Serves 4
30g/1oz organic butter
2 tablespoons cold pressed extra virgin olive oil
3 large red onions, sliced very finely
2 garlic cloves, crushed
2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
1 litre/4 cups allergy-free beef stock (bouillon) or use consommé and water mixed
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Freshly grated nutmeg
4 very thick slices gluten-free white bread (see here for stockist), crusts removed
2 × 100g/3½oz packets Capricorn or any other medium-soft round goats’ cheese with a rind, each one sliced in half horizontally
Heat the butter with the oil in a large pan, add the onions and cook over a low heat until softened. Stir in the garlic and cook for another couple of minutes. Stir in the balsamic vinegar and cook for a few more minutes. Pour in the stock (bouillon) or consommé and water mix and season with salt, pepper and nutmeg.
Simmer the soup for about 35 minutes until the onions are soft and the soup has reduced slightly.
Using a round metal pastry cutter, stamp a large enough circle out of each slice of bread to enable you to place one slice of goats’ cheese on top. Grill (broil) one side of each slice of bread until dark golden, turn over and top with the goats’ cheese and a little black pepper. Grill (broil) them until golden and melting but not collapsed.
Ladle the soup into warm bowls and top with the goats’ cheese croûtons.
Chilled Avocado Soup
This soup really does need to be chilled and served within 2 hours, so that the amazing colour remains bright. It’s lucky that it is so quick and easy to prepare!
Serves 2 as a main course, or 3 as an appetizer
Stock (bouillon)
425ml/1¾ cups allergy-free vegetable stock (bouillon) or boiling water flavoured with 2 teaspoons of allergy-free vegetable bouillon powder
Salsa
¼ small red onion, finely chopped
¼ red pepper and ¼ yellow pepper (bell pepper), seeded and finely chopped
2 heaped tablespoons coarsely chopped coriander (cilantro) leaves
7.5cm/3in cucumber, peeled and finely chopped
1 tablespoon cold pressed extra virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons lemon juice
Soup
2 large ripe avocados, halved, stoned (pitted) and all the flesh scraped out
2 tablespoons lemon juice
Chilli sauce*, paste* or chillies minced in oil
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
First, make the vegetable stock (bouillon) and allow it to become cold.
Make the salsa: mix the ingredients in the given order in a small bowl and toss until evenly mixed. Cover and chill until ready to serve the soup.
Now make the soup: put the avocado flesh into a blender, pour in the cold stock (bouillon) and blend until smooth. Pour the soup into a bowl; adjust the seasoning with the lemon juice, chilli, salt and pepper. Cover and chill. I usually put it in the deep-freeze for 30 minutes.
Divide the soup between the soup dishes and decorate with plenty of salsa. Serve immediately.
Pumpkin Soup with Creole Seeds
I spent six months in the Hamptons, Long Island, some years ago and one of my favourite scenes was the pumpkin field in full bloom. I had never cooked a pumpkin before and was amazed at the variety of colours and sizes. Since then, every autumn (fall), I have enjoyed making this soup and a pumpkin pie for Halloween, just as I did years ago. This soup freezes well.
Serves 6
1 large onion, finely chopped
2 tablespoons cold pressed extra virgin olive oil
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 heaped teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
2 bay leaves
Sprinkling of freshly grated nutmeg
1 teaspoon ground allspice
Minced chilli in oil according to taste
1.5kg/31b 5oz pumpkin with top and bottom sliced off, quartered, peeled, seeds removed, and the flesh coarsely chopped
1.5 litres/6 cups allergy-free vegetable stock (bouillon) or 2 teaspoons allergy-free vegetable bouillon powder dissolved in boiling water
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Creole seeds
1 teaspoon paprika
½ teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon mixed spice* (pie spice)
60g/⅓ cup pumpkin seeds
175g/1 cup canned or frozen, unsweetened, sweetcorn kernels, drained or defrosted
Gently cook the onion in 1 tablespoon of oil in a large pan over a low heat until soft, but do not let them brown. Add the garlic, cumin seeds, thyme, bay leaves, nutmeg, allspice and chilli and stir together for 1 minute. Stir in the pumpkin, cover with the vegetable stock (bouillon) and bring to the boil over a medium heat. Simmer the soup for about 40 minutes, or until the pumpkin is soft.
Prepare the Creole seeds. Mix the paprika, ground cumin, mixed spice (pie spice) and the remaining oil together in a little bowl and toss the seeds in the mixture. Fry them in a non-stick pan with the sweetcorn for about 3–4 minutes until dark brown at the edges.
Leave the soup to cool and then purée in a blender until smooth. Transfer the soup back to the pan, reheat and season to taste with pepper. Stir in the hot Creole seeds and sweetcorn and serve immediately.
Pumpkin