The Borough Market Guide to Soup

THE BOROUGH MARKET GUIDE TO

Soup

From beef shin broth to soupe au pistou: the ultimate collection of Borough Market soup recipes

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KIM LIGHTBODY / COVER IMAGE: NADJA AUERBACH

Tatar shurpa

THE BOROUGH MARKET GUIDE TO

Soup

Soup is one of the most under-appreciated of food categories. It’s also among the broadest. The world is full of soup-like dishes, from Peranakan laksas to Vietnamese pho, Japanese ramen to West African maafe.

You’ll find plenty of the ingredients and inspiration you need for exciting dishes such as these at Borough Market: marrowbones from our butchers, spices from Spice Mountain, all sorts of Asian noodles and sauces from Raya. This recipe collection, though, has a narrower focus. These are soups rooted in the European tradition of simmering meat and vegetables in stock and then mopping it all up with hunks of bread.

Mostly, they’re dishes for a wintery day.

In the words of Paula McIntyre, from the introduction to her hearty beef broth recipe, this is the kind of soup that works as a “culinary defibrillator” when cold weather and post-Christmas ennui leave you in need of a jolt.

Towards the back of the collection, you’ll find a couple of soups that take us into the early weeks of spring, featuring wild garlic and asparagus, and there are even a couple of summery numbers at the end. As they prove, it doesn’t need to be cold for soup to be good.

But soup will always be good when it’s cold.

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Soup opera Ed Smith Jerusalem artichoke soup with hazelnut oil & crispy skins Ed Smith Tatar shurpa Olia Hercules Spiced parsnip & apple soup Lesley Holdship French onion soup Jenny Chandler No-waste pumpkin soup Nadja Auerbach Spiced beetroot soup Kate Young Broccoli, breadcrumb & stilton soup Melissa Hemsley Minestrone Charlotte Pike Beef shin & barley broth Paula McIntyre Italian lentil soup Jenny Chandler Roast tomato soup with Ibérico paleta Ed Smith Wild garlic soup Tim Maddams Asparagus soup Jenny Chandler Soupe au pistou Beca Lyne-Pirkis

SOUP OPERA Ed Smith

It’s reasonable to assume we’ve been cooking and consuming soup from the moment mud pots and clay cooking vessels were first shaped by human hand. It must now be one of the most universal and emotive of dishes – cream of tomato soup when you’re feeling unwell, chicken soup for the soul.

Soup comes in so many guises that its omnipresence should not be surprising.

To underline the point, in various dictionaries ‘soup’ is quite vaguely defined as “a liquid dish”. It can also be an adjective, a noun, and a verb. So that’s … helpful.

Let’s see if we can do better. Typically, soup is savoury. (But not always.) It can be thin or thick; textural or creamy; a rustic broth with scraggy bits in, or a velvety velouté (yes, that is a tautology). Soup is warming and sustaining. It’s also cooling and palate cleansing. A shot or small bowl of soup is often used to wake the taste buds at the start of a meal (to enliven both you and your conversation), but can also be so soporifically steadying that a big bowl will send you straight to bed. The possibilities are pretty much limitless. Homely and comforting, or intriguing and transportive. Soup can be everything to everyone. Hmmm.

By and large, though, we’re on safe ground if we say that soup is frequently thrifty, tasty and wholesome. Indeed, it’s often a particularly brilliant way to use up ingredients that might soon be (or already are) labelled as ‘past it’ or even ‘waste’: peel and chunk up a few vegetables; simmer with aromatics, maybe a bit of spice, or some stock you made following a Sunday roast; blitz it, and that’s lunch or dinner sorted. With a few tweaks, that basic method can be applied to a huge variety of ingredients.

This supplement is the perfect example of soup’s infinite diversity. There are 14 recipes here. However, I’m sure that on another day, a different but equally mouthwatering 14 could have been chosen. Then a day later, 14 more.

I’m quite sure I’d want to dive spoon-first into all of them. Yet while each of those soups would have its own, unique, qualities, a few interchangeable characteristics would be repeated. Because there are very definitely some repeatable tips for making soups that both nourish and excite. So enjoy the soups that follow. But also feel free to tweak, twist and embellish them. Or cook something completely different, while bearing my eight rules of soup-making in mind...

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Use ‘waste’ as the starting point. We’ve already mentioned vegetables on their last legs.

Other leftover ingredients can also provide inspiration: pair the last few rashers of bacon or lardons with lentils; the end of a jar of chickpeas could be matched with any stock, some leeks and parmesan; gnarly, nobbly bits of cheddar and leftover boiled potatoes will become far more than the sum of their parts; the pickings of a chicken carcass should prompt a noodle soup.

Soup what’s in front of you.

By which I mean: don’t spend too long planning, or seeking ingredients. Because it’s often the case that the most rewarding soups are conjured from things close to hand – whether that’s your fridge and cupboards; or perhaps you’ve taken inspiration from vegetables that are suddenly in season and in abundance at the greengrocers.Hold onto this supplement for soups that celebrate the springtime arrival of the wild garlic and asparagus seasons.

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Spice it up. It’s no accident that so many of the very best soups have the word ‘spice’ or a specific spice named in their title.

Soup loves bold seasoning and embraces whichever aromatic and enticing direction your spice drawer wants to take it in. See for example, see Kate Young’s spiced beetroot soup.

Be generous with fresh herbs.

In part because of the freshness and fragrance that they bring.

But also because, again, soups are an excellent way to ensure those herbs you bought for another recipe do not go unused. Olia Hercules’s tatar sherpa uses a whole bunch of coriander. So many of the other soups here also suggest (or would enjoy) a handful of parsley, a flutter of dill, a few basil leaves, and so on.

DON’T SPEND TOO LONG PLANNING, OR SEEKING INGREDIENTS. IT’S OFTEN THE CASE THAT THE MOST REWARDING SOUPS ARE CONJURED FROM THINGS CLOSE TO HAND

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The best soups are interesting from first spoon to last. Broths with bits in (such as Beca Lyne-Pirkis’s soupe au pistou) and textural soups (like Jenny Chandler’s lentil soup) have a head start. But to my mind every good soup has a garnish (or three).

A cooling splodge of yoghurt or cream helps, as does the addition of some reserved ingredients or peels, chopped up or fried. You can see this here in my jerusalem artichoke soup. This is actually another great way to avoid waste – for example, via seeds and nuts that might otherwise go stale in their packets in your cupboard, or croutons made from the end of a loaf in your bread bin.

Add beans, pulses and grains.

For bulk, nourishment and also for the ‘keep things interesting’ point, consider whether your soup would benefit from a handful of barley, some rice or broken pasta.

Have you got a jar of dried lentils or beans sitting in the cupboard that never seems to get used? Or some already-cooked pulses from a previous meal? Chuck them into your broth. A number of the soups here suggest exactly that.

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Remember that anything can soup. Sometimes it is the most unpromising or seemingly unlikely ingredients that contribute the biggest, most delectable flavours.

The scrag end broth and Angela Clutton’s mussel number are superb examples of that.

That said, you can’t beat a classic. In here you’ll see a slowroast tomato soup, French onion, and minestrone. See also: borscht, broccoli and stilton, seafood chowder, and on, and on, and on.

JERUSALEM ARTICHOKE SOUP WITH HAZELNUT OIL & CRISPY SKINS Ed Smith Serves 4-6 The flavour of jerusalem artichokes is remarkable – they’ve a unique combination of earthy, sweet and mineral. Still, all soups need additional textures and contrasting flavours to ensure everyone remains interested after the third spoonful. Here, surplus peelings are roasted to create croutons, a few slices of raw artichoke are added for further crunch, and the soup is finished with a swirl of cooling creme fraiche and a drop or two of hazelnut oil from Fitz Fine Foods. This classy, velvety soup and its embellishments can be made in advance, to be reheated and assembled at the last minute.

Ingredients 30g butter 1 onion, chopped 2 medium leeks, trimmed, finely sliced and washed 1kg jerusalem artichokes, 900g of them peeled and cut into 2cm chunks (skin reserved), 100g unpeeled 250g floury potatoes, peeled and cut into 2cm chunks (skin reserved) 6 sprigs of thyme, leaves picked Parmesan rind (optional) 1.3 litres hot vegetable or chicken stock Hazelnut oil, for drizzling 100g full-fat creme fraiche 3 cloves of garlic, crushed Chopped chives or parsley (optional) Method

Put the chunks of artichoke and peeled potato in the saucepan, along with the thyme leaves, garlic and parmesan rind (if using). Reduce the temperature to low, place a lid on top and cook gently for 15 mins, stirring occasionally.

Pour the stock into the pan and simmer for a further 30 mins until the artichokes are completely soft. Use a hand-held blender, food processor or stand blender to puree the soup until velvety smooth.

Just after the artichoke and potatoes are added to the saucepan, toss the vegetable peelings in 1 tbsp vegetable or sunflower oil then scatter them over a baking tray in one layer – use a fork to spread the peelings out so they roast and crisp up, rather than clump and become soggy. Place towards the top of the hot oven and roast for 10-15 mins until golden and crisp, shuffling them around after about 8 mins. Remove, sprinkle with lots of salt and a few drops of hazelnut oil, mix, and try to avoid eating them before the soup is ready. If making in advance, store in an air-tight container at room temperature.

Check the soup is at a desirable consistency – it should be neither too watery nor thick like a purée; cook to evaporate liquid or add a splash more as necessary. Once happy, season generously with salt and black pepper and serve with a dollop of creme fraiche and a generous swirl of hazelnut oil in each bowl, plus a scattering of chives or parsley (if using) and a handful of the peeling crisps. Finally, slice the reserved artichokes very thinly (with a mandoline if you have one), and add a few to each bowl to garnish.

Heat the oven to 240C. Melt the butter in a large, heavy-based saucepan over a medium heat. Add the onion, leek and a pinch of flaky sea salt and cook for 4-5 mins until softened but not coloured, stirring frequently.

Recipe from The Borough Market Cookbook

by Ed Smith (Hodder & Stoughton)

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ISSY CROKER

Jerusalem artichokes Stark’s Fruiterers Hazelnut oil Fitz Fine Foods Chicken stock Wyndham House Poultry

TATAR SHURPA Olia Hercules Serves 6

Method

In central Asia, this is often a campfire dish, done by the riverside. But I often make it in my kitchen. It’s a perfect dish for weather where you still need warmth and nourishment, but are ready for fresh flavours.

Start by making a stock. Pop the lamb, onion, whole carrots and celery into a large pot with 4 litres of cold water, season lightly with salt and bring to the boil. Skim off the froth and lower the heat right down. Simmer for a couple of hours or until the lamb is soft and falls off the bone. Make sure the meat is always covered by water. If too much water evaporates, just top up with some cold water, skimming the fat off the top.

Ingredients 2 lamb shanks (or lots of lamb bones) 1 large onion, skin on 2 carrots, scrubbed 2 celery sticks, chopped 1 large red pepper, sliced 1 carrot, scrubbed, cut into rounds 2 tomatoes, grated or chopped 1 red chilli, sliced 1 bunch of coriander, roughly chopped (save some leaves for garnish) 3 cloves of garlic, peeled and roughly chopped 1 tsp sea salt

When the stock is ready, strain it into a large bowl, reserving the meat. Get rid of the vegetables – their work is done.

Pull the meat off the bone and put it back into the pot, along with the stock. Add the red pepper, chopped carrot, tomatoes and red chilli and cook for 5-7 mins. Season well.

Blitz the garlic, coriander and salt in a food processor, adding a little bit of the hot stock to help it blend into a smooth paste. Either stir this through the Tatar shurpa or serve it on the side.

Serve with some extra coriander sprinkled on top.

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Lamb shanks Northfield Farm Carrots Paul Crane Sea salt Le Marché du Quartier

KIM LIGHTBODY

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SPICED PARSNIP & APPLE SOUP WITH PARSNIP CRISPS Lesley Holdship Serves 6

Method

In central Asia, this is often a campfire dish, done by the riverside. But I often make it in my kitchen. It’s a perfect dish for weather where you still need warmth and nourishment, but are ready for fresh flavours.

Heat the butter in a large pan then cook the onion for 5-6 mins until lovely and soft. Next add the spices and cook for a few minutes more.

Ingredients 25g butter 1 large onion, peeled and finely chopped 1tsp ground cumin 1 tsp ground coriander 1 tsp ground cinnamon 1kg parsnips, peeled and cubed 2 eating apples, peeled and cubed 1.5 litres vegetable stock 150ml milk For the garnish: 2 small parsnips 2 tbsp oil 1 eating apple A knob of butter

Add the cubed parsnip and apples, turning them in the buttery onions to coat. Cook for a few minutes in this way then pour in the stock and milk. Season generously.

Simmer for 15-20 mins until the parsnip tests soft with a table knife, then liquidise until really smooth.

To make the garnish, preheat the oven to 180C. Peel the two small parsnips then, using a swivel peeler, continue peeling lengthways, taking off wafer-thin slices. Place them on a baking sheet, pour over the oil and sprinkle with some sea salt. Using your hands, turn to coat everything then bake for 15 mins until golden. The crisps may not be very crisp when you bring them out of the oven but they will become so quickly!

Dice the eating apple and saute in the butter until golden.

Serve generous bowls of soup scattered with the sauteed apple dice and parsnip crisps.

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Parsnips Hickson & Daughter Spices Spice Mountain Butter Hook & Son

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FRENCH ONION SOUP Jenny Chandler Serves 4

Method

The depth and richness of this soup is all down to the long, slow caramelisation of the onions. It’s worth waiting until they become intensely golden, almost copper-y – if you do, this frugal dish can taste sublime. I’d always double, or even triple, the quantity of onions, filling the fridge or freezer with more delicious opportunities. Top the soup with croutons of crusty baguette and the best gruyere-style cheese that you can buy – there are some fabulous varieties in the Market.

Slice the onions finely – don’t worry if you have a mountain, they will collapse and reduce once you begin to cook them. Melt the butter in a large sauté or frying pan and add the onions, along with a good pinch of salt and a grind of black pepper.

Ingredients 1kg onions 30g butter 1 heaped tbsp flour 250ml dry white wine 1½ litres beef, chicken or vegetable stock 1 bay leaf 1 sprig of thyme Wine vinegar, to taste (optional) Brown sugar, to taste (optional) Baguette, cut into 12 thin slices 150g gruyere or similar cheese, grated

Cook the onion gently, stirring regularly, for anything between 45 mins and 1 hour (larger quantities will take a little longer). The onions will collapse and become almost creamy – the idea is to caramelise but never burn them.

The colour and savoury depth of the soup is all down to patience here, so do allow the flesh to become a really deep gold.

Add the flour to the pan and stir it into the onions, cooking it for 2 mins. Slowly pour in the wine, stirring all the time, and allow the pan to come up to the boil. Tip in the stock – I love the richness of a good beef stock, but that’s up to you. Add the herbs and simmer for about 15 mins. Balance the soup with salt, pepper, vinegar and even a little sugar if needed.

Place slices of baguette on an oven tray and top with the grated cheese. Grill the croutons for 2 mins, until the cheese is melting and bubbly. Serve the hot soup in bowls, topped with a pair of croutons.

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Shop Onions Le Marché du Quartier Baguette Olivier’s Bakery Gruyere Mons Cheesemongers

NO-WASTE PUMPKIN SOUP Nadja Auerbach Serves 4 This recipe turns roasted pumpkin flesh into a delicious, gently spiced soup, topped with crunchy pumpkin seeds. Make sure you’re using a pumpkin of the culinary variety, as opposed to an ornamental gourd or a pumpkin meant for carving!

Ingredients 1 medium pumpkin (approx 800g) 1 medium red onion, roughly diced 2 large or 3 medium cloves of garlic, crushed 1 tbsp cumin 1 tbsp ground coriander ½ tsp turmeric 1 can of full-fat coconut milk 1 vegetable stock cube Method Preheat the oven to 200C. Cut the pumpkin in half and scoop out the seeds. Set the seeds aside for later. Drizzle the pumpkin halves with olive oil and place on a large baking tray, cut-side down. Roast for 30-40 mins, turning halfway, until very soft and beginning to caramelise.

the crushed garlic cloves, 1 tsp sea salt and several grinds of black pepper. Sauté until soft, then add the cumin, coriander and turmeric and stir for a further 3 mins, until the spices are aromatic. Add the coconut milk and stock cube and stir to combine. Simmer for 20 mins, then remove from the heat.

Once the pumpkin is cooled, roughly chop into 6cm pieces. Transfer to a blender and pour over the coconut milk and the onion mixture. Blend until smooth. Pumpkins can vary in water content, so if your soup is too thick, keep adding water, a couple of tablespoons at a time, until it reaches your desired consistency.

Garnish with fresh black pepper, parsley or coriander, and top with the crunchy roasted pumpkin seeds.

Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.

Meanwhile, separate the pumpkin seeds. Add the seeds to a mixing bowl with a drizzle of olive oil and pinch of salt and pepper. Spread them out on their own small baking tray.

When the pumpkin is halfway through roasting, add the seeds to the oven, either next to or below the pumpkin tray, and roast for around 15 mins, until golden and crunchy.

When ready, remove both trays from the oven too and leave to cool.

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Pumpkin Hickson & Daughter Spices Spice Mountain Coconut milk Raya

NADJA AUERBACH

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SPICED BEETROOT SOUP Kate Young Serves 6

Method

This soup is gloriously beautiful to look at – a rich purée in a bright purple-pink that would work just as well as a lipstick as it does in soup form. Find some rye bread to dip into it and serve in generous portions in deep bowls.

Scrub the carrots, potatoes and beetroot.

Peel the onions and ginger. Dice the vegetables into roughly even pieces.

Warm the oil in a saucepan and tip in the vegetables. Add the mustard seeds and season with salt and black pepper.

Cook for 5 mins.

Ingredients 2 large carrots 2 waxy potatoes 5 beetroots 2 medium brown onions A thumb-sized piece of ginger 1 tbsp groundnut oil 1 tsp mustard seeds Creme fraiche or sour cream, to serve Dill fronds, to serve Rye bread, to serve

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Add 600ml water and bring to the boil.

Reduce to a simmer and cook for 40 mins, until the vegetables are soft. Remove from the heat, allow to cool a little, then blitz to a smooth purée in a blender or with a stab mixer.

Warm through (or chill completely – it works cold too) and serve with creme fraiche and dill.

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Shop Beetroots Hickson & Daughter Mustard seeds Spice Mountain Rye bread Karaway Bakery

BROCCOLI, BREADCRUMB & STILTON SOUP Melissa Hemsley Serves 6

Method

This twist on the classic broccoli and stilton soup celebrates some of my favourite Borough traders. I grew up in southwest London and started shopping here 20 years ago when I had my first job on Bermondsey Street and used to race down the road for lunch. When I started my food career as a private chef, I was based in Stockwell so shopped here most days and got to know lots of the incredible traders. Cheese-wise, I’d suggest Cropwell Bishop Beauvale from Heritage Cheese. I’ll head to Ted’s Veg for my veg and to Spice Mountain for the most peppery black pepper. I also love Bread Ahead’s bread and the olive oil from Oliveology.

Heat 3 tbsp olive oil in a large pot. Once warm, add the leeks, season with salt and pepper and fry over a medium heat for 10 mins or so, until very soft. Add the potato and stock, bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cook with the lid on for 12-15 mins until the potatoes are tender.

Ingredients For the soup: 2 big leeks, finely chopped 1 large potato, cut into roughly 3cm chunks 1.75 litres vegetable or chicken stock 2 heads of broccoli, cut into florets, stems chopped 150g stilton For the breadcrumbs: 4 handfuls of fresh breadcrumbs 4 tbsp olive oil 2 cloves of garlic, smashed A handful of thyme or rosemary leaves

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Meanwhile, use a slice or two of stale bread to make large breadcrumbs. Put 4 tbsp olive oil in a large frying pan over a medium-high heat.

Once hot, add the breadcrumbs and some salt and pepper. Fry for 2-3 mins until just starting to turn golden then add the smashed garlic and continue to cook for another 2 mins, until the breadcrumbs are very golden and crisp. Remove from the heat and stir in the herbs.

Add the broccoli to the soup and cook for 5 mins until tender and bright green.

Remove from the heat, blitz until smooth, then crumble in roughly half of the stilton.

Stir to combine and melt slightly. Taste for seasoning.

Ladle the soup into bowls and let everyone help themselves to breadcrumbs, the rest of the stilton, lots of black pepper and an extra drizzle of olive oil.

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Stilton Heritage Cheese Bread Bread Ahead Broccoli Ted’s Veg

MELISSA HEMSLEY

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MINESTRONE Charlotte Pike Serves 4-6

Method

Make this soup in advance and it will last for most of a week for lunches: it really is a meal in a bowl. It also freezes well in individual portions. A little parmesan will elevate the flavour of this soup from good to something really special. If you buy parmesan cheese, always save the rind!

Heat the oil in a large pan. Add the onion, garlic and leek and allow to cook over a moderate heat for around 10 mins until softened and the onion is translucent.

Ingredients 1 tbsp olive oil 1 large onion, finely chopped 3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped 1 leek, sliced into thin rings 1 large carrot, peeled and cut into 1cm dice 2 medium courgettes, cut into 1cm dice 2 rashers of smoked bacon, cut into 1cm chunks (optional) 2 x 400g tins of chopped tomatoes 1 x 400g tin of cannellini beans, drained and rinsed 100g kale, chopped into small pieces, with any tough pieces removed 100g small dried pasta shapes 1.3 litres hot chicken stock 1 piece of parmesan rind (optional)

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Add the carrot, courgette and bacon and cook for a further 5 mins, stirring continuously.

Add the tomatoes, beans and kale and stir well. Next, add the pasta shapes, hot stock, parmesan rind and salt and pepper. Stir and allow to simmer for 45 mins before serving.

Serve in bowls, topped with a little extra grated parmesan, if you like.

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Shop Bacon Ginger Pig Cannellini beans Gastronomica Market Chicken stock Wyndham House Poultry

BEEF SHIN & BARLEY BROTH WITH TREACLE FARLS Paula McIntyre Serves 4 I was brought up on this broth. You’d be playing in the snow in a skirt and some wee socks, and there was probably a leak in your shoe, and you’d come home with hypothermia. This soup probably saved my life – it was like a culinary defibrillator.

Ingredients For the broth: 750g bone-in shin of beef 2 medium onions, peeled and chopped 100g pearl barley, soaked for 2 hours 2 sticks of celery, chopped (plus a handful of the dark leaves) 1 carrot, peeled and chopped 1 small leek, washed and chopped A handful of chopped parsley For the whipped butter and buttermilk: 500ml double cream Whole milk 1 tsp cider vinegar 4 spring onions, finely chopped For the farls: 225g plain flour 1½ tsp baking soda ½ tsp salt 100g wholemeal flour 25g porridge oats 1 tbsp treacle 325ml buttermilk

celery sticks and carrot. Cook for 30 mins, then add the leek and cook for 20 mins.

Remove the beef. Let it rest for 10 mins, then shred with a fork and add it back to the broth.

Add more water if required. Finely chop the leaves of the celery and add to the broth with the parsley. Check the seasoning.

To make the butter, place the cream in a bowl, add a pinch of salt and whisk with an electric beater until the mixture forms thick yellow curd – as you do so, try to cover the bowl with a tea towel, as it splashes a bit when the butter separates from the liquid (the buttermilk). When the mixture has formed a good clump of butter, lift it from the buttermilk and place in a sieve over a bowl.

Poor the buttermilk into a measuring jug, together with any drained liquid from the butter, then add enough whole milk to bring it up to 325ml. Add the cider vinegar and stir well.

Place the drained butter in a bowl and whisk until pale. Add the spring onions and whisk for a further 1 min.

To make the farls, mix the plain flour, baking soda, salt, wholemeal flour and oats in a bowl.

Make a well in the centre. Whisk the treacle with the buttermilk and pour into the well.

Mix to a soft dough.

Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a saucepan until smoking hot. Season the beef shin with sea salt and seal on both sides for 2 mins. Add the onions and cover with cold water. Bring to a simmer and cook for 30 mins. Drain the barley and add to the pan. Simmer for 45 mins, then add the chopped

Turn onto a floured surface and knead gently into a ball. Flatten to a 2cm-thick round and cut into four farls. Leave for 10 mins. Heat a heavy-based frying pan over a medium heat.

Add the farls to the pan with a gap between them. Cook for 4 mins each side then stack on their sides to cook through. Cool on a wire rack for a few minutes. Split the farls in half, spread over the butter and serve alongside the broth.

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KIM LIGHTBODY

Shin of beef Northfield Farm Cider vinegar The Olive Oil Co Cream Neal’s Yard Dairy

ITALIAN LENTIL SOUP Jenny Chandler Serves 6

Method

Ingredients

Fry the onion, carrot and celery in a saucepan with the olive oil until soft but not coloured.

This is the classic Italian soffritto, the base of so many great dishes. The secret is to cook it gently which brings out the natural sweetness.

1 medium onion, finely chopped 1 medium carrot, finely chopped 1 stick of celery, finely chopped 300g small brown lentils such as castellucio 2 garlic cloves, crushed 2 bay leaves 700ml passata Plenty of freshly chopped parsley 100g parmesan cheese, shaved with a vegetable peeler Extra virgin olive oil

Meanwhile check the lentils for any little stones and rinse in a sieve. Add the garlic and lentils to the soffritto and stir until you can smell the garlic. Throw in the bay leaves and cover the lentils by about 3cm of water.

Bring the pan to the boil and then reduce to a simmer for about half an hour, until the lentils are soft but still intact. The length of time this takes will depend on the lentils so keep checking and adding a little more water if they are looking dry.

Stir in most of the passata, warm through and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Keep some passata back to heat through and swirl around the soup bowl as you serve, otherwise, though delicious, the dish can look a little murky. Serve with plenty of parsley and parmesan, a swirl of passata and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.

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JOHN HOLDSHIP

Lentils Raya Passata De Calabria Parmesan Bianca Mora

ROAST TOMATO SOUP WITH IBÉRICO PALETA Ed Smith Serves 4

Method

Slow roasting tomatoes encourages a depth of flavour that you just don’t get in a normal tomato soup; there’s buckets of umami too. But even the best soups need embellishments to ensure your interest is maintained from first to last spoonful. Here, I suggest topping with crunchy croutons made from the end of your loaf and, more significantly, strips of Ibérico paleta – the cured, air-dried shoulder of the same pigs whose back legs become jamón Ibérico de bellota. There aren’t many things that could stand up to the intensity of the soup, but this meat does.

Heat the oven to 170C. Lay the tomatoes on a large roasting or baking tray (or two, if necessary), with cut side facing up. Sprinkle each with a few flakes of good salt – you’ll need five or six pinches overall. Then drizzle each with extra virgin olive oil and a few drops of sherry vinegar, dust with the sugar and pick the thyme leaves over the top. Place in the oven for 30 mins, during which time the tomatoes will start to slowly cook down, with plenty of moisture coming out. Add the garlic bulb into the tray – rolling and submerging it in tomato liquor – and cook the tomatoes for 60-90 mins more, depending on their size, until all are shrunken and shrivelled, with just a tablespoon or two’s worth of sticky juices left in the pan.

Ingredients 2kg ripe tomatoes, halved Sea salt flakes Extra virgin olive oil 2 tbsp sherry vinegar 1 heaped tbsp granulated sugar 3 sprigs of thyme 1 bulb of garlic 1 banana shallot, finely diced For the stock: 3 large carrots, peeled and roughly chopped 2 celery sticks, roughly chopped 1 litre water To garnish: 50g Ibérico paleta 1 slice of sourdough, torn into croutons

Meanwhile, make a stock by combining the carrots, celery and water in a saucepan.

Bring to the boil then simmer for 40 mins.

Drain the stock into a jug and eat the vegetables alongside another meal if you can.

When the tomatoes are ready, put a little oil in a saucepan over a medium heat. Gently sweat and soften the diced shallot for 3 mins before adding the tomatoes and stock.

Squeeze the garlic into the pan too, bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer for 15 mins. Stir occasionally – the tomatoes will break down a little, but the soup is meant to be textured.

Fry the bread in olive oil with salt and garlic too if you wish. Tear the paleta length-ways along the direction of the fat and sinew.

Check the tomato soup for seasoning, adding more salt and sherry vinegar to taste. Then decant into four bowls, top with the croutons and ham and a splash of extra virgin olive oil.

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ED SMITH

Tomatoes Paul Crane Ibérico paleta Brindisa Sourdough Bread Ahead

WILD GARLIC SOUP Tim Maddams Serves 4

Method

I’ve always been fascinated by the way that the wild harvest seems so in tune with my appetite. It’s as though nature is reminding me who’s in charge. By the time the wild garlic starts peeking its head above ground in the very early spring, I am more than ready for it – my foodie self is crying out for the pungent goodness of its super-green chlorophyll-stuffed leaves, and I never hold back from them.

This recipe is the very essence of simplicity.

In a large pan, begin to sweat the onion and potato in the rapeseed oil. Season this well and let it cook until the potato is fairly tender, about 15 mins. Stir regularly and pay attention to how it’s getting on.

Ingredients 1 onion, peeled and chopped 2 large potatoes, scrubbed and chopped 50ml rapeseed oil 500g wild garlic 4 medium eggs

In the meantime, wash and re-wash your wild garlic leaves. Remember: dogs, foxes, badgers and drunken youths may well have passed by the garlic before it was picked for you. And on a less worrisome but no less important point, it loves sandy soil and you do not want crunchy soup.

Roughly chop the garlic leaves. Add water to the potatoes and onions until just covered.

Bring to a simmer. When – and only when – the potato is tender, add the wild garlic leaves and cook for just 1 min. If the soup gets overcooked at this stage it will lose its vibrant green colour.

Remove the soup to a good jug blender and blend until smooth and green. Leave the mixer running for at least 1 min – it’s a long time with all that noise, but worth it for the texture and colour that result. Season the soup and either return it to the pan or into an oven-proof casserole dish.

Crack four eggs carefully into the still hot soup and place in a hot oven for 6 mins – you don’t want the soup to re-boil, you just want to partially set the eggs (runny yolks are a must).

While the soup is finishing in the oven, grill some very good bread until nicely crisp and charred, place this on the table along with the soup and some good butter, with salt and pepper to hand.

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JOHN HOLDSHIP

Potatoes Hickson & Daughter Rapeseed oil Condiment Pantry Eggs Northfield Farm

ASPARAGUS SOUP Jenny Chandler Serves 4

Method

The sheer simplicity of this soup is its strength – no rich chicken stock or exotic garnishes required. It’s all about the pure, unadulterated taste of asparagus. Wild garlic adds a perfect, subtle hint of garlic and makes a great excuse for a walk in the woods or a trip to see Noel at Fitz Fine Foods. You could add peas (fresh or frozen) to the soup too and perhaps garnish with some crispy bits of bacon.

Roughly chop the woody asparagus and simmer in 1 litre water for about half an hour. Strain off the stock and throw out the asparagus. Top up with a little water if your stock has reduced a lot – you require about 1 litre.

Ingredients 200g woody asparagus stumps 2 medium leeks 50g butter 1 tbsp flour 300g tender asparagus 50ml double cream 10 young wild garlic leaves or a few finely chopped chives

Meanwhile, chop the remaining asparagus roughly, perhaps keeping a few tips aside for a garnish (just blanch these for 2 mins in boiling water).

Prepare the leeks, discarding the outer layer and tough green tops. Chop finely and rinse to remove any grit. Melt the butter in a large saucepan, add the leeks with a pinch of salt and cook over a low heat until soft but not coloured.

Once the leeks are soft, stir in the flour and cook for 2 mins before slowly adding the asparagus stock, stirring all the time.

Add the chopped asparagus and cook for about 5 mins, or until just tender (it will depend a little on the thickness). Blend the soup, add the cream and balance with salt and pepper.

Slice the garlic leaves as finely as possible and garnish the soup before serving.

Add the asparagus tips too if using.

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KIM LIGHTBODY

Leeks Hickson & Daughter Asparagus Stark’s Fruiterers Wild garlic Fitz Fine Foods

SOUPE AU PISTOU Beca Lyne-Pirkis Serves 4-6

Method

A summery vegetable soup topped with a classic Provençal basil and garlic sauce.

Start by making the pistou so that it has time to steep. Blitz the garlic, basil, parmesan and half of the oil in a food processor. Drizzle in the remaining oil until the pistou has loosened slightly in consistency but is still thick enough to dollop. Keep in a sterile jar until needed.

Ingredients For the pistou: 1 clove of garlic 1 large bunch of basil, stalk and leaves 30g grated parmesan 100-125ml olive oil For the soup: 2 tbsp olive oil 1 onion, finely chopped 2 celery sticks, finely chopped 200g small or mini new potatoes, cleaned and cut into quarters 200g carrots, peeled and finely chopped (or simply cleaned if small) 2 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced 200g green or runner beans, topped and tailed and cut into 2cm pieces 2 courgettes, chopped into 2cm pieces 1 jar of cannellini or haricot beans, drained and rinsed

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Prep and chop all your vegetables before you start cooking. In a large saucepan, sweat the onion and celery over a medium heat, stirring occasionally until soft. This will take around 10 mins. Add in the potatoes and carrots and a pinch of salt and continue to cook for a further 5 mins – you can use a lid on the pan to help sweat the vegetables and keep the flavour in.

After this time, add in the garlic, green or runner beans, courgettes and drained beans.

Add in enough water to cover the vegetables and beans, give everything a good stir and add another good pinch of salt. Leave to bubble, stirring occasionally, for around 15 mins or until the potatoes are cooked.

Taste to check the seasoning, before serving in shallow bowls with a dollop of pistou on top and some warm gougères on the side.

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