soup

Instant Pot Celery and Cashewnut Soup

March 31, 2019 by Catherine Leave a Comment

Now that spring has finally sprung, it’s time for a light, vegetable soup.

And what can I say about this one? Other than, perhaps, trust me?!!!

This Instant Pot Celery and Cashewnut Soup is an absolute revelation. I’ve met many people who are not fans of celery but not yet one person who doesn’t like this soup. It’s so simple to make, only four ingredients and is simply a bowl of warming goodness!

: Ingredients for chopping

: Ingredients ready in Instant Pot

: Blending soup in Instant Pot

No doubt like you, I’ve tried many recipes in my time that sounded really improbable but I’ve thought – surely this recipe wouldn’t be published if it were awful? And, guess what, so many times the improbable is simply indigestible.

However, don’t let past disappointments stop you, and give this soup a whirl, I promise you won’t regret it.

This Instant Pot Celery and Cashewnut Soup is originally from the New Covent Garden Soup Company’s Book of Soups: New, Old and Odd Recipes, slightly simplified and adapted for pressure cooking. It is so satisfying to make something that is greater than the sum of its parts, my kids love it (always a bonus) and it’s even vegan, so handy in the freezer for your more particular guests.

If you’re feeling fancy then a sprinkling of chopped toasted pistachios on the top would be a nice flourish, with a slice of your favourite loaf on the side. If you’re not avoiding dairy then a swirl of cream or a grating of cheddar would also go down a treat.

For other simple soups try my Instant Pot Broccoli and Stilton Soup or this Instant Pot Lentil and Lemon Soup.

Instant Pot Celery and Cashewnut Soup

CourseMain Dish

Servings

Instant Pot Celery and Cashewnut Soup

CourseMain Dish

Servings

Ingredients

Servings:

Instructions

Roughly chop celery and garlic.
Chuck in the Instant Pot with the salted cashews (no need to chop) and the vegetable stock.
Set the valve to "sealing" and manual cook on High Pressure for 8 minutes.
When the Instant Pot beeps to say it's done either open the valve for Quick Pressure Release if you want to proceed immediately or leave the pressure to release naturally if you want to finish the soup later.
Blend the soup with a hand blender or liquidiser. For best results it's worth then passing through a sieve to remove and errant celery strings.

Recipe Notes

If you want to make this on the hob then follow the same method but simmer for 30 minutes in a saucepan.

Instant Pot Broccoli and Stilton Soup

January 15, 2018 by Catherine Leave a Comment

Given that were are in that post-Christmas period, I’m sure it won’t take a great leap of imagination to guess how this recipe came about – leftover Stilton that needed using up.

However, trust me, I’m not normally the kind of girl who can’t accurately estimate festive-cheese consumption, thus I confess to having made a different kind of error this Christmas – driving 2 hours to visit my my sister, only to discover I had left her Stilton gift in the fridge – aggh! Thus I found myself with my own planned Stilton stash, in addition to this Christmas present oversight. What to do?

There are plenty of interesting ways that Stilton can be used, crumbled on a jacket potato with crispy bacon, tossed in a salad with some walnuts and pear or along with leeks in a pasta bake. Indeed it can also be frozen and will tolerate a couple of months in the freezer.

However, the obvious solution sprang to mind as I quickly realised that I had never actually made broccoli and Stilton soup before, despite having enjoyed it on numerous occasions, albeit at another cook’s hands.

Naturally I turned immediately to the Oracle that is Nigella Lawson and was greatly inspired by her recipe in her “Nigella Express” book. I thought the use of frozen broccoli was a particular boon – incredibly convenient and preserving as many precious nutrients as possible. Of course you could substitute fresh broccoli if that is what you have available.

So one thought led to another and it wasn’t too great a leap to realise what a simple and delicious recipe this would be using the Instant Pot.

I’ll summarise the method for you now – bung ingredients in pot, switch on, once cooked use a hand blender directly in the pot and it’s soup for lunch, here we come! (If you insist on a slightly more detailed methodology and indeed an idea of the ridiculously simple ingredients, then do read on, you demanding reader you.)

Instant Pot Broccoli and Stilton Soup

CourseMain Dish, Starter

Servings

Instant Pot Broccoli and Stilton Soup

CourseMain Dish, Starter

Servings

Ingredients

1 kg frozen broccoli
200 g Stilton crumbled
800 ml stock (or water plus requisite stock cubes crumbled.

Servings:

Instructions

I boil the kettle for the stock whilst preparing my other ingredients to speed up the process, but using cold water works just the same.
Place all ingredients in the Instant Pot. Set the valve to "sealing".
Set the Instant Pot to "Manual" at high pressure for 3 minutes.
Once done, do quick release by opening the pressure valve.
Blend the soup in the Instant Pot using a hand blender and serve.

Recipe Notes

This recipe can also be cooked on the hob - just pop the ingredients in a saucepan and simmer for 5 minutes.

Instant Pot Lentil and Lemon Soup

November 22, 2017 by Catherine Leave a Comment

This recipe is a riff on the original from the New Covent Garden Soup Co Book of Soups, which I’ve tweaked and converted to cook in the Instant Pot. This is such a simple recipe but I’ve made it time and time again as it’s so delicious, nutritious and filling it’s become a staple in our house.

Lentils are such a useful ingredient and now the days have turned a little darker and a little colder, a hearty soup like this one is just the ticket. Serve with crusty bread or as it comes.

Instant Pot Lentil and Lemon Soup

CourseMain Dish

Servings

Instant Pot Lentil and Lemon Soup

CourseMain Dish

Servings

Ingredients

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 medium onion chopped
1 clove of garlic crushed
150 g red lentils approx 1 heaping Instant Pot cup (180ml)
400 ml vegetable stock approx 2 tom cans full
400 g canned chopped tomatoes
2 tsp tomato puree
2 tsp dried thyme
salt and freshly ground black pepper
juice of 1/2 lemon

Servings:

Instructions

Set the Instant Pot to Saute "normal". Heat the oil in the pot then fry the onions until softened, approximately 5 minutes.
Add the rest of the ingredients, except the lemon juice, to the Instant Pot. Cancel the saute function and set to high pressure for 5 minutes, ensuring the valve is turned to "sealing".
Leave the soup for at least ten minutes of natural pressure release. Release any remaining pressure and stir in the lemon juice to taste.

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