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.

Mushroom & corn soup

ingredients:

25g/1oz low-fat spread
25g/1oz plain flour
300ml/10 fl oz vegetable stock
300ml/10 fl oz skimmed milk
100g/4oz button mushrooms, sliced
1 onion, finely chopped
350g/12 oz canned sweetcorn kernels, drained
salt and freshly ground
black pepper
4 teaspoons low-fat single cream, to garnish

How to cook?

• Heat the low-fat spread in a heavy saucepan. Add the mushrooms and onion. Cook, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, for 3 minutes. Add the flour and cook, stirring, for 1 minute.
• Remove from the heat. Gradually blend in the stock, then the milk and sweetcorn. Return to the heat, bring to the boil, reduce the heat and simmer the soup gently for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Season with salt and pepper.
• Ladle into warm bowls and garnish each serving with a swirl of cream.

Smooth cheese soup

ingredients:

1 large potato, diced
1 celery stick, diced
1/2 teaspoon dried mixed herbs
100g/4oz low-fat Cheddar
cheese, grated
1 large carrot, diced
1 small onion, diced
600ml/1pt vegetable stock
150ml/5fl oz skimmed milk

How to cook?

• Put the vegetables in a saucepan with the stock and herbs. Bring to the boil, reduce the heat, part-cover and simmer gently for 15 minutes until the vegetables are soft.
• Puree in a blender or food processor, and return to the pan. Add the cheese and milk, and heat gently until the cheese melts. Ladle into bowls and serve hot.

Red onion & beetroot soup

ingredients:

2 teaspoons olive oil
350g/12 oz red onions, sliced
50g/2 oz soup pasta, cooked until al dente
2 tablespoons raspberry vinegar
salt and freshly ground
black pepper
2 garlic cloves, crushed
275g/10 oz cooked beetroot, cut into matchsticks
1.2 litres/2 pt vegetable stock

How to cook ?

• Heat the oil in a casserole dish over a low heat, and add the onion and garlic. Sweat gently for 20 minutes or until soft and tender.
• Add the beetroot, stock, pasta and vinegar, and heat through. Season with salt and pepper to taste, and serve hot.

Chinese cabbage soup

ingredients:

600 ml/1 pt vegetable stock
1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
450g/1 lb pak choi
1 fresh red chilli, seeded and
thinly sliced
1 tablespoon cornflour
1 tablespoon light soy sauce
1 tablespoon caster sugar
1 tablespoon dry sherry

How to cook?

• Wash the pak choi thoroughly beneath algid active water, bathe and drain. Pat dry with kitchen paper. Trim the stems from the pak choi, and atom the leaves.
• Calefaction the banal in a ample abundant saucepan. Add the pak choi and baker for 10–15 minutes.
• Mix calm the vinegar, soy sauce, amoroso and sherry in a baby bowl. Add this admixture to the stock, calm with the chilli. Bring to the boil, abate the calefaction and baker for 2–3 minutes.
• Blend the cornflour with 2 tablespoons baptize to anatomy a paste, and gradually activity into the soup. Cook, active constantly, until it thickens. Baker for a added 4–5 minutes, again ladle the soup into warm individual serving bowls and serve immediately.

Onion avgolemono soup

ingredients:

450ml/ 3/4pt skimmed milk
2 egg yolks
4 large onions, thinly sliced
1/2 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 thick slices wholemeal bread, cubed
salt and freshly ground black pepper
50g/ 2oz low-fat spread or butter
450ml/ 3/4pt vegetable stock

How to cook ?

• Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F/Gas mark 6.
• Melt the low-fat advance or adulate in a abundant saucepan, add the onions and baker gently, covered, for 10 minutes, active from time to time, until soft. Add the stock, and division with a little alkali and pepper. Bring to the boil, abate the calefaction and simmer acclaim for 30 minutes.
• Stir in the milk and calefaction through.
• Barrel the egg yolks with the auto juice. Add 2 ladlefuls of the hot soup and barrel well. Stir the egg and auto admixture into the soup, and heat through gently, still stirring, until hardly thickened. Do not acquiesce the soup to abscess or the egg will curdle.
• To accomplish the croutons, advance out the aliment cubes on a baking tray, and bake in the oven for 10 account until a abysmal aureate brown.
• Ladle the soup into balmy alone bowls, and baptize with the croutons just afore serving.

Consomme

ingredients:

2 large carrots, chopped
1 large onion, chopped
2 celery sticks, chopped
1.25 litres/ 2 1/4pt beef stock
225g/8oz extra lean beef mince
2 tomatoes, chopped
shells of 2 eggs, crushed
1 tablespoon sherry
salt and freshly ground
black pepper
1 turnip, chopped
1 bouquet garni
2 egg whites

How to cook?

• Put the banal and beef chip in a abundant saucepan. Add the tomatoes, carrots, onion, celery, turnip, boutonniere garni, egg whites, egg shells and affluence of seasoning.
• Bring about to the baking point, whisking all the time with a collapsed whisk.
• Cover and simmer for 1 hour, demography affliction not to acquiesce the band of barm on top of the soup to break.
• Carefully cascade the soup through a scalded accomplished bolt such as muslin, befitting the barm back. Repeat if all-important until the aqueous is clear. Add the sherry and reheat. Serve hot.

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