Leftover Soup or Winners Soup

I love soup. Anyone who has ever read the blog before will know that my love for seasonal soup is what gets me through the week. I'm at my happiest when there's a tub of delicious soup in the fridge to schlurp from when I get peckish. So I thought I'd share a leftover 'go to' and the tips for making leftovers winning on the taste front.

The basic recipe is a twist on Moroccan soup and the lemon adds the zing sometimes nececsary to pick up a tired soup. I substitute beans, veg and all sorts but the basics remain the same: a good strong, tomato base, lemon and a combination of fresh and stored herbs and spices to add depth and interest. Here's the basics then I'll explain the twists as I go. 

To serve 4 people you will need approximately:

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 onion , chopped
• 2 celery sticks, chopped
• 2 tsp ground cumin (this is basic- I add mix and match spices to add zip- see below)
• 600ml hot stock (to make this more meaty, use ham stock and add pancetta or chorizo at the onion stage)
• 1 can chopped toms
• 1 can of pulses, rinsed and drained or any other bean, soaked. It needs to be a good handful at least. Chickpea is nice and I often do a handful of two different beans or pulses.
• zest and juice ½ lemon
• large handful chopped coriander 

To make a winning soup:

1. Heat the oil in a large saucepan, fry the onion and celery gently for 10 mins until softened, being sure to stir frequently. 

2. While this is cooking down, heat a small pan and lightly toast your spices to bring out their aroma. I use paprika, dried chilli and cumin, sometimes with ground coriander or dried garlic. It depends on my mood. 

3. Add the spices in to the pan and any 'additional veg'. Last time I used carrot and pepper and a little left over cabbage but you don't need to. 

4. Turn up the heat, then add the stock, tomatoes and pulses, plus a good grind of black pepper and pinch of salt.

5. Simmer- the longer the better

6. Add the lemon juice and heat through for 2 more minutes. 

7. To serve, sprinkle on the zest and chopped fresh herbs (Parsley also works). 

Ta da!