Category: Soups & Light Meals

Tatiana’s Borscht

 

If the spoon doesn’t stand up at the end you have been too tight with the cabbage!

This makes an enormous amount – approx. 20 servings. The grey Le Creusset was not even big enough. Cut in two for more sensible amounts. Always better the day after it is made.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  • 2 medium white onions
  • 4 litres of boiling water
  • 2 vegetable stock cubes
  • 1Kg floury potatoes peeled and cut into small cubes
  • 1 dsp of Herbes de Provence
  • 1Kg cooked beetroot, peeled and grades on largest side
  • 4 medium sized carrots (err on less not more, they can make it too sweet)
  • 1 white cabbage – tough heart removed and shredded thinly (setting 1 on the  KitchenAid)
  • 500g cooked beans
  • 150-200g tomato puree
  • 6 medium cloves of garlic
  • Creme Fraiche for serving

Get the boiling water ready, once the first load has boiled add the stock cubes and get the kettle on again for the next. Meanwhile take the whole onions, cut the top off and peel. KEEP THE ROOT ON and the onion whole. Cut a grid into the onion from its top end so there are about 3 cuts vertically and horizontally – don’t go all the way to the root but quite close. You want the onion to give flavour but it needs to be removed before serving.

When all the water is boiling with the stock cubes inside add the prepared onions, the potato and carrot and cook for 5 mins. Next addthe shredded cabbage and the herbs as well as a serious grind of black pepper. Leave on a light boil until the potato is cooked (will be about 15 mins).

Do not put a lid on the pan – apparently it is bad for the cabbage.

Next add the beans and grated beetroot and cook on light boil until the colour is coming out the beetroot and the strands are a lot paler. Around 5 mins. Remove the onions.

Reduce the heat so it is off the boil and add 150g of the the tomato puree and a really serious seasoning of salt. Bring to the boil and then cut the heat immediately. Taste and add more tomato if needed, if you do this bring to the boil again and then cut the heat once boiling. Check the seasoning again.

Finally grate in the garlic and stir well. If you were going to eat immediately, I would add two cloves of grated garlic, stir and put as much as you need into bowls and then add the rest to the pan. Otherwise the garlic can be a bit harsh.

It is best if you let the soup rest at least overnight or for a full day before eating. Reheat as much as you need and serve with a dollop of creme fraiche on top.

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Beetroot Hummus

4 medium beetroot, cooked (cooked weight about 650g), peeled and chopped into chunks
2 lemons – juice from both and zest from one
2 heaped tsp tahini
2 tbs olive oil
1 dsp (flat) Maldon salt

Put all the ingredients into the large blender and pulse, scraping down the sides to everything gets mixed. Leave so there is still some texture, shouldn’t be totally smooth. Check seasoning and serve.

 

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Chorizo, Kale and Chickpeas (quick)

Serves 3 normals or 2 Jamies

10-15cm piece of skinny chorizo chopped into small pieces

Pinch chili flakes

Jar of good chickpeas

3 large handfuls of kale, stalks removed and chopped well

Lemon juice

Eggs

Fry the chorizo on a medium heat until golden, add the chilli flakes and chickpeas and a pinch of salt and cook for 5 mins stirring often.

Warm some oil in a frying pan.

Add the kale to the chickpea mix and wilt (not too much, keep some crunch) and add squeeze of lemon juice and season well. 

Quickly fry the eggs and serve on top of the kale and chickpea mix.

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Kale Pesto

2.5 cups of kale (no stalks)

0.5 cup olive oil (good quality)

0.25 cup either toasted pine nuts or almonds

juice one large lemon

1 tsp Maldon salt

Put everything except the nuts in the food processor and blitz, scrape down the sides and repeat. Add the nuts and blits until broken up but not totally smooth. 

Check the salt.

Done

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Mayonaise (Very quick!)

Make in the KitchenAid in the small bowl with chopper

1 whole egg and 1 yolk

1 tsp mustard powder1 tsp mustard powder

1 tsp of Maldon salt 

Generous grind of black pepper

150ml olive oil (good quality)

150ml sunflower oil (good quality)

Lemon juice – about 1-2 tbs but depends on size and taste

Put the egg, mustard powder, salt and pepper in the mixer and blitz to mix.

Pour the oil into the oil nozzle on the mixer (the smallest one with a hole in the bottom) in a few batches letting it drizzle into the mix while you have the mixer constantly running. 

****DO NOT DO THIS UNLESS THE MIXER IS RUNNING***

Add the lemon juice, mix, taste, add more as required, and add more seasoning if necessary. Give a final blitz.

If using fresh eggs will keep up to a week in the fridge in a jar.

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Chickpea & Feta Salad

Serves 4

Half a red onion very finely sliced

1 red bird eye chilli finely chopped

Juice of one lemon

2 tbs olive oil

1 large jar of chickpeas

1 small tin of kidney beans

1 medium beetroot grated

2 large carrots grated 

Handful of mint roughly chopped

Handful of basil torn 

1 pack of feta cheese

1 tbs lin seeds

1 tbs sunflower seeds

In a large bowl mix the onion with the chilli and stir in the lemon juice and olive oil and mix well, adding some salt and pepper. Leave to one side for 20 mins to take the raw taste off the onion.

Heat the chickpeas until lukewarm with a couple tbs water. Once warm take off the heat and mash about 1/4 until a rough paste. 

Stir the chickpeas into the onion and lemon and mix well to make sure the paste takes on the oil and lemon juice. Add the kidney beans, carrot and beetroot and stir together. 

Finally add the herbs and crumble in the feta keeping some larger chunks. Check the seasoning and add more salt and lemon juice if necessary.

Serve and sprinkle on the seeds (if using) on each serving.

Can also add chopped tomatoes and cucumber – but only if not planning to keep left overs as will go too soggy.

amyLeave a comment

Lentil, Pumpkin, Spinach & Chickpea Soup/Dahl

250g red lentils

1700ml cold water

1 chicken or veg stock cube

1.5 tsp turmeric powder

2 tsp black mustard seeds

1 tsp fennel seeds

1 tbs olive oil

1 medium white onion, finely diced

2 tsp grated fresh ginger

1 red chilli finely chopped (or 2 tsp dried flakes)

200g of pumpkin/squash peeled and diced into small cubes

1 small tin chickpeas (or about 2/3 jar) rinsed

1 tbs tomato puree

Black pepper and salt

Fresh spinach (4 large handfuls) washed and chopped

Put the lentils, water, stock and turmeric in a large pan and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium and skim off any scum that forms. (use a black pan so the turmeric doesn’t stain and don’t use wooden spoons).

Heat a frying pan on a medium heat for a few mins and add the mustard and fennel seeds, toast until they start moving/jumping around the pan. Add the olive oil, a good pinch of salt and the onion and fry until soft. Add the ginger, chilli flakes and the puree and cook for a couple of mins. 

When the lentils are cooked add the onion and spice paste to the pan with the squash and cook for another 10-15 mins until the squash is cooked through and then add the chickpeas and warm for a couple of minutes. Turn off the heat, add the spinach and stir well and check the seasoning. 

Serve with a squeeze of lemon juice and or some natural yoghurt on top.

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Houmous (best recipe EVER!)

800g chickpeas (jars are always the best*) drained and rinsed (about 500g drained)

4-6 tsp of tahini (depends how strong you like)

1 dsp of Maldon salt

6 tbs of good quality olive oil (no shit to be used here!)

3.5 tbs lemon juice (usually 1.5 lemons but depends on size)

Cold water

Put everything except the olive oil in the blender and blitz, take the lid off and scrape down the sides to make sure everything gets combined. Add the olive oil through the funnel while it is running. Then to make the houmous really smooth add in cold water a tbs full at a time. I usually end up using 4-6 tbs. Check the seasoning, add more salt and lemon juice if needed. Serve.

(*the chickpeas are larger and seem to have much softer skin)

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Pumpkin & Courgette Soup

Serves 4-6 

1 large white onion roughly diced

3 courgettes, roughly sliced

1 small butternut squash or a large chunk of pumpkin, peeled with seeds removed and diced

3 chicken stock cubes

Boiling water, around 1.5 litres

Salt and pepper

Put the onion and pumpkin in a pan (Le Creuset is big enough) and add the stock cubes and enough boiling water to cover the veg plus a few heavy handed grinds of black pepper. Stir to break down the stock cubes and bring to the boil. Add a lid and simmer until the pumpkin is nearly cooked (about 20 mins).

Add the courgette and some more water if there is not much left and replace the lid. Cook until everything is soft, about 5-10 minutes depending how big the courgette slices were. 

Turn off the heat and using a stick blender blend the soup until it is all smooth. If it is too thick add some more hot water and blend again to mix well. Check the seasoning and add more salt and pepper and blitz one more time with the blender before serving. 

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