Recipes: Warming soups you can make a whole meal of

Feb 16 2008 by Sheila Benson and Sean Millar, Liverpool Daily Post

WHAT with the simplicity of ingredients and unfailing ease of preparation, we’d all be forgiven for regarding soup as a basic dish used only when we’re stuck for ideas.

In fact, the reality is that the image of soup has undergone something of a makeover in recent times. With every chef from Gordon to Nigella extolling its virtues and incorporating unusual and daring soup recipes into their repertoires, this previously unglamorous dish has become a fashionable accompaniment at any dinner party.

At The Side Door, we’ve created some new soup recipes that should reinvigorate your appetite for this much underrated dish.

To make a Thai Coconut and Roast Sweet Potato soup you will need: 2 sweet potatoes, peeled and diced into 3cm (1 in) pieces, 4 tbsp vegetable oil, 1 onion, thinly sliced, 2 leeks, trimmed and thinly sliced, 4 thin slices of fresh ginger, 2 green chillies, trimmed and thinly sliced, 4 lemon grass stalks with the tough exterior removed and the soft interior thinly sliced and soaked in boiling water to soften, 6 lime leaves, thinly sliced, 2tbsp nam pla (fish sauce), 1 litre (33 fl oz ) chicken stock, 1 cup of thick coconut milk and Thai or purple basil to serve.

Preheat the oven to 200°C (40°F or Gas Mark 6). Toss the sweet potato in 3 tbsp of vegetable oil, season with salt and pepper and then roast in the oven for 15-20 minutes until tender.

Add the remaining oil to a hot frying pan and just as it starts to smoke, add the onion and stir fry for 3-4 minutes until well coloured. Add the leeks, ginger, chillies, lemongrass, lime leaves, fish sauce and stock and simmer for 10 minutes.

Next, add the sweet potato and the coconut milk to the stock. Season and then serve with the roughly torn basil. You can partially liquidise the soup for a thicker consistency and it is also worth noting that the soup needs to be eaten right away – it does not store well.

The second recipe is for a Spiced Tomato and Kidney Bean soup served with Avocado Relish and Parmesan Toasts. This dish is a little more rustic, but the added details of the relish and the toasts make it a real treat.

You will need: 1 onion, 1 red pepper, cored and roughly chopped, olive oil, 2 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed, ¼ tsp each of ground cumin, coriander and sweet paprika, a pinch of cayenne, ½ tsp dried oregano, a 400g (14oz) tin of tomatoes, 1tbsp tomato puree, ½ 400g (7oz) tin of red kidney beans, 300ml (10.5 fl oz) vegetable stock, the juice of one lime and creme fraiche to serve.

Firstly, saute the onion and red pepper in 2tbsp of olive oil for 10-15 minutes until soft and lightly coloured. Add the garlic, spices, herbs and season to taste. Cook again for 2 minutes then add the tomatoes, puree, drained kidney beans and stock, simmering for 20 minutes. Check that the pepper and onion are soft, then allow to cool for 5 minutes and liquidise. Stir in the lime juice to taste and gently reheat.

For the zesty avocado relish take: 1 stoned, peeled and roughly chopped avocado, the juice of one lime or lemon, ½ tsp of finely chopped red chilli, 1 tbsp red onion finely diced, a pinch each of ground cumin and ground coriander, 1 tbsp of fresh, chopped coriander and 4 tbsp of olive oil.

To make, simply combine all the ingredients together except the oil which should be added at the end, just after seasoning.

Parmesan toasts add a pleasing crunch when served with any soup, and work well with the spiced tomato recipe. Take 4 slices of French bread, ½ a garlic clove and 2 tbsp of grated parmesan. Simply brush the slices of bread with a little olive oil and rub with the cut side of the garlic clove. Grill on one side until golden brown and turn over and sprinkle with the parmesan. Grill again on this side, briefly until the cheese has melted.

To serve, just pour your soup into warmed bowls then add a dollop of creme fraiche, a generous drizzle of the avocado relish and a parmesan toast. Delightful!

* Sheila Benson and Sean Millar are at The Side Door, 29a Hope Street, Liverpool. Tel: 0151 707 7888.