The Recipe Room

I’ve always been a huge fan of beer, and it was probably one of the hardest things to give up when I first embarked on my gluten-free diet.  Luckily, these days it’s fairly easy to find gluten-free beer, and I’ve finally been able to add it back in to my diet (although I have to admit it wasn’t so lucky for my belly!).

Another of my all-time favourite foods is cheddar cheese, so I just knew that this beer and cheddar soup was going to turn into a new favourite even before I tried it.  It’s creamy and sweet, very satisfying, and frankly one of the most delicious soups I’ve ever tasted, if I do say so myself!  You can use strong cheddar if you prefer, but the mild cheddar seems to melt much better. Besides, the beer gives it plenty of kick anyway.  I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!

For more creamy soups, have a go at this cream of asparagus soup, without the cream.

This delicious and nutritious vegetable and legume soup is traditionally served to break the Muslim fast of Ramadam.  It’s called harira and is usually accompanied by dates, but as I don’t really like them, I’ve left them out of my recipe.  However, feel free to include them if you want the truly authentic experience. I also recommend this Moroccan hummus!

Back in my university days, there used to be a café near my school that served the most delicious Vegetarian Black Bean Soup every Friday, and at a price that even us struggling students could afford.  Ever since then I’ve tried to keep up the tradition at my home, where Fridays are still known as Black Bean Soup day.

The original version used smoked tofu, but I’ve substituted it for firm tofu, fried with paprika and cumin. Of course, if you’re a meat-eater, you could go ahead and substitute the tofu for ham; just make sure you remove it before puréeing. Another hearty broth is this bacon, carrot, butterbean and coriander soup.

You need:

• 500g dried black beans, soaked overnight in 5 litres of water
• 250g firm tofu, diced
• 2 bay leaves
• 1.25 litres water
• A pinch of baking soda
• 1 tsp salt
• 4 tbsp olive oil
• 1 Spanish onion, chopped fine
• 2 large carrots, diced
• 1 celery rib, finely chopped
• 4 medium garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tbsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp paprika
• 500 ml vegetable stock
• 1 tbsp molasses
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• 4 tbsp lime juice (lemon may be used)
• Fresh coriander, chopped

Steps:

1. Put the beans in a 5 litre pot with 1.25 litres of water, the bay leaves, half the salt and the baking soda.
2. Bring to the boil, then reduce heat to a slow simmer.
3. Cover and let it cook for 90 minutes, or until the beans are tender.
4. Remove from heat. Take out the bay leaves and set aside.
5. Heat olive oil in a large (at least 9 litres) stock pot on a medium-high heat until it’s hot, but not smoking.
6. Add the onions, celery, carrot, tofu and more salt.
7. Cook for 10-15 minutes, until lightly browned and softened, stirring occasionally.
8. Reduce heat to medium and add the cumin, paprika and garlic, and cook for another 2 minutes, stirring continuously.
9. Add the beans and their cooking liquid back into the mix along with the vegetable stock, molasses and red pepper.
10. Bring to the boil; then reduce to a simmer and continue cooking for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
11. Remove from heat and put half of the soup in a blender and purée until smooth.
12. Mix the purée back into the rest of the soup.
13. Add the lime juice and adjust salt and pepper to taste.
14. Serve with the chopped fresh coriander as garnish.

Ready In: 2 hours

Serves: 6

Difficulty: 4 out of 5