Cold soups

Chilled summer beetroot soup

By: Silvana Franco

Prep time:
25 min
Serves:
4

This brightly coloured summer soup from Silvana Franco is delicious hot or cold

• 4 beetroot
• 1 pieces cucumber, 8cm, peeled and cubed
• 1 red chillies, seeded and chopped
• 2 tbsp sherry or red wine vinegar
• 4 slices white bread, crusts removed
• 1 red onions, finely chopped
• 4 tomatoes, finely chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 4 tbsp parsley, chopped
• 2 tsp olive oil
• 1 pinches fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

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Method

1. Place the beetroot, cucumber, chilli and 1.5 litres of cold water in a liquidizer and blend until smooth
- you will probably have to do this in two batches. Pass through a fine strainer into a large jug, then stir
in the vinegar and season generously. Chill until ready to serve.

2. Tear one slice of bread into each bowl then scatter over the red onion, tomatoes and garlic. Pout
over the chilled soup, sprinkle over the parsley and drizzle each serving with a splash of oil.

•
Ajo blanco (chilled garlic and almond soup with grapes)

By: Celia Brooks Brown

Ingredients

• 100 g crusty white bread, 2-day old, sliced

• 125 ml milk
• 100 g whole blanched almonds
• 2-3 cloves garlic, halved
• 1-2 white wine vinegar
• 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 500 ml cold water
• pinches salt
• small bunch mixed red and green seedless grapes, halved

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Method

1. Place the bread in a dish which will hold it in a single layer, and pour the milk over. Leave until the
milk has been absorbed.

2. Transfer the soaked bread to a blender and add the almonds, garlic, vinegar, oil, salt and half the
water. Process until smooth. Check the consistency and add more water until you get a soup-like
consistency. Adjust the seasoning.

3. Chill the soup until very cold. Chill the grapes at the same time.

4. Serve the soup in chilled teacups or bowls, each one garnished with a small handful of grape

Pea & mint soup

Ingredients

• 1 bunch spring onions , trimmed and roughly chopped

• 1 medium potato , peeled and diced
• 1 garlic clove , crushed
• 850ml vegetable or chicken stock
• 900g young peas in the pod (to give about 250g/9oz shelled peas)
• 4 tbsp chopped fresh mint
• large pinch caster sugar
• 1 tbsp fresh lemon or lime juice
• 150ml buttermilk or soured cream

1. Put the spring onions into a large pan with the potato, garlic and stock. Bring to the boil, turn
down the heat and simmer for 15 minutes or until the potato is very soft. For the garnish,
blanch 3 tbsp of the shelled peas in boiling water for 2-3 minutes, drain, put in a bowl of cold
water and set aside. Add the remaining peas to the soup base and simmer for 5 minutes - no
longer, or you will lose the lovely fresh flavour of the peas.
 2. Stir in the mint, sugar and lemon or lime juice, cool slightly then pour into a food processor or
liquidiser and whizz until as smooth as you like. Stir in half the buttermilk or soured cream,
taste and season with salt and pepper.
3. To serve the soup cold, cool quickly, then chill - you may need to add more stock to the soup
before serving as it will thicken as it cools. To serve hot, return the soup to the rinsed-out pan
and reheat without boiling (to prevent the buttermilk or soured cream from curdling).
4. Serve the soup in bowls, garnished with the remaining buttermilk and the drained peas.

Chilled roasted tomato soup

Veg
Ingredients
• 800g/1lb 8½oz plum tomatoes, roughly chopped
• 1 red pepper, halved, de-seeded, roughly chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
• 3 tbsp olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
• 1 litre/1¾pints vegetable stock
• 1 small bunch fresh basil leaves, torn
• 4 slices French bread, toasted
Preparation method

1. Preheat the oven to 220C/430F/Gas 7.

2. Place the tomatoes and pepper into a roasting tin and drizzle over the olive oil. Season with
salt and freshly ground black pepper, then roast in the oven for 45 minutes, or until the
tomatoes are soft and their skins lightly blackened in places.
3. Pour the vegetable stock into the roasting tin with the vegetables and scatter over the basil
leaves. Place the tin over a medium heat and bring to the boil, cooking for 1-2 minutes.
4. Allow the mixture to cool, then pour into a food processor, reserving a quarter of the
vegetables, and blend until smooth. Chop the reserved tomato and pepper.
5. Season the soup with salt and freshly ground black pepper and transfer to the fridge for 20-30
minutes to chill.
6. To serve, pile the chopped vegetables into the centre of four serving bowls and spoon the
soup around. Place the toasted French bread on top, and drizzle over some olive oil. Serve.

Corgette soup

Ingredients

• knob of butter or splash of olive oil

• bunch spring onions , chopped
• 3 courgettes , chopped
• 200g podded fresh or frozen peas
• 900ml hot vegetable stock
• 85g bag trimmed watercress
• large handful mint
• 2 rounded tbsp Greek yogurt , plus extra for serving

or more British recipes.

Chilli, cucumber and avocado soup

Ingredients
 • 600 g cucumber
• 1/2 avocado
• 225 g low-fat plain yogurt
• 3 tbsp chopped fresh chives or spring onions
• 3 tbsp chopped coriander
• juice of 1/2 limes
• 1 tsp chopped pickled jalapeño chillies, or more to taste
• a little ice cold water
• black pepper

To serve:

• 6 neat leaves of fresh coriander

• 6 fine slices of limes, to garnish
• 18 tortilla chips

Method

1. Roughly chop the cucumber into chunks and place in the bowl of a large food processor.
Scoop the flesh from the avocado and add it to the processor bowl along with the yogurt,
chives, coriander, lime juice and chilli. Whizz at high speed for 30-60 seconds or until the
mixture is very smooth.

2. Check the consistency of the soup and pour in some iced water, a little at a time, until the
desired texture is achieved. You may think none is necessary. Taste and adjust the seasoning
of the soup to taste, adding salt, pepper and more lime juice or jalapeno chilli as desired - the
colder the soup the more seasoning you will need. Chill until ready to serve.

3. When ready to eat, pour the soup into bowls. Place a coriander leaf on each slice of lime
and float it in the centre of the bowl. Serve with 3 tortilla chips per person.

Cold Carrot Soup with Orange and Cumin

INGREDIENTS
1 teaspoon canola oil
1/3 small onion, cut into 1/4-inch slices
2 teaspoons ground cumin
5 medium carrots, diced
6 cups vegetable broth
1 teaspoon sea salt, optional
1 cup fresh orange juice
2 teaspoons fresh lime juice, optional
1 teaspoon grated orange zest for garnish
6 sprigs of fresh dill for garnish, optional

1. Heat the canola oil in a medium-sized pot set over medium-high heat. Add the onion; sauté, stirring
for 2 to 3 minutes or until soft and translucent.
2. Stir in the cumin; cook for about 2 minutes to bring out the pungent aroma of the spice. Stir in the
carrots, stock or broth and salt, if using; simmer partially covered, for 30 to 40 minutes or until the
carrots are tender. Remove from the heat and let cool.
3. Transfer the soup to a blender or food processor, fitted with a metal blade, and process until
smooth. Blend in the orange juice and lime juice, if using. Transfer to a bowl or storage container,
cover and refrigerate until well chilled.
4. Serve cold in chilled soup bowls. Garnish with orange zest and dill, if desired.

Carrot and orange soup

Ingredients

• 600 ml water
• 450 g carrots, prepared weight
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 sprig fresh mint
• 3 sage leaves
• 1 tbsp orange rind, grated
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 300 ml fresh orange juice

For the garnish:

• 1 small orange, cut into segments

• 10 small mint leaves
• 3 tbsp single cream

Method

1. Bring the water to boiling point and add the carrots, onion, mint, sage, orange zest and seasoning.

2. Lower the heat, cover the pan and cook for 10-15 minutes, until the vegetables are tender.

3. Remove the mint and sage, transfer the soup to a blender and blend the soup until smooth.

4. If serving the soup hot, reheat, taste and adjust the seasoning. Garnish with orange segments, a
sprig of mint and a swirl of cream.

5. To serve cold, chill the soup and then add the orange juice. Garnish and serve