gently on the surface. Taste a spoonful and add a pinch or two of salt if you think the soup needs it, plus more pepper and sugar if you like. If the colour’s not a deep enough red for you, plop in another teaspoon of tomato purée and stir until it dissolves. Ladle into bowls and serve. Or sieve and serve chilled with some cream swirled in. For other serving suggestions, see opposite.

Stuffing Baubles--Cooking

Stuffing Baubles

Ingredients

drizzle of vegetable oil, plus extra for greasing

6 small or medium red onions

250g sausagemeat

50g dried cranberries

small bunch thyme, leaves picked

50g fresh or dried breadcrumbs

12 rashers pancetta

Method

1. Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4 and grease a large baking tray. Halve the onions through the root and peel off the papery skin. Cut off any stringy roots but leave the base of the root intact. Slice a little off the rounded side of each onion half, so they will sit on the tray. Cut away the centre of the onions, reserving the offcuts, to leave a hollow – once you’ve cut away a little, you can use your fingers to pull out the layers until you’re left with a shell of 2 or 3 layers. Arrange the halves on a baking tray, season and bake for 10 mins until just softened. Set aside to cool.

2. Weigh the onion offcuts and place 140g/5oz in a food processor (save any remaining onions for another recipe). Blitz until finely chopped but still with a little texture – or finely chop by hand. Heat a drizzle of oil in a frying pan and add the onions. Cook for 5 mins until softened, then set aside to cool.

3. Tip the sausagemeat, cranberries, thyme and breadcrumbs into a bowl. Add the fried onions and a little seasoning. Mix well. Roll the stuffing mixture into 12 balls and use to fill the onion halves. Wrap a slice of pancetta around each ‘bauble’, ensuring the ends meet underneath the onions. Can now be covered with cling film and chilled for up to 2 days or frozen for up to a month.

4. Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Unwrap the stuffing baubles (if chilled) and bake for 25 mins until cooked through and the bacon is starting to crisp. If you’re cooking from frozen, bake for 35 mins. (If you have a full oven, it may be too steamy to crisp up the bacon, so finish with a blast under a hot grill until nicely browned and crispy.)

The ultimate makeover: Risotto with squash & sage--Cooking Books

The ultimate makeover: Risotto with squash & sage

Ingredients

700g piece of butternut squash
2l low-salt vegetable stock (I used Kallo)
4 slices dried porcini mushroom
2½ tbsp olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
2 garlic clove, finely chopped
6 sage
 leaves, finely chopped (plus extra leaves to garnish)
2 thyme
 sprigs
350g carnaroli rice (or arborio rice)
100ml dry white wine
handful flatleaf parsley, chopped
50g Parmesan
 (or vegetarian alternative), grated
2 tbsp light mascarpone

Method

1. Halve the squash lengthways, then scoop out the seeds. Peel, then cut the flesh into about 2.5cm pieces. Pour the stock into a pan, add the porcini, then bring to a gentle simmer.

2.Heat 2 tbsp of the oil in a heavy, wide pan. Add the onion, garlic, sage, thyme and squash, then gently fry for about 10 mins until the squash is almost tender, stirring occasionally, so it doesn’t stick or burn. With the heat on medium, tip the rice into the squash. Keep stirring for 3-4 mins to toast it without colouring. Pour in the wine and stir everything for 1 min.

3. Start to add the hot stock (leaving the porcini behind) – this process should take 18-20 mins, so put a timer on if it helps. Stir in 1½ ladles and adjust the heat so it simmers. Keep stirring and scraping down the sides. Once the first lot of stock has been absorbed, add another ladleful, continuing to stir to keep the risotto creamy. Continue adding and stirring in a ladleful of stock as each previous one is absorbed (it’s ready for more when you drag the spoon across the bottom of the pan and it leaves a clear line).

4. As the last of the stock goes in (keep a little back) check if the rice is ready – it should be soft with a bit of chew in the middle – and the consistency fluid. Season with pepper.
Take the pan off the heat. Add a splash of the stock to keep the risotto moist, scatter over the parsley and half the Parmesan, then spoon on the mascarpone. With the lid on, let the risotto sit for 3-4 mins to rest.

5. Meanwhile, heat the remaining oil in a small frying pan. Add the sage leaves, then fry for a few secs until starting to colour. Transfer to kitchen paper with a slotted spoon to drain. Spoon the risotto into bowls, then scatter over the rest of the Parmesan and the crisp sage leaves.

Classic Victoria Sandwich--Cooking Books

Classic Victoria Sandwich

Ingredients

For the cake

200g caster sugar

200g softened butter

4 egg, beaten

200g self-raising flour

1 tsp baking powder

2 tbsp milk

For the filling

100g butter, softened

140g icing sugar, sifted

drop vanilla extract (optional)

half a 340g jar good-quality strawberry jam (we used Tiptree Little Scarlet)

icing sugar, to decorate

Method

1. Heat oven to 190C/fan 170C/gas 5. Butter two 20cm sandwich tins and line with non-stick baking paper. In a large bowl, beat all the cake ingredients together until you have a smooth, soft batter.

2. Divide the mixture between the tins, smooth the surface with a spatula or the back of a spoon, then bake for about 20 mins until golden and the cake springs back when pressed. Turn onto a cooling rack and leave to cool completely.

3.To make the filling, beat the butter until smooth and creamy, then gradually beat in icing sugar. 

4. Beat in vanilla extract if you’re using it. Spread the butter cream over the bottom of one of the sponges, top it with jam and sandwich the second sponge on top. Dust with a little icing sugar before serving. Keep in an airtight container and eat within 2 days.

Chicken & Pesto Roll-ups--Cooking Books

Chicken & pesto roll-ups

Ingredients

25g butter
25g plain flour
600ml milk
50g grated fresh Parmesan
100g Gruyère
6 tbsp pesto
8 pancakes (see recipe link below)
2 cooked skinless, boneless chicken breasts, shredded
285g jar artichoke hearts in oil, drained and quartered if necessary

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 200C/gas 6/fan 180C. Put the butter, flour and milk in a pan and whisk over a medium heat until the mixture boils and thickens. Reduce the heat and simmer for 5 minutes.

2. Remove from the heat, stir in the Parmesan and half the gruyère and season with salt and ground black pepper.

3. Pour one third of the sauce into a bowl and stir in the pesto. Lay out the pancakes and spoon a dollop of sauce in the centre of each one. Top with the chicken and artichokes then fold in the sides of the pancakes and roll them up.

4. Arrange the pancakes in a single layer in a buttered large shallow baking dish (about 25 x 30cm) and pour over the remaining sauce. Scatter with the rest of the gruyère. (If making ahead, cool, cover and chill for up to a day, or freeze for up to a month.)

5.Bake, uncovered, for 30 minutes until the sauce is bubbling and golden. Serve with a green salad.

Farro salad with roasted carrots & feta--Cooking Books

Farro salad with roasted carrots & feta

Ingredients

500g carrot, halved or quartered (baby carrots can stay whole)
2 red onion, quartered
1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
200g farro or pearled spelt
100g baby spinach
50g feta cheese (or vegetarian alternative)

For the dressing

3 tbsp red wine vinegar
2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 tbsp clear honey
2 garlic clove, chopped
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp sweet smoked paprika
small handful parsley, finely chopped

Method

1. Heat oven to 190C/170C fan/gas 5. Put the carrots and onions in a large roasting tin, drizzle with the oil and season well. Roast for 25 mins.

2. While the vegetables are roasting, boil the farro or spelt following pack instructions. Drain and tip into a bowl. Mix the dressing ingredients with 1 tbsp water and some seasoning, then stir half through the warm grains.

3. When the vegetables finish cooking, pour over the remaining dressing and mix well. Toss with the grains and spinach, then crumble over the feta.

Thai carrot & radish salad--Cooking Books

Thai carrot & radish salad

Ingredients

4 tbsp sweet chilli dipping sauce
zest 1 lime
 and 2 tbsp juice
1 tsp fish sauce
1 Little Gem lettuce, separated into leaves
2 carrot, cut into thin batons
10 radish, sliced
4 spring onion, cut on the diagonal
handful roughly chopped coriander

Method

1. Mix the chilli sauce with the lime zest and juice, and fish sauce to make the dressing.

2. Arrange the lettuce in a large salad bowl. Toss all the remaining ingredients with the dressing just before you are ready to eat, to keep everything crisp and fresh, then add to the lettuce.