Farro Soup.

Ingredients
Serves: 4
100g farro/barley
125g pinto/haricot beans or other white beans
1 litre vegetable stock
1 onion, diced
1 carrot, chopped
1 celery, chopped
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 sprig of fresh rosemary
2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
Salt
Freshly ground pepper
Parsley
I also added a parmesan cheese rind

Method
Canned pinto beans or if fresh to:
Soak the pinto beans in cold water overnight, and then boil them in 1.5 litres of salted water.
Blend half of the pinto beans, and then set both the whole and the blended beans to one side.
Heat the olive oil in a pan, and fry the onion, carrot and celery until softened.
Add the tomato sauce, and cook for a further two minutes.
Add the farro to the pan, and then pour over the litre of vegetable stock.
Season with salt and rosemary, and then simmer for 40 minutes.
Add the whole pinto beans to the pan, and also stir in the blended pinto beans.
Cook for a further five minutes.
Season, serve and garnish with chopped parsley/basil.

Strawberry "fridge jam".

Strawberries are plentiful now, too, and I've been freezing them into vanilla-scented parfaits as one way to avoid wastage.
I also won't get through the summer without making at least one batch of strawberry "fridge jam".
This low-sugar, fast-cooked preserve has a fresher, fruitier flavour and softer set than standard jams; as well as dolloping it on to toast, I use it as a kind of fruity sauce.

To make it,
combine 1.5kg of lightly crushed strawberries with
the juice of one lemon and
1kg jam sugar with pectin.
After leaving this to sit for an hour, bring it to a rolling boil and keep it there for just five minutes before potting in sterilised jars.
After opening, it will keep for about three weeks in the fridge.

Rhubarb makes a delicious jam as well, particularly when combined with ginger.
To ensure success, follow some basic preserving etiquette.
First, measure and weigh your ingredients carefully and follow recipes closely – there's some science involved in preserving, and all instructions are there for a reason.
Second, remember that cleanliness is paramount.
Don't use very damaged or slightly mouldy produce, and always sterilise jars or bottles.
This is very simple: just wash the jars or bottles and lids in very hot, soapy water, rinse them in equally hot, clean water, then put them in the oven at 120C/250F/gas mark ¼ for 20-30 minutes.
This dries them and heats them up (hot preserves should go into hot jars), but also knocks on the head any lingering bacteria.
Another sterilising method is to run the jars through a hot dishwasher cycle, then use them straight away, while still hot from the machine.

Gooseberry curd.

Mid-season gooseberries are fat, flavourful and juicy: combine ripe with slightly under-ripe berries for the best jams.
I also love gooseberries in a smooth but tart curd.
This is a little more subtle and complex than a pure lemon curd, with the floral flavour of the gooseberries dancing on the tastebuds.
There's nothing better on a scone or hot breakfast pancakes.
Makes about five small (250-300ml) jars.



500g gooseberries
100ml lemon juice (around 3-4)
125g unsalted butter
450g granulated sugar
200ml strained beaten egg (around 4-5 large eggs)

Sterilise some jars - Place your jars in the oven and heat to 140°C.
Leave them there until needed.
Put the gooseberries in a pan with the lemon juice.
Bring slowly to a simmer, stirring often, until the fruit starts to release its juice, then simmer gently for five to 10 minutes until the fruit has collapsed.
Rub this mixture through a fine sieve to get a thin, smooth gooseberry puree.

Put the puree, butter and sugar into a large basin over a pan of simmering water.
Stir until the butter has melted and the mixture is smooth.
Take off the heat and let it cool for a minute – you don't want it to be too hot when you pour in the eggs, or they will scramble.
It should be cool enough that you can comfortably put your finger into it.

Pour in the strained beaten egg, whisking all the while.
Return the pan to the heat and stir the mixture over the simmering water until thick and creamy and registering at least 82C on a sugar thermometer.
This requires patience – it will take a good 10 minutes, probably more – but the curd is much less likely to get too hot and scramble than if you cooked it directly in a pan.
If the curd does start to scramble, take it off the heat and whisk vigorously until smooth.

As soon as it has thickened, pour the curd into the hot jars and seal.
Leave to cool before labelling.
Use the curd within four weeks; once opened, keep in the fridge and use within a week.

New Potatoes Leek Soup.

Ingredients
1 tablespoon olive oil
bacon chopped
2 to 3 not large leek stalks, chopped
2 to 3 large potatoes, scrubbed, peeled and sliced into big chunks
1L vegetable broth
2 stems fresh thyme
1 bay leaves
kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper
lemon juice

for the sour cream:
1/2 cup sour cream
1 tablespoon prepared horseradish
1 teaspoon dijon mustard
pinch of salt

optional toppings:
reserved bacon bits
reserved horseradish sour cream
snipped chives or green onions sliced
grated cheddar cheese

Instructions
soup:
In a soups pan add the olive oil
- add the bacon.
Cook until crispy, and then remove to a paper-towel-lined plate.
Reserve for garnish.

- Saute the leeks, stirring frequently until very soft, about 5 minutes.
- Add the potatoes, vegetable broth, 1 L of water, plus the thyme and bay leaves.

For the Sour Cream:
While the soup cooks, prepare the sour cream.
Add all of the ingredients to a small mixing bowl and whisk well.
It will not be perfectly smooth because horseradish is coarse.
Taste, and add a little more horseradish, if you'd like extra heat.

Finish the soup:
Remove the thyme stems and both bay leaves.
Add a big pinch of salt to the soup, and use an immersion blender to blend the soup to your preferred texture.
Go slowly and stop frequently to scoop out a spoonful of the soup to text for texture.
In a small mixing bowl, add 1/4 cup of the sour cream, and pour a 1/4 cup of the hot soup over it.
Whisk immediately, until smooth
Stir into the soup

Taste the soup and add salt and pepper as necessary.
Add splash of lemon juice to enhance the flavors, if necessary.
Ladle into bowls, and serve with a dollop of the horseradish cream, and bacon toppings.
Notes
My recipe for 1 person!