Greek lemon soup

ingredients:

1 tablespoon cornflour
1 litre / 1 3/4 pt chicken stock
50g / 2 oz long-grain rice
4 tablespoons freshly squeezed
lemon juice
3 eggs

How to cook?

• Stir the cornflour into 225ml / 8 fl oz chicken stock of the until it has dissolved. Pour into a saucepan over a medium heat, and add the remaining stock.
• Bring to the boil. Add the rice, reduce the heat and simmer for about 20 minutes until tender. Remove from the heat.
• Beat the lemon juice and eggs together. Whisk half the stock, a little at a time, into the egg mixture. Pour the egg mixture into pan with the remaining stock, mixing well.
• Return to a low heat and cook, stirring constantly, until the soup is just thickened. Serve immediately.

Oriental noodle soup

ingredients:

1.8 litres / 3 pt beef stock
1 teaspoon finely chopped
lemon grass
2 teaspoons light soy sauce
175 g / 6 oz vermicelli, broken
into small pieces

How to cook?

• Bring the stock to the boil with the lemon grass and soy sauce.
• Add the vermicelli and simmer for 6 minutes or until the noodles are just tender. Serve hot.

Green soup

ingredients:

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, chopped
200g / 7 oz potato, cut into
2.5cm / 1 in cubes
700ml/ 1 1/4pt vegetable stock
1 small cucumber, cut into chunks
75g / 3 oz watercress
100g / 4 oz green beans, trimmed and halved
salt and freshly ground
black pepper

How to cook ?

• Heat the oil in a large saucepan. Sweat the onion and garlic for 3–4 minutes until softened. Add the potato and cook for a further 2–3 minutes.
• Stir in the stock, bring to the boil and leave to simmer for 5 minutes.
• Add the cucumber to the saucepan, and cook for a further 3 minutes or until the potatoes are tender.
• Add the watercress and allow to wilt, then transfer the mixture to a blender or food processor and purée until smooth.
• Bring a small saucepan of water to the boil. Cook the beans for 3–4 minutes until tender. Add the beans to the soup, season and warm through.

Curried carrot and apple soup

ingredients:

1 cooking apple, chopped
900ml/1 1/2pt chicken stock
1 tablespoon mild korma curry powder
500g/1 lb 2 oz carrots, chopped
salt and ground black pepper
2 teaspoons sunflower oil
1 large onion, chopped

How to cook ?

• Heat the oil in a saucepan over a low heat, and gently fry the curry powder for 2–3 minutes until fragrant.
• Add the carrots, onion and apple, stir well, then cover the pan. Cook over a very low heat for about 15 minutes, shaking the pan from time to time, until the vegetables are softened.
• Spoon the vegetable mixture into a blender or food processor, then add half the stock and blend until smooth.
• Return the mixture to the pan, and pour in the remaining stock. Bring the soup to the boil, and season with salt and pepper. Serve hot.

Tomato and carrot soup

ingredients

300ml/10fl oz vegetable stock (made with 1 stock cube)
1 tablespoon chopped fresh
flat-leaf parsley
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 teaspoon dried oregano
400g/14oz canned chopped tomatoes
2 large carrots, grated
1 bay leaf
pinch of grated nutmeg
pinch of salt

How to cook ?

• Put all the ingredients except the parsley in a heavy saucepan and bring to the boil, stirring. Reduce the heat, part-cover and simmer for 30 minutes.
• Discard the bay leaf, ladle the soup into bowls and serve hot, garnished with the parsley.