Vichyssoise

ingredients:

1 bay leaf
1 egg yolk
150ml/5fl oz single cream
salt and freshly ground
500g/1 lb 2oz potatoes, chopped)
900ml/1 1/2pt vegetable stock
2 teaspoons lemon juice
black pepper
50g/2oz butter
3 large leeks, trimmed and thinly sliced
1 onion, thinly sliced
pinch of ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground coriander

How to cook?

1. Melt the butter in a saucepan, and sweat the leeks and onion, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes. Add the potatoes, stock, lemon juice, nutmeg, coriander and bay leaf. Season with salt and pepper. Bring to the boil, cover and simmer for 30 minutes until the vegetables are soft.
2. Cool the soup a little, remove the bay leaf and purée the soup in a blender or food processor until smooth. Pour into a clean pan.
3. Blend the egg yolk into the cream, add a little of the soup to the mixture, then whisk it all back into the soup and reheat gently. Cool and chill before serving.

Leek & potato soup

ingredients
50g / 2 oz butter
450g / 1 lb leeks, trimmed and finely sliced
700g / 1 1/2 lb potatoes, roughly chopped
900ml / 1 1/2 pt vegetable stock
4 sprigs of fresh rosemary
450ml / 3/4 pt milk
2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
2 tablespoons creme fraiche
salt and ground black pepper

How to cook?

• Melt the butter in a large saucepan, add the leeks and sweat gently for 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Add the potatoes, stock, rosemary and milk. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat, cover and simmer gently for 20–25 minutes until the vegetables are tender. Remove from the heat.
• Cool for 10 minutes. Discard the rosemary, then pour into a blender or food processor, and puree until smooth. Return to a clean pan, and stir in the parsley and crème fraîche. Season to taste. Reheat gently and serve.

Courgette spinach soup

ingredients
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 onion, chopped
2 courgettes, chopped
1 potato, chopped
100g / 4 oz spinach, chopped
3 sprigs of fresh flat-leaf parsley
1.2 litres / 2 pt vegetable stock
150ml / 5 fl oz double cream

How to cook?

1. Heat the oil in a saucepan, and sweat the onion and courgette until the onion is transparent.
2. Add the potato, spinach, parsley and stock. Bring to the boil, reduce the heat and simmer the soup for 20 minutes. Allow to cool before blending or processing to a puree.
3. Return the soup to a clean pan, stir in the cream and season with salt and pepper. Reheat gently without boiling and serve. salt and freshly ground black pepper

Cock a leekie

ingredients
450g / 1 lb prunes, stoned
1.3kg / 3 lb boiling chicken
2.4 litres / 4 pt chicken stock
900g / 2 lb leeks, well rinsed
1 bouquet garni
salt and ground black pepper

How to cook?

1. Put the prunes in a bowl, cover with cold water and soak overnight.
2. Set the chicken, breast-side down, in a large casserole dish. Pour in the stock and bring to the boil, skimming off any scum from the surface.
3. Using string, tie half the leeks in a bundle; thinly slice the remainder. Add the bundle of leeks to the casserole dish with the bouquet garni and a pinch of salt. Reduce the heat, part-cover and simmer for 2 hours.
4. Lift out the chicken and keep to one side to cool slightly. Remove and discard the bundle of leeks and bouquet garni. Drain the prunes, add them to the casserole dish and simmer for 20 minutes.
5. Shred the meat from the cooled chicken, discarding any skin and bones, and add the meat to the soup. Season to taste with salt and pepper, then add the sliced leeks. Simmer for a further 10 minutes, then serve.

Chicken noodle soup

ingredients:

900ml / 1 1/2pt chicken stock
1 bay leaf
4 spring onions, sliced
225g / 8oz button mushrooms, sliced
100g / 4oz cooked skinless
chicken breast, thinly sliced
50g / 2oz soup pasta such as orzo or ditalini
150ml / 5fl oz dry white wine
1 tablespoon chopped fresh
flat-leaf parsley
salt and ground black pepper

How to cook?

1. Put the stock and bay leaf into a heavy pan, and bring to the boil. Add the spring onions and mushrooms to the simmering stock.
2. Add the chicken to the soup, and season with salt and pepper. Heat through for 2–3 minutes.
3. Add the pasta, cover and simmer for 7–8 minutes. Just before serving, add the wine and parsley, heat the soup through for 2–3 minutes, then check the seasoning and adjust if necessary. Serve hot.

Chicken soup

ingredients:

1 leek, diced
1 parsnip, diced
225g / 8 oz chicken wings
1 onion, diced
6 whole black peppercorns
1 roast chicken carcass with meat left on

How to cook?

1. Preheat the oven to 150°C/300°F/ Gas mark 2. Put in a large heavy saucepan with the chicken wings.
2. Add the onion, leek and parsnip, and bring to the boil. While the water is heating, add the whole peppercorns.
3. Once the stock has boiled, transfer to an ovenproof dish and cook in the oven for 2 hours. Skim off any scum from the surface using a slotted spoon, and strain the stock you have created. Discard everything except for the chicken.
4. When cool enough to handle, take out the carcass and shred the chicken before returning it to the stock. Serve hot.

Borscht

Ingredients – serves 6

900g/2lb large raw beetroot
225g/8oz onion, diced
225g/8oz leeks, sliced
2 celery sticks, chopped
50g/2oz butter
600ml/1pt chicken stock
1 bay leaf
150ml/5fl oz soured cream
salt and freshly ground
black pepper

How to cook?

1. Boil the beetroot whole in salted water for 15 minutes. Drain and refresh in cold water. Peel and cut into 2.5cm/1in chunks.
2. In a frying pan, gently sweat the onion, leek and celery in the butter until softened. Add the beetroot, stock and bay leaf. Bring to the boil, skim the surface, reduce the heat and simmer for 45 minutes.
3. Discard the bay leaf, and puree the soup in a blender or food processor. Return to a clean pan, season and bring back to the simmer. Remove from the heat, stir in the sour cream and serve.

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