Herby Vegetable Soup Food

HERBY BROCCOLI & PEA SOUP

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a large saucepan. Add the onion and fry for 8 mins until soft and translucent. Add the garlic and cook for 1 min more. Tip in the broccoli, peas and chard, then pour over the stock and bring the mixture to the boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer, cover and cook for 25 mins.
• Stir through the herbs, lemon zest and juice, then blitz the soup with a stick blender until completely smooth. Ladle into bowls and serve with the toasted pumpkin seeds scattered over the top.

HERBY FRENCH SHALLOT SOUP

Steps:

• 1. Melt the butter in a large soup pot over medium-high heat. Add the shallots, onions, garlic and honey. Cook about 10-15 minutes, stirring frequently, until softened, deep golden in color and caramelized. Add the thyme and sage and continue cooking another 3-5 minutes.2. Reduce the heat to low and sprinkle the flour over the shallots, stirring for 1-2 minutes, until the raw flour taste is eliminated. Add the wine, broth, Worcestershire sauce, and bay leaves. Increase the heat to medium-high and return the soup to a simmer, simmer for 10 minutes. Remove the bay leaves and discard. Season, to taste with salt and pepper.4. Preheat the broiler to high. 5. Ladle the soup into oven safe bowls. Add a slice of bread to each and top evenly with each cheese. Place each soup bowl on a baking sheet and transfer to the oven, broil until bubbly and golden brown, 3 to 5 minutes. Eat!

HERBY VEGETABLE SOUP

Steps:

• Heat a large pan and spray with cooking oil. Add onion, carrots, celery and potato. Cook over low heat for 5 minutes. Rinse pearl barley, then add to the pan together with the stock and bouquet garni and pepper to taste.
• Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to a simmer, cover with a lid and simmer for 15 minutes, until veggies are tender. Discard the bouquet garni, stir in milk and heat for 3 minutes (gently). STir in chopped fresh herbs and adjust the seasonings, if necessary. Add a bit of yogurt to each bowl before serving.
• ***NOTES****.
• If you're not worried about a vegetarian vegetable soup, use chicken stock.
• Bouquet garni can be substituted for 3 stalks parsley, 1 sprig thyme and 1 bay leaf.
• I substitute pearl barley for quick cooking, but cook time needs to be increased to 30-35ish minutes.

VEGETABLE STEW WITH HERBY DUMPLINGS

Steps:

• Heat oil in a large casserole dish. Add shallots and cook for 5-6 mins until starting to soften and brown. Add leeks for 2 mins, then stir in swede, parsnips and carrots.
• Pour in barley and wine, cook until wine has reduced by half. Add stock, bay, thyme, parsley and seasoning. Cover pan, bring to the boil, then simmer for 45 mins until barley and veg are tender. Stir occasionally to stop it catching.
• Meanwhile, make the dumplings. Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Rub flour and butter together to form breadcrumbs. Add remaining ingredients and mix well. Sprinkle over 2 tbsp water, mix to form a soft dough. Divide into six and roll into balls. Dot on top of stew and transfer to oven. Cook, uncovered, for 20-25 mins until dumplings are golden.

HERBY CHICKEN & BUTTER BEAN SOUP

Steps:

• If using a leftover chicken carcass, place in a large saucepan and cover with 2 litres of water. Bring to the boil, then cover with a lid and gently simmer for 20 mins. Meanwhile, heat the oil in another large saucepan. If using chicken thighs, add these and brown on all sides, then remove and set aside.
• Add the onions to the oil and cook for 10 mins until starting to caramelise. Add the carrots, herbs, spices and flour, and stir for 1-2 mins to toast the spices. If using a chicken carcass, strain the cooking liquid into the pan with the vegetables, otherwise add the browned chicken thighs and stock. Stir well, cover and simmer for 30 mins.
• If using chicken thighs, remove them from the pan, shred the meat and discard the bones. Add the meat (or the meat from the carcass) back into the soup, along with the butter beans, season and heat through for 1-2 mins.
• Use a hand-held blender to blitz the soup until smooth, or leave it chunky. Or blend about half, so it's creamy but still has chunks of chicken, carrot and butter bean. Serve with extra pepper, and good crusty bread.

HERBY ROOT VEGETABLE GRATIN

Steps:

• Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Melt half the butter in a large saucepan, add the onion and cook until soft. Pour in the cream and milk, and add lots of seasoning. Add the sliced vegetables and gently simmer for 10 mins until the potatoes start to soften.
• Meanwhile, blend the herbs, garlic, most of the Parmesan and some seasoning in a food processor. Add the oil and blend again to form a paste.
• Tip a third of the creamy veg into a buttered baking dish, dollop over half the herb mix and spread out a little. Top with another third of the veg, followed by the remaining herb mix, then the rest of the vegetables. Dot the surface with the remaining butter and scatter over the reserved Parmesan. Bake for 1-1½ hrs until bubbling and golden, covering with foil for the final 30 mins if it's becoming too brown. Leave to rest for 10-15 mins before serving.