Vine Ripe Tomato Soup with Avocado and Cucumber
Ingredients
(serves 10)
500 gm vine-ripe tomatoes (see note)
200 gm fennel
30 gm basil
20 gm garlic
15 gm chilli (phrik chee fah)
30 gm onion
100 gm avocado
60 ml olive oil
60 gm cucumber
lemon juice (optional)
shallot, finely
chopped (optional)
Method
- Using a liquidiser, blend the tomatoes, fennel, basil, garlic, chilli and onion.
- Strain (to remove tomato seeds) into a bowl and then whisk in the olive oil.
- Store in refrigerator until needed.
- Dice the avocado and cucumber then mix together, mashing slightly with the back of a spoon. Add a little lemon juice and afinely chopped shallot if desired.
- Place a tablespoon or so of this mixture in the centre of each soup dish/bowl.
- Pour the chilled soup around the avocado/cucumber “island” garnish it with a spring of fresh basil and serve immediately.
Notes
- “Vine-ripe” describes tomatoes that have been allowed to ripen fully before being picked. To test, slice one in half horiaontally; the flesh should be red right through to the core (no white visible).
- This soup goes well with black truffles.
- A non-vegetarian version of this soup can be made by adding morsels of poached lobster or shrimp.
Recipe Courtesy of Teh Peninsula Bangkok.
Cream of Broccoli Soup
Ingredients
4-5 cups roughly chopped broccoli florets
4-5 cups cubed, peeled potatoes
2 cups cubed carrots
2-3 cups roughly chopped onions
salt (use sparingly)
white or black peper, a little
1 litre beef (or chicken) stock
2 beef (or chicken) stock cubes
double cream, to taste
4-5 tbsp butter
Method
- Melt the butter in a large, heavy – based pot over a medium flame and saute the onions until transparent before adding the carrots, potatoes and broccoli.
- Saute the vegetables for a minute or two before pouring in the stock. Bring the mixutre to the boil, then turn down the flame and simmer (with the lid on the pot) until the root vegetables are very soft.
- Add the stock cubes, season with salt and peper and set the pot aside to cool down.
- Pour the mixture into a liquidiser and blend until smmoth. Next pour through a sieve to remove any fibrous material.
- Return the soup to the pot, bring back to the boil and then set aside to cool.
- Transfer the quantity of soup you need for immediate use to a smaller pot, mix in some cream, adjust the seasoning and serve immediately with fresh bread or crusty rolls.
Cream of Pumpkin Soup
Ingredients
(Serves 10 to 15)
1/2 cup butter
2 cups bacon, sliced (more if you like)
2 cups onion, diced
2 cups carrot, diced
2 cups celery (Thai variety), chopped
3 cups pumpkin, peeled, de – seeded and sliced
3 cups potato, peeled and sliced
Chicken or beef stock (I prefer beef)
2 or 3 stock cubes (chicken or beef)
Method
- Melt the butter in a large pot and fry the bacon.
- Add the onion, carrot and celery and saute until the onion turns transparent.
- Add the stock, pumpkin and potato and bring to the boil.
- Add the stock cubes, turn down the heat and simmer until the potatoes are cooked.
- Remove the soup from the pot, blend in a liquidiser and then pass through a sieve.
- Return to the pot, re – heat and add more stock if the soup is too thick.
- Ladle into bowls, add a dash of milk or condensed cream to each and serve hot with croissants or bread sticks. Allow your guests to add peper and salt themselves.
Bamboo pith and black mushroom soup
Ingredients
100 gm bamboo pith
100 gm black mushrooms
300 gm round of pork (top section of pig’s back legs)
300 gm boiling fowl (tough meat from hen several years of age)
100 gm Yunnan ham (variety of lightly cured ham)
10 gm salt
3 gm sugar
500 ml water
Method
- Clean the mushrooms and the bamboo pith. Set aside.
- Put the pork, chicken and ham into a double boiler. Add the water, replace the lid and boil for five hours.
- Strain the soup into another pot.
- Add the mushrooms and bamboo pith and boil for another 30 minutes.
- Mix in the salt and sugar.
- Serve hot.
Note : Among the therapeutic benefits of bamboo pith is its role in the prevention of hypertension. Black mushrooms help the body shed excess fat.
Recipe courtesy of Chan Fong Wing, a chef from Hong Kong currently based at Le Royal Meridien, Bangkok.
