Summer Cooler Soup
This soup is a triumph for those of us who prefer ‘no-cooking’ recipes for summer dinner parties. When you are feeding just a few people, halve the quantities, keep the leftover soup chilled, then fill a thermos with some and take it to lunch with you over the next day or two.
Serves 8
1 head crisp celery, carefully trimmed of leaves, root, blemishes and all tough fibres then coarsely chopped
1 litre/4 cups organic, pure tomato juice
1 large firm cucumber, peeled and coarsely chopped
700ml/2¾ cups organic, fresh or bottled carrot juice
1 small bunch spring onions (scallions), very finely chopped
1 large garlic clove, crushed
Chilli sauce* or minced chilli in vegetable oil
Juice of 1 lemon (or according to taste)
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
15g/½oz fresh parsley, finely chopped
Purée the prepared celery with the tomato juice in a blender, at the highest speed, until smooth. Pour it into a big serving bowl. Purée the cucumber with the carrot juice until smooth and add to the tomato and celery juice mixture in the bowl.
Sprinkle the soup with the spring onions (scallions), garlic, chilli and lemon juice and then stir and season to taste with salt and pepper.
Cover and chill until needed. Serve the soup chilled in soup bowls and sprinkle with the parsley.
Coconut and Tomato Soup
I made this by sheer accident one evening when I was rooting around the store cupboard, having run out of immediate ideas for dinner. As we love anything Thai or Indian, this seemed a rather good blend and has been made on many occasions since. The good news is that it can be served either hot or cold.
Serves 4
1 large onion, finely chopped
1 tablespoon cold pressed extra virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon mixed spice (pie spice)*
1 litre/4 cups organic, pure tomato juice
3 teaspoons allergy-free vegetable bouillon powder
400ml/14fl oz can reduced-fat coconut milk (Blue Dragon)
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
7g/¼oz fresh coriander (cilantro) leaves, chopped
Optional
A little minced chilli in oil or a chilli sauce*
Cook the onion in the oil with all the spices and chilli until softened, over a fairly low heat so that the onion does not brown. Increase the heat to medium, add the tomato juice and bouillon powder and stir occasionally while it is simmering. After about 20 minutes remove from the heat, stir in the coconut milk and leave to cool before puréeing in a blender until smooth.
Reheat the soup over a medium heat for about 10 minutes, seasoning with salt, pepper and more chilli if necessary. Serve with a sprinkling of fresh coriander (cilantro). Alternatively, transfer the soup to a bowl, cool, cover and chill until needed.
Pasta and Bean Soup
We often have this soup as a meal in itself. It is a healthy, warming winter lunch or Sunday-night supper for all the family. The Italians have all sorts of pastas that could be used for this dish, but it will be just as authentic if you use wheat-free macaroni, or you could break up some wheat-free tagliatelle. This soup can be frozen.
Serves 4–6
2 × 400g/14oz cans borlotti beans or 455g/1lb dried ones, soaked for 12 hours
1 tablespoon cold pressed extra virgin olive oil and some extra for serving
85g/3oz chopped pancetta, or diced streaky, rindless smoked bacon (not for vegetarian or reduced fat option)
1 large carrot, peeled and diced
1 onion, diced
2 celery sticks, diced
2 slim leeks, sliced
2 small red chillies (strength according to taste), chopped
1 teaspoon chopped rosemary
14 sage leaves, shredded
2 bay leaves
750ml/3 cups or I bottle good-quality tomato pasta sauce
1 litre/4 cups cold water (use some to rinse out the tomato sauce bottle)
1 tablespoon allergy-free vegetable bouillon powder
2 large garlic cloves, crushed
150g/1¾ cups wheat-free pasta* (macaroni or small-sized pasta)
110g/1½ cups French beans, cut into thirds
110g/¾ cup frozen peas
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
15g/½oz fresh parsley, chopped
If using canned beans, rinse them thoroughly and drain. If using dried beans, rinse them in cold water then cook in unsalted boiling water for about 1½ hours until just soft.
Heat the oil in a large heavy pan, add the pancetta or the bacon if you are using it, and cook for a few minutes until it turns golden. Add the carrot, onion, celery, leeks, chillies and herbs. Alternatively, just heat the oil and add the vegetables, chillies and herbs.
Continue to cook for about 3 minutes until the vegetables colour, then add the tomato sauce, water, bouillon powder and garlic, and cook for another 5 minutes. Stir in the borlotti beans and simmer for 30 minutes. Halfway through the cooking time, bring a pan of water to the boil and cook the pasta until al dente, drain and add to the soup.
Meanwhile, cook the French beans and the peas together in boiling water until just cooked through, drain and add to the soup. Season to taste with salt and pepper, sprinkle with the parsley and serve piping hot with a swirl of olive oil.
If the soup doesn’t have enough liquid