Home Made: Good, honest food made easy. Tana Ramsay

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Gazpacho

      Under no circumstances make this soup at any other time than in high summer, or it will be flavourless and very disappointing. Gazpacho is a very personal soup and everyone who makes it has their own recipe. This is mine, which is very quick and easy to make and is also very healthy.

      Ideally, make the soup a day before you need it and keep in the fridge so the flavours can develop. Serve straight from the fridge with 1cm/¹/₂ inch slices of French bread brushed with olive oil and baked in the oven at 180°C/350°F/GM4 for 10 minutes.

      1 green pepper, deseeded

      1 red pepper, deseeded

      ¹/₂ cucumber

      3 tbsp tarragon vinegar (or white wine vinegar)

      3 tbsp good-quality extra virgin olive oil

      10g pack of fresh tarragon, leaves only, finely chopped

      400g/14oz ripe tomatoes

      1 red onion, peeled

      1 mild red chilli, deseeded

      1 garlic clove, peeled

      750ml/1¹/₄ pints good-quality tomato juice

      salt and black pepper

      6 ice cubes to serve

      

      Serves: 6

      Prep time: 30 minutes plus chilling, preferably overnight

      1 First, reserve one quarter of each green and red pepper and a 2cm/3/4 inch slice of the cucumber. Put into an airtight container and keep in the fridge until just before serving the soup. When you are ready to make the garnish, finely chop these vegetables and place in a small bowl with 1 tablespoon of the tarragon vinegar and 1 tablespoon of the oil. Stir the chopped tarragon through and set to one side.

      2 To make the soup, put the tomatoes, the remaining green and red peppers and cucumber, the onion, chilli and garlic in a food processor and roughly chop. Pour in half the tomato juice and process for a couple of minutes until the vegetables are finely chopped.

      3 Add the remaining tarragon vinegar and oil and blitz for a few seconds. Season well with salt and pepper and taste. Pour into a large bowl, stir in the rest of the tomato juice and put in the fridge to cool thoroughly for up to 24 hours. (If you need the soup in a hurry, place in the freezer for 30 minutes instead.)

      4 When ready to serve, pour the soup into six bowls and divide the chopped garnish between each bowl. Finally, add an ice cube to each and serve.

Mushroom soup with truffle oil and chives

      Whenever I am making this soup I have to remind myself of the finished dish in a pretty white bowl – it’s not a beautiful colour while it’s cooking, but it tastes delicious, trust me! For a truly indulgent twist, garnish with crumbled Stilton.

      

      3 tbsp olive oil

      60g/2¹/₂oz butter

      2 medium onions, peeled and roughly chopped

      2 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped

      900g/2lb flat mushrooms, roughly chopped

      200g/7oz button mushrooms, roughly sliced

      1 handful of parsley, roughly chopped

      300-450ml/10-15fl oz milk (semi- or full-fat)

      200g/7oz half-fat crème fraîche (or full-fat, if you prefer), plus 4 tsp crème fraîche to garnish

      truffle oil for drizzling

      1¹/₂ tbsp roughly chopped chives

      salt and black pepper

      

      Serves: 4 generous portions

      Prep time: 30 minutes

      Cooking time: about 40 minutes

      1 Heat the oil and butter in a large frying pan on a low-medium heat, add the onions and garlic and cook for 8-10 minutes, until softened.

      2 Increase the heat and add the mushrooms – it will look like a huge amount but they do shrink so much. Throw in the parsley and about 1 teaspoon of salt, then grind in some pepper. Cook, stirring, for a few minutes, until the mushrooms have shrunk enough to fit comfortably in the pan. They will give off some liquid; continue cooking for about 20 minutes, until the liquid has evaporated and the mushrooms are completely tender.

      3 Put the mushroom mixture into a food processor along with about 150ml/5fl oz water and blitz – you don’t want it completely smooth, but leave it fairly thick.

      4 Transfer to a saucepan and add 300ml/10fl oz milk and the crème fraîche. Add more milk if necessary to get the soup to the right consistency. Bring to boiling point and check the seasoning – be very generous with the pepper. As I said before, the soup at this stage does not look appetizing! However, as it heats through, the smell and taste are amazing.

      5 Serve the soup in warm bowls, add 1 teaspoon of crème fraîche in the centre of each, drizzle the truffle oil over and sprinkle with chives – delicious.

Sweet potato and carrot soup with a chilli oil sprinkling

      I like to serve this soup as a first course, or alongside a sandwich to add a warming element to a quick lunch. It’s great for using up stray carrots and sweet potatoes from the fridge drawer! If you are reheating the soup, you may need to add a little more stock to thin it.

      

      2 tsp fresh thyme leaves

      6 tbsp chilli oil

      2 tbsp olive oil

      2 medium onions, peeled and roughly sliced

      1 garlic clove, peeled and roughly chopped

      750g/1lb 11oz sweet potatoes, peeled and diced

      400g/14oz carrots, peeled and sliced

      2 knobs of butter

      2 Parmesan crusts

      1 sprig of rosemary

      about 750ml/1¹/₄ pints stock (I use chicken)

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