Parsnip, Chorizo & Chestnut Soup

Another recipe from the book "Soups" by Tonia George. It is more of a meal in itself, as the parsnip and chestnut whizzed together make a dense base, and the chorizo chunks you fish out with your spoon at every mouthful give you something to chew on.  It can of course be a starter, but in that case serve it in small ramekins or glasses, under the guise of amuse-bouche. Otherwise, I recommend you present it as the main course, together with some crusty bread and perhaps a crispy, bitter salad to follow. The perfect winter warmer!

Sweet Potato Soup

A "hug in a mug", to use the catchphrase of a popular soup brand's advert. However, this soup does not come from a sachet and it is made with the freshest ingredients. True, it takes a bit more effort than just boiling the kettle and whisking in the powdered soup with some hot water, but it is ten million times more tasty and healthy. What I usually do is make a large batch of soup whenever I have time (mid-week or at the week-end) and then freeze it in single or double portions. Therefore, whenever I need it my hug in a mug is only a microwave's ping away!

Courgette & Parmesan Soup

When cooking, my natural preference and inclination is always to use seasonal ingredients. A vegetable that's plentiful in the Summer is no doubt the courgette, which for this reason is lately making a regular appearance in my posts. This time, whizzed up to a creamy yet light soup flavoured with tasty Parmesan cheese. I used home-made chicken stock, which does make it all the more tasty; however, if you don't have time to make your own, do feel free to use a good organic chicken stock cube (or a vegetable one if you are vegetarian).

Spring Vegetable Soup

This soup is really simple, but incredibly comforting and tasty. It lets the ingredients speak for themselves and allows their freshness to shine through. The vegetables that best work with this are delicately flavoured baby carrots, fresh peas, cherry tomatoes, leeks, i.e. all the ones you find in spring; hence the name of the dish. They are simmered in chicken stock until al dente (as they need to retain some bite) together with a small format of pasta, then dressed with a little olive oil, parmesan cheese and freshly cracked pepper. Goodness in a bowl. 

Italian Tomato Soup

For the second recipe of my "Tuscan Culinary Deeds" series, I present you with a soup that is essentially summer in a bowl. In Italy, tomatoes are plentiful, ruby-red, juicy and not last but not least dirt cheap in the Summer; therefore, making this soup as a first course offers a nice alternative from the usual pasta al pomodoro (with tomato sauce). Once again the recipe is my dad's, who learnt it from my nonna (his mum).

Roasted Pumpkin Soup with Garlic Croutons

Today I have been to the 'Real Food Festival' at Earl's Court, here in London. It was brilliant! There were more than 400 stalls from small producers aiming to promote local, sustainable ingredients and traditional cooking, growing and breeding methods. I was just in my element and was jumping from a stall to another sampling the products and chatting to the producers, before buying a number of delicacies including Scottish Aberdeen Angus pastrami and sweet cured carpaccio, smoked bacon, Gloucestershire Old Spot sausages, Hundred Dram cheddar, Red Leicester and Mustard biscuits, lemon curd cookies, Somerset bread and a whole jar of sliced black truffle. Goodness me!
One of the things I enjoyed the most was meeting two young producers from Suffolk, who introduced me to the joys of rapeseed oil. Cold pressed and packed with omega 3, it was suggested as the British alternative to olive oil. While olive oil is a key ingredient to me, which I could never go without, I believe that it is often overrated here in the UK, in the sense that too often I see rubbish random, sourced 'god-knows-where-from' olive oils sold for a ridiculous amount of money in supermarkets. I get my olive from Italy, from producers my parents know personally and was therefore intrigued to try a different variety from two farmers whose love and care for their product was so clearly evident. So I bought a bottle, went home and tried immediately by using it in my roasted pumpkin soup. The result was delicious and the rapeseed oil gave the soup a nutty, uplifting edge. You really learn something every day!

PS - I really must mention another super-exciting fact: I watched Giorgio Locatelli making saltimbocca alla romana using English veal, accompanied by wild chanterelle mushrooms and melanzane alla parmigiana. And I got to be the first in line to taste the final dish! Needless to say, it was out of this world!!!