tomato, fennel and butter bean “bisque”

Speaking of eating your water, here’s a lovely new soup recipe I’ve come up with. I made it a few weekends ago, when I had an extra bulb of fennel lying around, but then I froze it.

Last night, arriving home and in no mood for a long kitchen session, this soup did the trick. Served with some toasted bread, this bisque of sorts was really lovely. Though there was no pureed seafood (unfortunately) the thick, creamy, tomatoey consistency was quite filling, especially for a vegetarian soup.

Tomato, fennel and butter bean “bisque”
(serves 4 as a first course or 2 generously)

1 can of cherry tomatoes
1 small can of tomato paste
1 tbsp of olive oil
1 can of butter beans
100 g leeks, chopped
1 large fennel bulb, sliced
1 tbsp bouillion powder such as Marigold mixed into 750 ml of freshly-boiled water
4 tbsp single cream
salt and freshly ground black pepper

Sautee the leeks and the fennel in olive oil over medium heat until translucent – about 7 minutes. Add the cherry tomatoes and sautee for another 3 minutes. Rinse the butter beans and add to the pot. Then add the stock mixture slowly. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for about 15-20 minutes.

Add the tomato paste spoon by spoon and distribute well through the soup. Season.

(If you’re going to freeze the soup – stop here. The cream can be added on the day of serving.)

If you’re serving on the day, stir through 4 tbsp of single cream and season further to taste.

Serve with toasted bread – and maybe some fresh basil leaves on top.

Calories: 194 calories for a first-course serving (very low for such an indulgent-tasting concoction!). The “large” serving is 388, so still not very much at all. Of course, bread (and a glass of wine, which would go down nicely) would add to it, but given how healthy the soup is, I wouldn’t think that’s a problem.

Enjoy!

sea bass - a bank holiday treat

Saturday in Frinton-on-sea was so lovely that upon waking Sunday morning, we decided to head out again, this time to Kent. We hopped along the north coast of Kent, first stopping in Whitstable, known for its fishing industry. The oysters were flowing and tourists were certainly very happy. We stopped in the fish market on the pier, which was purveying its finest local sea bass and skate. I really wanted to get some sea bass but the knowledge that it would have to sit for at least four hours in the car put me off considerably.

Next stop - Whitstable's next-door neighbor Herne Bay, then off to Reculver, a small village known for its Roman fort and country park. Last, a stop in Westgate-on-sea to dip our feet in the water and look for crabs. No luck.

Upon returning to London, I popped out quickly for some sea bass, which we roasted with spring onions, lime juice and a splash of white wines, and served with baby carrots farmed from Pete's fathers garden and steamed curly kale. The flavours were so fresh and went really well with the French Malbec. We ate on the balcony, soaking in the last few minutes of Sunday sunshine.

Sea bass is an excellent fish with white creamy flesh. It's not particularly low in calories, though, and the serving sizes were quite large - two fish, gutted and headed, were about 600 grams. Each fish would set you back over 600 calories, according to the label. It's not exactly a fish you'd just split in half to serve, though. I saved half of the fish for lunch today with a fresh green salad finished off with a peach. The lime undertones in the sea bass were still there, only just.

holiday soup

5:30 pm. Despite my tiredness from a long week and a bout of illness, I was happy. Why? Well, my holiday had officially begun. Technically, I suppose it doesn't begin until Monday, until I leave for the States, but in my mind I was already on the flight.

But first - packing, cleaning, organising, those oft-forgotten aspects of the holiday. And step 1 for me was cleaning out the refrigerator. My easy solution: make a soup. (I do realise that making a soup is my answer to everything, but I can't help it - soups are great.)

Soups are easy - it takes a lot to mess one up. Even the most simple soup tastes good provided it is seasoned well. But this summer vegetable soup is just perfect.

Summer vegetable soup
(serves 2)

In my refrigerator:
a bag of chantenay carrots (I couldn't resist these luxury carrots last time I was at the shops)
a very oversized courgettes (from my parents-in-laws' garden)
a handful of runner beans (same)
a bulb of fennel (the secret ingredient)
leeks
watercress

Matched with what's in my pantry:
50 g lentils
1.5 litres of stock (either homemade or use Marigold boullion powder)
bay leaves
bouquet garni

Another great thing about these soups is that the quantities are purely optional and depend on the contents of the fridge.

To conjure:

Let the carrots, leeks and chopped fennel stalks and leaves sweat in a large pot with a couple sprays of olive oil for about 10 minutes.

Add the stock (about 1 litre and a half). Add the chopped courgettes, beans and the rest of the fennel. Add in the cupboard spices too, as well as some salt and pepper.

In a separate pot, boil the lentils for 1o minutes, then drain and add to the soup.

Allow the entire soup to simmer for about 30 minutes. Stir in the watercress just before serving.

Garnish with reduced fat sour cream and shredded basil leaves and pepper.

Calories: for 1/3 of the soup, topped with sour cream and basil, served with one piece of toast and 25 g goats cheese: 400 calories

I served this with toast smeared with lovely French goats cheese and sprinkled with pepper. My husband came home later and gobbled up the rest. His compliment? "It's great, you can't even taste the lentils." I'll take it, I suppose.

The one thing I would say about this soup - it's not meant to sit for a long time. The watercress will wilt and the other vegetables will go mushy. But this is what makes it so great - you're cleaning out the fridge and filling yourself at the same time. Plus, it's a one-dish meal, so there isn't much to clean up (Though that's not my job anyway - hey, I did the cooking!)