Soup of the Evening, Beautiful Soup

I love soup. It's the most brilliant food. I take it to work for lunch several times a week and as long as you have some in the freezer then you always have an emergency dinner that can be ready in just a few minutes.

I make new kinds often but these two are really my go-to recipes: the quickest and easiest.

Yellow Split Pea & Vegetable
(makes a huge quantity, at least 8 main course servings)

2 white onions
2 leeks
4 sticks celery
2 large carrots
2 garlic cloves, crushed
2-3 litres vegetable stock
500g dried yellow split peas
1 tbsp dried mixed herbs
1 tsp dried chilli flakes (optional)
salt & pepper

1. Finely chop all the vegetables or blitz in the food processor.
2. Heat some olive oil in a pan then sweat all the vegetables together for five minutes or so with the herbs and chilli flakes if using. 
3. Add the garlic and cook for another couple of minutes making sure it doesn't burn.
4. Add the split peas and mix to combine. Add 2 litres of stock and stir again.
5. Simmer for 45-60 minutes until the split peas are soft, adding more liquid as necessary (maybe check every 15 mins or so).
6. Season well: remember it's a big quantity so will need quite a lot.
7. Blend to your desired consistency: I like it fairly smooth but not completely. A stock blender is good for leaving some pieces whole.
8. Taste and adjust seasoning again.

This can be altered to fit really any quantity of mixed root vegetables - whatever you have. A slug of cooking sherry makes it even better.


Mushroom
(makes about 4-6 servings)

1 white onion
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 medium carrot
2 stick celery
600g mushrooms (any kind, nothing fancy)
2 tsp dried tarragon
1-2 litres vegetable stock

1. Finely chop all the vegetables or blitz in the food processor.
2. Heat some olive oil and sweat all the vegetables together with the tarragon for 5 minutes or until the onion starts to soften.
3. Add 1.5 litres of stock and simmer for 15 minutes, add some more then if it needs it.
4. Season well then blend until smooth.

VERY much recommend a slug of cooking sherry or marsala in here it really makes the mushrooms even more delicious. You can also finish the soup with a dash of cream (a couple of tablespoons is enough and you'll be surprised at how rich it makes the flavour).

Both these soups keep for 3-4 days in the fridge or freeze pretty much indefinitely. The split pea one in particular will probably need a bit of liquid adding on reheating.

I've recently taken a flask of these on a picnic too which was lovely with some Superfood Bread.

Note to self: take some more imaginative photos than just the finished soup in a bowl.....