Homemade Tomato & Basil Soup

Apparently Spring is on its way, but the weather here in England is firmly holding onto Winter for the time being.  For this reason alone, I decided to make a batch of tomato and basil soup to take to work this week.  When it's freezing cold and dreary looking outside, a warming bowl of soup has a tendency to make everything seem much better (or so my mother always used to say!).

Makes around 4 portions

Ingredients:-
- 1kg ripe tomatoes
- A large handful of fresh basil leaves
- 500ml vegetable stock
- 50g butter
- 300g onions, chopped
- Olive oil

How to:-
1.  Halve the tomatoes and spread them out on a baking tray.  Drizzle a little olive oil over them and then roast them for about 30 minutes or until softened at 220C / Gas 6.
2.  Heat the butter in a large pan and stir in the chopped onions.  Sweat over a low heat until they're soft.
3.  Add the vegetable stock to the onions, stir for about 5 minutes and then add the roasted tomatoes.
4.  Remove from the heat and transfer everything into a blender. 
5.  Add the fresh basil leaves, 3tbsp olive oil and blend until smooth.
6.  Season to taste and serve with warm crusty rolls.

Mum's Minestrone Soup

As a young child, I was an incredibly fussy eater and vegetables were not my friend.  My mum tried everything to get me to eat (or at least try) vegetables, but I often flatly refused unless they were covered in cheese, and even then, I'd still pick at my plate.  I don't remember how old I was, but one day I was in bed with flu and my mum made me a bowl of this Minestrone soup.  I ate everything and it soon became the only way I would eat any veggies for a long, long time.

My mum's homemade minestrone soup always had more carbs than vegetables in it (so that I would eat it I assume!), which makes it much more filling than the standard version, although many variations of minestrone exist and can be happily altered to accomodate all tastes.  This is the recipe that I still stick to and will probably be how I'll always make a good bowl of my mum's minestrone soup.

Serves 4

Ingredients:-
- 300g can of cannellini beans, drained
- 2tbsp olive oil
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 3 carrots, roughly chopped
- 2 gloves of garlic, crushed or finely chopped
- 1.5 litres of vegetable stock
- 400g can of chopped tomatoes
- 2 large potatoes
- 150g dried spaghetti, broken into smaller pieces
- 50g petit pois or garden peas
- handful of fresh flat leaf parsley, finely chopped
- handful of fresh basil leaves, finely chopped

How to:-
1.  Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan and add the onion, carrots and garlic.  Cover and cook on a low heat for around 20 minutes until softened, stirring occasionally.
2.  Add the vegetable stock and chopped tomatoes, bring to the boil and cover and simmer for around 15 minutes.
3.  Then add the beans, potatoes and spaghetti, and bring back to the boil.  Cover and simmer for 20 minutes or until the potatoes are tender (but still retaining their form).
4.  Stir in the parsley and basil, season to taste and serve with warm crusty rolls.

Tagliatelle with Pesto & Toasted Pine Nuts

When it comes to carb cravings, sometimes only a big bowl of pasta will do.  This simple classic Italian dish is quick and easy to prepare, and oh-so comforting if you're suffering from the winter (or any other) blues.  You can use ready made pesto but have a go at making your own because you really can taste the difference and it makes the dish that extra bit more special.

Serves 4

Ingredients:-
- 2 gloves of garlic, roughly chopped
- 50g vegetarian parmesan-style cheese
- 50g pine nuts, lightly toasted if desired
- 2 handfuls of fresh basil leaves
- 125ml extra virgin olive oil
- 450g fresh tagliatelle
- extra pine nuts and parmesan to serve if desired

How to:-
1.  Put the garlic, pine nuts, parmesan and basil leaves into a food processor or blender and blend on high until almost smooth.  With the blender running, then slowly add the olive oil until your pesto appears relatively thick.
2.  Bring a large pan of water to the boil and add the tagliatelle.  Cook to packet instructions and drain, but keep about 100ml of the pasta water.
3.  In a large bowl toss together the pesto, tagliatelle and pasta water until everything is mixed evenly.
4.  Serve with some extra toasted pine nuts and grated parmesan if wanted.