Pumpkin Soup

I was carving pumpkins for Halloween, and decided I was going to make a pumpkin pie and try out an American classic but halfway through stewing my pumpkin I decided that I would prefer soup - it's cold outside and everyone loves a bit of soup when it is cold outside! Serves 4. This recipe is slightly edited as I didn't roast the pumpkin but it makes it so much easier than scooping it out of the pumpkin.

1 Pumpkin - cut in half remove seeds
2 Small Onions - Rough Dice
2 Carrots - Rough Dice
1 Chicken Pot
Salt
Pepper
25g Butter
Cream
Parsley - To Garnish
Olive oil

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to gas mark 6/200 degrees and put the pumpkin on a roasting tray, drizzle with olive oil and salt and pepper and roast until soft about 15-20 minutes.
2. Preheat a saucepan and add the onions and carrots, cook for a few minutes then add the butter and put the lid on, leave for 5-10 minutes stirring occasionally. 
3. When the pumpkin is cooked, scoop out the flesh and add it to the sweated vegetables.
4. Blitz with a handgun and pass through a fine strainer.
5. Add to a clean saucepan and bring to the boil and simmer for 20 minutes.
6. Adjust the seasoning.

Vegetable Soup

Woke up this morning to frost everywhere and even some ice in places, really cold winter weather which mean - soup. It was decided - take out the slow cooker and make some chicken and vegetable soup, let it slow cook for four hours and done, no fuss. This makes about 2 litres of soup.

1 Leek
2 Chicken Fillets
1 Carrot
Parsley
Salt and Pepper
1 Celery
1/2 Turnip
1 Litre of Chicken Stock (Homemade)

Method:

1. Heat the slow cooker on high for 30 minutes.
2. Add 10 g of butter and 15ml of boiling water to the cooker.
3. Wait for 3 minutes and add the chopped vegetables.
4. After 10 minutes add the chicken fillets. 
5. Add 100g chicken stock.
6. Cook for 40 minutes.
7. Add the rest of the chicken stock.
8. Cook for a further 90 minutes.
9. Blitz with a hand blender.
10. Correct the consistency and the seasoning.
11. Serve with brown bread. 

Cauliflower Soup

This soup is great during the winter when your hungry but not starving, it is a filling dish with great flavours. Serves 6-8

Cauliflower Soup:

3 large heads of cauliflower

1 small-medium white onion

Knob of butter

500ml-1 litre of chicken stock

Optional:

Curry powder

Method:

1. Floret the cauliflower heads and place in a large saucepan with a knob of butter, the white onion and place on a tight fitting lid and allow to steam until the cauliflower is completely cooked – even overcooked. 
2. When the cauliflower is cooked puree with a little chicken stock and pass through a fine strainer to eliminate the grainy texture and make it a much smoother soup.
3. At this stage you can add the remainder of the chicken stock and return the soup to the heat.
4. This soup it quite filling, the way the cauliflower is cooked retaining all of its nutrient and giving it a creamy consistency without adding the extra fat you can jazz it up a bit by adding an extra flavour to the mix you can add a tiny pinch of mild curry powder just to the individual serving and mix through creating a nice mix of flavours.

Roasted Red Pepper and Tomato Soup

I love soup, but tomato has to be my favourite, this recipe is roasted red pepper and tomato soup but if you just want the spice of the peppers don't roast them. Sometimes i add some dried chili flakes for an added kick. This recipe would serve 2-3 People.

10g Butter            

200ml Chicken Stock

Fresh Basil and Oregano   

2 Red Peppers

Black Pepper Corns           

2 Tbsp Tomato Puree

Sugar     

Cream

Salt        

2 X 400g Tinned Tomatoes

Method:

1. Roast the peppers in the oven until charred
2. Add the butter, tomatoes and the puree to a hot pan and reduce
3. Mix in the seasoning, and the chicken stock
4. Finally add in the chopped fresh basil and oregano and mix well, allow to simmer for 25 minutes
5. Add the cream to serve and garnish with fresh basil or pesto

This soup has texture if you want a smooth soup you could blend it with a hand blender and pass through a strainer.