Cauliflower, Bacon & Potato Soup

Cauliflower soup??? Sounds disgusting, but has been my best soup in the past few weeks.
You can tell it is now winter with all the pots of soup on the stove.

Ingredients
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 large or 2 small onions, chopped
8 rindless streaky bacon rashers
2 potatoes, chopped (I used one large)
1 small cauliflower, cut in florets, leaves sliced (I thin I used just 1/2 a caulifower)
570ml/1 pint vegetable stock
290ml/½ pint milk

Method
1. Heat the oil in a large pan, add the onion and fry for 5 minutes until softened. Chop bacon rashers, add to the pan and fry for a further 2 minutes.
2. Stir in the potatoes and cauliflower and mix well. Add the stock and bring to the boil. Cover and simmer for 15 minutes until the vegetables are tender.
3. Purée the soup in a blender or food processor, then return to the pan and stir in the milk. Reheat gently, taste and add salt and pepper.

I think this was from the good food magazine

Thai Beef Soup

This soup was amazing I think it was a Ken Hom soup:

450g/1lb fresh spinach (baby spinach would not work)
175g/6oz lean fillet steak, cut into thin slices about 5cm (2 in) long
For the marinade
2 shallots, finely sliced
2 tbsp finely chopped garlic
1 tbsp fish sauce
freshly ground black pepper
For the soup
1.2 litres/2 pints homemade chicken stock or good quality bought stock (I used homemade Veg Stock)
2 tbsp fish sauce
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp sugar
1 small, fresh red chilli, seeded and chopped

Method
1. Remove the stalks from the spinach and wash the leaves well.
2. Blanch the leaves for a few seconds in a large pan of boiling water until they are just wilted, then drain well and refresh in cold water to prevent further cooking. Drain again, squeezing out excess water. (if you over cook the spinach I think you may ruin the dish. It literally really does take 2 seconds).
3. Combine the steak with the shallots, garlic, one tablespoon of the fish sauce and some freshly ground black pepper, then set aside. (The soup can be prepared in advance up to this point.)
4. Just before you are ready to eat, bring the chicken stock to a simmer in a saucepan and season it with the remaining fish sauce, the lemon juice, sugar and chilli.
5. Add the blanched spinach and stir in the beef and its marinade. Bring the soup back to simmering point, add a few grindings of freshly ground black pepper to taste and serve at once.

Micky's Cheese & Broccoli Soup

I have not made this yet, but if it is as nice as Mike's Broccoli and Stilton Soup - I must give it ago:

1kg broccoli
50g butter
1 onion, finely chopped
1 large potato, peeled and quartered
1,5 liters vegetable stock
120ml cream
1tbsp lemon juice
a few drops of Tabasco sauce, to taste
125g cheese salt and pepper, to taste

Remove the stalks from the broccoli and cut them into 2cm pieces. Break the florets into very small pieces and set them aside. Melt the butter in a large saucepan. Add the onion and broccoli stalks and cook covered for 5 minutes over a moderate heat, stirring frequently. Add the broccoli florets, potato and vegetable stock, bring to the boil, cover and boil for 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and continue cooking for +- 20 minutes or until the broccoli is soft. Using a blender or food processor, puree the mixture until smooth. Pour into a clean saucepan. Add the cream, lemon juice, and Tabasco sauce and simmer for 3 – 5 minutes. Just before serving, stir in the cream cheese until it is well mixed. Serve hot with fresh bread.

Warren's Butternut Soup

The only word to sum this soup up is Yum! I have made it about 15 times.
(it can get a little hot so be careful on the chillies).

Ingredients to serve 4:

2 x Butternut
Handful of fresh Coriander
Stub of Ginger
2 cloves of garlic
Orange Juice from 2 oranges
1/2 red chili
1/2 green chili

Chicken stock (made from stock cube or left over Sunday roast)
Single Cream


To Prepare:

Remove the skin from the Butternut and chop into 5cm cubes.

Add all the ingredients, with the exception of the chicken stock and cream, into a roasting tray and cook on a high heat until the butternut is soft.

Remove from oven and empty into a "wizzer". Wizz until smooth (unless you like the lumpy bits then wizz a little less.

Add salt and pepper to taste.

Finally add the chicken stock to get the require texture and when serving drizzle with a little cream. Alternatively you can "cream it up" and add a whole pot of single cream.



The other day I made a curry sauce out of the leftover soup, I will try and find my notes and add this to the blog.

Uncle Hans - Prawn & Cucumber Soup

Our Sunday evenings used not to be complete without Uncle's company at The Barn.
Starters and a nice bottle of wine are supplied by Hans. One such starter that also appears in our Perk Bartrum Family Cookbook is this soup to be served cold. I do not like prawns, but just to have the soup and pick out the prawns - I remember it tasting good.

"Some 7 years ago we were for a few days in Bangkok. We had dinner at the Oriental hotel and the soup was fantastic. Applying my charm I managed to get the recipe which follows below.

It is particularly suitable for the summer as it is served cold.

It is gorgeous and serving it to a lady on a balmy night guarantees a most pleasant evening."

1 cucumber
300 cc chicken stock ( 1 cube)
150 cc tomato juice
150 gram low fat yoghurt
150 cc single cream
125 gr cut up prawns
few drops of tabasco or something hot
1 tablespoon of chopped mint
1 large clove of garlic
salt and pepper to taste.

Hans also once made a great cold veg and peanut sauce meal, I must try and get the recipe, some did not like, but I really liked.