Rose Elliot - Rose Elliot’s New Complete Vegetarian

Make the soup as described. While it’s heating through, make the goat’s cheese toasts. Allow half a large slice of bread per serving. Toast the bread then top the toast with mashed soft-rind goat’s cheese and brown under a hot grill. Cut each piece into small squares and put these on top of the soup just before serving.

This is a light and refreshing soup that’s almost fat-free. It’s thin and smooth, so you can sip it from a large mug as you warm your hands and eat a sandwich. If you think you might prefer it a bit thicker, start with less water; you can always add more. I like this soup so much that I often make double this amount! You really do need high-quality bouillon powder for this, both for the flavour and the extra body that it gives.

SERVES4

1 onion, chopped

2 sticks of celery, sliced

3 carrots, sliced

1 small potato (about 125g (4 oz)), peeled and diced

1 tsp dried thyme

1.2 litres (2 pints) water

4 tsp high-quality vegetable bouillon powder

salt and freshly ground black pepper chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley (optional), to garnish

Put the onion, celery, carrots and potato into a large saucepan with the thyme, water and vegetable bouillon and bring to the boil.

Cover and simmer for 25–30 minutes or until the vegetables are very tender.

Blend or process until very smooth. Season with salt and pepper to taste (you won’t need much salt because the bouillon powder is quite salty).

Serve in mugs, or in warm bowls, with some chopped parsley on top.

VARIATION

You can buy cartons of this everywhere but it’s so easy and economical to make your own. Simply follow the main recipe but using 1 teaspoon of crushed coriander seeds instead of the thyme. Crush your own seeds with a pestle and mortar and enjoy their sweet orangey aroma, or use the ready-ground type for speed. Add a small bunch of chopped fresh coriander after blending.

Use 2–3 teaspoons of grated fresh root ginger instead of the thyme for this soup, which is warming, fragrant and uplifting, but not spicy hot.

For this refreshing soup, just add 1 teaspoon of finely grated lemon rind and 2 teaspoons of juice after cooking; taste and add a little more if you like.

Cauliflower makes a beautiful creamy soup with a delicate flavour. Try it with the herb bread, quick and easy focacciaor hot garlic bread.

SERVES 4

15g (½oz) butter

1 tbsp olive oil

1 onion, chopped

1 potato (about 150g (5oz))

½ fairly small cauliflower (about 225g (8oz)), broken into florets

1.2 litres (2 pints) light vegetable stock or water

1 tsp vegetable bouillon powder

150ml (5fl oz) single cream (optional)

salt and freshly ground black pepper

a pinch or two of freshly grated nutmeg

2 tbsp flaked almonds, toastedto garnish

Melt the butter with the olive oil in a large saucepan. Add the onion and fry for 5–7 minutes, covered, until it is beginning to soften but not brown.

Add the potato and cauliflower to the pan and cook for a further 2–3 minutes, stirring often. Be careful not to let them brown, as this will spoil the delicate flavour.

Pour in the stock or water and add the bouillon powder, bring to the boil, cover and leave to simmer over a gentle heat for about 20 minutes until the vegetables are soft.

Blend until very smooth and velvety. Stir in the cream, if you’re using it, and season well with salt and plenty of freshly ground pepper and grated nutmeg. Reheat, serve in warm bowls, and scatter over some crunchy golden flaked almonds.

The flavour of lovage is often likened to that of celery. It’s more pungent and aromatic, but goes well with celery and together they make a lovely soup. In a perfect world, where the seasons are observed in cooking, this would be made with the first of the English celery and the last of the lovage from the garden – it’s a perfect soup for a crisp autumn day. If you can’t get hold of any lovage, use some finely chopped celery leaves instead.

SERVES 4

2 tbsp olive oil

1 onion, chopped

outside stalks from 1 head of celery (about 450g (1 lb) in total), sliced

225g (8oz) potatoes, peeled and cut into even-sized chunks

1.2 litres (2 pints) light vegetable stock or water and 1 tsp vegetable bouillon powder

2 tbsp chopped fresh lovage

150ml (5fl oz) single cream (optional)

salt and freshly ground black pepper

Heat the oil in a large saucepan, add the onion and fry for 5–7 minutes until soft but not browned. Add the celery and potatoes and cook for a further 2–3 minutes, stirring often.

Pour in the stock or water and add the bouillon powder. Bring to the boil, cover and simmer for about 30 minutes until the vegetables are very soft.

Blend well, but stop when it’s the consistency you like. Stir in the lovage, cream (if using) and a good seasoning of salt and pepper. Reheat gently before serving.

This is a quick soup with a refreshing flavour and a chunky texture. If you make it in a pressure cooker it can be on the table in less than 30 minutes from start to finish.

SERVES 4

3 onions, chopped

outside stalks from 1 head of celery, chopped

1 tbsp olive oil

2 garlic cloves, crushed

400g can chopped tomatoes

575ml (1 pint) water or vegetable stock

salt, sugar and freshly ground black pepper

a squeeze of lemon juice

Fry the onions and celery together in the oil without browning for 5–10 minutes.

Add the garlic, tomatoes and water or stock, and simmer for a good 30 minutes or until the celery is meltingly tender.

Taste and season with salt, pepper, sugar and a squeeze of lemon juice to taste.

No one finds it odd to start a meal with melon and a fruit soup is simply taking this a stage further! This black cherry soup looks so delicious with its topping of soured cream or yoghurt that I don’t think you’ll have much trouble persuading people to try it. Plump, perfectly ripe, deep-red fresh cherries are best eaten exactly as they are, without any adornment, so for this soup I use frozen, stoned black cherries.

SERVES 6

450g (1lb) frozen, stoned black cherries

850ml (1½ pints) water

2 tbsp arrowroot

caster sugar, to taste

150ml (5fl oz) dry red wine

a little lemon juice (optional)

150ml (5fl oz) carton of soured cream, to garnish

Put the cherries into a saucepan with the water, bring to the boil and simmer gently until tender. This only takes a few minutes.

Mix the arrowroot with a little cold water to make a smooth paste, then stir a ladleful of the hot cherry liquid into the arrowroot mixture, mix and add it to the saucepan. Simmer for 2–3 minutes or until slightly thickened.

Remove from the heat and leave to cool, then add 40–50g of sugar to make it slightly sweet but refreshing. Chill in the fridge.

Before serving, taste and add a little more sugar if necessary or a drop or two of lemon juice to sharpen the flavour slightly. Top each bowlful with a spoonful of soured cream.