warmer – bFeedme

This is a classic winter warmer and is great as a Lunch, Snack, or prepared as a starter for a main meal – to make it more filling, serve with freshly toasted slices of Ciabatta, or fresh crusty rolls.

Why microwave it out of a can, when you can make this fresh, rich and flavoursome dish from scratch, and it’s much more interesting and will warm you twice – once whilst cooking, once whilst eating! It’s also very healthy – just 2g of Saturated fat in each portion.

To serve 4
2tsp Olive Oil
1 Small Onion, Finely Chopped
1 Carrot, Chopped
1 Celery Stick, Chopped
70g Pancetta, Cubed
1 Garlic Clove, Crushed
2tbsp Fresh Thyme, Chopped
1l Hot Chicken Stock
400g Tin Chopped Tomatoes
400g Tin Borlotti Beans, Drained
125g Minestrone Pasta
175g Savoy Cabbage, Shredded
Pesto, to Serve

1. Heat the oil in a large saucepan, and add the Onion, Carrot and Celery, then cook for eight to ten minutes, until the vegetables have softened, before adding the Pancetta, Garlic and Thyme and fry off for a further two to three minutes.
2. Add the Hot Stock, Tomatoes and half of the Borlotti Beans to the pan, and mash the other half of the Beans, and stir them into the pan. Simmer for twenty minutes, season to taste and then add the Pasta and Cabbage and simmer for a further ten minutes.
3. Season to taste, and divide into four bowls, then serve fresh out of the pan with a spoon of Pesto on the top.

Photo Courtesy of: Emily Lou Cooper

This is a thick, creamy soup, with lashings of flavour and colour. This soup is a great Winter Warmer as a lunch, or brilliant served as a Starter for a meal. Serve with fresh, crusty rolls, and garnished with fresh Chopped Parsley. If you can’t find any Haddock, any white fish will be okay – just make sure there are no bones in there!

To Serve 4
2tbsp Butter
1 Onion, chopped
1 Leek, chopped
2tbsp Plain Flour
850ml Milk
1 Bay Leaf
1 tbsp Chopped Fresh Parsley
350g Smoked Haddock Fillets
450g Potatoes, cooked and mashed
6tbsp Double Cream
Salt and Pepper
Fresh, Crusty Rolls

1. Melt the butter in a large saucepan over a medium heat and add the Onion and Leek and cook for three minutes or until soft, stirring frequently.

2. Mix the flour in a bowl with enough of the milk to make a smooth paste, and stir into the saucepan. Cook, stirring constantly for two minutes, before gradually adding the rest of the milk.

3. Add the Bay Leaf and Parsley, and season to taste with Salt and Pepper, before bringing to the boil, and reducing the heat and simmering for fifteen minutes.

4. Rinse the Haddock fillets under cold running water, drain and cut into small chunks. Add to the soup and cook for fifteen minutes, or until the fish is cooked through and soft.

5. Add the Mashed Potatoes and stir in the Cream, before cooking for a further two or three minutes. Remove from the heat, and discard the Bay Leaf.

6. Serve in warmed bowls and with Fresh rolls and garnish with freshly chopped Parsley.

Photo Courtesy of: Bucklava

Winter Minestrone Soup

Haddock and Potato Soup