Ren Behan - Author Wild Honey and Rye

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Soup

Pumpkin (or Butternut) Soup with Kefir and Poppy Seeds

You can make this soup with fresh pumpkin, or butternut squash. Kefir is a gut-friendly dairy produce, but you can swirl fresh cream or sour cream through this soup, too. If you’re vegan, you can follow exactly the same recipe, but swap the kefir for some vegan/soy yoghurt instead and be sure to use a vegan-friendly, vegetable stock.

 

Aside from being packed full of fresh veggies, most of the other ingredients you’ll find in the store cupboard – red lentils, stock, a tin of tomatoes or passata and since I had a packet of poppy seeds open from making a Plum and Poppy Seed traybake, I sprinkled some over the finished soup, but the roasted seeds or any other seeds would be nice too.

leftover pumpkin soup with kefir

 

leftover pumpkin soup with kefir
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Pumpkin Soup with Kefir and Poppy Seeds

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Yield 6 servings

Whip up this simple and healthy seasonal pumpkin soup (or use squash) for the perfect autumnal bowl of comfort for lunch or as a light supper. Add a drizzle of kefir for a dose of healthy probiotic and a sprinkle of poppy seeds for a bit of crunch.

Ingredients

  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 white onions, peeled, halved
  • 700g pumpkin or squash, peeled, de-seeded and chopped into cubes
  • 2 carrots, peeled, chopped
  • 1 stick celery, washed
  • 200g/1 cup red lentils
  • 1 x 400g tin tomatoes or tomato passata
  • 1 litre vegetable or chicken stock
  • Sea salt and black pepper
  • 200ml kefir (cultured milk drink) or use natural yoghurt 
  • 1 tsp poppy seeds per bowl

Instructions

  1. Take a large 24cm pan or stock pot, add the olive oil and heat. Add the onions and fry until slightly softened and golden brown.
  2. Add the pumpkin, carrots and celery, stir well and continue to cook for 5 minutes.  
  3. Add the red lentils, tomatoes/passata and stock to the pan. Ensure everything is covered with stock, if not, add a cupful more of water.
  4. Bring to the boil and simmer gently for 20 minutes until all the vegetables are soft (the carrots will take the longest to cook).
  5. Season well with sea salt and black pepper.
  6. Allow the soup to cool a little and then use a stick blender to blend the soup, or transfer into a jug blender (you may need to blend in two batches)
  7. Serve the soup with a drizzle of kefir and sprinkle over some poppy seeds, or other seeds of your choice.

You may like:

Beetroot and Kale Soup with Almond Crumble

Spiced Pumpkin, Carrot and Sweet Potato Soup by Helen at Fuss Free Flavours

Polish Forest Mushroom Soup 

 

Thank you to Jude for the pretty napkins from Anthropolgie which were a book launch gift – I love them. 

Pizza Pasta Soup

Think of this as a hearty soup, suitable for stretching a little leftover bolognese. You could also use a jar of tomato sauce – a good quality one and add the same amount of stock to achieve a soup consistency. On other occasions, I’ve thrown in chopped, fried pepperoni, mushrooms or shredded chicken. A good sprinkle of mozzarella is a must and a big heap of grated Parmesan cheese for the top. Fresh basil or oregano is lovely, too. Get creative!

Pizza Pasta Soup

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Rainy Day Pizza Pasta Soup

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A great way to use up leftover tomato or Bolognese sauce. Simply add a handfull of pasta and some of your favourite 'toppings' such as chopped, fried pepperoni, mushrooms, or shredded chicken. Add grated mozzarella and a good handful of Parmesan cheese on the top.

Ingredients

  • 500g/two cups Bolognese or good quality tomato sauce (leftovers are ideal)
  • 250ml/one cup vegetable or chicken stock
  • 1 bay leaf
  • sea salt
  • black pepper
  • 280g/2 cups cooked pasta
  • 100g mozzarella, torn or grated
  • 100g fresh Parmesan cheese
  • 1 small bunch fresh basil, leaves and stalks separated
  • (optional - fried pepperoni, mushrooms or shredded chicken)

Instructions

  1. Pour the Bolognese or tomato sauce into a large pan. On a medium heat, bring to the boil. Add in the stock and stir well. Add in the bay leaf. Stir in half a teaspoon each of sea salt and black pepper.
  2. When hot, add in the cooked pasta and stir. Remove the bay leaf Add the optional extras, such as pepperoni, if using. Divide the soup between four bowls.
  3. Add the torn mozzarella, and top with grated Parmesan cheese and a few basil leaves per bowl.
  4. Serve straight away

Cuisine Italian-ish

Pizza Pasta Soup

 

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Beetroot and Kale Soup | Kale and Almond Crumble | Jumpstart2015

Beetroot and Kale Soup

Beetroot and Kale Soup with a Kale and Almond Crumble – virtuous! 

So, are you really, really fed up of healthy eating now? Have you fallen off the wagon? Or, are you still ‘being good?’

If you started a new healthy eating regime at the beginning of the year, you could be 22 days in, which is amazing, if you’ve stuck to the plan.

Happily, I’m still in the ‘being good’ category. Since the start of the new year, and with the support of some of my fellow bloggers following the #JumpStart 2015 plan, I’m ten pounds down and feeling much lighter and brighter.

…

Read more

Recipe: Polish Wild Mushroom Soup

Wild Mushrooms

Today is a mushroom soup day. The half-term school break was really busy, added to which, I’ve been flu-fighting. Polish wild mushroom soup reminds me of home. I crave warmth, and a strong, earthy flavour when I am sick.  A hearty bowl of soup, a thick blanket and a book. This is a lovely, simple family recipe, rich, yet simple to bring together allowing the mushrooms to speak for themselves.

Wild Mushrooms

A a really good, Polish mushroom soup is very often made with foraged mushrooms, since mushroom hunting is a national pursuit in Poland. I used some beautiful winter chanterelles (kurki in Polish) from Natoora UK, but you could very easily use a mixture of dried forest mushrooms (boletas/borowki/prawdziwki or porcini are the best) with a few fresh chestnut mushrooms thrown in. My mother adores mushroom hunting, just as her mother did, and the throw-back to my childhood is almost instantaneous whenever I cook with mushrooms. I’m very much looking forward to going foraging again when it’s time.

Mushroom Soup

I also separately cooked and added some kasha or kasza, which are pearl or hulled barley groats, which you’ll find in any Polish deli or shop. They added extra substance, and also made this meal stretch much further, since wild mushrooms can be expensive, particularly when out of their usual season. If you can’t find kasza, you could add whole pearl barley, or even some wild rice. You’ll also see instructions below for making a fresh stock (with or without pork ribs) but you can also use a porcini mushrooms cube stock or any vegetable stock as an alternative.

There’s also a Mushroom Soup recipe in my book on Modern Polish Recipes called Wild Honey and Rye, as well as recipes for Rosoł (Polish Chicken Soup), Sour Gherkin Soup, Beetroot Soup and my Mama’s Tomato Soup.

Mushroom Soup

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Polish Wild Mushroom Soup

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A a really good Polish wild mushroom soup is very often made with foraged mushrooms, since mushroom hunting is a national pursuit in Poland. I used some beautiful winter chanterelles (kurki in Polish) but you could very easily use a mixture of dried forest mushrooms with a few fresh mushrooms thrown in. It's worth the extra step making the stock, but if you are short on time, you could use shop-bought stock, too. 

Ingredients

To make the fresh stock:

  • 1 kg pork ribs (omit for vegetarian version)
  • 2 carrots 

  • 2 onions
  • 2 stick celery
  • 10g fresh parsley 
 

  • 2 litres of water 

  • 1 bay leaf 

  • 2– 3 allspice berries

Or, use 1.5 litres of shop-bought or stock made with chicken or mushroom stock cubes

  • 40g dried mixed forest mushrooms, soaked in 1 cupful hot water
  • A handful of fresh mushrooms, such as chanterelle, chopped
  • 1 tsp butter
  • 1 tsp olive oil 
  • 1 large onion, very finely chopped
  • 150 ml double cream 

  • 100 g wide egg noodles or kasza (barley groats)
  • 3 tsp cornflour (optional) mixed with a little cold water 
  • Fresh parsley to garnish

Instructions

  1. To make the stock: Roughly cut up the carrots, celery and onion. Add them to a large pot with with the pork ribs (if using) and pour over 1.5 litres of cold water. Add the parsley, bay leaf and allspice berries. Simmer the stock on a very gentle heat (barely boiling) for an hour. Skim any foam that forms with a large spoon and discard. Strain the stock. You can use the pork ribs to make these roasted ribs. 
  2. For the mushroom soup: Strain the soaked mushrooms to remove grit. Chop the mushrooms finely. In a large pan, add the butter and olive oil. Cook the onions for 5-10 minutes until soft.
  3. Add the mushrooms and cook over a low heat, stirring occasionally. Pour in the strained rib stock that you made earlier (or 1.5 litres of bought stock) and bring to a boil. Add the liquid from the soaked mushrooms too, avoiding the grit. Simmer for 25 minutes.
  4. To finish: Cook the pasta or kasza/grains according to instructions and drain.
  5. Stir in the cream. If you would like a thicker texture to the soup add the cornflour and stir well. Simmer gently for a further 5 minutes. 
  6. Place the pasta or kasza in the serving bowls and ladle over the soup.
  7. Garnish with parsley. Smacznego! (Bon appétit!)

Courses Soup

Cuisine Polish

Recipe: Slow Cooker Chicken Soup

A cold winter’s day really only demands one thing – a warming bowl of chicken soup. My favourite word this week when describing soup was ‘restorative’ – exactly what this soup is. This is my mother’s Polish recipe for a soup called Rosół z Kury, a clear soup, usually served with homemade egg noodles or dumplings. It can be made on the stove, in which case it just needs to simmer very, very gently for up to two hours, but I discovered this week that it’s even easier to make slow cooker chicken soup, which needs hardly any babysitting at all. The trick to making a very clear stock soup is to never  let it boil rapidly, which is why it works so well in the calm and consistent heat of a slow cooker. Usually I make my own plain, poured noodles, or Lane Kluski, but this week I tried it with some tiny egg gnocchetti, similar to Spatzle, I found in the fresh pasta section of the shops.

Chicken Soup

[recipe id=”12904″]

Chicken Soup

Lots of you have been getting in touch to say that you’ve been trying my recipes – the Chorizo, Chicken and Chickpea Soup was a big hit, as was the Slow Cooked Beef Brisket. Keep letting me know how you’re getting on. I’d love to see you photos on my facebook page, too.

Happy slow cooking.

Sweetheart Cabbage and Basil Soup

There are times when I seek simple, wholesome food. Perhaps it’s the weather (we’ve had a rainy spell here) or perhaps I’m slightly panicked by the fact that we’re officially in school holiday territory and my ‘uniform’ of black and baggy simply won’t do for much longer. Either way, my two favourite soups for this kind of mood are homemade chicken soup and this one, homemade Sweetheart Cabbage and Basil Soup.  Both are prescribed in very specific circumstances! 

Sweetheart cabbage is also known as ‘pointed cabbage’ and is pale green in colour. Really, any cabbage can be used for this soup.  Obviously, there is a very well-known cabbage soup diet – and no, I’m not on it. However, I do like cabbage (it is a requirement of being Polish) and this soup uses a whole assortment of seasonal ingredients – British Sweetheart cabbage (I adore the name), courgettes (Zucchini) and baby carrots. If you use fresh tomatoes, they would be in season too, perhaps even home grown. I always keep a pot of fresh basil growing on my kitchen window – so technically, that’s in season too. If you wanted to add extra substance, you could add a tin of organic chickpeas or perhaps butter beans.

You could also very easily give this soup a French makeover, by adding a tablespoon of fresh green pesto at the end, making it a more like a Soup au Pistou. It also tastes even better with a sprinkling of freshly grated Parmesan over the top. Far from being reminiscent of over-boiled cabbage of school days, this soup is light, the cabbage has a ‘bite’ and it is strangely comforting.

It goes without saying, I’m adding the link to July’s round of Simple and in Season…don’t forget to add your seasonal recipes too.
 

Tomorrow I’ll be back to baking cakes for an end of term party. I also have a chocolate making course I attended to tell you about and a lovely baked blueberry cheesecake recipe to share…  

Sweetheart Cabbage & Basil Soup
Makes 8 servings

Ingredients:

A few sprays or one tablespoon of olive oil
1 Large white onion, chopped
8 Baby carrots, chopped into small cubes
1 Sweetheart/Pointed cabbage, shredded
3 Courgettes/Zucchini, cubed 
1 Tin tomatoes or 4 fresh tomatoes, peeled and de-seeded
1 Tablespoon tomato puree
1.5 litres chicken or vegetable stock ( a cube made up is fine)
1 Tablespoon soy sauce
1 Teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
10 Fresh basil leaves

Method:

1. Spray a large pan with olive oil spray or heat one tablespoon of olive oil.

2. Gently fry the chopped onions until they start to soften. Add your chopped carrots and cook for a further few minutes.

3. Add in the shredded cabbage and pour in the vegetable or chicken stock, add the tin of tomatoes and tomato puree. Make sure all the vegetables are covered with stock, if not, add some more liquid. Simmer for fifteen minutes.

4. Add in the cubed courgette/zucchini and cook for a further five minutes.

5. At the end, season with a twist of black pepper, a tablespoon of soy sauce and throw in a handful of basil leaves.