BROCCOLI & LEEK

In an attempt to make a quick, cheap soup, I got a broccoli and a leek and made this tonight. The wife loves broccoli but I really can't stand it, so to me it tasted awful but she said it was "nice". That means it was "okay".

Nothing to this really. Bring a pan of water to the boil, add salt then throw in the florets of broccoli and the sliced leek. Add more salt on top, then put a lid on the pan and keep it boiling for around 15 minutes. Check that the broccoli is nicely cooked by seeing if you can easily cut through a piece with a dull spoon.

Transfer the veg from the pan to a blender, leaving the green water in the pan. Season the veg in the blender with some salt/pepper and then fill the blender container to the half-way mark with the stock from the pan. Blend thoroughly.

Option: I added a small tin of (drained) Petit Pois before blending.

Once the soup has been blended, serve immediately in warm soup bowls and add some croutons and a sprinkle of fresh parsley. A crusty cob finishes it off perfectly.

NOT EXACTLY CHEAP?

It only recently occurred to me that making your own soup is not exactly cheap. Quite the opposite in fact - or at least as far as my chosen soups are concerned. I'm only basing this on the fact that I would normally buy a tin of soup for consumption at home and that could probably cost less than £1.

For me to make a chicken soup, I would pay around £3 for a couple of chicken breasts, a couple of pounds for the vegetables, a pound or so for the bacon, another for the mushrooms and then there's the stock cubes, the cream and the time and energy putting it all together.

Hmmm, so it turns out to be relatively expensive BUT then again, I do tend to make a large amount (typically serving 6) and apart from it being quite enjoyable, it's always FAR tastier than the stuff that comes out of the tin! Having said that, I think I'll try some "Budget Soups" next. Very healthy and very cheap.

CHICKEN, MUSHROOM & BACON

This turned out to be a very tasty soup indeed and it's certainly one that I'll be making again. Apart from the obvious ingredients, there are potatoes, leeks, celery and sweet potatoes. Cooking time : 30 mins.

Ingredients:

• 2 Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts
• 4 Rashers of Lean Bacon
• 2 Leeks (sliced)
• 2 Celery (sliced)
• 2 Medium Potatoes (cubed)
• 2 Sweet Potatoes (cubed)
• 125g Button Mushrooms (sliced)
• 2 Cloves Garlic (crushed)
• 1 Tbsp Fresh Parsley (chopped)
• 75ml Double Cream (optional)
• 2 Vegetable or Chicken Stock Cubes

Method:

While you're preparing the veg, have a kettle of water coming to the boil for the stock. Place your sliced leeks and celery into your pan with a little oil and cook on a low heat for a couple of minutes, stirring regularly until softened but not browned. Then add the sweet potatoes and mushrooms and cook for a further 5 minutes.

Pour your boiling water from the kettle into a measuring jug containing the stock-cubes. One and a half to two pints will be enough. Stir to dissolve the cubes and then pour it all into the pan and add the chicken (which should be chopped into cubes), potatoes and parsley. Season to taste with salt & pepper.

Stir in the garlic and bring to the boil then reduce the heat to allow the soup to simmer for around 20-25 minutes or until all the vegetables are tender and the chicken is thoroughly cooked. Stir occasionally and make sure it's simmering and not boiling!

When it's ready, allow it to cool for 10 minutes while you cook the bacon in a small non-stick pan. Once cooked to your tastes, remove from the pan, cut off all traces of fat and then cut the bacon into very small pieces. Put to one side.

Transfer the contents of the soup-pan to a blending machine and blend to purée the soup. I actually used a hand-blender in the pan itself. If you choose this method, just be careful not to scald yourself! 

Sprinkle the bacon pieces into the soup, then add the double-cream (optional) and simmer for another 5 minutes. Stir well and serve in warm bowls.

Garnish with parsley and add croutons. I used "Herb & Garlic" cubed croutons.

Hope you enjoy!

CREAM OF TOMATO & VEG

There are six vegetables plus (of course) one fruit in this soup and it really does taste very nice.

Ingredients:

• 6 Potatoes (cubed)
• 1 Onion (chopped)
• 1 Leeks (sliced)
• 1 Celery (sliced)
• 2 Parsnips (cubed)
• 2 Carrots (sliced)
• 2 Stock Cubes
• 200ml Chopped Tomatoes (small can)
• 75ml Double Cream

While you're preparing the veg, have a kettle of water coming to the boil for the stock. Place your sliced leeks and finely chopped onions into a large pan with three tablespoons of butter or oil and cook on a low heat for 2 or 3 minutes, stirring regularly until softened but not browned. Then add all the other veg and cook for a further 5 minutes.

Pour your boiling water from the kettle into a measuring jug containing the 2 stock-cubes. One and a half pints will be enough. Stir to dissolve the cubes and then pour it all into the pan. Bring the pan to boil then reduce to allow the soup to simmer for 20 minutes or until all the vegetables are tender. Stir occasionally and make sure it's simmering and not boiling!

Note: Personally, I prefer to cook carrots on their own and for a little longer than the rest of the veg. They seem to take longer to cook than everything else.

When ready, extract most of the veg with slotted-spoon but not the potatoes! Transfer the contents of the pan to a blending machine and blend to purée the soup. I actually used a hand-blender in the pan itself. If you choose this method, just be careful not to scald yourself!  If required, add some cornflour or thickening granules. Then stir in 75ml of double cream before returning the extracted vegetables to the soup. Heat for another 5 minutes and season to taste with salt and pepper.

I served this soup with some freshly baked baguettes and Welsh Butter. The "Ready To Bake" baguettes were especially nice and are available from Tesco. It was a simple case of dampening the surface slightly with water and baking in the center of a pre-heated oven at 220 degrees for 8-10 minutes. Mmmmmmm.