Fresh sweetcorn soup with tortillas a la Nigella

Yum. I can't think of anything better than this for a quick healthy supper in the middle of the week, and so frugal too! This soup is my version of the inimitable Nigella's sweetcorn chowder from Express. I do borrow from (or lean heavily upon) the original, but...dare I say it...think this recipe is nicer! Mind you, it isn't quite so express... But what brain food!

Ingredients

• 1 small onion, peeled and finely chopped
• 1 large carrot, peeled and grated
• 2 celery stalks, peeled of the long fibrous threads, and very finely diced
• 2 heads of sweetcorn
• Veg stock
• Splash milk or cream
• Cheese tortillas
• Mature English cheddar

Method

• Heat a tablespoon of oil in a wide-based saucepan with the onion, carrot and celery. Sweat the veg for 10 minutes until they are very soft but not coloured.
• Meanwhile, cut the sweetcorn kernels off the cobs (in a large bowl, hold the corn cob at a low angle and cut down through the base of the kernels with a sharp serrated knife).
• Add the sweetcorn to the vegetables, stir well, and pour over hot vegetable stock to cover by about 1cm.
• Bring the soup to a gentle boil, then turn the heat down to a good simmer and leave to cook for 20 minutes while you unwind a bit and think about which bubble bath to use tonight.
• Once the sweetcorn is nice and tender, take the pan off the heat and leave for 10 mins for the temperature to drop a bit.
• Preheat the oven to 200C/390F.
• After 10 minutes, arrange a handful of tortilla chips per person on a baking tray, grate over as much of the cheese as you want, and pop in the oven. Cook for about 5 minutes - you will smell when they are ready.
• Meanwhile, remove a couple of spoonfuls of sweetcorn kernels from the pan, then tip all the rest into a blender. Blend to a smoothish soup (take out the central lid or your blender will explode like mine did once...) then return to the pan with the reserved vegetables.
• Reheat the soup gently for a few minutes. Add a splash of milk or cream if you think it needs it. It should be sweet and vegetabley. Serve in wide bowls with the cheesy tortillas on top and relax in front of a Nigella DVD.

Two tomatoes for a TV dinner

I wanted to counger up a little domestic warmth this weekend, and perhaps the scents and sense of a more Mediterranean climate as the barometer drops outside.



In the spirit of frugality I am attempting to limit my fridge waste. A treaty packet of mi-cuit tomatoes has done us well recently, with delicious stuffed chicken breasts, mozzarella and basil sandwiches, and a tasty rice stuffing. I thought of making tomato bread with the remainder, but when it came to it I found I was without yeast (a shocking kitchen omission I know). So the bread turned into scones, and was paired with this yummy soup, another exercise in 'waste not want not' using half a bunch of coriander left over from a Friday night curry.

Tomato, Lentil and Coriander Soup

Ingredients

• 1 fat garlic clove, squashed
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• A small bunch of coriander, stems separated and chopped finely
• 1 cup split red lentils
  
• 1 tin cherry tomatoes in juice
• 1 tin good quality chopped tomatoes
• 750ml chicken or vegetable stock
• Juice of half a lemon

Method

• Heat a little oil in a saucepan with the garlic, until the smell wafts up.
• Add the chopped onion and coriander stems and cook gently, stirring often, until soft but not golden.
• Add the lentils and stir well to cover in a slick of oil.
• Add both the tins of tomatoes and the stock, bring to a boil, and then turn down and simmer for 20 minutes or until the lentils are very soft and the liquid has reduced.
  
• Add the coriander leaves. Turn off the heat and allow to cool.
• Once cooler, remove three cups of soup to a blender and pulse until smooth.
• Return the puree to the saucepan and reheat gently. Season with a good squeeze of lemon to taste before serving.

Feeds 2 hearty eaters for a TV dinner.

Cheese and Tomato Scones

Ingredients

• 250g plain flour
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
• 2 teaspoons cream of tartar
• 40g unsalted butter
• 150ml milk
• Handful of mi-cuit or sunblush tomatoes, chopped roughly
• 40g grated mature cheddar

Method

• Preheat the oven to 210C/410F and line a baking sheet with parchment.
• Sift together the flour, salt and raising agents.
• Cube the butter into the flour and rub in well using the pads of your fingers until fine sand forms.
• Add the milk all at once and bring the dough together, first with a wooden spoon and then with your hands. Try not to work it too much.
• On a floured surface knead in the cheese and tomatoes.
• Roll out the dough to a thickness of 3cm and cut 6cm rounds using a metal cookie cutter. Place them on the baking sheet. With re-rolling you should get 6 scones.
• Bake in the oven for 10-12 minutes until golden on top and cooked through.
• Allow to cool on a rack before eating.

Makes 6.