Watercress Soup

In case you're wondering, I'm not a vegetarian although I have friends who are. This is yet another recipe based on one from Rose Eliot's Vegetarian Cookery. I picked up a copy that was being deleted from our library and have found it really good for soups.
A word of caution here. Some ingredients are not sold in any particular weight or volume. Watercress is one of them. You either get a bag (which is labelled with the weight) or a bunch which can vary in size depending on where it is packed. My local greengrocer sells a bunch which weighs about 80 or 90 grams including stalks (which you can chop and cook with the potatoes and onion) I used 165 grams for this recipe (two bunches) Don't stint on the watercress, you need a lot to get the lovely peppery flavour!

For 4 servings

1 medium onion, sliced
15g butter
700g peeled and diced potatoes
900ml light vegetable stock (see previous post) or water
165g watercress (reserve 4 sprigs for garnish)

1. Melt the butter in a large saucepan, add the onion and cook gently (without browning) covered, stirring occasionally for 5 minutes.

2. Add the potatoes and any watercress stalks (cut them into 10mm lengths otherwise they may wrap themselves around the blade of your liquidiser) cover the pan and cook on low heat, without browning, for another 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

3. Add the stock or water, bring to the boil and simmer for 10 - 15 minutes until the potatoes are cooked.

4. Add the watercress leaves to the pan and liquidise with a hand blender or transfer to a liquidiser. Season with salt and pepper and serve in warm bowls topped with a sprig of watercress (you can also swirl in some cream)



The Photograph
This lighting set up was very similar to the last bowl of soup, a 60cm soft box above the table, a 30cm soft box to the rear left and my polystyrene block reflectors below the lens lifting the shadows in front of the bowl. I needed to crop this quite close. There was a lot of empty space top right. Once I have sorted out the lighting, I must concentrate on the styling!

Carrot Soup with Ginger

Another warming soup, again based on a recipe from Rose Elliot. I added lemon juice to counter the sweetness of the carrots and find that you need to add less salt. I’ve increased the ginger a little too, for my taste but if you don’t like it too warm, use just a teaspoon.

Four Servings

1 medium onion sliced

15g butter

700g carrots peeled and chopped

1 - 1½ tsp grated fresh root ginger (depending on your taste)

salt and black pepper to taste

900ml vegetable stock

squeeze of lemon juice to taste

Single cream and parsley to garnish

1.      Melt the butter in a pan over a gentle heat.

2.      Fry the onion over a low heat for 5 mins (covered) without browning then add the carrots, ginger and a shake of salt. Cover and fry for another 10 mins, stirring occasionally. Do not let the vegetables brown.

3.      Pour on the stock, bring the pan to the boil and then simmer gently for about 10-15 mins until the carrots are cooked.

4.      Blend the soup until it is smooth, then press it through a sieve

5.      Return it to the saucepan, add the lemon juice, then the salt and pepper to taste

6.      Serve in warmed bowls. Swirl the cream into each one and add the parsley to finish.

The Photograph

This time I've used the 60cm soft box above the table with the smaller 30cm soft box at 45° to the left with a polystyrene reflector below the lens to fill the shadows. There is a nice highlight of the back edge of the bowl in the top surface of the soup. Photographing soup in bowls has taught me a valuable lesson; always place the bowl on the set, then fill it carefully with a ladle. This ensures that you don't get a tidemark resulting from trying to carry the bowl to the set. If you do get the odd spot above the surface, cotton buds work wonders.

Smooth Potato and Leek Soup

Here is an image for the same recipe but blended and garnished with chopped chives.

The Photograph
Apart from the garnish, the soup is featureless and not that interesting. Back lighting it would not have had the same effect as that previous shot. From above, the round shape of the plate and the diagonal planking create an interesting graphic effect. The table was lit by a 60cm soft box from the right with a 30cm softbox from the the bottom left at 45°. A large reflector opposite the 60cm soft box lifted any resulting shadows.
The  planking is in fact pine cladding boards nailed to a piece of MDF. I have a pair of trestles which are at a comfortable working height and I can interchange different surfaces as backgrounds very easily.

Chunky Potato and Leek Soup

Based on a recipe from Rose Elliot's 'Vegetarian Cookery', this soup is really filling. Just right for damp autumn days.

Soup recipes are easily adaptable. To make a bigger batch, just multiply the ingredients.

For 2 servings

Ingredients

1 medium leek, sliced

1 large potato, peeled and diced

25g butter

450ml vegetable stock

Squeeze of lemon juice

salt and ground black pepper (to taste)

Chopped chives and croutons to garnish.

Method

1. Melt the butter on a low heat
2. Add the sliced leeks and diced potatoes, stir to coat them in butter. Fry, covered, on a low heat for 10 minutes. Stirring often. Do not brown
3. Continue cooking, very gently, (heat on minimum) covered, for a further 10 minutes. Stir occasionally to prevent sticking.
4. Pour in the vegetable stock, stir and simmer for 10 minutes or until the potatoes are tender.
5. Squeeze in approximately half a tablespoonful (8ml) of lemon juice.
6. Add salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.
7. Garnish with chopped chives and croutons.
8. Serve with fresh baked crusty bread.

If you prefer, you can blend this soup to make it smooth. Depending on the size of your potato, you may need to add a little more stock to get the desired consistency.

The Photograph
The table was lit with two main strobes, a 60cm parallel soft box from above and a 30cm soft box at 45° above and to the rear to give the highlights on the surface of the soup.  I think this may be overdone with the large highlight at bottom left. I don't like the harsh shadow cast by the bread on the side of the bowl. I tried to fill the shadow cast by the plate by introducing a wide angle diffused flash. I have since cut short blocks of polystyrene to stand below the lens which reflects just enough light to lift those shadows. I'm not sure about the styling. I'm hoping it makes you want to get in the kitchen and cook. I've got lots to learn. What do you think?