Ribollita (Tuscan Soup)

by Liz Child

Happy New Year! How are you? We are keeping cosy and filling up on loads of veggies with regular servings of delicious ribollita. This Tuscan soup/stew is full of flavour and is so nourishing. Highly recommend getting this into your rotation, it’s a hit with the whole family. And it is the most delicious way to use up stale bread and avoid food waste! The bread really must be stale so that it keeps the right texture and doesn’t get all gummy, so next time you find that half of your loaf has gone stale, make this. Serve with or without cheese as you like. An extra drizzle of extra virgin olive oil doesn’t go amiss either. Enjoy!

Liz x

Ingredients (serves 4)

  • 2 tbsp olive oil, plus more to serve
  • 1 onion, diced
  • 3 sticks of celery, diced
  • 3 medium carrots, diced
  • 3 cloves of garlic, chopped
  • 1 tbsp fresh rosemary, chopped
  • 6 large kale leaves, leaves torn and stalks finely chopped
  • 1 vegetable stock cube
  • 1 tin chopped tomatoes
  • 1 tin white beans, drained
  • 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • stale bread, torn or cut into chunks
  • grated cheese to serve, optional

Method

  1. Sauté the onion, carrot and celery with the oil and a pinch of salt for around 5 minutes until they start to soften.
  2. Add the garlic, rosemary and kale stalks and sauté for another 2 minutes.
  3. Then add the red wine vinegar, tomatoes, stock cube, beans and around 500ml of water. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
  4. Simmer for around 10 minutes then add the kale and turn off the heat. Stir to wilt the kale into the hot soup.
  5. Serve over stale bread chunks in large bowls and top with optional grated cheese and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.

Celeriac Soup with Smokey Mushrooms

by Liz Child

Our large, knobbly celeriac are finally back in season, perfect for all your winter soups and stews. If you haven’t tried celeriac before, it is a delicious and versatile vegetable which tastes like a cross between celery, parsnip and potato. As well and soups and stews, it is stunning raw in creamy salads like remoulade. You can also roast it or bake it in a gratin. We love pairing it’s sweet, herby, mild flavour with something strong flavoured like capers or these salty, smokey mushrooms. Give it a try and do share your favourite celeriac recipes in the comments, we are always looking for inspiration.

Liz x

Ingredients (serves 6)

For the soup:

  • 1 tbsp oil
  • 1 white onion, peeled & diced
  • 4 cloves of garlic, peeled & sliced
  • 3 sticks of celery, sliced
  • 1 celeriac, peeled & cubed
  • 1 stock cube or 1 tbsp bouillion powder
  • 1 tbsp dried thyme
  • salt and pepper to taste

For the smokey mushrooms:

  • 1 tbsp maple syrup
  • 2 tbsp soy sauce
  • 1 tbsp oil
  • 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 2 tsp smoked paprika
  • 300g chestnut mushrooms, thinly sliced

Method

  1. Put a kettle on to boil with 1 liter of water. Then, in a large soup pot, sauté the onion, garlic, celery and celeriac with the oil and a sprinkle of salt and pepper. After 5 minutes the vegetables should be slightly softened.
  2. Add the thyme, crumble in the stock cube and pour in the freshly boiled water. Give the pot a stir then get the lid on and simmer the soup for 15 minutes or so until the celeriac is soft enough to blend.
  3. Meanwhile, mix together the maple, soy, oil, garlic, pepper and smoked paprika in a bowl. Tumble in the sliced mushrooms and mix well to coat each slice in the marinade. Scrape the mushrooms into a large frying pan and stir fry until hot and beautifully browned.
  4. Blend the soup and taste for seasoning. Add more salt or pepper as needed then serve in bowls topped with the smokey mushrooms. Enjoy.

Pumpkin, Coconut & Lentil Soup

by Liz Child

It’s definitely soup weather now isn’t it? A few humble ingredients come together to make this stunning soup. If you are turning on your oven, it’s not a bad idea to chop up and roast as many of your vegetables as you can in different trays to use in dishes throughout the week and save on your energy bill. Pre-roasted veg can be blended into soups like this one, simmered into stews or packed into wraps or salads for lunch.

One of our favourite budget ingredients are lentils. They are always affordable and bring so many nutrients to your meals. Red lentils are especially useful for adding great texture to soups, if you’ve not tried this handy store-cupboard ingredient yet, we sell it in compostable bags. We always have a few tins of creamy coconut milk in the press too, these are so useful for soups and curries. Get your organic tinned essentials delivered to your door along with your seasonal vegetables from us. We deliver nationwide for just €4.50!

Liz x

Ingredients (serves 6-8)

  • 1/2 a large, kuri squash pumpkin (cubed and roasted until soft with a little olive oil and salt)
  • 250g split red lentils, rinsed well
  • 500ml vegetable stock
  • 3 garlic cloves, chopped
  • 2 whole red chillies (or to taste)
  • 1 heaped tsp of turmeric
  • 1 heaped tsp of ginger
  • 1 tin of coconut milk
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • a small bunch of fresh coriander

Method

  1. Over a medium-low heat, simmer the lentils, garlic, chilli, turmeric and ginger with the vegetable stock and some black pepper for 10-15 minutes or until the lentils are soft. Keep an eye on it giving the pot the occasional stir and adding more water if needed.
  2. Then turn the heat up and add the tin of coconut milk and the roasted pumpkin. Heat through then blend with the fresh coriander.
  3. Taste and adjust the seasoning if needed and thin out to your desired texture with a splash of water or more vegetable stock. Enjoy!

Curried Parsnip, Leek and Lentil Soup

by Lou Robbie

This is a real hearty seasonal soup. My organic veg box was delivered this morning (Fri) and seeing the earthy parsnips just made me smile because I only live 15km from where they were pulled from the ground! #buylocalproduce Parsnips and leeks are at their very best in autumn.

Leeks and parsnips are two of my favourite vegetables. I usually keep the flavours simple but couldn’t resist adding lentils and curry to make this soup a substantial meal.

The best part of this soup is that it only has a handful of ingredients, make it as spicy as you like and serve it with big generous chunks of organic sourdough bread.

Lou 🙂

Ingredients:

  • 700g parsnips
  • 2 small leeks (or one large)
  • 3-4 teaspoons curry powder
  • 1 teaspoon of turmeric
  • good pinch salt and pepper
  • 1.5 litres water or stock
  • 400g tin lentils
  • 1 tablespoon oil

Method

  1. Grab a wide pot with a lid.
  2. Scrub and dice the parsnips. Theres no need to peel them when they are organic, just wash them well.
  3. Wash the leeks, cut the root off and most of the hard green tops. (These can be used for veg stock #zerofoodwaste
  4. Slice the leeks finely.
  5. Warm the pot on the hob, low to medium heat and add a tablespoon of light oil.
  6. Tip in the sliced leeks. Add a generous pinch of salt and pepper and cook down for a few minutes.
  7. Add in the curry powder and turmeric and cook to toast and awaken the spices for a minute or two. (Add a splash of water if its catching on the bottom of the pot)
  8. Next toss in the diced parsnips and stir them through the leeks.
  9. Pour in the water and pop the lid on if you have one.
  10. Let the soup simmer on the hob for about 40 minutes, the soup is ready when the parsnips are soft when squished with the back of a wooden spoon.
  11. While it’s cooking away. Open the tin of lentils and drain and rinse them.
  12. If you like chunky soup just add in the lentils now, but if you like a smoother soup blend first and then add the lentils.
  13. Check the seasoning and serve with crusty organic sourdough if you have some.

Cauliflower Noodle Soup

by Liz Child

This is THE soup to make when you’re feeling under the weather. It’s a plant based take on that classic chicken noodle soup which brings so much comfort. It’s brothy and light, bursting with vitamins, but at the same time hearty and satisfying. I used bay leaves, lemon and thyme to flavour the broth with lots of garlic and a little turmeric for it’s sunny colour and medicinal properties. You’ll feel like a whole new human after a bowl of this. Happy slurping!

Liz x

Ingredients (serves 6)

  • 3 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 leek, sliced
  • 4 sticks of celery, diced
  • 3 carrots, diced
  • 6 cloves of garlic, sliced
  • 3 bay leaves
  • 1 tbsp dried thyme
  • 1 tsp turmeric
  • 2 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp ground pepper
  • 100g quinoa, rinsed
  • 1/2 a head of cauliflower, diced
  • 120g noodles (I prefer quick cooking ramen or Thai rice noodles here but you can also use Italian style pasta in any shape you like. Just adjust the cooking times as explained below.)
  • 1 lemon, juiced

Method

  1. In a large, heavy bottomed pot, sauté the leek, garlic, carrots and celery with the olive oil. After 5 minutes the vegetables should be starting to soften.
  2. Then add the bay leaves, thyme, turmeric and quinoa. Top up with a couple of litres of water, season with the salt and pepper then simmer. After 10 minutes, the vegetables should be soft and the quinoa just starting to release it’s tails.
  3. Add the cauliflower and simmer for another 5 minutes. Taste the broth for seasoning and add more salt if necessary.
  4. Then add the noodles* and give the soup a stir to ensure they’re not clumping together. If they are the quick cooking type, turn the heat off, put the lid on and let them cook and soften in the residual heat. If they are Italian style pasta noodles and need longer cooking then you should add them with the cauliflower during step 3.
  5. Brighten the soup with the lemon juice and serve in large bowls. Enjoy!

TOP TIP – *only add the noodles/pasta if you’ll be eating this soup immediately. If you are making this in advance, add the noodles when you reheat it, otherwise they’ll get too soggy. You can even cook the noodles/pasta separately and put them into bowls, then ladle the soup over each portion.

Ribollita

by Liz Child

This classic Tuscan soup is just gorgeous. A hearty combination of white beans, tomatoey broth and seasonal vegetables, most notably kale. What makes this soup extra delicious for me is the combination of garlic, lemon zest, really good olive oil and fragrant rosemary and sage. This is one of those stew-like soups that is better the next day. Once you’ve done all the chopping, it’s really simple to make. Leave it brothy if you like or thicken the soup with torn chunks of stale bread or blend a portion of the beans before adding them. I prefer to leave it brothy then serve the soup over torn bread. Let us know your favourite way of eating ribollita.

Liz x

Ingredients (serves 6)

  • 6 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 onions, peeled and diced
  • 3 sticks of celery, diced
  • 3 large carrots, diced
  • 6 cloves of garlic, peeled and diced
  • the zest of a lemon
  • 1 tbsp chopped rosemary
  • 1 tbsp chopped sage
  • 2 stock cubes
  • 1 tin chopped tomatoes
  • 2 tins white beans, drained
  • 8 kale leaves, stems finely chopped, leaves torn
  • the juice of a lemon
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • stale bread to serve, optional

Method

  1. In a large, heavy bottomed pot, sauté the onion with the olive oil on a medium-high heat until soft and starting to colour. This should take at least 5 minutes.
  2. Then add the diced carrot and celery and the thinly sliced kale stems, season with salt and pepper and stir for a couple of minutes.
  3. Add the chopped garlic, lemon zest and chopped herbs. Stir for another minute or two, your kitchen should smell really really good now.
  4. Crumble in the stock cubes and tip in the tin of chopped tomatoes. Fill the tin with water 4 times and pour that water into the pot.
  5. Add the drained beans then bring the soup up to a boil, turn the heat down and simmer for 15 minutes with the lid on.
  6. Then add the torn kale leaves and the lemon juice to the pot, pop the lid back on and let the leaves wilt for just 3-5 minutes. Taste and adjust the seasoning if needed. Add more water if you’d like a brothier soup, blend some of the soup if you’d like it thicker.
  7. Serve in generous bowls, as it is or with torn pieces of stale bread.

Sunshine Soup

by Liz Child

Sometimes in November a bowl of sunshine is just what is needed! Put our stunning root veg to use with this simple soup (or use up your Halloween pumpkins instead). We stock organic red lentils (in a compostable bag🙌) which gives this soup the most beautiful texture and provides protein, iron, potassium, folate, vitamin B1 and prebiotic fibre. Turmeric and black pepper are a delicious anti-inflammatory addition, and we have tins of organic coconut milk for a rich, creamy finish to the soup.

Liz x

Ingredients (serves 6)

  • 2 tbsp oil
  • 1 diced onion
  • 4 chopped garlic cloves
  • 750g diced veg (I used carrot and swede this time but any root veg or pumpkins work well here)
  • 1 tbsp ground turmeric
  • 1 tsp ground black pepper
  • 2 tsp salt
  • 300g rinsed red lentils
  • 1500ml water (approx)
  • 1 tin coconut milk

Method

  1. In a large pot, sauté the onion with the oil until it softens and starts to turn golden brown.
  2. Add the garlic and diced vegetables, season well with salt, pepper and turmeric.
  3. Tip in the rinsed red lentils and cover generously with water. Stir then put the lid on the pot. Bring to a boil then immediately turn the heat down and simmer until the lentils and vegetables are soft (around 15-20 minutes). You should take the lid off and stir every 5 minutes to ensure there is no sticking or burning on the bottom of the pot. You may wish to add more water if the soup is looking a bit thick.
  4. Scrape in the coconut milk then blend until smooth with a hand held stick blender. Taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary. Then enjoy!

Roasted Carrot & Fennel Soup with Cheese Toasties

by Liz Child

Soup weather is officially back and I’m not complaining! Soups are a fantastic way to get a whole lot of goodness into one simple meal. Probably at least once a week we have a soup and cheese toastie night. The simplest way to make a soup… whilst juggling the housework, homework, giving the dog a walk, firing off a few last emails etc… is to grab a tray, roughly chop up a good combination of veg, oil and season it well, and whack it in the oven. Then your surfaces are clear, all you have to do when it’s done is tip it into a big pot and blend it with some stock.

The carrots and fennel coming out of the farm at the moment are just stunning! So fresh and so full of flavour. And so often, what grows together, goes together! So here’s one of our seasonal favourites right now, a simple but super-tasty, carrot and fennel soup! Enjoy!

Liz x

Ingredients (serves 6)

  • 2 bulbs of fennel
  • 6 carrots
  • 6 cloves of garlic
  • 1 leek (or 1 onion)
  • 3 sticks of celery
  • 4 tbsp olive oil
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 2 vegetable stock cubes
  • 1 litre of water (in the kettle, ready to boil)
  • cheese sandwiches to serve (I like to butter the outside and grill them when the soup is ready)

Method

  1. Turn your oven on to 200C and find a deep roasting dish.
  2. Wash the vegetables, roughly chop them and place them in the roasting dish.
  3. Peel the garlic cloves and pop them into the dish whole.
  4. Drizzle with olive oil and season with a good couple of pinches of salt and a grind of black pepper. Mix well and then get the dish into the oven to roast. It should take about 30 minutes but keep an eye on it as ovens vary.
  5. Meanwhile make cheese sandwiches to grill (we have a lovely range of organic cheeses including a new Irish organic Mossfield cheese and vegan cheeses) and get a big pot and your stick blender ready.
  6. Crumble two veg stock cubes into a large jug and then add a litre of freshly boiled water. Stir to combine. Test the roasted veg for ‘done-ness’ with a knife. They should be soft and starting to take on some colour.
  7. Scrape the roasted veg to a large pot, pour over the veg stock and blend until smooth with your stick blender. You may wish to add a splash more water to thin the soup out to your liking. Taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary with more salt or pepper.
  8. Then grill the cheese sandwiches and reheat the soup on the hob. Serve and enjoy!

Nettle Soup

by Liz Child

Stinging nettles are easy to identify and one of the most nutritious wild foods out there. Spring is the perfect time to forage for these tender and tasty greens. Studies suggest that eating nettles may reduce inflammation, hay fever symptoms, blood pressure and blood sugar levels — among other benefits. And they are so delicious! Why not grab some gloves and a colander and head out to gather some free food for your lunch? Just pick lots of the tender top 4-6 leaves, the tips of the nettles, like in the photo above. Then when you’ve filled your colander, take it home and give the nettle tips a good rinse. Always pick nettles away from polluted roads sides and avoid places that may have been sprayed.

Here’s my simple nettle soup recipe but you can do so much more with nettles. Pesto, salsa verde, add them to quiches, pies, stews… use it like spinach basically. I love nettles in a spanakopita type filo pastry pie. Share your favourite nettle recipe with use below in the comments? Liz x

Ingredients (serves 4)

  • 1 tbsp oil
  • 1 onion
  • 2 or 3 carrots
  • 4 cloves of garlic
  • 2 potatoes
  • 1 stock cube
  • 4 large handfuls of nettle tips
  • the juice of half a lemon
  • salt and pepper to taste

Method

Dice and sauté the onions, garlic and carrots in the oil until just softening and starting to take on some colour.

Then dice and add the potatoes to the pot and generously cover the vegetables with water. Crumble in a stock cube and simmer with the lid on until the potatoes are soft.

Add the rinsed nettle tips to the pot.

Stir the nettle tip into the soup and simmer for just 2 or 3 minutes. Then add the lemon juice and blend the soup with an immersion blender. Taste and adjust the seasoning as needed with salt and pepper.