Delia Smith Cucumber Soup Food

OLD ENGLISH SUMMER SOUP

Steps:

• First of all, in a medium saucepan, melt the butter gently, then add the potatoes, spring onions, lettuce and cucumber. Stir everything round in the butter then, keeping the heat very low, put a lid on and let everything sweat for 10 minutes. Now pour in the stock, stir, add some salt and freshly milled black pepper and bring to the boil. Then reduce the heat to low, put the lid on and let it simmer gently for another 20 minutes. Leave the soup to cool a little, then puree the whole lot in a blender. If you need to do this in two batches, it is helpful to have a bowl to hand to put the first batch in. Finally, check the seasoning, gently re-heat the soup and serve it with the freshly snipped chives stirred in at the last moment or sprinkle a few into each bowl.

CHILLED YOGHURT AND CUCUMBER SOUP WITH MINT

Steps:

• First peel the cucumbers thinly with a potato peeler so as to leave some of the green skin on, then slice them. Reserve a few slices to garnish the soup, then place the rest in a blender, along with the yoghurt, soured cream and crushed garlic. Switch on and blend at the highest speed until smooth. Add a seasoning of salt and pepper and the lemon juice, then pour the soup into a tureen and if it seems to be a little too thick, thin it with some cold milk. Now stir in the chopped fresh mint, cover with foil or with a lid and chill very thoroughly for several hours before serving. To serve, ladle the soup into individual soup bowls and float a few thin slices of cucumber and a thin slice of lemon on each one.

A SUMMER SOUP OF LETTUCE, CUCUMBER AND PEAS

Steps:

• First melt the butter in a large saucepan and add the chopped spring onions and let them cook gently for 5 minutes. Meanwhile chop the cucumber into chunks (no need to peel) and shred the lettuce. After the five minutes is up add the lettuce, cucumber and shelled peas to the pan. Give it all a stir, then cover and leave the vegetables to sweat gently for 10 minutes. Next pour in the stock, season with salt and pepper, give it another good stir and bring to the boil. Now reduce the heat to low, put the lid on and let it simmer gently for another 20 minutes. Leave it cool a little, then whiz it all in a blender (probably best in two batches). Pour the soup into a bowl, cover with clingfilm and leave it in the fridge to get absolutely cold. When you're ready to serve, check the seasoning, divide it among four chilled soup bowls, scatter the chives over each serving and swirl about a dessertspoon of cream into each one.

CELERY SOUP WITH STILTON (DELIA SMITH)

Steps:

• seperate stalks of celery from base and trim, reserve leaves for garnish- trimmed stalks should weigh 450g, trim outer stringy bits. scrub rest in cold water and drain, slcie across in thinnish slices.
• in medium saucepan melt butter, stir in celery, potato and onion, stir everyting around to coat with butter put on lid turn heat low and sweat for 10 minutes.
• uncover add stock and bring to simmering point cover again and cook for 30 minutes test veg for tendereness if not recover and cook until they are.
• whilst this is going on prepare croutons heat olive oil in large frying pan and add cubes of bread keep them moving turning around and upside down until they have turned a deep golden brown colour and have become very crunchy and crispy, drain on kitchen paper.
• remove saucepan from heat stir in cream then liquidise soup with crumbed stilton until quite smooth, retunr soup to rinsed out pan and reheat very gently taking care not to boil.
• taste and season serve with croutons and celery leaves.