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Cooking Clever - Fab food for tough times No.38

Soup stars

Sometimes it's hard to get too excited about soup, but here are three great recipes that, with some good crusty bread on the side, are substantial enough to constitute a meal. They're healthy and full of flavour and well worth the effort of making from scratch. Home-made stock will make them even better, writes Katy McGuinness

Red lentil and chorizo soup Cost: €6

South Indian haddock and corn chowder Cost: €9

Sweet potato soup with chilli prawn relish Cost: €8

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Each recipe: serves 2-4, costs between €1.50 and €4.50 per serving, takes less than an hour to prepare

Red lentil and chorizo soup Cost: €6 (from Elsa Petersen-Schepelern's 'Soup')

Serves 4

4 tbs olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
1 large carrot, cubed
1 celery stalk, cubed
2 garlic cloves, crushed
3 cm fresh ginger, grated
½ tsp smoked sweet Spanish paprika
500g red lentils
1 litre chicken stock
2-3 chorizos, finely sliced
2 tbsp coarsely chopped flat leaf parsley

Heat three tablespoons of the olive oil in a large saucepan, add the onion, carrot and celery and sauté until softened but not browned. Stir in the paprika, then add the lentils and stir to cover with the flavourings. Add the stock. Bring to the boil and simmer until the lentils are tender.

Meanwhile, heat the remaining oil in a frying pan, add the chorizo slices in a single layer, fry until they are lightly browned, and turn inside out like tiny bowls. They will be crisp and brown on the underside.

Turn them over and lightly fry the other side until crisp. Remove to a plate until ready to serve. Keep the frying oil. Test the texture of the soup – if it is too thick, stir in extra boiling stock or water. Ladle into bowls, top with the chorizo and parsley and spoon the reserved frying oil over the top.

South Indian haddock and corn chowder Cost: €9 (from Anjum Anand's 'Eat Right For Your Body Type')

Serves 2 generously

2 tsp vegetable oil
1 tsp mustard seeds
10 fresh curry leaves (optional)
1 small onion, peeled and chopped
1 green chilli, pierced with the tip of a knife (optional)
300ml coconut milk
300ml water
300g potatoes, peeled and cut into 2cm chunks
120g corn kernels, fresh or frozen and defrosted
Salt and lots of freshly ground black pepper
120g smoked haddock fillet (un-dyed, preferably), skinned
240g haddock fillet, skinned
2 large handfuls of baby spinach

Heat the oil in a small non-stick saucepan. Add the mustard seeds – once they splutter, add the curry leaves, onion and chilli. Cook for 40 seconds, then add the coconut milk and water and bring to a boil.

Add the potatoes and fresh corn (if using), bring back to a boil, cover and cook until the potatoes are soft. Mash a few pieces to help thicken the soup. Add in the frozen corn (if using) and adjust the consistency of the soup, if necessary, by adding a little extra water from the kettle.

Adjust the seasoning, add the fish and spinach, cover and simmer on a low heat for three-four minutes or until the fish is cooked and flakes easily.

Sweet potato soup with chilli prawn relish Cost: €8 (from Laura Santtini's 'Easy Tasty Italian')

Serves 4-6

2 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, quartered
2 garlic cloves
2kg sweet potatoes, peeled and roughly chopped
Leaves from a sprig of thyme
1 vegetable stock cube
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the relish:
400g small cooked peeled prawns
2 large fresh red chillies, deseeded and finely chopped
Generous handful of chopped flat-leaf parsley
Juice of two lemons
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Mix the ingredients for the relish together and marinate in the fridge for a couple of hours.

Heat the oil in a large saucepan. Add the onion and garlic and cook over a moderate heat until softened and translucent.

Add the sweet potatoes and herbs, and toss with the onion, garlic and oil.

Cover with cold water, add the stock cube and some pepper, and boil until all the ingredients are soft and ready to blend. Remove from the heat and blitz until smooth.

Adjust the seasoning and serve topped with the relish.

Next week Supper club menu for €10 a head