Category Archives: Starters and soups

Celeriac, saffron and orange soup by Elizabeth (Christmas 2019)

Ingredients

For the soup:

  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 large onion, chopped
  • 1 celeriac (~600g), cut into chunks
  • 600g potatoes, cut into chunks
  • 1.5 litres vegetable stock
  • 1 tsp saffron strands, lightly ground in a mortar
  • finely grated rind and juice of 2 oranges

For the gremolata:

  • 1 garlic clove
  • 1 tsp coarse sea salt
  • handful of flatleaf parsley, leaves only
  • 2 tbsp olive oil, plus extra to serve

Method

  1. To make the soup, heat the olive oil in a large pan and fry the onion for 3-4 minutes until softened, but not coloured. Add the celeriac and potato. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes. Stir in the vegetable stock, ground saffron, orange juice and half the orange rind. Bring to the boil, then simmer for 20 minutes until the vegetables are tender.
  2.  Transfer to a food processor and process until smooth (you may need to do this in batches). Return to the pan and season to taste.
  3. To make the gremolata, pound the garlic and sea salt to a paste with a pestle and mortar. Add the parsley leaves and olive oil and pound until a fairly smooth paste is achieved. (Alternatively, puree all the ingredients in a food processor.)
  4. Reheat the soup and ladle into individual bowls. Spoon the gremolata onto the soup and scatter over the reserved orange rind. Serve with an extra drizzle of olive oil, if desired.

By Elizabeth, originally by Burza via Epicuria

Sweet Corn Fritter – Khao Pod Tod

(A video is coming)

Ingredients

  • 200g corn
  • 100g self-raising flour
  • 1tsp sugar
  • ½tsp salt
  • ½tsp pepper
  • 1 litre oil

Sweet chilli sauce and salad

Method

  1. Massage everything together and deep fried in fresh hot cooking oil until it’s crispy brown.
  2. Serve with sweet chilli sauce and salad.

Recipe by Gig, Golden Lion

Bao Zi Beijing Dumplings

Chinese dumplings

Ingredients

  • 2 cups flour
  • ½ tsp salt
  • 1 cup chopped spinach
  • ½ cup chopped leeks
  • ½ cup bean sprouts
  • 1 onion, finely chopped
  • 2 tbsp soy sauce
  • 1 tsp brown sugar
  • ½ tsp salt
  • 1 tbsp sesame oil

Dipping sauce:

  • 2 parts Shoyu soy sauce
  • 1 part Chinese old vinegar
  • 6 spring onions, finely chopped
  • ginger, finely sliced into sticks
  • optional: chilli

Method

  1. Sift flour with salt and add about 1 cup water to make a nice, silky dough.
  2. Knead well, cover with a cloth.
  3. Mix the rest of the ingredients together in a bowl.
  4. Knead dough again and break into walnut sized balls.
  5. Flatten and roll into a thin pancake. Put 1 tbsp of filling on half of the pancake. Wet edge with water, fold over and press together.
  6. Place in a steamer on high heat for 10 mins, or boil in water for 10 mins.
  7. Can also be deep fried in hot oil until golden.
  8. Serve dipped in a mix of vinegar and soy sauce (see above).

Recipe by Hui Ming

Soup pot luck – a wide selection of flavours at low cost

On 2 October 2015 we showed the film Cowspiracy. In the interval, a selection of soups were offered to the audience, made by some of the volunteers in the group.

  • Minestrone
  • Broth
  • Garden vegetable
  • Spicy tortilla
  • Raw vegetable

Soup is one of the easiest vegan dishes to make, and it can go a very long way with very money. This broad selection covered various cuisines, such as Mexican, French and a raw dish (kept under 40°C to preserve the most nutrition).

Cowspiracy soup pot luck