Posted on by Myfrenchkitchen

Broccoli, leek and tomato soup

A quick, simple and healthy Monday night dinner. Followed by fresh kiwi’s for dessert. This soup, like all other soups, can be either served blended smoothly with added cream/milk for a creamy version, or served chunky and rustic, topped with croûtons.

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Broccoli, leek and tomato soup

  • 5 leeks
  • 1 shallot
  • coconut oil
  • 4 tomatoes
  • a big head of fresh broccoli
  • 1 cube organic vegetable stock
  • 500 ml hot water
  • freshly grated nutmeg
  • salt and pepper
  • freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • extra milk/cream
  1. Peel and finely chop the shallot. Sauté in a pan with some coconut oil/olive oil.
  2. Peel and clean the leeks, add to the shallots.
  3. Rinse the broccoli, add to the pan along with the leeks and shallot.
  4. Cut a cross in the skin on the top of the tomatoes, leave in boiling hot water for a minute, remove and peel off the skin. (I leave the skin on) Chop and add to the vegetables.
  5. Dissolve the stock cube in the hot water, pour over the vegetables and let simmer gently until tender.
  6. At this stage, you can either leave the soup chunky and just taste and rectify seasoning, add some lemon juice and grated nutmeg.
  7. For a creamy soup, blend the vegetables with a blender until smooth, add some lemon juice, salt and pepper and grated nutmeg to taste and pour in some milk/cream to your liking. I use 2% milk for a lighter version.
  8. Serve with a crusty bread and a sprinkling of freshly grated nutmeg.

                                           Serves about four people

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Posted on by Myfrenchkitchen

Stuffed tomato with a sombreroni hat.

Just a little healthy fun for a starter or a lunch or a small dinner(what we all need now, after all). January is a light month in this household, as well as everywhere else, I presume. We all struggle to get rid of the cookies around the hips.

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Stuffed tomato with a sombreroni hat.

No quantities are given.

  •  some firm tomatoes, one per person
  • Chop an onion
  • clean and slice a handful of mushrooms
  • Wash and dry fresh spinach leaves(or frozen ones)
  • A quarter of conserved lemon
  • Green salad leaves of your choice
  • Natural yogurt
  • Salt and pepper
  • Parsley
  • olive oil
  • parma ham/Serrano ham
  1.  Set the oven to grill, leave the door slightly open.
  2. Clean the tomatoes and cut the top off to scoop out the flesh with a melon ball scoop. Leave upside down to drain.
  3. Sauté the chopped onion until translucent, add the mushrooms, diced lemon conserve and lastly the spinach leaves.  Cook until the leaves are just wilted.
  4. Chop the scooped out tomato flesh and add to the mixture.
  5. Slightly mix one tablespoon of yogurt through the sautéed vegetables, add some chopped parsley and season to taste.
  6. In the meantime, cook the sombreroni(or other pasta) in quickly boiling, salted water, until JUST al dente. They still need some bite and firmness to retain their shape. Drain the sombreroni in cold water to stop the cooking process.
  7. Fill the tomatoes with the prepared stuffing and top with a strip of parma ham.
  8. Grill until the ham is nicely browned and crisp.
  9. Top with a sombreroni hat, which is just for fun and can be left out.
  10. Serve on a bed of greens of your choice and drizzle with olive oil.

This is an entry for WHB, hosted by Kalyn at Kalyn’s kitchen.

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