Soup and superheroes (a la Angela Petrelli)

I love Heroes, the TV show that is. It's so exciting and intricate. You can just imagine that Peter Petrelli, with one flick of his wrist, could do the dishes, the ironing, the weekly shop and walk the dog and still have the energy to make a romantic three course meal, any male who can do that has got to be a keeper.  Also one or two of the cast members are rather easy on the eye which always helps, although sadly they don't sport the skin tight get up that most traditional superheroes seem compelled to wear.  

Why am I rambling on about Heroes, you may ask? Well, last weeks episode (sorry, this is a spoiler if you haven't seen it) showed Angela Petrelli poisoning her husband with a rather lovely looking Italian lentil soup, so I thought I'd have a go at re-creating it for a midweek dinner for both of us, minus the poison obviously, possibly, well he does keep leaving he clothes lying everywhere!

I didn't consult any recipe books, just decided to delve into the depths of my cook's brain and dream something sort of authentic up. The result was a rather tasty and not too gluttonous soup which went down very well, obviously need to add more anti-freeze next time!

Serves 2-3

150g green lentils

1 stick celery, finely chopped

1 small/medium onion, finely chopped

2 medium carrots, finely chopped

1 fat clove of garlic, finely chopped

large handful of flat leaf parsley, 2 large bay leaves and a sprig of rosemary, tied in a bunch with string

a small handful of flat leaf parsley, chopped

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Extra virgin olive oil

150g pancetta cut into cubes

1 Litre chicken stock

Heat a deep, wide saucepan (I use an SKK pan) and add about a tablespoon of olive oil. When the oil is hot, add the chopped onion, carrot, celery and garlic. Cook for a few minutes until they begin to soften, then add the herbs. Cook for another few minutes before adding the lentils. Stir around to coat the lentils with the oil and add the chicken stock. Cover and simmer for about 45 minutes to an hour until the lentils are completely soft. Meanwhile heat a pan over a medium to high heat and add the pancetta cubes and fry until lightly coloured, then drain on kitchen paper. Once the lentils are cooked add the pancetta, season and add the freshly chopped parsley. Ladle into bowls and drizzle with olive oil before serving with hot buttered ciabata. 

Wonderful, warming vegetable couscous

I first had this meal cooked for me when I was in Cumbria and I knew I had to do it again. This is no ordinary couscous recipe, it's spicy, sweet and full of flavour and texture. The list of ingredients is quite comprehensive but each ingredient adds its own dimension to the rich and full flavour and the spices can of course be used again. The recipe is from the Guardian newspaper's column "The New Vegetarian" by Yotam Ottolenghi, give it a go.

Butter bean soup with smoked pancetta

I can never quite decide whether I like soup. If I'm ever in a restaurant and there is soup for starters on the menu, I never order it as I tend to think soup is rather boring. Don't get me wrong, I have had some really nice soups and I have actually decided to do soup next week for an evening meal so I don't know why I feel that way about it. It is generally a cheap quick and healthy meal, although I do tend to have a slab of bread with it, so it is ideal for a mid-week meal. Despite my indifference to soup I quite like this one.

I apologise for not giving quantities here as I never bothered to measure the ingredients and employed a slap-dash approach as usual.

Simply soak some butter beans overnight, then rinse and drain them and put into a saucepan with a couple of bay leaves, a sprig of thyme, an onion peeled and halved, pepper, a couple of garlic cloves and a potato and cover with water. Boil the beans until tender. Whilst the beans are cooking, cut pancetta into slices and fry until golden. Once the beans are cooked, remove the bay leaves and thyme and blend the rest of the ingredients (with the cooking water), seasoning with salt and a little more pepper if required. If the soup is too thick add a little water and if you want to be more indulgent add a drizzle of cream. Serve the soup in warm bowls topped with the bacon and drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and eat with crusty bread.