Cabbage and bean soup

Another soup made from beans, root vegetables and cabbage:

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 onion (chopped)
• 1 garlic clove (chopped)
• 3 bacon rashers (thinly sliced)
• 1 largish potato (diced)
• Piece of swede (same size as the potato – diced)
• 550mls vegi stock
• 1/2 400g tin of cannellini beans (drained)
• 100g cavolo nero or savoy cabbage (roughly chopped, with thick stalks removed)
• 1 tbsp basil pesto
• Seasoning (black pepper and a squeeze of lemon juice)

Heat the oil in a large pan. Add the bacon and stir-fry until it just begins to brown. Turn down the heat and gently cook the onions for 5 minutes. Add the garlic, potato and swede, and cook for a further 3 minutes.

Then add the stock. Bring to the boil, cover, and simmer for 25 minutes. Turn up the heat and stir in the beans and cabbage, add more water (if necessary), and cook for a further 3 minutes, stirring frequently.

Stir in the pesto and season to taste. Serve.

Leek, potato and carrot soup

I had some of the green ends of leeks so I made this soup which is based on an Elizabeth David recipe for Potage Flamande. Enough for 3:

• 1 tbsp oil
• 2 leeks (washed and sliced) – I used the equivalent in ‘green leek tops’
• 1 carrot (sliced)
• 1 large potato (peeled and sliced)
• 750ml boiling water
• 1 heaped tsp vegi-stock
• 2 tbsp double cream
• Lemon juice and black pepper to taste

Heat the oil in a large pan. Add the leek slices and cook gently for 5 minutes. Stir in the potato and carrot slices and cook for a further 3 minutes.

Add the boiling water, and stir in the stock powder. Bring to the boil and simmer (covered) for 25 minutes.

Remove from the heat, add the cream and blend using a hand blender. Reheat until just boiling. Remove from the heat and season with lemon juice and black pepper to taste.

Serve with croutons (see final paragraph sweet potato and red pepper soup).

Watercress and Potato Soup

I made this using the remains of the bunch of watercress used in the Very Cheesy Scones. Most of it remained, particularly the thick stalks.

For 2:

• 1 tbsp oil
• 1/2 onion (chopped)
• 1 medium-sized potato (peeled and thinly sliced)
• 600ml water
• 1 level tsp vegetable stock powder
• watercress (well washed and roughly chopped (if not chopped it will twist itself round the spindle of a blender)
• 2 tbsp double cream
• squeeze of lemon juice
• freshly ground black pepper to taste

Heat the oil in a medium sized saucepan and gently cook the onion for about 5 minutes. Add the sliced potatoes. mix with the onion and add the water and stock powder. Stir and bring to the boil and then simmer for about 10 minutes (or until the potato can be pierced with a fork).

Add the watercress, bring back to the boil and simmer for about 4 minutes.

Remove from the heat and blend (use a hand blender or liquidiser). Add the cream and heat the soup until it just boils, stirring all the time. Remove from the heat add the lemon juice and pepper, and serve.

I added croutons to the soup in the photo.