The Delia Collection: Soup

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First, melt the butter in a large (6 pint/3.5 litre) saucepan, then add the onions and cook until they're a golden brown colour. All you do is trim the cauliflower into small florets and then take the stalk bits, including the green stems, and place these trimmings in a medium-sized saucepan. Then add 2½ pints (1.5 litres) of water, the bay leaves and some salt, bring it up to the boil and simmer for 20 minutes with a lid. Meanwhile, take another large saucepan with a well-fitting lid, melt the butter in it over a gentle heat, then add the onion, celery, leek and potato, cover and let the vegetables gently sweat for 15 minutes.

First of all separate the stalks of celery from the base and trim, reserving the leaves for a garnish – the trimmed stalks should weigh 1 lb (450 g). If you prefer a blended or creamy soup, you can either leave the soup chunky or transfer it to a blender in batches and blend until smooth (being careful not to over-fill the blender with hot liquid), then return the blended soup to the pot and reheat it over medium heat.Begin by cutting the pumpkin in half through the stalk,then cut each half into 4 again and scoop out the seeds using a large spoon. After 2-3 minutes they will change colour and start to jump in the pan. Remove them from the pan and crush them finely with a pestle and mortar. Next, heat the butter and oil in a saucepan until the butter begins to foam, then add the onions and gently soften for about 5 minutes before adding the garlic. You can watch how to prepare garlic and how to chop onions in our Cookery School Videos on the right. Let that cook, along with the onions, for another 2 minutes, then add all the crushed spices, along with the turmeric and ginger, stir and let it all continue to cook gently for a few more minutes while you peel and chop the parsnips into 1 inch (2.5 cm) dice. Begin by heating a small frying pan and dry roasting the coriander, cumin and cardamom seeds – this is to toast them and draw out their flavour.

First make the croutons – begin by drizzling the olive oil on to a large, solid baking-sheet, add the crushed garlic and then, using your hands, spread the oil and garlic all over the baking sheet. Meanwhile, you can make the croutons. Just place the oil and cubes of bread in a small bowl, stir them around until the oil is soaked up, then sprinkle in the Parmesan. Stir the cubes around to coat them in that as well, then spread them on a baking sheet and bake on a high shelf in the oven for 10 minutes or until they are crisp and golden (do put a kitchen timer on becuase it's so easy to forget all about them). Then allow them to cool and leave them on one side until the soup has had its cooking time. Saute until tender and golden, about 10 to 12 minutes, stirring periodically. Add the garlic and cook for another minute, or until fragrant. Begin by dry-roasting the coriander seeds in a small frying pan over a medium heat, stirring and tossing them around for 1-2 minutes, or until they begin to look toasted and start to jump in the pan.

More Spanish recipes

Gently heat the olive oil in a heavy-bottomed saucepan, then put in the onion and potato and let them soften slowly without browning. This takes 10 - 15 minutes.