Arrange the mushrooms on a baking tray, flat side down, and pile the stuffing mixture on top of each one. Bake in the oven for 15–20 minutes or until the mushrooms are soft and the topping crisp and golden.
6 Once the soup has finished cooking, check the seasoning, then pour in the cream and simmer gently for a few minutes to warm through. Ladle the soup into wide soup bowls to a depth of no more than 2cm (¾in). Carefully place a stuffed mushroom in the centre of each bowl, drizzle over the truffle oil (if using) and decorate with the marjoram leaves.
Rachel’s tip
You can prepare the mushroom soup in advance (freezing it, if you wish) and then prepare the stuffed mushrooms on the day.
Gazpacho
SERVES 4 · VEGETARIAN (WITH NON-VEGETRIAN VARIATIONS)
Gazpacho is a classic chilled summer soup from Spain. It reminds me of the many happy holidays I’ve had in Mallorca.
800g (1¾lb) ripe tomatoes (about 3–4), quartered
1 red pepper, deseeded and roughly chopped
½ large cucumber, peeled and roughly chopped
8 spring onions, trimmed and roughly chopped
8 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
2 tbsp sherry vinegar or red wine vinegar
Squeeze of lemon juice
2 cloves of garlic, peeled
2 tsp caster sugar
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 Place all of the ingredients in a blender and blitz until smooth. Check the seasoning and add a little more sugar if necessary. Push the soup through a fine sieve over a large bowl, cover and place in the fridge to chill before serving.
2 Ladle into bowls and drizzle over a little olive oil. Serve with your choice of toppings from below, placing little bowls of them on the table for each person to add to their own soup.
Toppings
* Mix ½ red or yellow pepper, deseeded and finely chopped, with 4 teaspoons of finely chopped red onion and 4 tablespoons of golden croutons (2 thick slices of white or brown bread cut into 5mm/¼in cubes, brushed with olive oil and baked in the oven, preheated to 200°C/400°F/Gas mark 6, for 10 minutes).
* Mix 2 tablespoons of fresh white crab meat with ¼ avocado, finely chopped.
* Push 1 cold hard-boiled egg through a sieve and mix with 25g (1oz) finely chopped cooked ham.
* Vodka ice cubes — 1 teaspoon of vodka mixed with 1 teaspoon of water per ice cube and frozen overnight. Add to the soup, with or without the other toppings.
Brussels sprout soup with toasted almonds and chive cream
SERVES 4 – 6 · VEGETARIAN (IF MADE WITH VEGETABLE STOCK)
A perfect winter dish and particularly lovely at Christmas, this delicious and nourishing soup uses up leftover Brussels sprouts, or you can use raw sprouts instead — just give them an extra minute or two to cook in the soup. Like many children, mine aren’t too keen on Brussels sprouts on their own, but they lap them up in this soup!15g (½oz) butter
1 onion, peeled and chopped
1 large potato (about 250g/9oz), peeled and chopped
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 litre (1¾ pints) chicken or vegetable stock (see page 326)
450g (1lb) cooked or raw (and peeled) Brussels sprouts, halved
100ml (3½fl oz) double or regular cream
1 tbsp finely chopped chives
25g (1oz) flaked almonds, lightly toasted (see tip below right)
1 Melt the butter in a saucepan on a low heat, add the onion and potato and season lightly with salt and pepper. Cover with a lid and leave to cook very gently for about 8–10 minutes, stirring every now and then, until the potatoes are just soft but not browned.
2 Add the stock, bring to a rolling boil and cook for 1 minute before tipping in the sprouts. With the lid off this time, boil the cooked sprouts for 1–2 minutes only (enough time to warm through but not to overcook) or 3–4 minutes for raw sprouts.
3 Remove the saucepan from the heat and whiz the soup in a blender until smooth. Return the soup to the pan and stir in half the cream. Check the seasoning and simmer for a few minutes to warm through.
4 Finally, lightly whip the remaining cream to soft peaks and stir in the chives. Divide the soup between warm bowls, spoon a dollop of chive cream on top, scatter over the toasted almonds and serve immediately.
Rachel’s tip
To toast the almonds (or any other kind of nuts or seeds), toss them in a dry pan for 2–3 minutes on a medium—high heat. Remove from the heat as soon as they start to turn golden as they can quickly burn.
Assian noodle broth with chicken dumplings
SERVES 6
This is a fragrant and light soup, with noodles and chicken dumplings poached in the broth to make it more substantial. The sweet element in the broth makes it popular with children; if the chilli is too spicy for them (or you), then leave it out. Likewise, the nuts in the dumplings can be omitted.
500g (1lb 2oz) chicken dumpling mixture (see page 155)
1.8 litres (3 pints) chicken stock (see page 326)
100g (3½oz) medium egg noodles
200g (7oz) Savoy cabbage, finely shredded
1 red chilli, deseeded (optional) and finely chopped
Juice of 1 lime
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Large handful of mint leaves, roughly chopped
To serve
Lime wedges
Fish sauce (nam pla)
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