Pleasant stay wishes you a warm cozy winter,with our full kitchenware setting you would be able to prepare yourself one of those delicious soups
Pistou soup
Ingredients
4 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion
3 cloves of garlic
3 leeks
3 potatoes
3 carrots
1 stick of celery
3 courgettes
2 sprigs of fresh flat-leaf parsley
2 fresh bay leaves
250 g baby green beans
1 x 400 g tin of chopped tomatoes
1 x 400 g tin of cannellini beans
1 x 400 g tin of borlotti beans
70 g small macaroni
PISTOU SAUCE
5 cloves of garlic
6 sprigs of fresh basil
60 g Parmesan cheese
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Peel and finely chop the onion and garlic, then trim and slice the leek. Chop the potatoes, carrots, celery and courgettes, then pick and roughly chop the parsley leaves.
Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over a medium heat and sauté the onion, garlic and leek for 5 minutes.
Add the other chopped ingredients, the bay, green beans and chopped tomatoes. Drain and add the beans. Cover with water, season and simmer until the vegetables are tender.
Add the pasta and simmer until cooked, adding water if the soup is too thick.
For the pistou sauce, peel and add the garlic to a pestle and mortar, pick in the basil leaves and add some sea salt. Pound until puréed, then finely grate in the Parmesan and muddle in the extra virgin olive oil to make a paste.
Serve the soup with a dollop of pistou.
Celeriac & quince soup
Ingredients
1 large celeriac
1 quince
2 banana shallots
2 cloves of garlic
olive oil
1 organic chicken stock cube
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 pinch of ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon sugar
TO SERVE
1 small handful of walnuts
1 tablespoon crème fraîche
a few sprigs of fresh dill
Method
Peel and roughly chop the celeriac, quince, shallots and garlic.
Add a generous lug of oil to a large pan and place over a medium-low heat, then add the chopped veg, along with all the other ingredients, crumbling in the stock cube.
Cook slowly for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the vegetables start to soften, stirring occasionally to make sure nothing catches on the bottom.
When everything is softened, pour in enough boiling water to cover the vegetables by 2cm. Pop the lid on and gently simmer for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the vegetables are cooked through.
Using a stick blender, blitz to the consistency you like.
Roughly chop the walnuts and toast in a little butter. Top the soup with a swirl of crème fraîche, a little picked dill and a handful of chopped toasted walnuts.
Minestrone soup
Ingredients
1 clove of garlic
1 red onion
2 carrots
2 sticks of celery
1 courgette
1 small leek
1 large potato
1 x 400 g tin of cannellini beans
2 rashers of higher-welfare smoked streaky bacon
olive oil
½ teaspoon dried oregano
1 fresh bay leaf
2 x 400 g tins of plum tomatoes
1 litre organic vegetable stock
1 large seasonal greens, such as savoy cabbage, curly kale, chard
100 g wholemeal pasta
½ a bunch of fresh basil , optional
Parmesan cheese
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Method
Peel and finely chop the garlic and onion. Trim and roughly chop the carrots, celery and courgette, then add the vegetables to a large bowl.
Cut the ends off the leek, quarter it lengthways, wash it under running water, then cut into 1cm slices. Add to the bowl.
Scrub and dice the potato. Drain the cannellini beans, then set aside. Finely slice the bacon.
Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a large saucepan over a medium heat. Add the bacon and fry gently for 2 minutes, or until golden.
Add the garlic, onion, carrots, celery, courgette, leek, oregano and bay and cook slowly for about 15 minutes, or until the vegetables have softened, stirring occasionally.
Add the potato, cannellini beans and plum tomatoes, then pour in the vegetable stock. Stir well, breaking up the tomatoes with the back of a spoon.
Cover with a lid and bring everything slowly to the boil, then simmer for about 30 minutes, or until the potato is cooked through. Meanwhile...
Remove and discard any tough stalks bits from the greens, then roughly chop.
Using a rolling pin, bash the pasta into pieces while it’s still in the packet or wrap in a clean tea towel.
To check the potato is cooked, pierce a chunk of it with a sharp knife – if it pierces easily, it’s done.
Add the greens and pasta to the pan, and cook for a further 10 minutes, or until the pasta is al dente. This translates as ‘to the tooth’ and means that it should be soft enough to eat, but still have a bit of a bite and firmness to it. Try some just before the time is up to make sure you cook it perfectly.
Add a splash more stock or water to loosen, if needed.
Pick over the basil leaves (if using) and stir through. Season to taste with sea salt and black pepper, then serve with a grating of Parmesan and a slice of wholemeal bread, if you like.