Spoon all but a few spoonfuls of the crème fraîche into the soup and blitz again to combine. Season to taste.
Ladle the soup into individual bowls immediately and eat warm or leave to cool completely and chill before serving. Hot or cold, serve topped with a dollop of the remaining crème fraîche and a few extra caraway seeds sprinkled over.
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For a lighter alternative, simply omit the crème fraîche.
BUTTERNUT AND CHILLI SOUP
Making this simple soup will easily fit in around your busy lifestyle. Prepare the squash and relax while it cooks. Then when you’re ready to eat, simply boil the kettle, make up the stock, blitz it with the squash and you have lunch ready to go!
Preparation time: 10 Minutes
Cooking time: 4 Hours
Serves 4
Vegetarian
1 large butternut squash, about 1kg (2lb 4oz), peeled, deseeded and cut into chunks
1 large red chilli, deseeded and diced
1 red onion, peeled and diced
2 garlic cloves, peeled and diced
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tbsp olive oil
1 litre (1¾ pints) hot vegetable stock
Fresh coriander leaves, to garnish
Place the squash in the slow cooker dish. Reserve 4 small pinches of chilli for the garnish and add the rest to the slow cooker dish together with the onion and garlic. Season generously with salt and pepper and add the olive oil.
Cover with the lid and cook on high for 4 hours or until the squash is very tender. Spoon the mixture into a food processor (you may need to do this in batches) and add the stock. Blitz until smooth and season to taste.
Ladle the soup into warm bowls, dot with a few coriander leaves and sprinkle with the reserved chilli to serve.
FAB FOR THE FREEZER
Make a double batch and freeze some for a busy day.
SPINACH AND LENTIL SOUP
This colourful, hearty soup is packed with flavour. You can use either chicken or vegetarian stock.
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 3–4 hours
Serves 4
75g (3oz) brown or green lentils
Olive oil
1 garlic clove, peeled
1 red onion, peeled and finely diced
1 celery stick, trimmed and finely diced
1 x 400g (14oz) tin chopped tomatoes
2 fresh thyme sprigs
1 bay leaf, broken
2 litres (3½ pints) stock
125g (4½oz) baby spinach leaves
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Extra virgin olive oil or basil oil, for drizzling
Wash the lentils in cold water and drain thoroughly. Pour in 1–2mm (1⁄16in) of olive oil to cover the base of the slow cooker dish.
Using your thumb, press the garlic firmly to bruise it, then add it to the dish. Add the lentils and mix to coat in the oil. Add the onion, celery, tomatoes and herbs and mix together. Don’t season the soup at this stage, as salt will toughen the lentils. Pour the stock over the lentils. Cover with the lid and cook on high for 3–4 hours or until the lentils are tender.
Using a slotted spoon, remove the garlic and herbs. Mix the spinach into the soup and stir until the leaves are just wilted. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Ladle the soup into warm bowls and drizzle with a touch of extra virgin olive oil or basil oil before serving with ciabatta.
FAB FOR THE FREEZER
Leave to cool before transferring to freezerproof containers and freezing for up to three months. Defrost thoroughly before reheating gently on the hob (never in the slow cooker).
SPICY CELERIAC AND APPLE SOUP
I absolutely love celeriac raw in salads and remoulade, but here it really benefits from long slow cooking, which coaxes out its characteristic nutty flavour. The warming spices of the curry paste and the tart apple also work well to complete this easy soup. You can also make this with parsnips instead of celeriac.
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 4 hours
Serves 6
Vegetarian
1 large celeriac, about 1.5kg (3lb 5oz), peeled (about 1.3kg/2lb 13oz peeled weight) and cut into 3cm (1¼in) chunks
1 large onion, peeled and cut into 3cm (1¼in) chunks
1 cooking apple, peeled, cored and diced
Juice of 1 lemon
2 vegetable stock cubes
1 tbsp medium curry paste
1 litre (1¾ pints) boiling water
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Place the celeriac and onion chunks in the slow cooker dish. Add the diced apple, then pour over the lemon juice and toss together until everything is coated in the juice.
Place the stock cubes and curry paste into a large measuring jug, then pour over the boiling water and stir to dissolve the cubes. Pour this mixture over the celeriac and top up with more boiling water if the vegetables and apple are not covered with liquid (otherwise the apple will turn brown). Cover with the lid and cook on high for 4 hours or until the vegetables are completely tender.
Remove the slow cooker dish from the heated base and place it on a heatproof surface. Blitz the soup with a hand-held blender until completely smooth (or blend in batches in a food processor). Add more hot stock if you like your soup thinner. Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve.
SPLIT PEA AND HAM SOUP
This easy soup is very warming and tasty – perfect for a cold day or if you’re in need of some real comfort food.
Preparation time: 5 minutes, plus overnight soaking
Cooking time: 2–3 hours
Serves 4
2 tbsp olive oil
2 leeks, white part only, diced
2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
500g (1lb 2oz) green split peas, soaked overnight and drained
2 litres (3½ pints) chicken or vegetable stock
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