Ingredients:

4 sticks celery
3 Carrots
1 large brown onion
2 cloves of garlic
1.5 cups white wine
Carton of Vegetable stock
Carton of creme fraiche
1.5 cups of crab meat (you can buy this from most fish mongers, already shelled)
250 grams frozen corn Kernels
4 Sprigs of fresh dill
Mixed herbs (dried)
Cajun spices (masterfoods make a good one)
Salmon roe for garnish
Salt and Pepper

Method:

In a large pot, warm some olive oil.
Dice your garlic, celery, carrot and onion into small cubes and toss into the oil.
Cook for 5-6 minutes (you don’t want them too soft, so that they retain their ‘crunch’ a little in the soup)
Add the white wine and burn off the alcohol.
Add the stock and allow to simmer for 10-15 minutes.
Add the corn. Sprinkle in a good pinch of fried herbs and cajun spice at this stage.
Stir the crab meat through the simmering stock.
Just before serving, whisk the creme fraiche through using a balloon whisk.
Serve piping hot, with a spoon of Salmon Roe on top and a sprig of fresh dill.

We enjoyed our soup with a glass of Zilzie’s collection 23 Merlot (thanks Richo) and some cheese and chive scones. Yum!

Ingredients: (for the Soup)
2 good Italian Suasages
Olive Oil
2 brown onions, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 litre chicken stock
1 glass of white wine
A few sprigs, Thyme, leaves picked
Bunch of Kale, chopped
250g dried cannellini beans, soaked over night
Bay leaf
Lemon

Ingredients: (for the Focaccia)
1 tablespoon honey
7g dried yeast
325ml tepid water
500g strong bread flour
sea salt
pepper
olive oil
2 garlic cloves
Fresh Thyme, leaves picked

Method: (for the Soup)
Put soaked beans in a pan with bay leaf, and a pinch of salt and pepper, cover with water and cook until just tender, drain and run under cold water.
Remove sausage from skin and crumble into a pot, cook until brown, then set aside.
Saute onions and garlic until tender, add chicken stock and then wine, simmer for 10 mins.
Add thyme and kale cover and simmer for about 10 mins.
Add cooked sausage and beans simmer about 10-15 mins, careful not to over cook the beans.
Add a squeeze of lemon juice to taste.
Serve with a lemon wedges a sprig of fresh thyme and plenty of warm focaccia.

Method: (for the Focaccia)
Mix honey and yeast with the water and leave for a few minutes.
Put flour and salt in a bowl and make a well in the middle.
Pour the yeast mixture into the well, use a fork to mix the flour in from the sides.
Once combined turn the dough onto a floured work surface and use your hands to kneed the dough for about 5 mins until smooth.
Make the dough into a round flat shape, set aside for 10 mins.
Grease a baking tray with oil and flour. Roll or stretch the dough to fit the tray.
Pound the garlic and thyme in a mortar and pestle with salt and pepper add a splash of oil then spoon the mixture over the dough.
Use your fingers to push the mixture over the dough, pushing your fingers right down to the tray.
Put in a warm place for 20 mins.
Push fingers into dough again to give the bread dimples.
Bake in preheat oven at 220c for 15 mins or until golden.
Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt.

Potters Creamy Pea & Mint Soup

This soup is dedicated to all those who dedicate their lives to a more peaceful planet. And then bang on about it…
Ingredients:
2 large onions
4 sticks celery
1 extremely large bag frozen garden peas
4 large potatos
2 litres of vegetable stock
100ml Double cream
4 sprigs of fresh mint
Virgin olive oil
Fetta cheese
Ciabatta bread

Method
1) Chop the onions & celery and fry with oil/butter until golden.
2) Finely grate the potato and add to the pan with all peas and stock.
3) Simmer for 20 minutes
4) Chuck in the sprig of mint and blend until smooth
5) Tear up the ciabatta into pieces, drizzle with olive oil and toast until golden
6) Toss into the toasted bread, the remaining mint leaves and fetta. Mix it right up.
7) Garnish as desired.
Enjoy and make sure you hug the nearest person to you

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Soup-a-league commences again here at The National Grid Studio , for the third year running.
Putting my hand up to kick off this years competition, I was thinking how much I loved crispy duck and pancakes, with Hoisin sauce. I wondered what would stop me from making a peking duck inspired soup – so I did!
Please don’t not be put off by the amount of ingredients in this dish.
Although it is time consuming (and a bit of a fiddle making all the wontons by hand) the hassle is definitely worth it!

Ingredients:

For the consommé:
1 chicken carcass left over from Sundays Roast
1 Brown onion
1 Leek
3 cloves garlic
half bunch celery
1 lemon grass stick
1 red chili
1 knob of fresh ginger
Coriander roots (fresh – one bunch)
3 Carrots
Bunch of spring onion tops (the body of the onion is used for garnish)
Soy Sauce
Mirin
Salt and Pepper
3 egg whites

For the Wontons:
Egg pasta wonton wrappers (most Asian grocer will have these)
4 Cooked pecking duck breasts, shredded finely with a fork
1 Jar of Hoisin sauce
Masterfoods sweet plum marinade
water, to seal the edges

Method:

In a large pot, throw the chicken carcass with all the other ingredients – roughly chopped.
Be sure to smash the lemon grass and garlic gloves to release maximum flavor.
Fill the pot up with boiling water – cover all the ingredients and leave to simmer for 2 hours.
In the meantime prepare the wontons. Lie one sheet of wonton wrapper on a dry surface. Dollop a tea spoon of the shredded duck mixed with the hoisin sauce and Masterfoods sweet plum marinade into the centre of the wrapper.
Wet two of the four edges and fold over to make a triangle shape. Push as much air out as you can, the fold the left corner in, wet the top, fold the right corner over that and press together, it makes a nice wonton bishops hat shape. Pop into a container.

Once the stock has simmered for two hours, pass through a colander to rid the stock of all the pieces.
You should be left with a delicious aromatic brown liquid.
Whisk 3 egg whites very quickly into the stock, it will foam and form a white bubbly layer on the top of the stock.
Allow to cool, the egg white will form a crust on the surface, taking all the fat out of the stock.

Remove the crust from the pot, using it to line a very fine sieve.
Pass the liquid through the crust/ sieve – slowly, do not push it through.
You will be left with a super clear, super tasty, fat free soup base.

To assemble the soup, bring the consommé to a simmer, throw the wontons in, they will sink to the bottom, once cooked (two minutes) they will float to the top.
Serve in nice white bowls, with a garnish of julienned cucumber and spring onion slices and some sesame toast. Boom!

With celebrity guest judge Amanda Baxter from Whirlwind Printing – thanks for the cup cakes lovely, they were DIVINE!

Ingredients:

For the soup:

• 8 medium beetroot, peeled and chopped
• knob of butter
• glug of olive oil
• 2 small onions, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, chopped
• I teaspoon cumin seeds
• 1 litre chicken stock
• flat leaf parsley to serve

For the yoghurt:

• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
• 1 teaspoon coriander seeds
• pinch of carraway seeds
• 1/2 teaspoon of paprika
• pinch of caynne pepper
• big scoop of greek yogurt
• small slosh of olive oil

For the Dukka:

• Handful of almonds, toasted
• 3 teaspoons cumin seeds
• 2 teaspoons coriander seeds
• 2 tablespoons sesame seeds, toasted
• 1/2 teaspoon chilli flakes
• 2 pinches of salt
• few mint leaves shredded

For the soup: Heat butter and oil. Add onion, garlic and cumin. Cook until soft, about 5 mins. Add beetroot and stock (add enough stock to cover, you can add more later if it is too thick). Simmer until beetroot is tender, about 30 mins. Blend until smooth. Serve with the spiced yogurt and parsley on top.

For yoghurt: toast cumin, corriander and caraway until fragrant, this doesn’t take long. Grind to a powder in pestle and mortar.  Combine with paprika, cayenne and pinch of salt. Stir 1 heaped teaspoon with the yoghurt add the oil and whisk.

For the Dukka: Toast cumin and coriander seeds until fragrant. Smash them in a pestle and mortar, but leave them a bit chunky.
Add almonds, sesame seeds, chilli flakes and salt and smash again until nuts are broken up. Stir in mint.
Serve with olive oil to dip.