Recipes: Take stock and rustle up some warming soup

Published on Monday 20 September 2010 10:09

Several renowned food critics have recently noted that just as making a simple omelette can act as a basic test of cooking ability, the best way to judge a chef's palate is to taste his or her soup.

They could well be right. Although usually straightforward in terms of preparation, making a good soup certainly forms the fundamental flavour test. Almost anyone can do it, not everyone can do it well.

More and more people seem to be thinking along these lines as soup has certainly undergone a bit of an image change recently.

While this once unfashionable but obligatory starter option has never really been off the menu, chefs and cooks are putting more time and imagination into their soup recipes rather than lumping all yesterday's leftovers into a stock-pot and describing it broadly as "vegetable".

This is clearly finding favour with the public as supermarkets have jumped on the soup bandwagon. Increasing numbers of consumers seem to be looking for fresh gourmet soups made with interesting ingredients, such as spinach, celeriac and beetroot, rather than the tired old tinned options like cream of tomato.

Of course, in the current financial climate it makes even more sense than usual to dig out the stock-pot.

Making your own soup will cost you pennies and perhaps just as importantly won't take up too much of your time. A few minutes slicing and chopping then you can get on with something else as it simmers away.

Which now brings us to the knotty subject of stocks - specifically, the case of fresh versus cubed.

Many purists will still insist on making their own stocks, but constraints of time and space have led to domestic and restaurant kitchens using pre-prepared stocks, if not as a replacement then as a supplement to the homemade versions - though they probably wouldn't admit to it.

The quality of these products has improved over the years and these days it's possible to use them without producing that tell-tale bought-in flavour.

Season-wise, autumn is an excellent time for soup-friendly root vegetables with rich, earthy flavours such as turnip, pumpkin and parsnip, all of which benefit from a long slow boil. With the nights beginning to draw in people are more likely to think about a bowl of warming soup to keep out the cold.

Fish soups are an area where some domestic cooks may not be entirely confident. They can prove to be a more step-by-step process than the usual throw it in the pot and boil recipes, but they can prove a meal in themselves if served with crusty bread or cheesy croutons.

Having said that, experimentation can be the key to good soup-making especially with vegetable recipes where you may find that two or three different flavours blend brilliantly. Of course, you'll occasionally be left with a pot of strangely-flavoured gloop, but culinary triumphs wouldn't be the same without the odd tragedy.

HEARTY: Celeriac and pumpkin soup and fish chowder

Smoked fish, mussel and saffron chowder

Serves 4-6

Ingredients

1k fresh mussels

200g smoked haddock pieces

50g butter

1/4g saffron strands

1 medium onion, diced

1 leek, washed and sliced

400g baby potatoes, boiled and quartered

1ltr vegetable stock

100ml white wine

200ml double cream

25g parsley, chopped

1 squeeze lemon juice

Salt and black pepper

Method

Place mussels in a pot, cover with water and bring to the boil. Once all the mussels have opened drain off water and reserve for stock, then cool mussels under cold water. Separate mussels from shells and set aside.

Melt butter in a large pot and add onion and leek. Saut for 2 mins then add wine, saffron, vegetable stock and mussel stock. Bring to boil and simmer for 15-20 mins, then add smoked fish, potatoes and cooked mussels. Simmer for a further 10 mins. Season. Add double cream, lemon juice and parsley.

Celeriac and pumpkin soup, serves 6-8

Ingredients

2 celeriac, peeled, washed and diced

1 pumpkin, peeled, de-seeded and diced

1 medium onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, crushed

lltr vegetable stock

200ml orange juice

50g fresh basil, chopped

Half-tsp ground nutmeg

100g butter

Salt and black pepper

3 tbsp crme fraiche

Method

Melt butter in a pot. Add celeriac, pumpkin, garlic, nutmeg and onion. Stir until softened. Add stock and orange juice. Bring to boil then simmer for 30 mins. Add basil, season and liquidise. Return to heat for 2 mins. Serve with crme fraiche.

Andy McGregor is chef/proprietor at Blonde Restaurant, 75 St Leonard's Street, www.blonderestaurant.co.uk, 0131-668 2917.