'Project bread', where I try to make a great gluten free loaf for less than a store bought one has not been going well. Aside from the Sun Dried Tomato Corn Cakes my bread has had a tendency to turn out like dwarf bread, a little short (or unrisen) and more like a weapon than a food stuff, Captain Carrot might have been pleased but I am not. (And it fails in my chosen criteria of being cheaper than the shop bought.) I am glum. What to do with lots of bread that has to be eaten quickly? The answer as always is make soup to dunk it in!
I've been experimenting with leek and potato soup. It was nice but without a a good few spoonfuls of dairy it lacked a certain something. So tried leek and sweet potato soup. To be honest the early ones were not fab and again without a half pint of cream they were a bit flat. But I am pleased to announce that I have cracked it. A super creamy soup without a trace of dairy!
Who can eat it?
Vegans, vegetarians, coeliacs, wheat/gluten intolerant. It's egg free, nut free and yeast free.
Who can't eat it?
Some with IBS or Crohn's disease may find it a little fibrous and anyone allergic to alliums should steer clear.
Ingredients
About 300g of finely sliced leeks (use only the white stuff, no green)
About 400g of cooked sweet potato flesh
400g can of butter beans, rinsed
Olive oil
750ml water
Use enough olive oil to gently fry the leeks in. Do NOT fry on full blast, we are not after caramelised or even burn leeks, just really soft ones. Add the sweet potato flesh and the rinsed butter beans. Add 750ml of water and bring to a simmer. Remove from the heat then blend in your chosen manner. I use a stick blender and keep going until all the large lumps have gone but it's not completely smooth. Add salt a pepper to taste.
This makes about 4 good sized portions.
It's soooo easy. No messing around trying to find the right stock, you can bake your sweet
potato (I do mine in the microwave) while you are chopping the leeks and
then rinsing them (a pesky bit of grit has spoilt many a leek dish) and
your soup can be ready in next to no time.
So now I have fresh soup in the fridge to feed me lunch all this week and no one to share it with but Teddy.
I love my soups. I pretty much live on soup every day for lunch. I think I may have been a Soup Dragon in a previous life (less Scottish alternative rock, more Clangers)
Soup is great on it's own but sometimes it's nice to have a bit of bread to dip in it. This recipe makes 6 beautifully sized corn cakes that are just right for dunking!
Who can eat them?
These are wheat, gluten, nut, yeast and egg free. They are also vegetarian.
Who can't eat them?
These are not suitable for vegans as they contain cheese, which means they are also not suitable for Coeliacs. Anyone allergic/intolerant to tomato should also avoid them.
Ingredients
75g of cornmeal or instant polenta powder
50g of rice flour
1 teaspoon gluten free baking powder
1/2 teaspoon of gluten free baking powder
1/2 teaspoon of xantham gum (now available in larger supermarkets in either the home baking isle or 'free-from' section)
1/2 teaspoon of castor sugar
1/4 teaspoon of salt
1 heaped tablespoon of sundried tomato purée (you could use regular tomato pure but it's not quite as rich or as sweet)
60g grated high quality cheddar cheese
110ml milk
20g butter
1 tablespoon of milled/ground flaxseed
Grease a backing tray and set your oven to 180C/350F/Gas mark 4
Sift together the cornmeal, rice flour, baking powder, xantham gum, sugar and salt.
Melt the butter and add to the milk, then whisk in the flax powder and the sun-dried tomato purée.
Reserve a little of the grated cheese for a garnish and add the rest to the dry mix, then gently beat in the wet mix until you have an even consistency.
My mixture is then usually dry enough to roll into 6 equally sized balls which I place on the baking sheet and squash flat a little however sometimes the mixture is a little runny in which case I use a muffin tin.
Bake in the center of your pre-heated oven for about 20 minutes then add the reserved cheese on top and return to the oven for 5 more minutes. Allow to cool before scoffing with your soup of choice!
