Tag: spring

Potato soup with lemon and truffle ricotta

Published on by Hanna1 Comment

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I am definitely a seasonal eater, both in terms of produce and in terms of what type of food I fancy. During spring and summer I can’t get enough of fresh salads, and in the winter it feels like no amount of hot soup can warm me up enough, so I eat it all the time.

This time, in between winter and spring, I crave lighter foods such as salads combined with warm hearty dishes to warm me up. But not too hearty. Instead I try and make those dishes seem lighter by adding lemon or just some fresh parsley. In this soup I used both and some ricotta and truffle oil, and yes, the soup really is like that warmer spring coat you start to wear when you just can’t stand the heavy winter coats anymore; it still keeps you warm but doesn’t feel that heavy.

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Potato soup with lemon and truffle ricotta, serves 4 as a starter or 2-3 as a maincourse

4 large potatoes, Maris Piper or King Edward

1/2 red onion

chicken or vegetable stock

50 ml milk

50 ml single cream

zest from 1/2 lemon

salt, black pepper

To serve:

100 g ricotta

truffle oil

chopped parsley

salt, black pepper

Peel the potatoes and cut into equal sized pieces. Rinse the starch away. Slice or chop the onion roughly and fry without browning in some oil in a large pan. Add the potatoes and fry without browning for a minute or so. Pour in the stock so it just about cover the potatoes. Boil with the lid half on for about 20 minutes or until the potatoes are very soft. Mix until you have a smooth puree. Add milk and cream and bring to the boil. Adjust the thickness with more milk or stock. Add the lemon zest, salt and pepper. 

Mix the ricotta with enough truffle oil for the flavour to really come through. Season. 

Pour the soup into bowls. Add a spoonful of ricotta, drizzle with a few drops of truffle oil and dust with some chopped parsley. 

Mother’s wild garlic soup

Published on by Hanna8 Comments

My mother is massively into gardening and always has been, but her way of gardening has changed over the years. When I was little we had the best garden a child could ever had, because my mother grew just about anything, so you could just walk around the garden munching on fruit and berries all the time.

We had two types of cherries, two types of plums (the yellow ones were the best), strawberries, wild strawberries, serveral types of raspberries, currants, goose berries, black berries, tay berries and so on. Plus we grew lots of vegetables and I got my own vegetable patch to grow as well.

My grandmother’s garden was similar and I used to pick strawberries and eat sorrel that I picked myself while my grandmother was gardening. All this foraging as a child and my time as a scout has made me realise how much nice things nature has to offer, and at this time of year wild garlic is one of the best things you can find in the woods (or my mother’s garden).

Although mother still grows lots of edible things it is less now that I’m not there to munch away every day of the summer. Instead the garden is a lot more grown up in terms of style and incredibly pretty.

But back to the wild garlic. I have used it in mayonnaise before, which is divine and together with lightly cooked asparagus and parmesan it makes and incredible starter, but I decided to try my mother’s soup recipe with the wild garlic this time.

The ‘recipe’ is more of a sketch really as I was told no measurements, but use your own judgment and make the soup your way. Just don’t add too much stock to begin with, you can always add more later.

Mother’s wild garlic soup – a sketch

a large bunch wild garlic leaves

mild olive oil

vegetable or chicken stock

cream

maizena (corn starch) or other thickening agent

salt, white pepper

Fry the wild garlic leaves in the oil until it has wilted. Add the stock and bring to the boil. Blend the soup smooth with a stick blender, add cream and maizena and bring to the boil again. Cook until ut thickens. Season to taste.

Asparagus and wild garlic quiche

Published on by Hanna3 Comments

I am one of those people that are cold all the time. Weird I know, since I am from a cold country… I have certainly heard that before. Why I am so cold, I don’t know, but when I don’t move about I get cold straight away. And that is why I am no fan of winter. Here in the UK it’s ok, but the windy winters in southern Sweden are awful.

Now that spring is here and it is getting warmer, I am incredibly happy. I love spring and summer! Apart from pollen but everything else is great. The warmth from the sun, flowers in bloom and all the fresh vegetables.

In this quiche I have combined two of my favourite spring time veg – asparagus and wild garlic. Feel free to use even more wild garlic, I will do that next time. I served the quiche as a light supper with coldsmoked salmon and a cold sauce with creme fraiche, mayonnaise, caviar and dill. Lovely!

Asparagus quiche with wild garlic, 6 portioner

Pastry:

120 g softened butter

300 ml plain flour

1/2 beaten egg

Filling:

2 bunches asparagus

about 6 wild garlic leaves (or more)

100 g philadelphia cheese

3 eggs + the leftover half from the pastry

350 ml milk

salt

white pepper

100 ml grated cheese

Bring salted water to the boil. First blanch the wild garlic, which is very quick, just leave for a minute and then drain on paper. Break the harder part off each asparagus stem and blanch them for about 5 minutes. Drain and leave to cool. Pinch the pastry together and coat a pie dish with it. Use a fork to make small holes in the pastry. Pre-bake it for 10 minutes in 200C. Leave to cool.

Fill the quiche with asparagus and wild garlic, and distribute dollops of philadelphia. Sprinkle over the grated cheese. Beat eggs and milk, add seasoning. Pour it into the quiche and press down the cheese so it is covered with the milk-mixture. Bake for 35 minutes, 200C or until set and golden brown on top.