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      ROASTED RED PEPPER AND TOMATO SOUP

      The colour of this soup is so inviting and it is a great way to use up the glut of early autumn tomatoes.

      SERVES 6–8

      3 medium red (bell) peppers

      2 tbsp olive oil, plus extra for drizzling

      Salt and freshly ground black pepper

      1 small onion, peeled and finely chopped

      2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped

      1kg/2lb 4oz ripe plum tomatoes, halved

      700ml/1¼ pints/3 cups chicken or vegetable stock (see Chapter 5) or water

      A pinch of brown sugar (optional)

      100ml/3½fl oz/scant ½ cup pouring cream

      TO GARNISH

      Crème fraîche

      Snipped fresh chives

      1 Preheat the oven to 190°C (375°F), Gas mark 5.

      2 Arrange the peppers on a baking tray and drizzle lightly with olive oil. Season with a little salt and pepper and roast in the oven for about 25 minutes until they are very soft and the skin is blistered. Put the peppers into a large bowl and cover tightly with clingfilm (plastic wrap), which will allow the skins to peel away easily. Leave until cool enough to handle, then peel away the skins, deseed and chop the roasted flesh roughly.

      3 Heat the olive oil in a pan over a medium–high heat. Add the onion and garlic and sauté for a few minutes until golden. Add the tomatoes and continue to sauté for a further 5 minutes or so, until well heated through and just beginning to break down. Add the chopped peppers at this stage. Stir in the stock or water and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 15–20 minutes or until all the vegetables have softened completely.

      4 Remove the pan from the heat and, using a hand-held electric blender, blitz to a smooth purée. Season to taste and add the sugar if you think the soup needs it. Sometimes the pepper can cause the soup to be a little bitter.

      5 To serve, add the cream to the soup then return the pan to the heat and bring to the boil. Season to taste and ladle into warmed serving bowls. Garnish each bowl with a small dollop of crème fraîche and a sprinkling of chives.

      SPICED PUMPKIN SOUP

      Pumpkin tends to be quite bland, so it often needs the addition of some spices to liven it up a little. This recipe will let you make use of all the flesh that gets scooped out when you’re making Halloween decorations!

      SERVES 6–8

      50g/2oz/½ stick butter

      2 carrots, peeled and chopped into large chunks

      1 large potato or sweet potato, peeled and chopped into large chunks

      1 leek, trimmed and chopped into large chunks

      2 celery sticks, chopped into large chunks

      900g/2lb pumpkin flesh, chopped into large chunks

      ½ medium onion, peeled and chopped into large chunks

      3 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped

      Salt and freshly ground black pepper

      1 tsp curry paste or a pinch of crushed dried chilli flakes or 1 fresh chilli, finely chopped

      75ml/3fl oz/¹/₃ cup pouring cream

      1.25 litres/2 pints/5 cups chicken or vegetable stock (see Chapter 5)

      TO GARNISH

      About 1 tbsp crème fraîche

      About ½ tbsp pumpkin seeds, toasted

      1 Slowly melt the butter in a large saucepan, add the vegetables and garlic and mix thoroughly, then pan-roast over a medium heat for 6–8 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent them sticking to the pan.

      2 Season lightly at this stage then add the curry paste or chilli and allow to infuse with the vegetables.

      3 Next add the cream and two-thirds of the stock. It is best to add just this amount of stock now, as it allows you to adjust or correct the consistency more accurately before serving. Bring to the boil then reduce the heat to a constant simmer and simmer for 15–20 minutes or until all of the vegetables have softened.

      4 Remove the pan from the heat and, using a hand-held electric blender, blitz the soup until smooth, adjusting the consistency with the remaining stock as required. Taste and adjust the seasoning accordingly. For those that are more daring, you may wish to add extra chilli flakes.

      5 Divide the soup either among little mini pumpkins, out of which you have scooped all the flesh, or teacups and saucers. Garnish with a little crème fraîche and toasted pumpkin seeds and serve.

      TIP

      This is a basic soup recipe, which you can vary depending on what you like. Try substituting the pumpkin for carrot and ginger, butternut squash, sweet potatoes, or parsnips.

      CREAMY MUSHROOM AND THYME SOUP

      Mushroom soup is a classic, but this version is particularly fabulous as the thyme adds a real edge. It’s a recipe that can be made ahead of time and then just reheated as required. I normally use two-thirds button (white) mushrooms in this soup and one-third wild mushrooms, as the wild mushrooms are much more expensive.

      SERVES 6–8

      900g/2lb selection of mushrooms (mixture of button/white and wild), sliced

      2 garlic cloves, peeled and roughly chopped

      4–5 fresh thyme sprigs

      50g/2oz/½ stick butter

      1 leek, trimmed and roughly chopped

      2 celery sticks, roughly chopped

      1 large onion, peeled and roughly chopped

      50g/2oz/¹/₃ cup plain (all-purpose) flour

      1.25 litres/2 pints/5 cups boiling chicken or vegetable stock (see Chapter 5)

      Salt and freshly ground black pepper

      300ml/10fl oz/1¼ cups pouring cream

      2 tsp truffle oil (optional; it has a very intense flavour)

      Crème fraîche, to garnish

      1 Preheat the oven to 160°C (325°F), Gas mark 3.

      2 Place the mushrooms in a roasting tray with the garlic and thyme sprigs. Roast in the oven for 15–20 minutes or until just becoming tender but shrivelled up a little. This helps to develop and intensify their flavour. Keep a small amount of these roasted mushrooms aside to garnish the soup just before serving.

      3 Melt the butter in a large saucepan, add the remaining vegetables and sauté gently for 4–5 minutes. Add the roasted mushrooms and sauté for a further 2–3 minutes. Add the flour and stir until the vegetables are coated and any liquid in the pan has dried up. This will act as a thickening agent.

      4 Carefully pour in the boiling stock and bring to the boil. Reduce to a low simmer and simmer until the vegetables are all tender.

      5 Remove the pan from the heat and season to taste. Add the cream and truffle oil, if using, then using a hand-held electric blender, blitz until smooth. Alternatively, use a food processor.

      6 Serve the soup immediately or leave to reheat gently later. To garnish, add a spoonful of crème fraîche on the top and a little of the

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