Flat Tummy Soups

1 onion, sliced
Olive oil
Heaped tsp curry powder
1 litre of light chicken or vegetable stock
1kg apples (whatever is in season – give them a go!)
Pinch of salt
Juice of ½ a large lemon or 1 small
200ml half fat crème fraiche
Pinch of cayenne pepper

1. Soften the onion in the olive oil in a big pan for 10 minutes or so while you prepare the apples. After a few minutes add the curry powder.
2. Add the stock and the apples. Bring up to the boil and then reduce to a simmer for about 30 minutes or until the apples are very soft.
3. Add a pinch of sea salt, blend and pass this through a sieve.
4. Once the soup has cooled add the lemon juice and crème fraiche. Check the seasoning and serve at room temperature (or chilled if you prefer) with a tiny dusting of cayenne pepper.

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Celeriac, Wild Mushroom and Rosemary Soup

10g dried porcini or chanterelle mushrooms
15ml olive oil
2 rashers pancetta, chopped (optional)
2 banana shallots (or 5 small ones), finely chopped
1 clove of garlic, finely chopped
400g peeled celeriac, chopped in large chunks
2 tablespoons Vermouth (e.g. Noilly Prat) or white wine
1 bay leaf
1 sprig rosemary
500ml chicken (or vegetable) stock
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

1. In a bowl, pour hot water on to the dry mushrooms and leave to soak for 15 minutes.
2. Fry the pancetta over a medium heat until it is translucent and has released most of its fat, then add the chopped shallots, lower the heat and cover the pan.
3. When the shallots have softened, drain the mushrooms (reserving the mushroom flavoured soaking water), chop them finely and add to the shallots. Raise the heat slightly, fry for a couple of minutes then add the garlic and the celeriac. Stir everything well and leave to cook for a couple of minutes before adding the vermouth. Let the vermouth cook down for a minute or so then add the hot stock, mushroom soaking liquid (beware grit!) and the herbs.
4. Bring the pan to a simmer and leave it gently cooking for about ten minutes, by which time the celeriac should be very soft. Remove the herbs and liquidise. For a creamier texture pass the soup through a fine sieve.

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Beetroot and Apple Soup

A knob of butter
1 onion, chopped
3 medium raw beetroot, peeled and chopped
Sprig of fresh thyme
500 ml vegetable stock
1 big eating apple, peeled, cored and chopped
Seasoning to taste

1. Soften the onion gently in the butter (so that it is translucent, not browned).
2. Add the beetroot, thyme and stock and simmer for about 10 minutes.
3. Add the apple and simmer for another 5 minutes or so.
4. Blitz everything in a blender and season to taste. I add a dollop of Greek yoghurt or crème fraiche if to hand.

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Butternut Squash and Pear Soup

Serves 3-4
1 medium onion, sliced
Knob of butter
1 small-medium butternut squash
1 stick of celery (optional)
Vegetable stock
Seasoning
1 medium pear, peeled and cored

1. Soften the onion in the butter over a low heat.
2. Add the celery and soften for a few more minutes.
3. When translucent add the butternut squash and after a minute or so add enough stock to cover the vegetables.
4. Add a pinch of salt and plenty of ground pepper.
5. Simmer for five minutes, add the pear and then simmer until the squash is easy to pierce with a fork but not mushy.
6. Blend and check the seasoning before serving.

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Carrot and Orange Soup

Small knob of butter
1 onion, finely chopped
1 stick of celery, finely chopped
3 or 4 carrots, peeled and chopped
½ tsp fresh grated ginger
Vegetable stock
A juicy orange
Seasoning to taste

1. Gently soften the onion in the butter over a low heat, add the celery and continue to soften, then add the carrots and ginger.
2. Pour over enough vegetable stock to cover the vegetable and simmer until the carrots are soft (but not too soft).
3. Squeeze and break up the peeled orange, almost crumbling it into the pan, leaving out any tough pith.
4. Blend in batches and season to taste.

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Gazpacho

Hen sent me this fabulous recipe - I can't wait for the summer!

Serves 4
1 medium green or red pepper
6 or 7 medium tomatoes
1 cucumber
1 medium onion
2 or 3 slices of slightly stale bread – crust removed
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 pint water
1 or 2 gloves of garlic
Salt and pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil

1. Seed the pepper and roughly chop. Peel the tomatoes, cucumber and onion and chop.
2. Break the bread into small pieces.
3. Put all of the prepared vegetables in a deep bowl with the bread and mix together
4. thoroughly.
5. Add the vinegar, water, salt, pepper and crushed garlic.
6. Pour into a blender, half at a time, and puree for about 1 minute until smooth.
7. Put the puree into a bowl and gradually beat in the olive oil using a whisk.
8. Cover lightly and refrigerate until thoroughly chilled.
9. Before serving, whisk the soup to ensure that all the ingredients are blended.

You can also add in extras to the soup once made which helps make it more
sustaining. I like chopped up egg, cucumber, green pepper, ham. Also, if you want to leave out the bread from the soup I don't think that matters, it just makes for a slightly thinner soup.

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Portuguese Chicken and Mint Soup

2 litres chicken stock
2 chicken breasts
Zest of 1 lemon, cut into thin strips
Good handful spearmint leaves, chopped
200g arborio rice
Juice of 1 lemon, plus extra if needed

1. Heat chicken stock in a large pan, then add chicken breasts, lemon zest and mint. Poach for 15 to 20 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through. Remove chicken from pan and cut into thin strips.
2. Return chicken to pan. Add rice and lemon juice. Simmer for 12 minutes, until rice is cooked. Check seasoning, adding more lemon juice if necessary. Serve immediately. 

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Tuscan Bean Soup

Serves4
Olive oil
2 slices Streaky bacon (optional)
1 medium onion, finely copped
2 stalks celery, diced
1 carrot, diced
2 garlic cloves, finely sliced
Sprig of frech rosemary, finely chopped (or a pinch of dried)
300g greens (kale, swiss chard, spring greens or cavolo nero), torn
400g tin chopped tomatoes
400g tin beans, drained (cannelliini, haricot or flageolet)
2 ½ pints veg stock
Seasoning to taste
Grated parmasan (optional)

1. Heat the oil in a heavy based saucepan, add the bacon, onion, celery, carrot, garlic and rosemary. Cook over low heat until the onions are a little soft and add the greens. 
2. Continue to cook over a low-medium heat until the greens are wilted. 
3. Add the tomatoes, a pinch of salt and black pepper, and turn up the heat a touch. About 5 minutes later add the beans and stock, then bring to the boil.
4. Lower the heat, partially cover and simmer for about 30 minutes. You may need to add water if it becomes too thick. 
5. Serve sprinkled with parmasan.

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Watercress Soup

1 Onion, peeled and roughly chopped
Small knob of butter
250g potatoes, peeled and diced
600ml chicken or vegetable stock
2 bags of watercress, roughly chopped
50ml cream
A little milk if needed
Seasoning to taste

1. In a large pan, soften the onion in the butter, then add the potatoes and stock and cook until the potatoes are soft.
2. When the potatoes are almost cooked, add the watercress for approximately 3 minutes.
3. Blitz and then add the cream. Use a little milk if the soup seems too thick. Season with salt and black pepper.

Even with a little cream in this soup it is still a fabulous low cal lunch and you know watercress is full of goodness just looking at it!

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Wild Garlic Soup

Serves 4 - Ready in 30 minutes

A little butter
300g wild garlic
1 litre chicken or vegetable stock
1 large onion
3 tbsp crème fraiche
Seasoning

1. Melt the butter in a saucepan over a medium heat. Slice the onion finely and fry a few minutes in the butter until tender but not brown. Add in the wild garlic and cook for 5 minutes.
2. Pour in the stock and cook on a slow heat for 20 minutes.
3. Blend, add the crème fraiche, and adjust the seasoning to your taste. Serve immediately.

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Green Soup

Serves 4
2 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, peeled and sliced
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 leek, sliced
1 potato, peeled and roughly chopped
750ml chicken stock (or veg)
1 bag of spinach
Freshly ground black pepper and plenty of nutmeg

1. Heat the olive oil in a large pan or casserole and soften the onion for about ten minutes.
2. Add the garlic and leek and continue to soften over a low to medium heat for a few minutes before adding the potato.
3. Give everything a stir, cover and cook over a low heat for a few more minutes and then add the stock. Bring to a boil and then lower to a simmer for about ten minutes until you can put a fork through the potatoes.
4. Add the spinach in generous handfuls and allow it simply to wilt. This only takes a couple of minutes.
5. Blend in batches, not for too long as this does something weird to the potato!
6. Season with plenty of freshly ground black pepper and nutmeg to taste. Serve with a dollop of natural yoghurt or a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. 

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Squash, Lemon and Thyme

During the late autumn months there is an array of colourful squashes on offer, the perfect flat tummy comfort food. I like to simply cut the top off an acorn squash, scoop out the seeds, drizzle in some olive oil, lots of thyme and black pepper, pop the top back on and bake for about an hour. It's a lovely lunch or light supper. But it also makes a delicious soup with a few added ingredients.

Serves 2
1 large acorn squash (use any squash you fancy)
1 tbsp olive oil
1 heaped tsp of fresh thyme leaves
Freshly ground black pepper
1 medium onion, sliced
400ml vegetable or chicken stock
Juice of half a lemon

1. Bake the squash as described above in a medium hot oven. It's ready when you can easily pierce the flesh with a fork.
2. Meanwhile, soften the onion in a little olive oil in a saucepan.
3. Scoop out the squash flesh into the pan, add the stock, lemon juice and then blitz in batches until smooth.
4. Nice served with a swirl of natural yoghurt.

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