Coconut macchiato with tofu and miso

250g tofu
2 leeks
750ml dashi
80g miso
1 shallot
1 teaspoon chilli sauce
200ml coconut milk

Cut tofu into 2cm cubes. Slice leeks into thin slices.

Warm dashi in a saucepan, but do not boil. Pass miso through a sieve into the dashi and mix. Do not boil. Add tofu and leeks to the soup and warm for 1 minute.

Slice shallot and cook a little in chili sauce. Add 150ml coconut milk and then beat with a mixer.

Pour miso soup into glasses, followed by the coconut cream. Beat the remaining coocnut milk and add to the top of the soup.

Squash-Apple Soup with Thai Red Curry

2 teaspoons olive oil
1 small butternut pumpkin, peeled, seeded and cubed (about 4 cups)
1 apple, cored, peeled and diced
2 leeks, white part only, washed and sliced
1 small carrot, peeled and sliced
½ stalk celery, finely chopped
1 T chopped fresh basil
2 teaspoons Thai red curry paste
4 cups basic vegetable stock
2 cups water
1 T brown sugar
2 teaspoons sea salt or more to taste
thinly sliced chives
Thin strips of orange zest

In a 4-quart saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the squash, apple, leeks, carrot, celery, and basil and cook, stirring often, until the vegetables are softened; do not brown.

Add the curry paste and cook, stirring constantly, for one minute.

Add the stock, water, brown sugar, and salt. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 45 minutes, or until the vegetables are very soft.

Cool for 30 minutes, then puree until absolutely smooth.

Reheat and taste for seasoning, adding salt if needed. Serve very hot, with a sprinkling of chives and orange zest, if desired.

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Split Pea Soup

1 pound dried green split peas
2 carrots, peeled
2 ribs celery
1 onion
1 parsnip
1 leek (3 inches of green left on, root trimmed, split lengthwise + washed well)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 bay leaf
4 sprigs fresh thyme, or 1 teaspoon dried
1 teaspoon dried tarragon, or 1-2 T chopped fresh
4 cups vegetable broth
4 cups water
Salt and pepper to taste
2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley

Dice carrots, celery, onion, parsnip and leek. Heat oil in a large, heavy pot over low heat. Add the diced vegetables and cook until wilted, 10 to 12 minutes. Add the peas; cook for 1 minute. Add the bay leaf, thyme, tarragon, broth and water.

Bring to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer, cover partially and cook, stirring occasionally, until the peas are cooked, about an hour. (If you are cooking in a crock pot, just add chopped vegetables and everything else to the pot and cook for 8-10 hours).

Remove bay leaf and thyme sprigs, if used. Season to taste with salt and pepper. You can let it sit for awhile to thicken. Then when ready to serve, heat it up and stir in the parsley.

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Potato and goat's cheese frittata

6-8 new potatoes, scraped
200g (7oz) leeks, thinly sliced
¼tsp chilli flakes
3tbsp sunflower oil
30g (1oz) butter
6 eggs, lightly whisked
Splash of milk
100g-150g (3½oz-5½oz) soft goat's cheese
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the grill to high. Cook the potatoes in boiling salted water for 10-15 minutes. Drain, cool, then slice thickly.

Melt the oil and butter together in a frying pan, about 24cm (9½in) in diameter (or use 2 small pans), over a medium heat. Add the potatoes and fry each side for 3 minutes until golden. Remove and put to one side.

Sweat the leeks and stir until softened, but not coloured, then add the potatoes and chilli flakes and mix gently.
Stir the milk into the whisked eggs. Pour over the potatoes and leeks, crumble over the cheese, then season with salt and pepper, and heat for about 4 minutes on a medium heat until bubbling.

Put under the grill about 20cm (8in) from the heat source for 3-5 minutes until puffed up and golden. Serve hot, straight from the pan.

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