Rose Elliot - Rose Elliot’s New Complete Vegetarian

SERVES 4

1 large onion, chopped

1 large garlic clove, crushed

1 tbsp olive oil

15g (5oz) butter

125g (4oz) mushrooms, chopped

125g (4oz) green or Puy lentils

850ml (1½ pints) water or unsalted vegetable stock

salt and freshly ground black pepper

chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley or flakes of Parmesan-style cheese, to garnish

Fry the onion and garlic in the olive oil and butter in a large saucepan for 5 minutes. Add the mushrooms and cook for a further 4–5 minutes.

Add the lentils and the water or stock. Simmer gently, with a lid on the saucepan, for about 45 minutes or until the lentils are tender.

Blend the soup if you want a smoother texture and thin it with a bit more water if you wish. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Reheat the soup and serve it in warm bowls topped with some chopped parsley or flakes of Parmesan-style cheese.

Although it’s generally best to avoid cooking pulses with tomatoes because the acidity can prevent them from softening properly, split red lentils are an exception as they are so quick to cook. The result is a lovely tasty soup.

SERVES 4

2 tbsp olive oil

1 large onion, chopped

1 stick of celery, chopped

125g (4oz) split red lentils, washed

400g can tomatoes

850ml (1½ pints) unsalted stock or water

salt and freshly ground black pepper

squeeze of lemon juice

a few torn or shredded fresh basil leaves, to garnish

Heat the oil in a large saucepan, add the onion and celery and cook gently, covered, for 7–10 minutes without browning.

Add the lentils, tomatoes and stock or water, bring to the boil and simmer gently, with the pan half covered, for 25–30 minutes or until the lentils are tender. Blend to the consistency you like, then season with salt, freshly ground black pepper and perhaps a squeeze of lemon juice to brighten the flavour.

Serve very hot, in warm bowls, scattered with the basil.

Is there anything as satisfying, soothing and warming as a homemade lentil and vegetable soup filling the house with the scent of herbs? Plus, it’s so cheap and easy to make. It’s great as it is, or you could offer some flaked or grated strong cheese to stir into it and some chunks of country-style bread to mop up the juices.

SERVES 4

2 tbsp olive oil

1 onion, chopped

1 large garlic clove, crushed

2 large carrots, cut into small dice

2 sticks of celery, thinly sliced

2 tomatoes, chopped

50g (2oz) mushrooms, chopped

75–125g (3–4oz) cabbage, shredded

125g (4 oz) dried green or Puy lentils, or a 400g can

1 litre (1¾ pints) unsalted stock

1 bouquet garni – a couple of sprigs of parsley, a sprig of thyme and a bay leaf tied together

2 tbsp chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

salt and freshly ground black pepper

Heat the oil in a large saucepan, add the onion and cook, covered, for 5 minutes, then stir in the garlic and all the other vegetables, cover and cook gently for another 5 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking.

Add the lentils, stock and the bouquet garni and bring to the boil, then cover and leave to simmer for about 1 hour or until the lentils are tender.

Remove the bouquet garni, stir in the chopped parsley and season with salt and pepper.

Why throw away the outer leaves of a lettuce that you’ve so carefully grown just because they’re too coarse for a salad? Make them into this fresh and summery soup instead.

SERVES 4

1 tbsp olive oil

15g (½oz) butter

1 onion, chopped

450g (1lb) potatoes, peeled and diced

outside leaves of 2–3 lettuces, chopped

1 litre (1¾ pints) water

150ml (5fl oz) single cream

salt, freshly ground black pepper

freshly grated nutmeg

2 tbsp chopped fresh chives

Heat the olive oil and butter in a large saucepan and cook the onion and potato gently for 5 minutes with a lid on the pan, but don’t brown them.

Add the lettuce leaves and stir them for a minute or two until they’re glossy with the oil, then pour in the water or stock and bring to the boil. Simmer the soup gently, with a lid on the pan, for 15–20 minutes or until the potato is very tender.

Blend the soup and stir in the cream. Season with salt, pepper and a grating of nutmeg and stir in the chopped chives.

Reheat and serve in warm bowls.

My father was brilliant at finding field mushrooms – probably due to years of practice growing up on a farm in the Yorkshire Dales – and this is the soup that my mother used to make with his precious finds. It works very well with other types of mushrooms too.

SERVES 4

225g (8oz) mushrooms

1 small onion, quartered

1 bay leaf

1 garlic clove, sliced

a few parsley stalks

575ml (1 pint) vegetable stock

50g (2oz) butter

40g (1½oz) flour

about 575ml (1 pint) milk

salt and freshly ground black pepper

freshly grated nutmeg

a pinch of cayenne pepper

1 tbsp sherry (optional)

Wash the mushrooms and remove the stalks. If you’re using field mushrooms take off the skins too, but this isn’t necessary with cultivated mushrooms. Put the stalks (and skins if you’ve removed them) into a medium-sized saucepan together with the onion, bay leaf, garlic, parsley stalks and stock and bring to the boil, then leave to simmer for 10 minutes to extract the flavours. Strain the liquid into a measuring jug (discarding the stalks) and make the quantity up to 850ml (1½ pints) with the milk.

Melt 40g (1½noz) of the butter in the saucepan and stir in the flour. When it froths, pour in a quarter of the milk mixture and stir over a fairly high heat until it has thickened. Repeat the process with the rest of the milk in three more batches.

Chop or slice the mushrooms, fry them lightly in the remaining butter and add to the thickened milk.

Season with salt, pepper, a grating of nutmeg, a pinch of cayenne and the sherry if you’re using it. Cook gently for 3–4 minutes to give the flavours a chance to blend, then serve.

A filling, main course soup that’s always great for feeding a crowd.

SERVES 4

2 tbsp olive oil

3 onions, chopped

1 large carrot, diced

2 sticks of celery, sliced

2 large garlic cloves, crushed

1 large potato, peeled and cut into 1cm (½in) dice

a few leaves of cabbage, chopped

400g can chopped tomatoes

1 litre (1¾ pints) stock or water

bouquet garni

225g (8oz) dried haricot, borlotti or cannellini beans, cooked, or 2 x 400g cans

50g (2oz) macaroni or small pasta shapes

salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 tbsp torn fresh basil leaves, to garnish

handful of grated strongly flavoured cheese such as pecorino or Parmesan-style, to serve

Heat the oil in a large saucepan, add the onions, carrot and celery, cover and cook gently for 5 minutes, then add the garlic and the other vegetables and cook for a further 5 minutes.

Add the tomatoes, stock or water and the bouquet garni. Bring to the boil, then boil for 10 minutes.