photo credit: jules:stonesoup

Warm and creamy, great on a cold winters evening.

Serves: 4
Prep time: 15 to 30 mins
Cooking time: 15 to 30 mins

Ingredients:

1 Medium onion
1 oz / 25 g Butter
1 1/2 lb / 700 g Celeriac
1 Medium-small potato
1 Chicken stock cube
3 tbsp crème fraîche
5 fl oz / 150 ml Milk
1/2 Lemon
Nutmeg
Chives

Preparation:

1. Peel, halve and finely chop the onion.
2. In a medium pan melt the butter and then add the onion along with a pinch of salt. Cover with a lid aso that the onion will soften. Meanwhile quarter and then peel the celeriac.
3. Chop into 1 inch chunks.
4. Peel the potato and chop into similar sized chunks.
5. Stir both into the softened onion, add another generous pinch of salt, cover and sweat for 5 min.
6. While that is on the go, dissolve the stock cube in  600ml/20 oz boiling water and add to the pan once the 5 minutes is up.
7. Bring to the boil for about 10 minutes until the celeriac and potato are tender.
8. Liquidize (you can use a hand blender) and return to a clean pan.
9. Stir in 2 tbsp crème fraîche (or substitute sour cream) along with the milk.
10. Return to simmer, taste and season to taste with salt and lemon juice.
11. Serve with a swirl of crème fraîche, a generous grating of nutmeg and a few snipped chives

Serves: 1
Prep time: Less than 15 mins
Cooking time: Less than 15 mins

Ingredients:

1tbsp butter
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
400g tin of tomatoes
1tbsp tomato puree
2tbsp cream (single, double or whipping, or even crème fraîche)
Sweet chilli sauce (optional)
good amount of freshly grated nutmeg (optional)

Preparation:

Melt the butter in a small pan and add the garlic. Allow to cook while you find the tin opener, and open the tin of tomatoes.

Tip them into the pan, along with the tomato puree, a mugful of water (around 8floz/225ml if you’re measuring, but accuracy is not really the point here)

As it heats, whiz it with a hand blender until smooth. Don’t let the mixture boil if you can avoid it. Stir in 1tbsp cream, season with salt and pepper.

Add a shake of sweet chilli sauce and grated nutmeg if desired.

Serves: 6
Preparation time: 5 mins
Cooking time: 1 hour 15 mins

Ingredients:

3 lb / 1.4 kg Cherry tomatoes (or larger if preferred)
3 Large cloves of garlic, quartered lengthwise
3 Red onions, 2 finely sliced, 1 chopped
1 Large handful Basil leaves
Approx. 4 tbsp Olive oil
1 oz / 28 gm Butter
2 tsp Balsamic vinegar
2 heaped tblsp Dark brown sugar
Salt and pepper
11 fl oz Boiling water
To garnish: Hard Cherry tomatoes, basil leaves or pesto crouton

Preparation:

Pre-heat the oven to 190°C/274°F/Gas Mark 5

Place cherry tomatoes on a shallow roasting tin, (if using larger tomatoes cut into generous ½” thick slices), with the garlic cloves and chopped onion. Scatter over half a dozen torn basil leaves, add salt and pepper and coat well with 3 tblsp of the olive oil. Place in the pre-heated oven for 50 – 60 minutes until the tomatoes are soft and starting to brown.

Meanwhile, melt the butter and gently cook the sliced onions over a very low heat until tender and starting to caramelise, (about 30 – 45 minutes). Add the Balsamic vinegar and sugar and cook for another 10 minutes.

Puree the roast tomatoes, onions and garlic with a little water and pass through a fine sieve. Add the puree and any remaining water to the caramelised sliced onion mixture and check the seasoning.

Tear remaining Basil leaves and stir into the soup.

Reheat and serve, garnishing with Cherry tomatoes, more Basil leaves or pesto croutons to taste.

Ingredients:

2 x 300g / 10 oz packs “straight to wok” noodle
8 spring onions/green onions/scallions, sliced
1 red onion, finely sliced
1 red chilli, sliced
4 large handfuls spinach
2 tsp vegetable oil
350g / 12 oz sirloin steak, fat removed
1.1 ltr / 4.5 cups fresh chicken stock
4cm / 2 in fresh root ginger, peeled and grated
2 tsp miso
2 large handfuls beansprouts
2 tbsp chopped coriander (optional)
1 lime, quartered

Preparation:

Divide the noodles, spring onions, red onion, chilli and spinach among 4 deep bowls. Brush the oil over the steak and season with salt and pepper.
Fry the steak for about 5 minutes, turning once. Leave to rest.
Put the stock, ginger and 1.1 litres of boiling water into a pan. Bring slowly to the boil and stir in the miso. Take off the heat and stir into the bowls.
Leave to stand for one minute. Slice the beef, divide among the four bowls and top with beansprouts and coriander. Serve with the lime wedges.