Beetroot and goat's cheese soup
Serves: 4
Prep time: 20 mins
Cooking time: 1 hour 30 mins (using fresh beetroot) 30 minutes (using cooked beetroot)
- 600g fresh beetroot, or 350g cooked and peeled beetroot (not the type stored in vinegar)
- 150g red onion, finely chopped
- 1tbsp olive oil or vegetable oil
- 10g butter
- 1tbsp chopped parsley, plus extra to serve
- 500ml vegetable stock
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 100ml crème fraîche, plus extra for serving
- 100g goat's cheese, plus extra for serving
- ½-1tsp lemon juice
If you're cooking the beetroot, preheat the oven to 180ºC/356ºF/gas mark 4. Wash the bulbs and cut off all but 3cm of the long stalks and leaves. Wrap each beetroot in foil and place on a baking tray. Cook in the oven for 1 hour. Once the beetroots are cooked, remove from the foil and peel, wearing plastic gloves and an apron to avoid staining your hands and clothes.
Meanwhile, fry the red onion in a pan with the oil and butter, until the onion has become translucent. Add the parsley and cook for a further 3 minutes. Then pour in the stock and bring to the boil. Season lightly, then set aside.
Quarter the cooked beetroot and add to the stock. Cook on a medium heat for 10 minutes.
Remove from the heat and add the crème fraîche, goat's cheese and lemon juice, then blend in a food processor. Season to taste.
Serve the soup in bowls with a dollop of crème fraîche and a slice of goat's cheese. Sprinkle with pepper and chopped parsley.
- FYI Betacyanin, the pigment that gives beetroot its vibrant purple colour, is also an antioxidant. This cancer-fighting ingredient can help reduce the oxidation of cholesterol and the risk of heart disease. More than just a pretty colour then!
Nutritional information: 285 calories 21g fat
Butternut squash stuffed with pearl barley risotto
Prepare up to 24 hours ahead
Serves: 4
Prep time: 20 mins
Cooking time: 1 hour 30 mins
- 850g butternut squash, halved and deseeded
- 1tbsp butter
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1tbsp olive oil
- 100g shallots, finely chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, peeled, bashed and finely chopped
- Leaves from a sprig of thyme
- 100g pearl barley
- 100ml white wine
- 750ml vegetable stock
- 1 bay leaf
- 1tsp butter
- 10g Parmesan cheese, grated
- 3 sun-dried tomatoes or sun-brushed tomatoes, finely chopped
For the topping
- 20g Parmesan cheese, grated
- 10g fresh breadcrumbs
- 1tbsp parsley
- ¼tsp finely chopped rosemary
- Olive oil
- 200g cherry tomatoes, halved
Preheat the oven to 200ºC/400ºF/gas mark 6. Score a criss-cross cut across the flesh of the squash halves and smear with butter. Season and place on a baking sheet. Cook in the oven for 45 minutes, or until tender.
Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large pan and fry the shallots, garlic and thyme for 5 minutes. Add the pearl barley, fry for a few minutes, then pour in the wine. Once it's absorbed, add the stock and bay leaf. Stir occasionally until almost all the liquid has been absorbed. Check the barley. I prefer a slightly chewy "al dente" texture but if you prefer soft grain, add more water and cook for longer. Stir in the butter, Parmesan and sun-dried tomatoes then season. Set aside.
Remove the squash from the oven and scoop out the flesh, leaving around 1-1.5cm still on the skin. Roughly chop the scooped butternut and stir into the barley. Put the mixture back into the cooked squash halves. If you plan to cook them straight away, turn down the oven to 180ºC/356ºF/gas 4, if not you can refrigerate the squash overnight.
To make the topping, mix together the Parmesan, breadcrumbs, parsley, rosemary and 1tbsp olive oil. Sprinkle over the squash and scatter the tomatoes on the baking sheet. Drizzle over 1tsp olive oil, then cook for 45 minutes. Serve with roasted veg.
Nutrirional information: 372 calories 18g fat
