Two Soups

Soup is definitely a student staple for us, and for so many good reasons. It's healthy, cheap, freezes well, warms you up, and makes a really easy on-the-go lunch if you invest in a thermos. We have two of our favourite soup recipes for you - the first is a tried-and-tested family recipe courtesy of Catie's Mum. This hearty and filling Scotch Broth is packed with beans, peas and barley, and has been sustaining the family through harsh northern winters for decades! The second is Zoe's favourite Mary Berry Winter Vegetable Soup. We used chopped tomatoes when we couldn't get our hands on any passata - it is totally delicious either way, with the tomato element adding a fresh, lightness. We recommend you try them both - they really are souper winter warmers (sorry). 

Kirsteen's Chunky Scotch Broth  

For 6-8 servings you will need...

1 small swede 

2 sticks of celery

1 large leek

4 or 5 carrots

1 bay leaf

Chicken or vegetable stock

1 cup of pearl barley

1 cup each dried butter beans and dried marrowfat peas OR 3 tins of assorted beans if you can't find dried (I like to use 2 butter bean and 1 cannelini) 

Salt and pepper 

You will need to...

- If using dried beans and peas, these will need to be soaked in cold water overnight. 

- Chop all your root veg into smallish chunks depending on how chunky you like your soup. Slice the leek. 

- Sauté all the veg in a couple of tablespoons of olive oil for about ten minutes until softened. 

- Add enough stock and boiling water to cover the veg. Pop in your bayleaf, barley and beans (drain and rinse them beforehand if using tinned) and stir to combine. 

- Bring your soup to the boil, then turn down the heat to a simmer. Put the lid on and leave to cook on a low heat on the hob or in the oven for about an hour and a half or until all the beans, barley, and veg are soft. 

- Once cooked, season your soup well with salt and pepper. Serve immediately or, if stored in the fridge in an airtight container it should keep for about a week. 

Mary Berry's Winter Vegetable Soup

For 6-8 servings you will need...

50g butter 

2 small red onions 

2 leeks, finely chopped 

3 sticks celery, finely sliced 

2 cloves garlic, crushed 

4 tablespoons flour 

500g passata or chopped tomatoes  

2 large potatoes

400g tomatoes, chopped 

2 tablespoons sugar 

2 tablespoons tomato puree 

2 pints / 1.1 litres Chicken or vegetable stock 

Salt and pepper 

Parsley

You will need to...

-  Melt the butter in a large saucepan and add the onions, leeks, celery and garlic. Cook for about 10 minutes until softened.

- Whisk the flour with the passata/chopped tomatoes in a bowl until well blended and smooth. 

- Add the potatoes, tomatoes, sugar and tomato puree to the pan. Stir in the passata and the chicken stock and allow it to thicken. 

- Bring to the boil and season. Cover and turn down the heat to a simmer, and cook for about 20-30 minutes or until the vegetables are tender.

- Check the seasoning and serve hot sprinkled with freshly chopped parsley and a swirl of cream if you fancy.

Enjoy! C & Z x

Slow Roast Pork with Seasonal Apple Sauce & Roast Veg

 As the nights are drawing in and the weather is getting colder, a hearty plate of roast pork with all the trimmings and a sharp apple sauce sounds very appetising. The apple sauce is a brilliant way of using the surplus of apples at this time of year, and if you are lucky enough to have vegetables in your garden they can be used up too.

This recipe is one I have used a few times now, and it is always a winner. I have adapted it from Jamie Oliver's 6 Hour Slow Roast Pork. The key to this recipe is using a roasting tin with a lid like this one:

Alternatively, you can cover the pork in tin foil but I found that this lets too much moisture out, and the meat is much dryer than if using a covered roasting tin. I have also experimented using a shoulder of pork with the bone and a rolled gigot of pork with no bone. Without the bone I cooked the meat for a little longer as there is no bone to conduct the heat. This way of cooking means no carving is required so it is quick and easy to serve.

To serve 4-6 people you will need... 

2kg shoulder of pork bone in skin on

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 red onions, halved

2 carrots, peeled and halved lengthways

2 sticks celery, halved

1 bulb garlic, skin on, broken into cloves

6-8 bay leaves

You will need to...

-Preheat your oven to 220°C, place the meat skin side up in the roasting tin, if it is tied with string leave the sting tied. Lightly score the skin making sure you don't cut through to the meat, then rub salt into all the scores. Season the underside with salt and pepper too.

Next place the pork in the oven for half an hour with the lid off so the skin puffs up and turns in to crackling. After half an hour, or when the crackling looks golden and crispy put the lid on the roasting tin and turn the oven down to 170°C cook for 4 and a half hours basting occasionally. For the last hour of cooking add all to veg- this makes delicious gravy. Remove from the oven and allow the meat to rest. Pour all the juices and vegetables into a sauce pan, and add 200ml of chicken stock, a dash of red wine, a splash of apple juice, and plenty of salt and pepper. Sieve into a jug and pour over the meat as gravy.

For the apple sauce you will need...

2 cooking apples

3 shallots

200ml of chicken stock

Dijon mustard

Salt and pepper

You will need to..

Peel and core the apples then chop into 2cm chunks, then finely chop the shallots. Add the shallots and apples to a saucepan gently heat for about 4 minutes. Next add chicken stock Dijon mustard and seasoning - the apple should be soft but the sauce should not be too runny.

For the roast veg you will need...

2 beetroots

1 parsnips

1 carrot

1/2 a butternut squash

1 courgette

Alternatively you can use whatever veg you have in supply

You will need to...

Peel the carrots parsnips, beet root and butternut squash. Chop carrots parsnips and squash into carrot stick sizes. Chop beetroot into thin circles - it is important these are not too thick as beetroot takes longer than the other vegetables to roast. Place all veg into a roasting tin season with salt and pepper drizzle with honey and roast for about 1 hour at 200°C.

The pork is delicious served with mashed or roast potatoes but my favourite is with dauphinoise. 

Enjoy! Z x

When In Rome...

Last weekend I was lucky enough to escape the miserable weather in Leeds, and swap it for some Italian sunshine in Rome. Although the purpose of my trip was to see some art exhibitions, I couldn't pass up the opportunity to explore one of Rome's most famous food markets - Campo dei Fiori, which, as well as being one of the most busy and bustling markets in Rome, it is also one of the oldest, dating back to 1869. I spent a leisurely couple of hours browsing the many stalls which offered a huge selection of seasonal local vegetables, pastas and oils - all absolutely elements essential in simple, fresh Italian cooking. 

 For lunch we headed out of the tourist-laden main square and into the Jewish quarter, where, led by our Italian friend, we ate at an authentic, understated restaurant. To start we shared a selection of artichoke hearts (which we were told had been cooked under a brick), deep-fried courgette flowers and a platter of roasted aubergines - as we has seen in the market, fresh seasonal veg was the star of the show! We followed the vegetables with simple yet delicious pasta dishes - somehow the Italians manage to master the art of making simple ingredients such as pasta and pesto utterly delicious! 

I came back from the weekend a couple of pounds heavier and with a new-found enthusiasm for Italian food - it is safe to say that I will definitely be back before long!

Z & C x