As the temperature cools and nights draw in, it’s beginning to feel like autumn has arrived. At this time of year, I start to crave warming dishes that make the most of the season’s vegetables with vibrant range of colours and flavour.
Soups can be a great way to experiment with different seasonal flavours and textures and have fun in the kitchen at the same time. They tend to be quick and easy to make, so it’s a good chance to push yourself and try make something new. The joy of cooking soups is you can prepare the recipe and leave the soup to slowly cook and intensify in flavour.
Try to make a big pot so there’s plenty left over for the next day. Carrot soup or tomato soup look wonderful on the plate, but there’s no need to simply stick to the same old flavours like carrot and coriander. Delicious as it is, there are many other wonderful flavour matches to try, such as carrot, honey and ginger which really adds a warming autumnal twist and level of subtle sweetness to the dish.
Parsnips make a fantastic comforting soup and the addition of seasonal apples brings natural sweetness, while a little curry also adds a delicate warmth and punch to the soup.
You could also add a little twist by adding of fresh seasonal meat or fish, like hearty winter broth or seafood chowder. In Gordon’s I’ve been serving velvety cauliflower and Arbroath Smokie soup which is filling and warming. But you can take it a stage further by serving a soft poached egg in the soup, and if you want to really impress a little drizzle of white truffle oil.
Chef’s tip
Try my simple cauliflower soup by sweating 1 sliced onion in 50g butter until soft. Add florets from 1 large cauliflower along with one peeled clove of garlic and cook with a lid on for a few minutes, taking care not to colour. Add 1 litre of light chicken stock and cook until soft. Blend while still hot until completely smooth, pass through fine sieve, season and serve with a little crème fraiche and finely chopped chives.
