Cannellini bean and tahini soup with spiced chickpea croutons

From Easy Mediterranan By Sue Quinn (Murdoch Books) Photographer: Alan Benson

Hearty and warming, with some spicy crunch from the chickpeas, this is a yummy and satisfying soup that everyone seems to love. The tahini adds a nutty creaminess, and just a hint of sesame.

Serves 4

for the soup

 2 tablespoons olive oil

1 small onion, chopped

1 carrot, chopped

1 celery stick, chopped

sea salt flakes

2 garlic cloves

1 teaspoon ras el hanout

750ml chicken or vegetable stock

500g cooked or canned cannellini beans (drained weight)

1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme leaves

2 tablespoons tahini

lemon juice, to taste

freshly ground black pepper

for the spiced chickpeas

120g chickpeas (freshly cooked or canned), drained

2 tablespoons olive oil

½ teaspoon cayenne pepper

½ teaspoon smoked paprika

sea salt flakes

freshly ground black pepper

1. First, get your soup going. Heat the oil in a pan, add the onion, carrot, celery and a pinch of salt, and fry gently over a medium heat, stirring frequently, until soft, about 8 minutes. Add the garlic and ras el hanout, and fry for a further 2 minutes. Pour in the stock, add the beans and thyme, then gently simmer for 10 minutes.

2. While the soup is cooking, make your croutons. Using kitchen paper, dry the chickpeas and gently rub to remove the skins – be careful, as you don’t want them to squash. Heat the olive oil in a frying pan and fry over a medium heat for 10 minutes, or until crisp and golden – be careful, as they splatter a bit. Transfer to kitchen paper to soak up excess oil, then place in a bowl and toss with the spices, and salt and pepper. Set aside.

3. When the soup is cooked, set aside to cool a little, then carefully ladle into a blender and blitz until smooth, or use a stick blender. (A food processor also works well, but your soup will retain a little texture from the bean skins.)

4. Return the soup to the pan and warm through over a medium heat. Add a little lemon juice, stir, then taste seasoning, adding a little salt, pepper or more lemon juice if needed. Ladle into bowls and serve with the chickpea croutons on top.

Cooling tomato, almond and mint soup

Recipe from Easy Mediterranean, Murdoch Books. Photograph Alan Benson

I am always amazed by the incredible flavour that results from whizzing these very simple ingredients together. I don’t think there’s any finer soup to sip on a hot summer’s day. 

Serves: 4

120g stale bread, torn into pieces (any kind is fine but sourdough is delicious)

4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus extra for drizzling

1.5kg ripe tomatoes, roughly chopped

2 garlic cloves, chopped

60g blanched almonds (whole or flaked)

1 teaspoon flaked sea salt , plus extra to taste

3 large mint leaves, or extra to taste, plus leaves to serve

Serrano ham, chopped boiled egg, to serve (optional)

1. Place the bread in a bowl and pour over 1 tablespoon of the extra virgin olive oil. Set to one side.

2. Now, place the tomatoes, garlic and almonds in a food processor or blender and blitz until the mixture is as smooth as you can get it. Tip into a sieve set over a bowl and push the solids with the back of a spoon to extract as much liquid as possible. Don’t forget to scrape the doen bottom of the sieve and add these bits to the bowl too. Discard the solids left in the sieve, and pour the liquid back into the blender.

3. Add the soaked bread, the remaining 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, the sea salt flakes and mint, and blitz until smooth. Add a little water if too thick. Taste and add more salt or mint to taste – there should just be a fresh back note of mint, so don’t overdo it. Chill well, ideally for a couple of hours if you have time.

4. Serve topped with chopped mint and ham (chopped boiled eggs are also lovely) and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil

Warm salad of farro, roasted vegetables and chestnuts

Farro is such a beautiful wheat grain, bursting with fibre, protein and other good things, as well as being chewy and delicious. If you can’t find it, substitute it with spelt, although it’s much softer. This is a glorious autumnal or winter dish, and one that I often adapt according to what I have by way of vegetables.

Keep the beetroot in, as its colour is lovely against the grains and adds earthy sweetness. I haven’t included them in the recipe below, but the Confit shallots with herbs and garlic (page 153) are absolutely wonderful tossed into the mix as well.

Serves 4–6 as a side.

• 150 g (5½ oz) celeriac
• 150 g (5½ oz) carrots
• 200 g (7 oz) raw beetroot
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1 teaspoon sumac
• leaves from 1 lemon thyme or thyme sprig
• ½ teaspoon sea salt flakes, plus extra for seasoning
• freshly ground black pepper
• 50 g (1¾ oz) vacuum-packed chestnuts
• 140 g (5 oz) pearled farro
• 2 tablespoons mixed seeds, such as pepitas (pumpkin seeds) and sunflower seeds
• 1 handful flat-leaf parsley leaves, roughly chopped
• extra virgin olive oil, for drizzling

For the dressing

• 2 tablespoons white balsamic vinegar
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons walnut oil
• 1 tablespoon honey

1. First, get your vegetables on the go. Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F). Peel the celeriac, carrots and beetroot, and cut them into 3 cm (1¼ inch) chunks. Pop the vegetables into a large roasting tin in a single layer.
2. Whisk together 2 tablespoons of the olive oil, the honey, sumac and thyme, season with sea salt and black pepper, and pour over the vegetables. Toss to coat.
3. Roast for 30 minutes, then add the chestnuts, shaking to coat them in the oil. Roast for 15 minutes more or until everything is softened and golden.
4. While the vegetables are roasting, put the farro, the ½ teaspoon sea salt and the remaining 1 tablespoon oil in a saucepan.
5. Pour in 700 ml (24 fl oz) water and simmer for 20–25 minutes or until the grains are tender – bear in mind that farro retains some bite and chewiness when cooked. If the water is absorbed before the grains are done, add a little boiling water; if there is excess liquid when cooked, drain this off.
6. While the grains are cooking, make the dressing – just put all the ingredients in a screw-top jar and shake well.
7. As soon as the farro is ready, add half the dressing and toss – do this while the grains are still hot so they absorb the flavours. Set aside to keep warm.
8. Transfer the cooked vegetables to a serving platter or bowl. Add the farro, seeds and most of the parsley. Gently toss with enough of the remaining dressing to generously coat. Taste for seasoning and add more salt and pepper if necessary – the farro might need quite a bit of salt.
9. Serve warm or at room temperature, scattered with the remaining parsley and drizzled with extra virgin olive oil.