Corn Soup

I'll admit it doesn't look like much in all its beigeness, but corn soup is one of those cheap and easy throw together soups that takes almost no time to prepare and cook and it taste delicious. As sweet and light as you need it to be in Summer while still being a great canvas to carry a bit of stodge in Winter, it's a versatile little bowlful for any time of the year.

Ingredients

2 roasted red peppers, chopped*
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 tbls vegetable oil
4 cups of sweetcorn (fresh or frozen)
3 cups of chicken or vegetable stock
1/2 cup of milk or cream
salt and pepper to taste

* For roasted red peppers you can either take two red peppers and char them on a grill until black, pop them in a plastic bag for ten minutes or so and then remove all the skin and innards, or you can do like I do and keep a jar of roasted red peppers in the fridge. They're even cheaper than buying fresh most of the year too.

• Start by sweating the onion in a large pan in the oil over a low heat until they soften, adding a little salt to the onion helps it release its juice a little quicker.
  
  
• Once the onions have softened, add the red peppers and sweetcorn and stir to combine.
  
  
• Add the chicken stock, bring the soup up to the boil and then reduce to a simmer for 10-15 minutes or until the corn is tender.
  
  
• Remove the soup from the heat and blend. I use a stick blender for this because I like this soup pulpy with a few chunks but if you prefer a smooth soup use a blender or food processor.
  
  
• Transfer the soup back to the pan, add the milk or cream and season to taste. Bring the soup back up to a simmer and serve.
  

I like to use quite a lot of black pepper when I make this for a warmth that builds up to heat while I'm eating, but you can also add some fresh chili if you like.

The soup is also good with some crumbled crispy bacon stirred through, or add some cooked cubed potatoes and a handful of leftover shredded chicken on cold days for a more substantial meal.

You can also make a large pot of this soup and keep in the fridge for easy lunches all week, just leave out the milk when you first make it. Blend the soup and store in the fridge, then add a splash of milk as you reheat each bowlful.

Watercress Soup

After Chloe arrived home from school in the last week of term with a thimble full of watercress which quickly became a hedgerow once she'd planted it in the garden, I had to find a way of using it.  Daily salads just weren't cutting through it fast enough and it was threatening to overtake the garden.

To say that this is a recipe is probably a bit of a stretch as it's incredibly simple to make, but it was also delicious so here we go ...

Ingredients
A large bunch of fresh watercress
1 medium/large leek or 3-4 spring onions
2 medium potatoes, peeled or washed, whichever you prefer
Small knob of butter
1.5 pints of chicken or vegetable stock
A dairy of your choice, I used single cream, but creme fraiche, sour cream or even some soft cream cheese would be lovely.
Salt and Pepper to taste

Start by removing the watercress leaves from the stalks and set to one side.

Chop the watercress stalks, spring onions (or leeks) and potatoes and sweat for a few minutes in the butter over a medium heat.  Don't let the veg take on any colour, you just want them to start to soften in the butter.  Add the stock and bring up to the boil, reduce the heat to a simmer and allow to cook, covered for about 20 minutes or until the potatoes are tender.

Remove the soup from the heat and allow to cool a little before blending until smooth, you can transfer it to a blender if you prefer though I used a stick blender.  Add the watercress leaves and blend again until smooth.  Season to taste.

Bring the soup back to simmering point and serve with a splash of cream (or whatever you prefer) and some good crusty bread.

The soup is surprisingly rich for so few and such simple ingredients and this recipe will make about four adult sized portions.

You don't really need to bother with the garnish, but it does make for a pretty photo.

Ballymoney Oyster Soup

Nothing says "special occasion" like oysters. Luckily we have some fantastic suppliers of beautiful oyster in Ireland. I usually buy mine from Sean Keown in Bangor or occasionally the husband will stop off at Dundrum Bay Oyster Fisheries and pick some up. While in season they're actually pretty reasonably priced.

This is a good recipe for those who have maybe never tried oysters or don't like the idea of eating them raw.

Ingredients

2 large potatoes, cooked until tender
4oz belly of pork or streaky bacon if the belly is hard to come by
1.5 pints of hot milk
36 fresh oysters
1 bouquet garni
salt and pepper
1-2oz butter.

Open the oysters and reserve the liquor, a good fishmonger will do this for you but its easy enough once you get the hang of it.

Dice the belly or pork or bacon and fry gently until cooked without colouring too much.

Mash the potatoes with the hot milk, add the herbs and seasonings and bring to the boil.

Add the pork, oysters and liquor and simmer for a few minutes.

Add butter and serve hot.

This makes about four good sized portions. The soup shouldn't really be made in advance as the oysters will become tough when reheated. Feel free to make up the soup a day ahead and when ready to serve, bring the soup to the boil and add the oysters and liquor at that stage.

Cauliflower Soup with Tarragon

Photo Courtesy of Supriya O on flickr

1 medium onion, finely diced.
a bunch of soup celery or 3 stalks of table celery, finely chopped.
1 tbls butter
2 tbls plain flour
1 litre of vegetable stock
1 cauliflower, chopped
300ml dried reconstituted milk (or fresh)
fat pinch of dried tarragon or small bunch of fresh.
Salt, pepper and cayenne to taste.

Soften celery and onion in butter over a low/medium heat for five minutes then add flour and stir quickly to combine.

Add a little of the stock at a time and stir until about 1/4 of the stock has been added, the remaining stock may be added in 2-3 larger quantities. Allow to cook for a few minutes until mixture has thickened slightly.

Add cauliflower, bring to the boil, reduce heat and cover. Cook until cauliflower is tender (15-20 minutes depending on size of florets).

Remove from heat and allow to cool for a few minutes before blending until smooth, add milk along with the dried tarragon and seasonings (if using fresh wait until just before serving the soup to add), bring back up to simmering point and serve.

A handful or two of grated cheddar may also be added to this soup.