Moroccan-spiced carrot soup
Serve this deliciously spicy carrot soup hot or cold. Add an extra tsp of ras el hanout if you like a more robust spicy taste.
Eat well
Nordic pickles
No smorgasbord (Scandinavian buffet) would be complete without an array of pickles preserved in seasoned vinegar and dill. Traditional pickles are usually salty though – these are a lower-salt alternative which are ready to eat straightaway.
Meal type: Side dish
Serves: 2
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 0 minutes
Preparation
Toss together the ingredients for each pickle with one quantity of the seasoned vinegar. Cover and keep chilled until ready to use then leave out at room temperature for 10 minutes before serving. Serve at room temperature for maximum flavour.
The pickles are best eaten fresh and crunchy on the day of making but if you keep them for a day or two, store in the fridge and splash a little more vinegar into the mixture when serving to freshen the flavour. Not suitable for home freezing.
Cook's tips
- Delicious served with simple summer foods such as fresh salmon rubbed with a paste of turmeric, crushed garlic and fresh lemon juice, plain grilled mackerel fillets or lean beef koftas. Combining them with lower-salt foods like this will help balance out the salt content of the meal as a whole.
- Use whatever herbs you enjoy or may have in the garden - strong flavours like dill, coriander, chives and basil work well with the vinegar.
Cucumber and dill pickle
Cabbage and fennel pickle
Carrot and radish pickle
Beetroot and horseradish pickle
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Ingredients
Seasoned vinegar for each pickle:
20ml (4 tsp) cider or white wine vinegar
¼ tsp granulated or caster sugar
¼ tsp salt
Cucumber and Dill Pickle
115g (4oz) cucumber, very thinly sliced
1 small shallot, thinly sliced
½ tsp mustard seeds
1 tbsp chopped fresh dill
Cabbage and Fennel Pickle
115g (4oz) firm cabbage, thinly shredded
55g (2oz) fennel, thinly sliced
¼ tsp fennel seeds
1 tbsp chopped fresh coriander
Carrot and Radish Pickle
115g (4oz) carrot, thinly pared with a vegetable parer
55g (2oz) radish, thinly sliced (about 4 radishes)
25g (1oz) red onion, thinly sliced
1 tbsp chopped fresh parsley, chives or basil
Beetroot and Horseradish Pickle
225g (8oz) cooked, peeled beetroot, cut into thin sticks (if you are cooking the beetroot yourself, start with about 350g of raw, trimmed beetroot)
½ tsp grated fresh horseradish
2 tsp chopped fresh dill
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