Sheridan Rogers » Soups

Chickpea, Garlic and Tomato Soup

Sheridan — Mon, 23 Aug 2010 00:52:56 +0000

A thick, flavoursome peasant-style soup from Italy using pantry ingredients.
Heat the oil in a medium pan and add the garlic. Let it sizzle for a few minutes, then add the fresh rosemary sprigs and the tomatoes. Leave to simmer for 20 minutes – this is an important step as it gives the soup a wonderful flavour.
Drain one tin of chickpeas and wash well. Put into the food processor or blender with some of the stock and puree. Reserve.
Drain the other tin of chickepeas and wash well. Add the whole chickpeas and chickpea puree to the soup along with the remaining stock (add as much stock as you like, but remember this is meant to be a thick soup). Season to taste.
Cook the pasta in rapidly boiling salted water (8 – 10 minutes), drain and add to the soup. Stir well to combine, remove the rosemary sprigs and garlic clove, re-heat and serve immediately.

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Moroccan Harira Soup

Sheridan — Mon, 28 Jun 2010 23:12:40 +0000

This deliciouus fortifying soup is just what you need to get you through cold winter days. Lamb forequarter chops are good value, but you need to trim them of any fat and sinew – if you have time, the bones can be used to make stock which can be used in the soup.

Place the lamb and water or stock in a large pot. Bring to the boil, skimming off any froth which forms on the top. Turn down heat and simmer gently for 45 minutes.
Add remaining ingredients except for yeast mixture. Bring back to the boil and simmer gently for another 45 minutes. Season to taste and add more water or stock if required.
To finish soup, dilute yeast in a little warm water. Add the tomatoes, coriander and parsley and simmer gently for 15 minutes, then add to soup.
Serve steaming hot with a little lemon juice squeezed over each serving.

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Greek Mama’s Vegetable Soup

Sheridan — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 23:01:31 +0000

This is a delicious vegetable soup from Lesbos, given to me by Evi Mitchell of C’Aphrodite restaurant in Cremorne. It’s a good one for cold winter nights and is easy to make. It’s also a good one for children who won’t eat their vegies, (though you will probably need to omit the chilli). Make sure to cut all the vegetables the same size so they cook evenly.

Put all the prepared vegetables into a medium pan. Cover with chicken stock, bring to the boil. Turn down heat and simmer gently, covered, until vegetables are soft. Season with salt and pepper and add the butter, cook another minute. Remove from heat. Puree the vegetables in a blender or food processor and serve piping hot.

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Fresh from the Garden Green Herb Soup

Sheridan — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 21:29:58 +0000

Quick and easy, the secret to success for this soup is to add fresh organic herbs to the soup base as it is being liquidised.

Melt the butter and sweat the onion and potato for 3 – 4 minutes over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Add the stock, bring to the boil and simmer 15 – 20 minutes or until potatoes are soft.
Remove from heat and pour into a blender. Liquidise the soup base, adding the green leaves and herbs halfway through – this ensures a vibrant colour. Season to taste. Serve hot or cold garnished with basil or watercress.

Tip: when sweating vegetables, make sure to add a pinch of salt (to release the juices) and to cover them with a lid. Add 1/2 cup milk or cream for a creamier soup, if liked.

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Minestrone

Sheridan — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 04:08:53 +0000

A wholesome Italian vegetable soup, one of my favourites.

2 onions, finely chopped
60 – 80ml (3 – 4 tbsp) olive oil
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
60g streaky bacon or pancetta
2 stalks celery, sliced
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
2 medium potatoes, peeled and chopped
2 zucchini, sliced
80g (1/2 cup) shelled peas
4 large ripe tomatoes, peeled, seeded and roughly chopped
2 litres chicken stock
Bouquet garni: bay leaf and parsely stalk tied together
Salt and freshly cracked pepper
75g (1/3 cup) short-grain rice
1 x 400g tin borlotti beans, drainedand rinsed
2 – 3 tbsp basil pesto and freshly grated parmesan, for serving

In a large pan, sweat the onions, garlic and bacon in the oil until onions and garlic are softened. Add the celery, carrots, potatoes, zucchini and peas and cook until vegetables are softened. Add the chopped tomatoes, chicken stock, bay leaf, parsley sprig and season to taste. Bring back to simmering point and skim the surface.
Throw in the rice and simmer gently for about 30 minutes. Check seasoning.
Ladle into warm bowls, swirl through a little pesto and pass the parmesan at the table.

French Onion Soup

Sheridan — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 12:31:19 +0000

A hearty warming soup, perfect for a Sunday lunch or supper.

Serves 4

Put the onions, garlic and butter into a large heavy pan. Add the bay leaf and thyme, cover and leave over medium-low heat for 15 – 20 minutes until onions have softened, stirring occasionally. Remove lid, sprinkle over the sugar and cook onions another 30 minutes until golden brown all over, stirring frequently.

Remove from heat and sprinkle over the flour. Stir to combine, return to heat and cook 2 – 3 minutes, stirring all the time. Add the wine and simmer until almost evaporated. Pour in the hot stock and season to taste. Leave to simmer for 30 – 40 minutes, skimming the top occasionally. Remove the herbs.

Can be pre-prepared up to here.

Meanwhile spread the slices of bread with mustard and top with the combined cheeses.

Heat the grill.

Put the hot soup into individual heatproof bowls or soup tureen (or you can leave it in the saucepan if the handle is ovenproof). Place the bread on top and place under the grill until cheese is melted and golden. Serve immediately.

Tip: for a richer soup, add 2 –3 tablespoons Cognac just before topping with the bread.

Chilled Yoghurt and Cucumber Soup

Sheridan — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 05:45:56 +0000

A cool refreshing soup to start a summer lunch.

Serves 4

1 large telegraph cucumber, about 425g weight
1 litre creamy natural yoghurt
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 tbsp each of freshly chopped mint and dill
Sea salt and pepper
Ice blocks, to serve

Garnish:
Extra chopped fresh mint and dill
Approx 20 peeled baby prawns (optional)

Peel the cucumber. Cut in half lengthwise and scoop out the seeds with a teaspoon. Chop half the cucumber roughly and put into the food processor with the yoghurt and garlic. Process until smooth.
Remove and scrape into a bowl. Finely dice remaining half of cucumber and stir through the yoghurt mixture with the chopped herbs. Season well – cold soups need to be well-seasoned. Cover with plastic wrap and chill overnight. Check for wateriness and if it seems too thick, beat in a little water (or chilled good quality chicken stock) with a fork Spoon into individual serving bowls. Add about three ice cubes per bowl and garnish with the extra chopped mint, dill and baby prawns, if using.

Tip: the ice cubes are important as they both chill and dilute the soup. You can also use chilled good-quality chicken stock ice cubes

Chilled Avocado Soup

Sheridan — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 00:54:26 +0000

A lovely light spicy soup, perfect for lunch with warmed torillas. Unlike most avocado soups (which tend to be overly rich), this one does not use cream or sour cream, though you can put a dollop of the latter on the top.

2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 small white onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 medium green chillies, chopped
1 x 400g tin diced tomatoes, drained and chopped
1 litre chicken stock
2 large ripe avocados
½ bunch coriander leaves
Salt, to taste

Heat the oil in a medium pan, add the onion, garlic and chilli. Sweat the vegetables until they are soft, then add the chopped tomatoes. Simmer over medium heat for about five minutes.
Pour in the chicken stock , bring to the boil, reduce the heat and leave to simmer for 10 – 15 minutes. Remove from heat, strain into a bowl and leave to cool. Refrigerate, covered, until well chilled. Use a paper towel to remove any oily deposits that have collected on the top.
Halve and peel and avocados. Remove the stones. Chop the flesh and put it into a food processor or blender with the chicken-tomato stock. Puree until smooth. Chill again in the refrigerator.
Ladle into four soup bowls. Garnish with coriander leaves. You can add a dollop of sour cream to each bowl and top with salmon roe if liked.

Tip: for a less spicy soup, remove the seeds from the chillies before chopping