Starters Soup

Hot & Sour Soup

Ingredients

• At a glance
• Starters
• Starters Soup
• Company
• Cook School Scotland
• Serves
• 4

• 400ml chicken stock
• 1 red chilli
• 20g ginger peeled and roughly chopped
• 2 chestnut mushrooms thinly sliced
• 1-2 sticks lemon grass roughly chopped
• 2 tbsp fish sauce
• 2 tbsp lime juice
• 1 tsp coriander chopped
• 20g cooked noodles
• 
  

Methods/steps

1. Place stock into a pan and bring to a gentle simmer.
2. Slice chilli and add stock along with the ginger, lemon grass, lime juice, fish sauce and sugar.
3. Simmer soup for 5 minutes allowing broth to become fragrant.
4. Strain stock and add back to the pan.
5. Now add the mushrooms to stock and cook for 3-4 minutes or until they are cooked.
6. Taste and adjust seasoning then finish soup with the coriander and noodles.

 Pearl Barley & Vegetable Broth

ingredients

• 1.5l chicken or vegetable stock
• 100g pearl barley
• 5tbsp white wine
• bunch of spring onions, chopped
• 1 courgette, chopped
• 1 chilli, deseeded & chopped
• 2tbsp tomato purée  

• At a glance
• Starters
• Starters Soup
• Ingredients
• Vegetarian
• Company
• Lakeland
• Serves
• 4

method

1. Simmer the pearl barley and stock in a medium pan, stirring occasionally, for 45 minutes.
2. Place the wine and spring onions in a large pan, cover and simmer for about 5 minutes. Add the courgette and chilli and simmer for another 5 minutes, stirring a couple of times.
3. Pour the stock and pearl barley into the large pan with the vegetables and add the tomato purée. Bring it to the boil then simmer for about 25 minutes, continuing to stir occasionally.

If you prefer less 'crunchy' vegetables, increase the cooking time at each stage.

Potato & Leek Soup

Ingredients

• At a glance
• Starters
• Starters Soup
• Vegetarian
• Company
• Natural Scotland
• Serves
• 4

1. 2 leeks, finely shredded, white parts only
2. 4 large rooster potatoes, peeled and diced
3. 2 shallots, finely diced
4. 500ml vegetable stock
5. A pinch of salt (0.25g)
6. 25g unsalted butter
7. Splash double cream
8. Freshly cooked shredded leeks to garnish

Methods/steps

1. In a large pan, melt the butter then add the shallots and cook for 3-4 minutes without colouring but softened.
2. Now add the leeks and cook for 2-3 minutes, then add the potatoes.Finally add the stock and bring to the boil. Once boiling, turn down to a gentle simmer and cook for 20-25 minutes or until the potatoes are tender.
3. Liquidise soup until very smooth and place back onto the stove in a clean pan, check seasoning.Add the cream and serve immediately topped with freshly cooked leeks to garnish.

 Lentil, Ginger, Lemon Grass and Coconut Milk Soup

Description

• Ingredients
• At a glance
• Starters
• Starters Soup
• 150g Lentils
• 15g root ginger, peeled and finely chopped
• 1 carrot, peeled and roughly chopped
• 1 white onion, peeled and roughly chopped
• 1 stick of celery, washed and roughly chopped
• 1 stick lemon grass
• 200g vegetable stock
• 1 tin coconut milk
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Small bunch coriander, chopped

Methods/steps

1. Sweat off the carrot, onion, celery, ginger and lemon grass in a large,
   heavy based sauce pan for 2-3 minutes.
   Add the lentils, stock and coconut milk and bring to the boil.
2. Check seasoning.
   After 25-30 minutes the carrots and lentils should be cooked and soft.
3. Blitz all together in a food processor.
4. Finish the soup with a handful of chopped coriander.