Any new season is, for me, an exciting time.
As much as autumn brings cooler temperatures and darker nights, there’s also something special about those cool, fresh crisp bright days, and all the wonderful rich autumnal colours that take over our streets.
The same goes for the collection of autumn produce that arrives fresh at our kitchen door – the shades of orange from root vegetables like pumpkin and squash, the vivid purples of beetroot, blackberries and plums that are bang in season at this time of year: there’s so much to enjoy.
Autumn always calls for cosy nights in, and nothing quite comforts like a hearty seasonal soup. Soups can actually be a great way to experiment with different seasonal flavours and textures and have fun in the kitchen. They tend to be quick and easy to make, so it’s a good chance to push yourself and try something new. The great thing is you can make a big batch of soup, leave it to cook slowly, then make the most of it for lunches, starters and even suppers.
Adding a twist to your soup can not only be a good way to try something new, but it can transform a dish from a light starter into a hearty meal. I love to add some Parma ham, croutons and pumpkin seeds to add texture and flavour to my pumpkin soup and the addition of a perfectly poached egg turns it into an ideal midweek supper.
Adding leftover meat to your soups is another great way to make them filling and full of flavour, and it’s also the ideal way to use up leftovers. The richness of ox tongue or black pudding can be a perfect partner to smooth, creamy cauliflower soup, and a traditional lentil broth can be lifted with the addition of some smoky ham hock.
The key is to let the produce speak for itself and bring in ingredients that enhance the natural flavours. Do so, and you’ll be able to enjoy the best of what autumn has to offer in a big warming, comforting, delicious bowl of soup.
Cauliflower soup with crispy ox tongue
The ingredients
- 2 tbsp olive oil /50g butter
- 2 onions – thinly sliced
- 2 cloves garlic – finely chopped
- 1 small leek – white part, thinly sliced
- 1 celery stick
- 1 cauliflower head – cut into small florets
- 1 litre vegetable stock
- For the Ox tongue:
- 1 large onion
- 1 large carrot
- 4 celery sticks
- 2 leeks
- 1 bunch of parsley stalks
- 1 head of garlic, broken into cloves
- 1 bouquet garni
- 1 fresh ox tongue
- 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
- Salt to season
The method
- In a heavy bottomed pan, sweat the sliced onions gently in the oil & butter for 4-5 minutes until soft.
- Add the chopped garlic, sliced leek and celery and sweat for a further 2 minutes until soft.
- Add the cauliflower pieces and sweat for 2-3 minutes.
- Add enough stock to cover the vegetables and simmer until cauliflower is just tender/ cooked through.
- Top up the stock level if needed as it simmers. Leave to cool slightly before blending until smooth.
For the ox tongue
- Bring a large pot of seasoned water to the boil. Dice all the vegetables, add them to the pan with garlic and bouquet garni, and bring back to the boil.
- Then add the tongue and reduce the heat to a simmer. Cook for about 4 hours or until the meat is very tender.
- Once the tongue is cooked, lift it out and carefully remove the skin while it’s still warm. Also remove any glands, excess fat and gristle, then leave the tongue to rest and set in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.
- Cut it into cubes and then fry in a heated, oiled pan until golden brown and crispy on both sides.
- Sprinkle on top of the soup to garnish with a little olive oil.
Lentil broth
The ingredients
- 300g Puy lentils (rinsed)
- 2 whole carrots – diced
- 1 small celeriac – diced
- 1 ham hock – smoked
- 1 tablespoon chopped parsley
- Salt to taste, if required
- Cracked black pepper
For the mirepoix:
- 1 carrot – roughly chopped
- 1 small onion – roughly chopped
- 1 stick of celery – roughly chopped
- 2 cloves of garlic
- 1 bouquet garni
The method
- Place the ham hock in a heavy bottom pan, and cover with cold water. Bring it to the boil, and skim the surface.
- Add the mirepoix vegetables, and simmer for 2-3 hours until the ham is just falling off the bone – tasting the liquid to see if it needs additional seasoning.
- Leave the ham to cool in the broth.
- Take some of the liquid stock, and add to another pot, then add the lentils – simmer gently for 45 minutes until just tender.
- After 35 minutes, add the diced vegetables and cook for another 10 minutes.
- Once cooked, and the ham hock is cool enough to handle, shred the meat from the bone, and remove any fatty sinew so you have lovely chunks of meat.
- Add the meat back into the pan with the lentils and vegetables, and bring to the boil.
- Serve in large bowls and garnish with parsley and cracked black pepper.
Pumpkin soup with poached egg
The ingredients
- 1 large pumpkin, peeled & de-seeded
- 1 onion, sliced
- 1.2L chicken or vegetable stock
- 2 tablespoons honey
- Quarter teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 3 slices parma ham
- 4 medium eggs
- Olive oil for cooking
- Sea salt & cracked black pepper
- 2 slices of crusty white bread cut into diced croutons
- 2 tsp chopped chives
The method
- Heat 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil in a wide, heavy-bottomed pan over a high heat.
- Thinly slice the pumpkin. Add the onion to the pan with a pinch of salt and turn the heat to medium. Sweat the onions for 5 minutes until soft.
- Now add the pumpkin and turn the heat to medium-high. Add a generous pinch of salt, and sweat until the pumpkin has begun to break down.
- Add the honey and cinnamon and cook our for 2 minutes. Now add three quarters of the stock and boil until most of the liquid has gone and the pumpkin completely soft and broken down.
- Put into a food processor and blend on full power for 3 minutes, or until the soup is completely smooth. Add the remaining stock if it’s too thick.
- Heat the oven to 180˚C. Line a baking tray with parchment paper and lay out the parma ham. Bake for 10 minutes until the ham is crisp. Remove and allow to cool.
- Place the croutons on a baking tray and drizzle with olive oil. Roast in an oven for approx. 5 minutes until golden then remove and allow to cool. Also roast the pumpkin seeds until golden on a separate tray.
- Bring a large pan of water to the boil, then turn it down to barely simmering. Carefully crack the egg into the water and poach for 3-4 minutes until just cooked.
- Check the soup for seasoning then pour into 4 bowls, garnishing with the egg, crisp ham, croutons and chives.