onion, tomato, rosehip and aniseed soup

My onion soup with tomato, aniseed and rosehip.  A late Summer soup - inspired and adapted from onion, aniseed and tomato soup by Clarissa Dickson Wright from Clarissa's Comfort Food.  A good read, packed with delicious, comforting recipes.

Onion soup with tomato, aniseed and rosehip - an unusual and curious combination you may think - and I certainly did before I tried it, but it works.  The lovely aniseed bitterness with the sweet and caramelised onions mixed with the floral and tangy rosehip is an interesting and tasty combination.  The dried red chillies I leave whole so they just add a background heat and spice, rather than overpowering the dish.  The final addition of basil highlights the aniseed with it's similar flavour.  
As readers of my blog will know I love to experiment with herbs and spices and new flavour combinations. It's good to be out of our comfort zone every now and then...otherwise how else would we learn or try new things.  I am writing this at a time when my life is changing dramatically....with plans to move abroad to start a new way of life and business....exciting and terrifying in equal measure. I am trying more and more to become conscious to the idea that life really is short - I know we can all say it from time to time, but to understand it and feel it are different from just saying the words. 

I know this is only a blog about recipes and cooking, but for me cooking is not separate from my life. It is for my family and friends and it is a reflection of them and other influences all around me in the world, and a way I have of sharing and communicating this with others.  Sometimes you have to take a leap of faith and believe that you will be OK...so in the grand scheme of things a little bit of aniseed or rosehip in our tomato soup may not seem like much, but if we are stuck to our recipe books, and our fixed ways of doing things we will never discover the whole world of spice and flavour out there.  So here's to taking a leap of faith; both in and out of the kitchen.  Let me know how you get on and as always your comments are most welcomed and I look forward to hearing from you.  

onion, tomato, rosehip and aniseed soup

recipe by chip butties and noodle soup inspired and adapted from Clarissa Dickson Wright's onion, aniseed and tomato soup

preparation time:  5-10 minutes
cooking time:  20-30 minutes
serves 4 

ingredients

3 large onions - thinly sliced
400g chopped tomatoes (tinned or fresh)
1 litre chicken/vegetable stock
2 garlic cloves - thinly sliced
1 tsp aniseed
1-2 dried red chillies
1 tbs rosehip preserve (I used rosehip preserve from rose cafe preserves)
2 tbs roughly torn basil
olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

method:

1. heat up a pan before adding olive oil and your sliced onions.  Cook the onions gently until soft and caramelised - this will take about 15-20 minutes
2. add the aniseed and dried red chillies and fry for a few minutes to help release the essential oils along with the sliced garlic
3. add your tomatoes, stock and rosehip preserve and bring to a boil
4. simmer for about 15 minutes 
5. add your fresh basil, check for seasoning and serve.  Great with crusty bread and butter.

I have entered my onion, tomato, rosehip and aniseed soup onto Four Seasons Food hosted by Delicieux and Chezfoti

I have also entered this recipe into 

 cooking with herbs hosted by Karen at Lavender and Lovage

Courgette, cardamon and rosehip cake with mascarpone icing

courgette, cardamon and rosehip cake

It's time for a bit more baking I feel.  Inspired by the welcome return of The Great British Bake Off and my love of cardamom, rosehip and seasonal courgettes it was time to put these flavours together in a big cake.  I am all for a bit of kitchen flavour experimentation and being creative in your cooking.  Recipes for me are only the starting point - it's much more fun to play around with flavours and add your own twist.  

Carrot cake has always been a family favourite and courgette cake is a close relative, and although it's been around for ages, is new to my baking repertoire. The courgette acts in a similar way to carrot; adding moisture and sweetness to the cake, and works really well with the fragrant cardamon and rosehip syrup.  The mascarpone icing is the perfect topping and completes this cake - the zesty orange complementing the fragrant cardamon and rose flavours.  

I was sent this delicious rosehip syrup by rose café.  It's packed with vitamin C, sharp and tangy with a lovely soft rose flavour.  I remember my Polish gran collecting bags of rosehips to make bottles of this pink, flowery syrup that we drank as a cordial in our childhood.  I wasn't a huge fan of floral flavours when I was younger but my taste buds have changed and I now often love using rosewater and orange blossom water in sweet and savoury dishes. I find there is often a sense of remembrance and nostalgia in our home comfort cooking.  When I think about why I like certain flavours or ingredients I am often brought back to tastes of my childhood.  

I hope you give this cake a try and let me know what you think.  Your comments and thoughts are always most welcomed.  Happy baking!  

preparation time:  10-15 minutes
cooking time:  50-60 minutes

recipe by:  chip butties and noodle soup 

Courgette, cardamon and rosehip cake with mascarpone icing 

ingredients:

300g plain flour
200g caster sugar

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda

200-250g grated courgette

4 eggs

250ml sunflower oil

60ml rosehip syrup

1 tsp vanilla extract

crushed seeds of 5-6 cardamon pods or 1/2 tsp of ground cardamon

zest of 1 orange

pinch salt 

mascarpone icing:

200g mascarpone cheese

2 tbs icing sugar

zest of 1 orange

optional: 

cardamon pods to garnish (remove before eating!) 

method:

1. preheat the oven to 150C and grease and line a 20cm deep cake tin
2. whisk the eggs, oil and sugar together until light and airy 
3. add the rosehip syrup, vanilla extract, orange zest and cardamon and mix
4. sieve in the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and salt and fold in gently
5. next stir in your grated courgette until just combined - don't over mix!
6. pour the cake into your prepared tin and bake for about 45-60 minutes
7. it is ready when lightly golden and a skewer comes out clean
8. leave in the tin for about 5 minutes before removing to a cooling rack
9. while the cake is cooling whisk up the mascarpone icing ingredients until well combined.  
10. when the cake is fully cooled top with the lovely mascarpone icing, cut yourself a slice and enjoy with a big mug of tea.  

If you like this recipe check out my carrot, orange and caraway cake - my cross between a traditional seed cake and a carrot cake. 

I have entered my courgette, cardamon and rosehip cake with mascarpone icing onto Love Food Hate Waste and NEFF's Unusual Baking Challenge 

I have also entered this recipe onto Four Seasons Food hosted by Delicieux and Chezfoti