Curried Carrot & Sweet Potato Soup

It’s amazing how comforting and nourishing a hot bowl of soup can be. This is a perfect soup to warm you up on a rainy day and it takes no time to make at all. Even better it is a delicious, filling soup that is completely gluten and dairy free!

I made this recently because I’d received some vegetables from my Mother-in-law as they were moving and she was emptying her fridge. I used what I had but don’t worry too much about exact quantities – if you have 1 sweet potato use it all, you just might need to add a little extra stock. I like this particular soup to have texture which is why I grate the veggies but if you prefer you could easily blend it for a smooth, thick soup.

Serves 4

1 tbsp olive oil

2 leeks, cleaned and sliced

4 carrots, peeled and grated

½ good sized sweet potato, peeled and grated

2 cloves of garlic, crushed or grated on a microplane

1 thumb-sized piece of ginger, peeled and finely grated

1 tsp curry powder

200ml coconut milk

1000ml vegetable or chicken stock

Salt & freshly ground black pepper

Heat the oil in a large pan then add the leeks. Cook for a few minutes until softened but not browned, then add the grated carrots, sweet potato, garlic, ginger and curry powder. Cook for a couple of minutes, stirring to make sure nothing catches and then add the coconut milk and stock. Season with some salt and pepper and bring to a gentle simmer. Leave to cook for about 15 minutes until the vegetables are soft. Taste to check the seasoning and adjust if necessary then ladle into bowls while piping hot! 

*For extra spice add some fresh chilli, finely chopped and if you find the soup too sweet you could add a spritz of lime juice.

Kale, Tomato & Bean Soup

Normally when I post a new recipe on my blog I like to try it several times first to make sure everything is just right, however this is a new recipe for both you and I! I've been watching a lot of Nigel Slater recently and I love his relaxed approach to food and cooking and just using what you have and what's available, so perhaps he inspired me because the other day a friend came round to visit with her kids and they brought a huge bag of Kale and Tomatoes that they had grown in their garden. They were so amazing and I couldn't wait to use them in something, but since I had my meal plan done for the week (and was desperate to finish all of the curries from the weekend so I had some room in my fridge!) I thought how about a delicious, healthy soup! So that's what I did. I knew before I made it that it would taste good and it did - it was so good and even Ben absolutely loved it! 

The quantities for the tomatoes and kale are approximate since it just depends on what you have and your own tastes. I had more of both but felt that the amounts below were perfect for this batch, plus it means I still have enough kale leftover to enjoy a bowl of Spaghetti with Kale, Garlic & Lemon for a quick Saturday night supper after a day on the boat - double bonus! 

This soup is what cooking (and growing your own vegetables) is all about - using what you have at the right time of year paired with a few pantry staples and ending up with something so simple and easy to make but full of wonderful fresh flavours. 

Pork & Udon Noodle Soup

I’m not going to lie – this recipe was the result of a rainy, cold day and me needing and craving a satisfying but light soup to warm me up. Since I had some leftover Chinese BBQ Pork in the fridge and am currently addicted to Udon noodles, this soup was a natural choice. I hadn’t made this version before but being a lover of Pho I used that as inspiration and simply used what I had in the house. Even better I had homemade chicken stock in the freezer just waiting to be used in a dish just like this. I have to admit there is something really satisfying about using what you have and creating exactly what you were craving. This soup took no time to make at all and was absolutely perfect….The perfect pick-me-up for a rainy, cold September day.

Serves 2 generously (easily doubled)

750ml chicken stock (homemade or the best quality you can get)

1 clove of garlic, thinly sliced

3 slices of ginger

1 star anise

1 red chilli, sliced (remove the seeds for less heat)

2 or 3 lime leaves (fresh if possible but dried is fine)

1tsp fish sauce (or to taste)

½ lime

200g packet of udon noodles

Leftover pork, shredded (or other meat of your choice) – as much as you have or want in your soup

Handful of sugar snap peas (approx. 100g), cut in half diagonally

Sprinkling of fresh coriander (optional)

Put the stock into a medium sized pan then add the garlic, ginger, star anise, red chilli, lime leaves, fish stock and a good squeeze of lime juice. Bring it to a boil then leave to gently simmer for about 5-10 minutes to let the flavours infuse the stock (you can leave it for longer if you like, it’s more about how much time you have, just don’t let it reduce too much).

Add the udon noodles and cook for a couple of minutes (or according to the time on the packet). For the last minute add the pork and the sugar snap peas and cook just long enough to warm the pork and slightly soften the peas. Taste to check the balance of flavours and adjust if necessary adding more lime or fish sauce as needed, then ladle into deep bowls and serve at once. Chop sticks are optional but they are perfect for slurping up the noodles!

Grilled Halloumi with Quinoa & Beetroot Salad (& my struggle with blogging)

Before I jump to the recipe for this delicious salad there is something I need to address with regards to my blogging...

It's hard to believe it but I started blogging 5 years ago. My reason for starting this blog was simple....I loved to cook and this was the easiest way for me to share my often-requested recipes with family and friends. To this day I still love cooking, I am a total food-oholic! I get excited about shopping for food, finding new ingredients, getting reacquainted with recipes and ingredients from my past and exploring new cuisines throughout the world from the comfort of my own kitchen.You are far more likely to find me reading a cookbook or food magazine than any other book and with a library of 1000 cookbooks (and growing) I'm never short of something to read! Of course the books and magazines just feed my enthusiasm for cooking by offering endless new ideas and inspiration and so it was only a matter of time before I started reviewing cookbooks and really putting them to the test to see if they were worth a place on my overloaded, sagging shelves! I love reviewing cookbooks and so I do plan to do a lot more of that on this blog but without doubt my favourite thing to do still is come up with my own ideas and recipes and share them with you. 

Broccoli & Boursin Soup

I absolutely love Broccoli Soup (in fact I think my favourite soup of all time is still my Broccoli & Nutmeg) and at this time of year you can't beat Broccoli and Stilton Soup. Only problem in my home is that I'm the only one that likes Stilton! So I came up with this delicious version as a way to keep everyone happy. It has so much comforting flavour and the addition of the Boursin just adds a lovely creaminess to the soup without being too heavy. It is the perfect soup to enjoy piping hot on a cold, snowy Winter's Day.

(If you would prefer a lighter, non-dairy Broccoli Soup then try my Broccoli & Nutmeg soup.)

Serves 4

1 tbsp butter

1 tbsp olive oil

1 onion, sliced

1 leek, cleaned and sliced

2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped

1 large head of Broccoli (approx. 12oz)

750ml Chicken or Vegetable Stock

115g/ 4oz Boursin Cheese, plus extra for garnish

Salt and Pepper

In a large pan heat oil and butter until the butter is melted and sizzling. Add the onion and leek and cook gently for 5 minutes until softened. Add the garlic and the broccoli, stir well then put a tight-fitting lid on and leave to sweat for 5 minutes. After 5 minutes add the stock and some seasoning then partially cover with the lid (just leave slightly askew) and leave to cook for roughly 10 minutes or until the broccoli is tender. Leave to cool slightly then transfer to a blender (or you can use a handheld blender) and blend until smooth. Add the Boursin then blend again until everything is well mixed and the cheese melted into the soup. Return the soup to the pan and gently reheat. Taste to check the seasoning and adjust if necessary then serve sprinkled with a little extra Boursin on top and a touch of freshly ground black pepper.

Curried Sweet Potato & Squash Soup

This recipe came to be because I literally had a sweet potato and squash in the pantry and I wanted a warming Autumnal soup to make for a family Saturday lunch. It is so quick and easy to make and is a really homely, comforting soup that tastes great. I teamed it up with my delicious savoury Cheese and Spring Onion Scones which were warm from the oven and slathered with butter. It was the most perfect lunch for a rainy, grey Saturday spent indoors with my family!

1 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp butter

1 onion, roughly chopped

2 cloves of garlic, crushed

2 tsp curry powder, plus extra for serving

1 large carrot, peeled and chopped

½ butternut squash, roughly chopped

1 sweet potato, peeled and roughly chopped

1 litre chicken or vegetable stock

Salt & pepper

Heat the oil and butter in a large pan then once the butter has melted and is sizzling add the onion. Cook for roughly 5-7 minutes until softened but not coloured then add the garlic and curry powder and cook for about 1 minute before adding the carrot, squash and sweet potato. Stir everything well together then pop on a lid and let the vegetables 'sweat' for around 10 minutes, stirring from time to time. 

After 10 minutes add the stock and some seasoning and cook for a further 10-15 minutes or until the vegetables are tender and a knife can cut into them easily. Leave to cool for a bit before blending until super smooth and silky.

When ready to serve gently reheat the soup and taste to check the seasoning, adjusting if necessary. Sprinkle over a touch of curry powder and serve at once.

Year-Round Creamy Tomato Soup

Temperatures and leaves both start to drop, days are shorter and nights cooler. All of these are the first signs that Summer is over and it's time for a new season, but for me the arrival of Autumn and Fall is all also the welcoming start of Soup Season. Don't get me wrong there are the occasional times in the Summer when I will want a bowl of soup but they are generally light soups saved for cooler days. Autumn however, marks the start of piping hot bowls of really comforting, homemade soup that will warm you up and satisfy you in an instant.

Tomato Soup may seem more of a Summer Soup but for me it really is a year-round soup to enjoy. When I was pregnant with my son and finally over my morning (or rather 'all-day' sickness!) Tomato Soup with Cheese Toasties was my staple lunch and I don't know where I would have been without it! In the height of Summer when tomatoes are in abundance I love to use fresh vine-ripened tomatoes such as in my Fresh Tomato Soup recipe, but for the rest of the year it has to be tinned tomatoes. This recipe was taken from the book Pretty Delicious by Candice Kumai (read my review of the book here) and as far as I am concerned is the most fantastic Tomato Soup ever. I make it all the time because not only does it taste fabulous, but it takes no time to make at all and despite it being a 'creamy' tomato soup, there is actually no cream in it so it's healthy too!

I changed a few things in the recipe to suit our tastes but the core of the recipe is courtesy of Candice Kumai. If you like Tomato Soup, try this and I promise you will never buy tinned tomato soup again!

Fish & Corn Chowder

Although I refuse to accept that Summer is almost over it has certainly cooled down in the last week and the forecast unfortunately predicts grey, rainy days for the next few days. Not my idea of Summer, however this Fish and Corn Chowder is. It is so full of bright, fresh seasonal flavours and although hearty enough to enjoy on a cooler evening for dinner, it is a lovely light chowder with only a little cream added at the end. Being a chilli lover I love the addition of the fresh, spiky hot chilli at the end to cut through the creaminess but if you aren't a fan you can easily miss it out. Try it though – I guarantee you will love it! Served with some hot, garlicky crostini this is the most perfect late Summer meal.

Nigella's Happiness Soup for Random Recipes

I love Random Recipes but for the past few months (probably more, I just don't want to count) for various reasons I haven't been able to take part. This month however I had no excuses because to celebrate 30 months of Random Recipes the lovely Dom decided we had to pick book number 30 from our collections and turn to page 30 to find out our fate for this month. By sheer coincidence book number 30 from my list of books in my Cookbook Room was none other than Forever Summer by Nigella Lawson, which I just happen to be reviewing this month anyway! Total bonus. Unfortunately though page 30 turned out to be the title page for the chapter on Pasta so since we all at times like to turn back the clock a bit I went to pages 28 & 29 which was her recipe for “Happiness Soup”.

I know what you are probably thinking, what on earth is “Happiness Soup” and even I myself thought she may have overstepped the mark just a touch with this one, however the first line of the recipe is asking us to forgive her for the tweeness of the title. Ok Nigella, you are forgiven, especially because after making the soup I can kind of see where she was coming from as this soup is so incredibly bright and summery it would cheer up anyone on even the dreariest of days! The recipe is incredibly simple and straightforward and the end result delicious. It's very light and the lemon juice gives it a lovely bright, refreshing taste, but the addition of the rice makes it heartier.

If I had to criticise it I would say that there wasn't any need for the 3 tablespoons of oil (2 would be more than plenty) and the turmeric again could be cut down as it didn't do anything other than turn the soup an insanely bright luminescent yellow! Next time I make this (which I will) I'll definitely use less olive oil and half the amount of turmeric. I also have to say that this soup rather unusually for soups was better the day it was made. When I had some the following day I had to add more stock as the rice had absorbed the majority of it but the lemon flavour was a little overpowering. All in all though if you can get beautiful yellow courgettes/zucchini's then I definitely recommend giving this soup a try and see if it turns your frown upside down!

Warm Tomato & Chorizo Salad with Olives

Whenever my husband is away for work I always try to eat as many tomatoes as possible! It means I get my full-on tomato fix without having to listen to any complaints, change recipes or make him something else, and he's happy as he doesn't have to eat it!! Tomato Pasta is always high on the list as well as many different Tomato Salads including this one with Chorizo and Black Olives.

I'm not sure if this should really be called a Salad but in all honesty I couldn't think of a better way to describe it! It's a perfect meal for a warm Summer evening when you want something full of punchy flavours but still light enough not to leave you sluggish and overly full. I like to eat it with lots of fresh, crusty French bread to mop up all the sauces but it is also delicious served as part of a Tapas menu or for something a little more filling spooned through some hot pasta and for an extra special treat I have it with a few slices of mozzarella on the side. As far as I am concerned it doesn't get any better than this, especially when enjoyed outside in the sun with a cold glass of white wine. Bliss.

Since this is a dish I save as a treat just for myself this recipe only serves 1 but it can easily be adapted to feed many more.

Flatbread Pizza

This has got to be one of my favourite things to eat for lunch. It's so super quick and easy but so unbelievably delicious. All you need is some bought flatbreads (for example pita bread), some cheese and tomato and in less than 10 minutes you have an amazing lunch. Of course just like any pizza you can change the toppings to whatever you like. In the middle of Summer I will quite often add some thin ribbons of Zucchini but for the most part I can't resist the classic and very simple Tomato and Mozzarella.

Quantities make 1 pizza

1 flatbread of your choice ( I use wholemeal pita's that are thin)

Extra virgin olive oil

½ tomato, roughly chopped

Fresh mozzarella, roughly chopped or torn apart

4 Kalamata olives, pitted and cut in half

½ fresh chilli, finely chopped (optional)

scattering of fresh basil leaves

Maldon sea salt & freshly ground black pepper

To make the pizza simply brush a little extra virgin olive oil over one side of the flatbread. Scatter over the chopped tomato, mozzarella, olives and chilli and then pop onto a baking tray and cook under a hot grill for a couple of minutes until the cheese has melted and is bubbling and the edges of the flat bread starting to crisp.

Sprinkle over a little Maldon salt, some cracked black pepper and the fresh basil leaves then if you like finish with a little drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and if you want to take it up another notch some really good quality balsamic vinegar. So easy but so good!

Quinoa Salad

This is one of my new favourite lunches as it is so tasty but also pretty healthy too and gives me lots of energy for going to the gym! Even better I can make up a batch and divide it up into individual containers so it makes a perfect packed lunch for my hubby and will do us both for 2 days.....well most of the time!

Quinoa makes a great alternative to grains like couscous or rice and is gluten free so perfect for anyone needing to avoid gluten.

Serves 4

2 cups of chicken or vegetable stock

1 cup quinoa

1 big handful of spinach leaves

5 or 6 basil leaves (a few more if they are small)

Zest & juice of 1 lemon

1 red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped (optional)*

1 red pepper, chopped into small pieces

2 spring onions, sliced thinly

1 tomato, chopped (optional)

50g feta cheese

1-2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Maldon sea salt & freshly ground black pepper to serve

Bring 2 cups (500ml) of stock to the boil then add the quinoa (you can use water if you prefer, the stock just adds a bit more flavour). Stir then turn the heat to low and leave to simmer, covered for 15 minutes. Remove from the heat and leave to stand for a further 5 minutes.

While the quinoa is cooking prepare the rest of the ingredients. Put the spinach and basil into a small food processor and blitz until very finely chopped. (If you don't have a processor simply chop it up using a knife as finely as you can.)

Once the quinoa is ready pour it into a large bowl then add the finely chopped spinach and basil, lemon zest and juice of ½ the lemon, the chilli, 1 tbsp of olive oil and some salt. Mix everything carefully together using a fork until well combined and leave to cool to room temperature before adding the red pepper, spring onions, tomatoes and feta cheese. Mix again then taste to check the seasoning and if needed add the remaining lemon juice and tablespoon of olive oil before serving.

*If you don't have a fresh chilli you can easily use a good pinch of dried chilli flakes instead.

Baked Potato Soup with Crispy Potato Skins

This soup is really a meal in itself. It is filling and delicious and if you like Baked Potatoes you will love this! It takes a little bit of time to make since you have to bake the potatoes first but it is well worth it.

4 medium sized baking potatoes, washed & dried

1 tbsp butter

1 tbsp olive oil, plus extra for the potatoes

1 onion, roughly chopped

1 leek, roughly chopped
1 clove of garlic, finely chopped

750ml vegetable or chicken stock

250ml milk

60ml cream

Salt & freshly ground black pepper

For the toppings:

Sour Cream or Greek Yogurt

Grated cheddar cheese

Spring onions or chives, finely chopped

Bacon, cooked til crispy then crumbled into small pieces

Preheat the oven to 220C/425F. Rub a little olive oil over each potato then put in the oven and bake for 20 minutes, then lower the heat to 190C/375F and continue to bake them for a further 45-60 minutes until you have crisp skins and fluffy, cooked centers (check by piercing a small sharp knife into the center of the potatoes to make sure they are tender and soft). Set aside and leave until cool slightly then cut them in half and let them cool some more.

Increase the heat of the oven to 200C/400F.

Once cool enough to handle carefully scoop out the potato flesh leaving the skins intact with enough potato still on them to make potato skins. Set the scooped potato aside. Cut each potato skin in half then put them on a baking tray and drizzle with a little olive oil. Season with salt and pepper then put back in the oven and bake for roughly 20 minutes until golden and crisp.

In a large pan heat the butter with the tablespoon of oil then add the onion and leek and cook for roughly 7 minutes until softened but not coloured. Add the garlic and cook for another minute before adding the cooked potato, stock and seasoning. Leave to cook for 5 minutes then remove from the heat. Leave to cool slightly then liquidize in a blender until smooth. Return the soup to a pan then add the milk and cream. Taste to check the seasoning and adjust if necessary. Keep warm until ready to serve.

Once the potato skins are almost ready remove from the oven then put a little grated cheese on each one. Return them back to the oven just until the cheese has melted. To serve add a small spoonful of sour cream or Greek yogurt to each one then sprinkle over some thinly sliced spring/green onions.

To serve the soup ladle it into 4 bowls then as with the potato skins top with some grated cheese, a little Greek yogurt or Sour Cream, some spring onions and some bacon pieces. Serve at once with the potato skins on the side.

*If you prefer and want to cut out some of the calories serve the potato skins plain - they are still absolutely delicious and perfect for dunking!

Chicken, Vegetable & Barley Soup

When I was recently back home in Scotland I went out quite a lot for lunch and the one thing that I always love when I go out for lunch there, is that the soups are always fantastic. Now to be honest there is no excuses for bad soup, but the thing I love about the soups I had was that they weren't fancy soups with exotic or indulgent ingredients, they were the simplest soups you could imagine, using everyday ingredients. They were the kind of soups that my Gran used to make using good quality stock from the roast they had cooked on the Sunday and using some of the left-over meat along with vegetables that were in the fridge or pantry and sometimes a grain to help bulk it up and turn it into a hearty, nourishing and completely delicious bowl of soup.

This is my version of a soup I had at a wonderful farm shop and restaurant near to Perth. It is definitely a soup that needs a good stock so if you don't have any homemade stock then use the best quality, good tasting stock you can. It's a basic hearty soup so feel free to change the vegetables around and use whatever you have available, and for a vegetarian version simply miss out the chicken and use vegetable stock instead.

150g (¾ cup) pearl barley*

1 tbsp olive oil

1 onion, chopped

1 leek, cleaned and sliced

2 stalks of celery, sliced

2 carrots, peeled & sliced

2 cloves of garlic, crushed

1 medium potato, peeled and cut into cubes

1.5 - 2 litres chicken stock**

Salt & pepper

Couple of handfuls of cooked chicken, shredded or cut into small pieces

2 tbsp parsley, finely chopped

Squeeze of lemon juice to serve (optional)

Rinse the barley well under water then put into a medium sized pan. Cover with cold water, bring to a boil then leave to boil for 10 minutes.

While the barley is boiling heat the oil in a large pan and saute the onion, leek and celery until softened but not coloured (roughly 5-7 minutes). Add the garlic, carrots and potato and stir everything together and cook for a couple of minutes until the barley is ready.

Drain the barley then add to the vegetables along with 1.5 litres of the stock. Season with salt and pepper and leave to simmer for 20-30 minutes or until the barley is cooked and tender. Taste to check the seasoning and adjust if necessary then add the shredded chicken and parsley. Cook for a further 2 minutes just until the chicken is warmed through then if you like spritz with a little lemon juice. Serve at once for a hearty and healthy soup that will warm you up in an instant.

*Depending on the type of pearl barley that you use, you might need to soak it first so follow the instructions on the packet up until the last 20-30 minutes of cooking.

**If the soup isn't all eaten straight away and is left to stand you will need to add more stock to it as it will continue to thicken as the barley soaks up the stock. 

Italian Sausage Soup

My sister-in-law Kim passed this recipe on to me after she made it for her family and it disappeared in an instant! Once I tried it I wasn't surprised – it is amazing and the perfect mid-week meal. The original recipe was for a slow-cooker but I've adapted this one to make it on the stove top. You can make it either way – just whatever is most convenient for you. I've changed the original recipe a little bit just to make more broth as the pasta absorbs a lot and I can promise you, you will want plenty of this soup! A delicious slightly spicy broth, with juicy sausage meatballs, pasta and spinach – it really is a complete meal in a bowl that your family will thank you for and perfect after a long day Christmas shopping!

For the Meatballs:

1lb sausages of your choice (mild Italian work well but use what you can get)

50g/ ½ cup dried bread crumbs

15g/ ¼ cup Parmesan cheese, grated

60ml/ ¼ cup milk

1 large egg

½ tsp Italian seasoning

small pinch of salt

Freshly ground black pepper

For the Soup:

2 litres/ 8 cups good quality chicken stock/broth

2 tbsp tomato puree/paste

1 fat clove of garlic, crushed

¼ – ½ tsp chilli flakes (optional)

85g/ ¾ cup small pasta shapes (I like Ditalini the best but use your favourite)

3 large handfuls of baby spinach leaves (if you prefer you can add more)

To serve:

Parmesan cheese, grated

Pre-heat the oven to 350F/ 180C and line a baking tray with tin foil (aluminium).

Start by making the meatballs by removing the sausage meat from the casing. Put into a bowl along with the rest of the meatball ingredients. Mix well so that everything is well combined then shape into small meatballs. I use my smallest ice cream scoop for this which makes it even quicker and easier to do and means that they are all the same size. Using my ice cream scoop I usually get 35-40 meatballs so aim for that. Bake the meatballs in the oven for 20 minutes until just browned.

While the meatballs are baking make the broth by combining the chicken stock, tomato puree, garlic and chilli flakes in a large pan. Bring to a boil then add the meatballs and cook at a gentle simmer for 10-15 minutes. Increase the heat a little so that it is boiling again and add the pasta. Cook for roughly 10 minutes or according to the time indicated on the packet of pasta, stirring from time to time. As soon as the pasta is ready remove the soup from the heat then add the spinach. Stir well then cover with a lid and leave to sit for 5 minutes to allow the pasta to swell a little more, the spinach to wilt and all the flavours to mingle and become even more delicious!

When ready to serve ladle into bowls and finish with a good sprinkling of parmesan.

*If you would rather make this in a slow-cooker make the meatballs as above then put the stock, tomato puree, garlic and chilli flakes into the slow-cooker/ crock-pot and then add the meatballs once they have been browned in the oven, and cook on low for 5-6 hours. Add the pasta and cook for a further 30 minutes. Once it is tender add the spinach and stir until it has wilted. Serve as above.

Carrot & Lentil Soup

This soup is adapted from a version by Ross Dobson featured in his book, Kitchen Seasons. I had to include it here because it tastes just like the Lentil Soup my Mum used to make. It is not only delicious but hearty and comforting. Nothing else can make you feel better than a steaming hot bowl of this soup.

1 tbsp butter

1 tbsp olive oil

1 onion, sliced

1 leek, sliced

1 clove of garlic, chopped

2 tbsp tomato puree (you can use either sun-dried or normal)

3 carrots, peeled and grated

250g red lentils, rinsed

1.5 litres chicken or vegetable stock

Salt & pepper

A sprinkling of curry powder to serve (optional)

In a large pan melt the butter with the oil. Add the onion and leek and gently sauté for 5 minutes until starting to soften. Add the garlic and tomato puree and cook for a further minute before adding the grated carrots, lentil and stock. Stir everything together then season with some salt and freshly ground black pepper. Cover with a lid and cook over a medium-low heat until the soup comes to a boil, then lower the heat slightly, remove the lid (or have it on at an angle so that it isn't completely covered) and cook for 25-30 minutes or until the lentils are cooked and completely tender, stirring from time to time.

Remove the soup from the heat and leave to cool slightly. At this point you can either serve it as it is – perfect if you prefer a chunkier soup, or you can blitz it up to make a thick and smooth soup (as pictured). And if you really can't decide, it's also delicious when you blend half of it and keep the other half chunky....then you get the best of both worlds!

Heat before serving and if you like, (as I do) finish it off with a little sprinkling of curry powder.

Tomato & Mozzarella Tart

I'm trying to work out how many different ways I can come up with serving my favourite combination of tomato, mozzarella and fresh basil! Here is just another way that I love to enjoy it in the Summer, on a crispy and flaky puff pastry tart. It makes a perfect lunch as it takes no time to make at all but you get all of the wonderful flavours.

If I have some I love to use Tapenade on this tart, but if you don't have any or don't like it then it is just as delicious with some fresh Basil Pesto or for a spicier version, my Spicy Red Pesto. Why not try them all and see which one is your favourite?!

Prawn, Avocado & Mango Salad with Thai Dressing

I absolutely love this salad and have been eating it so much lately that I just had to include it here, especially because if you make my Thai Red Curry with Chicken & Bamboo Shoots then you will have all of the ingredients you need for the salad dressing. It takes no time at all to make and is so light and refreshing – the perfect salad for a hot summer day. The dressing will make more than you need but it keeps in the fridge. Having said that, if you are like me it won’t last long as you will find yourself making this salad lots!

I first published this recipe in August 2010 combined with the Thai Red Curry with Chicken & Bamboo Shoots mentioned above, but I decided it needed a photograph to show how amazing it is and therefore a page to itself! This is Summer food at it's best! Enjoy x

Antipasto

There are 2 reasons why I love Antipasto...The first is I love food I can pick at over a long period of time (or at least I try to make it last a long period of time!), helping myself to little bits of this and that individually, or putting a few things together. The second reason is that Antipasto can be as simple or complicated as you like! Now when I say complicated I don't really mean that, more so just that you can spend a bit more time preparing it, or you can just buy things from a local deli and put it all together on a plate. It is ideal picnic and lunch food, perfect for a casual Italian starter or a light main course enjoyed outside in the garden with a cold glass of sparkling Prosecco! When it comes down to it, Italian food has to be my all time favourite as there are just so many flavours that I love and so antipasto is a perfect course for me.

Below is a list of some of my favourite Antipasti dishes (this list is likely to grow over time!). For a special treat try making it yourself but if you are in a hurry nip down to your local Italian deli and let them do all of the work for you!

A Summers Meal on a Rainy Day....

I have to admit, recently I have been feeling in a little bit of a blogging rut. Lack of inspiration, energy and time has left me drumming my fingers on the laptop and searching my pantry aimlessly, waiting for something to jump out at me that will fill me with a delicious meal and a renewed enthusiasm to write and share. I think it happens to all of us at some point (whether you are a blogger or not), even the most diehard food enthusiast gets stuck from time to time on that age old question “what's for dinner”. Monday night was no exception. Wee One was fed and Hubby was away for the week so it was just me wondering what to eat. I scoured the fridge and decided it was time to use up the asparagus that had been sitting there for the best part of a week and so I decided to opt for a light and delicious Asparagus Soup this time adding a handful of fresh basil at the last moment for an extra fresh Summer flavour.....it got me thinking and my taste buds tingling. Unable to resist the idea of a soup that was warming and filling yet so light and summery I started looking at what else I had that I could eat with the soup and I came up with my new favourite Bruschetta! Grilled and lightly scorched ciabatta, soft, sweet and mellow roasted garlic topped with creamy Boursin cheese and fresh juicy vine-ripened tomatoes mixed with a crisp spring onion and lots of fresh basil. A little dried chilli added a touch of spice and I finished the whole thing off with a good pinch of Maldon salt and a drizzle of Crema di Balsamico.....heaven! It was just what I needed and so good that I knew I would be having the same thing for lunch the next day.....now all I need is a little sun and it really would feel like Summer!

Asparagus & Basil Soup

This is just my usual recipe for Asparagus soup (minus the cream) with a small handful of fresh basil leaves added in at the last moment before blitzing. The result is light, fragrant and completely delicious and the addition of the basil helps keep the soup vibrant green....win-win!

My new favourite Bruschetta