Pasta Fagioli Soup (without Pasta!), Roasted Garlic and Salad

I don't even know where to start with this one..... so many thoughts and in some ways - so much unconnected history behind the recipe that follows. So, I may as well get to the recipe quickly. It's healthy, mostly protein and if I may so - delicious! Perfect for these cold days - though, surprisingly - we had a great weekend in London. Almost warm and the sun was shining!

The meal consisted of Fagioli soup, roasted garlic + red pepper 'spread' with bread and some salad on the side. In my books, this meal falls into the express cooking category.

Pasta Fagioli Soup

Ingredients

2 cans of Cannellinni (white) beans - I used dry beans and pressure cooked them in water for about 30 minutes the day before...

1 large can of chopped Italian Tomatoes

5 cloves of garlic, mashed

1 tablespoon of chopped fresh Italian herbs - use your favourite - I used oregano and basil

1 carrot - cut into little squares

Freshly ground Black Pepper to taste

1/4 cup smallest macaroni like pasta - if you want the pasta

Method

In a heavy sauce pan, heat olive oil over low-medium heat. Add the garlic and saute until fragrant. Then add the herbs and black pepper and saute for another minute. Add in the beans and the tomatoes, mix well. If you thinner soup, add some water. Bring to a boil and add in the carrots and then add salt to taste. If you want pasta in the soup, add in just before serving, allowing 5 minutes of cooking time. Garnish with Parmesan and Basil leaves.

This is the only time I would recommend using canned tomatoes - the canned Italian tomatoes seem to be more juicy than fresh ones and have a tinge of sweetness- just the right touch for the soup.

Roasted garlic with Red Pepper Spread

Take as many garlic cloves as you think you will enjoy; cut off the top 'hard' part and rub olive oil over the freshly cut ends. Wrap in foil, put into the oven and bake for about 20 minutes at 150-180 degrees. I popped in the bread to warm at the same time. When you pull out the garlic cloves, quickly check that they have gone soft. If soft, they are done. Let them cool for a few minutes and then squeeze the garlic from the skins. Mash the roasted garlic slightly and add crushed red pepper, mix well and have with some warm bread. It warms the body and if I can stretch the imagination for garlic lovers - warms the soul :) !

Another Soup

My mom makes something similar to the recipe that follows and as a kid, I almost never had the soup…any soup. Now I realise what I have been missing out on!
This soup only gets made when I do a Tesco run as I use ‘Dudhi’ (gourd) as the main ingredient. I know, that’s sounds scary to some but in a soup, it’s fresh and light. Try it…

Ingredients
One medium Dudhi, chopped
One medium Potato, chopped
One small Carrot, chopped
One medium Red Onion, chopped
4-5 cloves of Garlic, chopped
1 Tsp Coriander seeds
White Pepper & Salt to taste
Creme Fraiche (optional)

Method
Saute the onions, garlic and coriander seeds in about 1 tbsp olive oil for about 2-3 minutes. Next add in the dudhi, potato and carrot and cook on low gas for another 10 minutes. Add in about 4-5 cups of water and cook until all vegetables are tender (about 15 minutes on low-medium gas). Add the salt and pepper. Run through the food processor or blender in batches until you have a smooth consistency. Heat again before serving (avoid boiling though not the end of the world if it boils). Add a little bit of creme fraiche and chopped coriander to each bowl if you want to make the soup a little richer.

Peas Peas, some soup peas...

Green pea soup....never even crossed my mind until I had the an incredible green pea soup at Chez Bruce back in June. It was unusual yet tasty and so light. So, I finally decided (after over a month) that it can't be that hard to make a good pea soup...and it was not!

Ingredients

3 cups of green peas (if using frozen, thaw and rinse)

8 chopped spring onions

2 cloves of garlic, diced

3 cups of vegetable stock

White pepper to taste

Salt to taste

Crème fraîche

Lambs Lettuce or croutons

Method

In a little olive oil, saute the onions and garlic until light brown. Add in the peas and saute for another 2 minutes. Add in the stock, cover the saucepan and simmer for about 10-12 minutes for young or frozen peas and up to 18 minutes for large or older peas, stirring occasionally. When the peas are tender, ladle them into the food processor or blender with a little of the cooking liquid, add salt and white pepper to taste and process until smooth. Strain the soup (if you don't want any bits) into the saucepan, add in a tablespoon of crème fraîche and heat through without boiling. Alternately, you can strain the soup and ladle into bowls for serving and then add a small dollop of crème fraîche to each bowl to give it a nice visual effect. Finish by adding a sprig of lambs lettuce to the bowl or croutons.