Celery and Tarragon Soup

This is a tasty light soup for summer.

Ingredients

1 large celery chopped into small pieces and washed.

2 onions peeled and diced into small pieces

1 parsnip peeled and chopped fine or 1 large potato chopped fine and peeled.

1 garlic clove chopped finely

1 teaspoon of dry tarragon or fresh tarragon chopped finely

salt and pepper to taste

1 1/2 pints--750 ml of chicken stock. I use homemade but a good quality cube will do. You can also use a vegetable stock or cube.

1 oz butter or 2 tablespoons olive oil to fry and soften the vegetables

Method

Put the butter or olive oil into a large pan and heat very gently.

Add the onions, garlic and parsnip/potato and cook gently for 10 minutes. This can be done with the lid on so the vegetables sweat.

Add the celery and cook /sweat for 10 minutes.

Add the stock, salt and pepper to taste, tarragon and cook for about 15 minutes until all the vegetables are tender.

Put half of the soup in a blender and puree.

Return this to the pan and stir and heat and serve.

Garnish with fresh tarragon or a swirl of cream or natural yogurt.

Variations

Blend the whole soup and stir in a small carton of cream and heat gently.

Sprinkle with chopped walnuts.
Grate some fresh nutmeg onto the soup.
Hope you enjoy this soup.
Thanks for reading
Crazycupcakes

Tomato and Sage Soup

This is a light textured summer tomato and sage soup recipe with lots of flavour from the sage and tomato combination
Ingredients
12 tomatoes peeled, seeds removed and chopped.
Put the tomatoes in boiling water for about 40 seconds, remove peel and deseed. Put the skin and cores on a plate ready to press through a metal sieve and add to the soup later
About 10 fresh sage leaves chopped finely
2 onions finely chopped
2 cloves of garlic finely chopped
1 1/2 pints--750 ml of chicken or vegetable stock or a stock cube
butter or 2 tablespoons of olive oil for frying
salt and pepper
Method
Put the butter or olive oil in a pan and heat gently.
Add the onions, and garlic to the pan and cook, sweat gently for about 10 minutes until the onions are soft. Do not over heat.
Add the chopped tomatoes and cook for 5 minutes.
Sieve the tomato peel and seeds through the metal sieve into the soup.
Add the stock, salt and pepper, and half the chopped sage leaves.
Cook for 10 to 15 minutes until it is all tender.
Serve with a garnish of sage leaves.
Variations
Substitute fresh oregano, basil or marjoram for the sage.
Use more tomatoes.
Blend the soup for a smooth texture.
Add a dash of chili for a spicy version.
Enjoy
Crazycupcakes

Tomato and Zucchini-Courgette Soup

This is my first soup for ages so I decided to use some things that are in season now tomato and courgette or zucchini.

Ingredients

10 large tomatoes. I drop them into boiling water for 30 seconds or until the skins crack. I then remove the skin and core the tomatoes removing any seeds and hard bits. I put all this on one side ready to sieve into the soup later.

2 courgettes or zucchini chopped into small pieces

olive oil for frying, about 2 tablespoons

2 cloves of garlic chopped fine

2 red onions chopped fine

1 teaspoon of dried or 2 teaspoons of fresh marjoram

salt and pepper

1 1/2 pints--3/4 litre--30 fl. ozs of stock either vegetable or chicken, use homemade or a cube

Method

Fry the onions and garlic gently until soft and tender.

Add the chopped deseeded tomatoes and chopped courgettes/zucchini and cook for 5 minutes.

Add the stock, salt, pepper, marjoram and the juice and flesh from the tomatoes that you put on one side.

Stir and cook for about 15 to 20 minutes, until the vegetables are soft.

Serve with crusty bread.

Variations

Add a chili chopped fine for a spicy version.

Add your favourite cheese grated onto it when serving.

This soup freezes well. I put into bowls which can be reheated in the microwave.

This made about 4 large portions of soup.

Enjoy and thanks for reading.