Baked mushrooms

ingredients :
8 large flat mushrooms, wiped
with damp kitchen paper
2 tablespoons olive oil
250g/9oz Taleggio or Brie
cheese, thickly sliced
1 bunch of fresh lemon thyme,
leaves only
salt and freshly ground
black pepper

• Preheat the oven to 200°C/
400°F/Gas mark 6.
• Trim the stalks from the mushrooms.
Put the mushrooms, rounded cap
side down, in a medium roasting
dish. Season with salt and pepper.
• Pour the olive oil over the
mushrooms. Place the cheese slices
on top, and finally sprinkle with the
lemon thyme. Bake in the oven for
20–25 minutes until the cheese has
melted. Serve hot.serve 4

Borscht

ingredients :
900g/2lb large raw beetroot
225g/8oz onion, diced
225g/8oz leeks, sliced
2 celery sticks, chopped
50g/2oz butter
600ml/1pt chicken stock
1 bay leaf
150ml/5fl oz soured cream
salt and freshly ground
black pepper

• Boil the beetroot whole in salted
water for 15 minutes. Drain and
refresh in cold water. Peel and cut
into 2.5cm/1in chunks.
• In a frying pan, gently sweat the
onion, leek and celery in the butter
until softened. Add the beetroot,
stock and bay leaf. Bring to the
boil, skim the surface, reduce the
heat and simmer for 45 minutes.
• Discard the bay leaf, and purée
the soup in a blender or food
processor. Return to a clean pan,
season and bring back to the
simmer. Remove from the heat, stir
in the sour cream and serve. serve 6

Chilled avocado soup

ingredients :
2 ripe avocados
600ml/1pt chicken stock
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives
1⁄2 teaspoon chilli powder
salt
2 tablespoons sour cream, to serve

• Peel and stone the avocado. Blend
or process the flesh into a purée.
Add the remaining ingredients,
except the sour cream, and blend
until smooth. Allow to chill for a
few hours before serving.
• To serve, add the sour cream, stir
through and serve the soup chilled. serve 4

Almond soup

ingredients :
225g/8oz blanched almonds,
minced
3 egg yolks, hard-boiled
1.2 litres/2pt chicken stock
25g/1oz butter, softened
25g/1oz plain flour
125ml/4fl oz single cream
salt and freshly ground
black pepper

• Using a mortar and pestle, reduce
the almonds to a paste with the
egg yolks and 1 tablespoon of the
stock. Set aside.
• Make a beurre manié by working
the butter and flour together into a
smooth paste using a fork. Bring
the remaining stock to a simmer in
a heavy saucepan. Add the beurre
manié in small knobs, whisking
vigorously after each addition until
completely dissolved. Whisk in the
almond paste until smooth, then
cook gently for 30 minutes.
• Strain the soup through a sieve into
a clean pan. Add the cream, and
season with salt and pepper.
Reheat gently and serve. serve 4

Beet-Orange

Beet-Orange Soup is a brilliant red soup that tastes great! Try it as the first course of a cool
summer meal. Garnish each serving with a dollop of yogurt or an orange slice.

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1/2 cup chopped onion
1-inch piece of ginger root, peeled and cut in half
1 Vi pounds beets (5 medium beets), peeled and sliced
1 medium carrot, peeled and sliced
2 cups Vegetable Stock (see Vegetable stock categories)
3 ounces orange juice concentrate
3 tablespoons white miso
salt and pepper to taste

• In a medium saucepan, saute onions in vegetable oil until soft. Add beets, ginger, and carrots.
Continue to saute over medium heat for 15 minutes, stirring frequently.
• Add Vegetable Stock, and simmer, covered, until beets and carrots are quite tender, approximately
30 to 40 minutes. Remove ginger.
• Add miso, orange juice concentrate, and salt and pepper. Pour soup in a blender and puree
until smooth. Pureeing is best done in 2 batches, filling the blender only half full to avoid the
hot soup forcing the lid off. Allow soup to cool for several hours. Serve chilled. Serves 4 to 6.