Vegetables & Rice in Miso Broth

My TikTok account is mostly saved recipes (plus veg growing and travel), and recently a series of miso rice dishes.

These recipes seem to cook the rice together with the vegetables, but a quicker option is to use leftover rice and vegetables.

Serves 1

150g High Fibre Brown Rice

Handful of cooked vegetables & pulses.  This bowl had leftover chickpeas, air fryer roasted butternut squash, air fryer roasted kale.  I have made other bowls with fried mushrooms and spinach/Swiss chard.

1 tbsp miso paste

500ml just boiled water

Seasoning/flavouring (optional) - soy sauce, sesame oil, chilli oil, chilli flakes, finely grated garlic, finely grated ginger, kimchi

In a small pan, pour the boiling water over the rice and vegetables.  Dissolve the miso paste into the hot water.  Bring to the boil.  Simmer for two minutes, then serve.

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Chinese Sweetcorn Egg Drop Soup

Chinese Sweetcorn Egg Drop Soup is such a quick, simple, but tasty soup.  I made a storecupboard vegetarian version, but you can use fresh vegetables and/or chicken as your time and budget allow.

Serves 2, or a greedy one as a meal

1 mug of frozen sweetcorn, or 285g can of sweetcorn in water

100g grated potato or 100g cooked rice

Handful of finely shredded spinach, kale, or cabbage (optional)

1 garlic clove, peeled and crushed (optional)

1cm cube of fresh ginger, grated or finely chopped

1 tbsp miso paste, or 1 stock cube

500ml hot water 

1 large free range egg

1 spring onion, finely sliced (optional)

Chilli oil or chilli flakes (optional)

Soy sauce to taste

Authentic (or possibly Chinese-American) Egg Drop Soup seems to use creamed sweetcorn.  I like to do this by cooking/warming the sweetcorn in the stock first, then liquidising with a stick blender, as I think it gives the soup a better consistency.  But, if you don't have a stick blender, or don't want to blend the sweetcorn, this is not essential.

If pureeing the sweetcorn, simmer the frozen sweetcorn for 5 minutes in the hot water in a soup pan, or heat tinned sweetcorn until the water is boiling.  When the sweetcorn is cooked/hot, liquidise with a stick blender in the pan.  

Add the potato or rice, crushed garlic, grated ginger, and miso paste or stock to the sweetcorn (or add all these to the pan with the water if not liquidising the sweetcorn).  Simmer for 10 minutes in a covered pan.

Beat the egg in your soup bowl.  Turn up the soup to a gentle boil and drizzle in the egg.  Leave for 30 seconds then swirl with a spoon.  You should have 'flowers' of cooked beaten egg.

Serve with chopped spring onion, soy sauce, and chilli oil to taste.

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Vietnamese Noodle Soup (Pho)

A little bit of leftover roast pork inspired me to make Pho (apparently pronounced 'fuh', like 'huh' but with an f)

It can be made with chicken, beef, pork, or tofu.  A lot of online recipes suggest homemade stock, and whilst authentic I made it with good quality stock cubes.  Even using stock cubes, the broth still requires a lot of spices.  I note that ready made pho broth is available in UK supermarkets, but no vegetarian option as far as I can see.

Serves 4

1 tbsp vegetable oil
3 shallots or 1 onion, peeled and finely sliced
3 garlic cloves, peeled and finely sliced
1 lemongrass stalk, halved and squashed
2.5cm piece ginger, sliced
3 star anise
1 cinnamon stick or 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp coriander seeds or ground coriander
¼ tsp Chinese five spice
8 black peppercorns
1 tsp caster sugar (optional)
1 tbsp fish sauce
1.5 litres good quality chicken (for chicken or pork pho), beef (for beef pho), or vegetable stock

4 rice noodle nests (I used wheat noodles as I didn't have any other noodles)

A handful of sliced cooked pork, chicken, or beef.  For vegetarians/vegans -a 200g block of sliced tofu, or 
1 large carrot, shredded or peeled into ribbon with a vegetable peeler
8 pak choi or Chinese Leaf leaves, cut into 2cm strips
Large bunch of fresh coriander, chopped
Small bunch of mint, chopped

4 spring onions, finely sliced 
1 red chilli, thinly sliced, or ¼ tsp dried per bowl
1 kaffir lime leaf, thinly sliced (optional)
1 lime, cut into 4 wedges

In a saucepan big enough to take 1.5 litres, fry the onion and garlic in the vegetable oil over a medium high heat for about 5 minutes until lightly brown and caramelised.

Add the stock and the rest of the flavourings.  Cover and bring to the boil, then simmer for 15 minutes.

Whilst the noodles are cooking according to the instructions on the packet, chop/shred all the remaining vegetables and herbs.

When the noodles are cooked, drain and divide between four large bowls.  Divide and arrange the pak choi, carrot, meat/tofu/mushrooms (the mushroom slices can be browned in a non stick frying pan over a high heat to give a little more depth of flavour) on top of the noodles, followed by the coriander, mint, spring onions, chilli, and kaffir lime leaf if using.

Pour the hot stock over the four bowls when the 15 minutes is up, and serve immediately with a quarter of lime to squeeze over.

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Soupe de Haricots Verts (Green Bean Soup)

I did more research for the French regional self catering/simple/camping cookery book I am trying to write during my holiday in France.

The discovery of a recipe from the Lorraine region (now part of Grand Est) for Green Bean Soup was a find, as I picked 3 kg on my return home to the UK.

This is a simple but hearty stew like soup, with a good green bean flavour.

Makes 4 big bowls

1 onion, peeled and diced 
500g French beans, trimmed and sliced in rounds as finally as you can manage
500g potatoes, diced
1 garlic clove, peeled and crushed.
1 tbsp olive oil 
1 litre recently boiled water
2 chicken or vegetable stock cubes 

In a saucepan, fry the onion gently in the olive oil over a medium heat whilst you chopped the vegetables.

Add the potatoes to the pan as you chop them, followed by the green beans, and the garlic. Stir every now and then, as the potatoes will start to stick to the bottom of the pan.

Once everything is chopped and in the pan, add the crumbled stock cubes and hot water.

Cover and bring to the boil. Stir to check no potato is stuck to the bottom of the pan, then replace the lid and simmer for 20-30 minutes, until the potatoes are soft enough to crush with the back of a wooden spoon or a potato masher.

Serve with a drizzle of olive oil, or a spoonful of double cream, or crème fraîche.

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Lettuce Soup

Lettuce glut recipes Part 2, Lettuce Soup (Part 1 is Maroulosalata, Greek Chopped Lettuce Salad).

Lettuce Soup can be found in both French and Chinese cooking.  My recipe is based on European/French recipes, using potatoes and cream for a 'velouté' (velvety) soup, and is very simple and quick.

Makes 4 big bowls

1 tbsp light olive oil

1 onion, peeled and diced

250g lettuce, washed and roughly chopped

400g white potatoes, roughly chopped

1 garlic clove, peeled and roughly chopped

1 litre vegetable stock 

100ml double cream (optional)

In a large saucepan, fry the diced onion in the olive oil over a medium heat for a few minutes.  

Stir in the chopped potatoes followed by the chopped lettuce and fry gently for a few more minutes.

Add the vegetable stock and garlic.  Bring to the boil then cover and turn down to a simmer.

After 20 minutes remove from the heat, add the cream, and liquidise. Can be served hot or cold.

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Chinese Congee (Rice Porridge/Soup)

Rice porridge may sound unappealing, but this simple Asian dish is great comfort food and can be taken in a soup flask as a packed lunch. 

Congee is the Mandarin name, Jook in Cantonese, Chok in Thailand, and Cháo in Vietnamese. I regularly had it for breakfast backpacking in Malaysia, Thailand, and Hong Kong.

The classic congee is just rice simmered in water or stock until it breaks down essentially to mush, and flavoured with ginger and soy.

Shredded chicken, minced pork, or egg can be added to the classic congee for protein, but I like to make a plant based version with vegetable stock, tofu, and colourful vegetables.

Serves 2

1 litre vegetable stock

1 cup cooked rice, white rice is traditional but I prefer brown rice

1 tbsp finely grated ginger

2 large cloves of garlic, peeled and crushed

200g firm tofu, grated

1 large carrot, grated

1 pak choi, thinly sliced 

2 spring onions, finely chopped

Seasonings - chilli oil, sesame oil, chilli flakes, soy sauce, and/or fish sauce to serve

Add the rice, garlic, and ginger to a pan.  Pour over the stock and bring to the boil.

Boil for 5-10 minutes uncovered until the rice is a runny porridge consistence. 

Stir in the tofu, carrot, and pak choi to heat up.

Serve when congee comes back to the boil.  Sprinkle each serving with a chopped spring onion, and season with what ever you have to hand and to your own taste.

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Sweet Potato & Lentil Mulligatawny Soup

Mulligatawny is a curried vegetable soup from the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu, taking it's name from the Tamil words for 'pepper' and 'water'.  The traditional Indian version is vegan, but the British of the Raj liked to add chicken or mutton - Mulligatawny with Lamb.

This vegan Mulligatawny is from diabetes.org.uk's recipes, with a few tweaks of mine.

Serves 4 (original recipe suggests 8 servings)

2 tsp olive oil
1 large onion, peeled and diced
1 carrot, diced
1 sweet potato, diced (250g)
400g tin tomatoes
75g red lentils
2 cloves garlic, peeled & crushed

1cm root ginger, roughly chopped (optional)
1 vegetable stock cube
1 tbsp medium curry paste (or powder)
1 litre boiling water
75g brown rice

Soften the onion in the olive oil in a soup pan for about 5 minutes until it starts to brown.

Stir in the carrot and sweet potato (I did not peel either, as the soup is liquidised), and cook for a further 5 minutes stirring regularly.

Add tomatoes, lentils, garlic, stock cube, curry paste/powder and 1 litre of boiling water. Bring to the boil, turn down the heat, cover and simmer for 15 minutes.  I added cooked rice at this stage, not realising the recipe said to add it after the soup had been liquidised, for texture.

Blend the soup with a stick blender or food processor until smooth.

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Spicy Aubergine & Bean Soup

I was gifted several large aubergines that needed eating.  The one that didn't find it's way into an Aubergine Parmigiana or Babaganoush has been made into a warming hearty soup on this frosty day.

Serves 4

2 tbsp olive oil

1 large onion, peeled and diced

1 large aubergine, cut into 2 cm cubes

1 large garlic clove, peeled and crushed

400g tin of borlotti beans, pinto beans, or chickpeas

400g tin of chopped tomatoes

100g roasted red peppers, chopped into bite sized pieces

1 tsp cumin seeds

1 tsp smoked paprika

1/4 tsp hot chilli flakes

1 tsp red wine vinegar

500ml recently boiled water

2 vegetable stock cubes, crumbled

Chopped flat leaf parsley or coriander to garnish (optional)

In a soup pan, fry the onion in the olive oil over a medium heat for about 5 minutes until it starts to soften.

Add in the aubergine and fry for another 10 minutes until lightly browned.  The aubergine will absorb the olive oil.  You can add more olive oil if you wish, or keep moving it around the pan to brown.

When the aubergine is browned, stir in the garlic and cumin seeds, and then the rest of the ingredients apart from the parsley/coriander if using.

Simmer the soup for 20 minutes. Serve with a sprinkle of chopped herbs if you have any.  The herbs not only add a nice contrast of colour, but another layer of Middle Eastern flavour.

This soup can be thickened into a stew by adding 100g red lentils or 50g soup pasta with the wet ingredients, or simply reducing the water by half.  Serve over couscous or rice if serving as a stew.

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Nordic Salmon Soup/Chowder

Lohikeitto (Finland), Fiskesuppe (Norway), Laxsoppa (Sweden), and Fiskisúpa (Iceland) are all Nordic creamy salmon and potato soups or chowders. This is a simple warming meal in a bowl that takes just over 30 minutes to cook.  I based my recipe on an online recipe for Lohikeitto, and added extra potatoes to make this into a simple dinner for 4.

Serves 4

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

2 leeks, washed and sliced

2 carrots, peeled and cut into bite sized pieces

1kg potatoes, cut into bite sized pieces

1 clove of garlic, peeled and crushed 

1 litre fish or vegetable stock

400g salmon, skinned and cut into large chunks

200ml double cream (I only had 100ml hence mine not looking very creamy)

Small bunch of dill, finely chopped (didn't't have any but would definately add it next time)

Sweat the leeks in the olive oil in a large covered pan over a gentle heat, stirring from time to time.

When the leeks have wilted down to half their size at the start (about 20 minutes), add the carrots. Sweat in the covered pan for a couple of minutes whilst you chop the potatoes. 

Add the chopped potatoes, garlic, and stock which needs to just cover the potatoes.  Put the lid back on the pan, bring to the boil, then turn down to a simmer for 10 minutes.

When the potatoes are cooked through stir in the cubed salmon, cover and simmer for 5 minutes to cook the salmon.  When the salmon is cooked, pour in the cream and chopped dill.  Heat the creamy soup gently and remove from the heat when it is steaming but not boiling.  

Serve.

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Chicken, Sweetcorn, & Egg Noodle Soup

A quick filling soup made with leftover cooked chicken (or Christmas turkey). Vegetarian and vegan alternatives are detailed at the end of the recipe

Serves 4

3 litres chicken stock

3 nests rice noodles 

340g tin of sweetcorn or 1 mug frozen sweetcorn

2cm root ginger

1 large garlic clove

300g shredded cooked chicken

1 egg, beaten 

4 spring onions, chopped

Sesame oil

Chilli Oil

Liquidise the sweetcorn, ginger, and garlic with the water from the tin, or some warm chicken stock to thaw the frozen sweetcorn.

Bring the chicken stock to the boil. Add the liquidised sweetcorn and the noodle nests.  Cover, bring back to the boil, then turn down to a simmer. Cook the noodles according to the packet instructions. I used Aldi Brown Rice Noodles which say take 5-10 minutes to cook, and in the end took 7 minutes.

Stir in the shredded chicken, turn up the heat a little, and bring back to the boil.  When bubbling, dribble over the beaten egg.  Leave for a minute for the egg to cook in the hot soup then divide into four bowls.  

Sprinkle a chopped spring onion over each bowl and drizzle with sesame oil and chilli oil to serve.

A vegetarian version can be made with vegetable stock and grated firm tofu instead of chicken.  And a vegan version can be made with vegetable stock, tofu, and 2 tbsp cornflour mixed with 2 tbsp cold water stirred in instead of egg to thicken the soup a little. 

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Jamie Oliver's Creamy Mushroom Soup

I make Jamie Oliver's Creamy Mushroom Soup every few weeks, and although I know most recipes by heart that I cook regularly, this one I cannot.   So in fear that one day Jamie's recipe will vanish from his website I will copy it here.

600g mushrooms

1 onion

2 sticks of celery 

3 cloves of garlic

a few sprigs of fresh flat-leaf parsley

a few sprigs of fresh thyme

1 tbsp olive oil

1.5 litres organic chicken or vegetable stock

75 ml single cream

Brush the mushrooms clean if required and tear into pieces.

Peel and finely slice the onion, celery and garlic, then pick the parsley, finely chopping the stalks. Pick the thyme leaves.

Heat a splash of olive oil in a large saucepan over a medium heat, add the onion, celery, garlic, parsley stalks, thyme leaves and mushrooms, pop the lid on and cook gently until softened.

Pour the stock into the pan and bring to the boil over a medium heat, turn the heat down to low and simmer for 15 minutes.

Season to taste with sea salt and black pepper, then whiz with a stick blender until smooth.

Pour in the cream, bring just back to the boil, then turn off the heat.

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Bavarian Bread Soup

For the first time in 10+ years I burnt 4 sourdough loaves meat for the local farm shop, forgetting to set a timer. Most has now been sliced and frozen, but the hard 'knobby' ends were diced into large croutons and left out to dry.

I had thought about making a Ribollita (Tuscan Bread, Bean & Kale Soup), but a quick google turned up a a new bread based soup to try - Brotsuppe, a Bavarian Bread Soup.

Unsurprisingly for a Germanic recipe, the original recipe is not vegetarian or vegan, using butter, beef stock, cream, and egg.  But it can easily be made vegetarian buy using vegetable stock, or vegan by using olive oil as I did, vegetable stock, vegan cream, and omitting the egg (or liquidising 100g tofu)

Serves a hearty 4-6 (makes 2 litres)

100g cubed brown bread or sourdough

2 tbsp olive oil

1 large onion, peeled & thinly sliced

1 large garlic clove, peeled & crushed

1 heaped tbsp plain flour

1.5 recently boiled water

3 crumbled stock cubes, beef, chicken, or vegetable

100ml dairy or vegan cream

1 egg or 100g tofu (optional)

Fry the bread in the olive oil in a soup pan over a medium heat until golden brown.

Add the onions and garlic and fry as best you can amongst the cubed bread.  After a few minutes stir in the plain flour, followed by the water and stock cubes.  Bring to the boil, scraping the bottom of the pan with a spatula or flat ended wooden spoon. Once boiling, cover, and turn down to a simmer for 20 minutes.

After 20 minutes simmering, liquidise the soup with a stick blender.  Pour in the cream and egg, and liquidise again.  Heat gently, stirring continuously for about a minute for the egg to cook and thicken the soup slightly.

If you don't have a liquidiser, simply stir in the cream and beaten egg (if using) at the end of the cooking time.

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Carrot & Coriander Soup

I always have to google a tried & tested (and tweaked) Carrot & Coriander Soup recipe.  So I am documenting my recipe here.  The original recipe for a spicier, thicker soup is from Tesco's website - Ben's Mum's Warming Carrot & Coriander Soup

Makes 6x 500ml pots of soup

1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 onion, peeled and roughly chopped
650g carrots, roughly chopped (use 1kg of carrots if not using potato)
350g white potato, roughly chopped

1 large clove of garlic, peeled and roughly chopped
2 vegetable stock cubes

2 litres recently boiled water
30g pack fresh coriander, roughly chopped

Gently fry the onion in the olive oil whilst you chop, and add, the carrots, potato, and garlic.

Add the hot water and stock cubes, cover and bring to the boil. Snip in the coriander, cover again, and turn down to a simmer.

Simmer for 20 minutes then liquidise.

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Warm Yoghurt & Spinach Soup

I love Chilled Yoghurt Soup, Cucumber Raita, Indian Salt Lassi but in this cold and damp weather I wanted something warm.

I found a recipe for a Turkish yoghurt soup, and added a little more fibre.

Serves 1

150ml water

1 large handful baby spinach

1 tsp dried mint

1 tbsp extra olive oil

1 tbsp flaxseed or cooked brown rice (optional)

1 tsp vegetable stock powder

150g Greek yoghurt

1 small garlic clove, peeled and crushed

1 free range egg

Liquidise the spinach, garlic, olive oil, and flaxseed/rice, with the water.  I added flaxseed to add a little fibre to this soup, and as the Turkish recipe I based this soup on used a watery white rice base, but it is optional.  You could, of course, add a portion of cooked rice to the finished soup to make it into a meal in itself

Pour the liquidised mixture into a small pan, bring to the boil, then turn down to a simmer

Beat the egg and crushed garlic into the yoghurt.  

Stir a couple of tablespoons of the hot stock from the pan into the yoghurt, then slowly stir into the stock in the pan.  The soup will start to thicken with the egg.  Keeping stirring, and take the soup off the heat just before it boils otherwise the yoghurt may split.

Season with pepper and salt to taste, and serve with an optional drizzle of chilli oil.

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Cauliflower Korma Soup

Inspired by The Doctor's Kitchen Masala Cauliflower Soup, and the many @Zoe and @mob bean based recipes I realised my own Cauliflower Korma recipe would make a very tasty soup.  

On a damp February day it is both filling and warming, and contains 16+ plants.

3 tbsp coconut oil

1 large onion, peeled and roughly chopped

2.5cm ginger root, roughly chopped

5 garlic cloves, peeled and halved

500g cauliflower florets, leaves or stalk roughly chopped

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tbsp cumin seeds

1 tbsp ground coriander

1/8-1/4 tsp chilli powder

1 tsp turmeric

1 tsp garam masala

1 tin chopped tomatoes

1 tin coconut milk

100g almonds or cashew nuts

1 litre recently boiled water

2 vegetable stock cubes 

Salt & pepper to taste

Heat the oil in a heavy based pan over a medium high heat, and fry the onion pieces until until they start to brown.

Stir in the dry spices, and then the rest of the ingredients. Cover and bring to the boil. Turn down and simmer for 20 minutes.

Liquidise and serve.

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Creamy Hummus Soup

Making Tahini Dressing a few days ago inspired me to make this quick filling soup, based on hummus.

Serves 2

1 tin chickpeas, incl liquid

1 small onion, peeled and roughly chopped

2 cloves of garlic, peeled

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

2 tbsp tahini

1 tsp ground cumin

500ml vegetable stock

Brown the onion in the olive oil in a soup pan. 

Once browned, add rest of the ingredients apart from one of the garlic cloves and the lemon juice, cover and simmer for 20 minutes.

After 20 minutes, turn off the heat, add the second garlic clove and lemon juice and liquidise with a stick blender.

Serve with an optional drizzle of chilli oil, cumin, parsley or teaspoon of harissa.

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The Doctor's Kitchen Masala Cauliflower Soup

Stumbled across The Doctor's Kitchen delicious plant based recipes on BBC iPlayer last weekend.  

This Masala Cauliflower Soup may look beige, but is delicious...

Serves 4

2 tbsp olive oil

200g onion, roughly chopped

2 tbsp garam masala

5cm piece fresh root ginger, roughly chopped

1 tsp chilli flakes (optional)

400g cauliflower including leaves & stalk, roughly chopped into small pieces 

400g tin green lentils or other beans in water

200g frozen or fresh spinach

2 vegetable stock cubes

1 lemon, juice only

salt and freshly ground black pepper

Fry the onion in the olive oil with a pinch of salt for about 5 minutes until it begins to soften.

Stir in the garam masala, ginger and chilli flakes (mine are hot chilli flakes and 1/2 tsp was quite enough!), then add the rest of the ingredients apart from the lemon juice,   The recipe said to drain and rinse the lentils.  Not only did I use butter beans because that was the only can of beans I had, but I added the water from the tin to the soup to add a little more flavour.  I also used saved cauliflower stalk and leaves as the cauliflower itself was used in another dish last week.  And finally I dropped in frozen spinach rather than thaw it first as suggested in the original recipe.

Pour in 800ml recently boiled water, cover and bring to the boil. Once boiling turn down to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes until the cauliflower is soft.

Liquidise with a stick blender or a liquidiser.  Stir in the lemon juice and season to taste.  I added a spoonful of greek yoghurt to mine and a drizzle of chilli oil.  I might try with a can of coconut milk (and reducing the hot water to 400ml) next time for a creamier soup.

I served it with a spoonful of Greek yoghurt and a drizzle of chilli oil.

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Rasam, Light Curried Tomato Soup

Rasam is a quick, budget curried tomato soup thrown together in a matter of minutes.

Serves 4

1 can chopped tomatoes, or 4 large tomatoes liquidised

100g red lentils 

2 tbsp coconut or vegetable oil

1 large garlic clove, crushed

1 tsp cumin seeds

1 tsp fenugreek seeds 

1 tsp black mustard seeds

1/2 tsp hot chilli flakes

1 tsp ground coriander

1 tsp turmeric

1 litre recently boiled water

1 level tsp salt

Heat the oil in a saucepan until smoking.  Remove from the heat and add the crushed garlic, cumin, seeds fenugreek, mustard seeds, and chilli flakes.

When it stops sizzling, add the rest of the ingredients apart from the salt, and return to the heat and bring to the boil.

Cover and turn down to a simmer for 30 minutes until the lentils are tender.  Stir in the salt and serve.

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Vegan Curried Parsnip Soup

During Veganuary a few years ago, I came up with the bright idea of adding cashews (or white beans if you have a nut allergy) to my 'normal' curried parsnip soup rather than dairy cream. This is now my new 'normal'. 

Makes 4 large bowls

200g parsnips

50g carrots

250g white potatoes

1 tbsp vegetable oil

1 large onion, peeled and roughly chopped

1 fat garlic clove, peeled and roughly chopped

1 tsp medium curry powder

1 tsp garam masala

25g unsalted cashew nuts, or a can of white beans

1 litre recently boiled water

2 vegetable stock cubes 

Scrub the root vegetables with a vegetable brush, trim, roughly chop, but there is no need to peel.

Fry the onion in the soup pan with the vegetable oil over a medium heat until it starts to turn a golden colour.

Stir the ground spices into the onion, then stir in chopped root vegetables, and add the rest of the ingredients. If you want a more presentable soup, you can keep the cashews aside soaking in 100ml of the boiled water.  Liquidise the cashews and water separately to make a cashew cream, and swirl this into the liquidised soup before serving.

Cover and bring to the boil. Once boiling, keep the lid on and turn down to a simmer for 20 minutes.

After 20 minutes, take off the heat and liquidise.

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Pastina, Simple Italian Vegetable & Pasta Soup

Maybe because I've been under the weather, but a lot of Pastina recipes have popped up on social media over the last week.

Pastina literally means 'tiny pasta', but seems to have come to mean a simple restorative soup of liquidised vegetables with soup pasta. I'm guessing Italian nonnas would have grated or finely diced the vegetables rather than reached for the liquidiser?

Serves 4

1.5L good quality chicken or vegetable stock

1 large onion, peeled and roughly chopped or finely diced

1 large carrot, peeled and roughly chopped or finely diced

1 large stick of celery, roughly chopped or finely diced

100g orzo or soup pasta

Simmer the vegetables in the stock in a covered saucepan for 20 minutes.  

Liquidise the soup and vegetables if this is your preference.  Add the soup pasta and simmer for the cooking time on the packet, until tender.  Stir from time to time to prevent sticking to the bottom of the pan.

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