The Home of Guy

Alastair Little's recipes for four winter soups

Choose between Tuscan, Thai, Greek and Portuguese influences in these hearty winter warmers

Alastair Little's winter minestrone with white beans and greens.
Tuscan favourite: Alastair Little's winter minestrone with white beans and greens. Photograph: Ola O Smit/The Guardian. Food styling: Ellie Mulligan. Prop styling: Anna Wilkins.

Winter minestrone with white beans and greens

This soup can also be made baked, layered in a casserole with slices of stale white bread and a healthy slug of good olive oil to achieve that apotheosis of Tuscan winter cooking, a ribollita.

Heat the oil in a pan over a medium flame. Add the pancetta and cook until the fat turns translucent – about five minutes. Add the onion, carrots and celeriac and fry until softened and lightly coloured – 10-15 minutes. Add the leeks, potatoes, garlic, chilli, herbs, salt and pepper. Continue cooking gently, until the leeks are tender – about 10 minutes. This process and the vegetables used are known in Italian as the soffritto. It is from this base that the minestrone derives its flavour, so absolutely no shortcuts here please.

Meanwhile, drain the beans, rinse thoroughly and drain again. When the soffritto is ready, add the beans and enough boiling water barely to cover. Bring to a simmer and cook until the potato is tender.

While the soup is cooking, put a large pan of heavily salted water on to boil. When boiling vigorously, blanch the greens for two minutes, then drain and refresh in cold water. Squeeze dry, then chop coarsely but thoroughly.

When the potatoes are tender, stir in the greens and return to a simmer. Taste and adjust the seasoning. To serve, offer grated parmesan and a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil at the table.

Caldo verde (leek and potato soup with shredded greens and chorizo)

The Portuguese national dish is one of my all-time favourites. This soup can be made with any leafy, firm green; cavolo nero is good, as are curly kale and outer leaves of savoy cabbage. Choose cime di rapa for absolute authenticity, but to my mind spring greens produce the best result.

Alastair Little's caldo verde (leek and potato soup with chorizo)
Portugual's national dish: Alastair Little's caldo verde, or leek and potato soup with chorizo. Photograph: Ola O Smit for the Guardian

Melt the butter in a pan on a high heat then cook the leeks, carrot and celery, until slightly softened. Add the potatoes, salt and pepper, then continue cooking, stirring continuously for a minute or so, to get the potatoes coated with the butter. Add enough hot water to cover the veg by 1cm. Return to a boil, then simmer until the potatoes are tender – about 20 minutes – stirring occasionally.

Add the cream and boil for a minute, then puree smooth with a stick blender. Check the seasoning, but be careful as this soup goes from underseasoned to oversalty easily. If too thick, add a little boiled water. Set aside.

Strip the leaves from the greens, roll them up and slice as thinly as you can lengthways into juliennes. Make three cross cuts to ensure that no long strands make it into the soup.

Boil a large pan of salted water and blanch the greens for two minutes. Refresh in cold water, then drain thoroughly, squeezing to get rid of as much water as possible. Fluff them up and set aside.

Skin the chorizo and put, tightly packed in a single layer, into a pan, then barely cover with water. Bring to a boil and turn off immediately. Allow to cool in the water. Drain, adding the cooking water to the soup base. When cool, slice the chorizo into 1cm rounds.

Add the greens to the soup and heat back to a simmer. Put three rounds of chorizo in each soup bowl. Pour the hot soup over and serve.

Greek-style lentil soup

This soup is ridiculously healthy, rich in fibre, good for gut bacteria, and the vinegar is said to help prevent and restrict arthritis. It is also a good way to get vegetables into kids. This winter soup is strangely refreshing and can be served cold with a dollop of Greek yoghurt to great effect.

Alastair Little's Greek-style lentil soup
Ridiculously healthy: Alastair Little's Greek-style lentil soup. Photograph: Ola O Smit for the Guardian

Rinse the lentils, drain, then put into a large pan and cover with three times their volume of water. Bring to a boil, stirring often, then turn down to a simmer and cook until just tender – 25-30 minutes. Drain.

Heat the oil in a large pan and add the onion, carrot and celery. Fry over a brisk heat, until the vegetables are shiny and slightly softened. Add the garlic, rosemary, bay, oregano, salt and pepper. Cook until very aromatic – about five minutes – stirring often.

Add the tomato puree and continue stirring and cooking for five minutes. Add the lentils and enough boiled water barely to cover. Bring back to a boil, stirring continuously, then turn down the heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Add the parsley, vinegar and a good quality olive oil.

The soup is now cooked, and it will be very thick, so add more boiled water to obtain the desired consistency. Remember, it is meant to be a hearty soup, not a thin gruel. Check the seasoning. It should have a distinct and refreshing taste of vinegar and be slightly salty. I have been cautious with the salt and vinegar, so adjust as you see fit.

Pumpkin and Thai spice soup

A spicy soup recipe stolen unashamedly from Bill Grainger and adapted enough to prevent him from noticing when his wife bought it for him in my shop. Use less curry paste if sensitive to chilli heat.

Alastair Little's pumpkin and Thai spice soup
Chilli hot: Alastair Little's pumpkin and Thai spice soup. Photograph: Ola O Smit for the Guardian

Heat the oil and add the curry paste. Sweat for a minute or so, adding a little water when the paste becomes very aromatic. It may spit when you do this.

Add the leeks, carrots and celery, and fry for five minutes. Add the pumpkin, tossing it in the curry paste and cooking for a further five minutes. Be careful not to burn the vegetables because the curry paste makes this a distinct possibility. When the vegetables are glistening or starting to catch and burn, add enough boiling water barely to cover them. Return to a boil and add the potatoes. Simmer, until potatoes and pumpkin are tender.

Add the finishing ingredients and blitz with a stick blender, until completely smooth. Check the seasoning. The soup should be spicy and thick enough to coat a spoon. If it's too thick or spicy (curry pastes vary in strength), add some boiled water.

This recipe should not need salt, due to the fish sauce in the curry paste and added at the end. For the same reason, no pepper is added. However, if you find the soup underseasoned, add both cautiously.

byalastairlittle.co.uk

Tiny footer content goes here