LEFTOVER SOUP MUFFINS

Leftovers: soup or stock, bits of cheese, odds and ends of herbs

Prep time: 15 minutes Cook time: 25 minutes

Makes 4 large muffins

This is based on a recipe I saw in a French issue of Elle magazine, and it really does work. The soup serves as the liquid for the batter but also delivers lots of extra flavour. And it’s a great way to use up bits of cheese. Use any soup

– or even stock – but if it’s chunky, blitz to a purée first in a blender or food processor. The amount of soup you need to add depends on how thick yours is. Stir in just enough to make a thick batter that falls easily off the end of a spoon. If you have more than specified in the recipe, just scale up the rest of the ingredients. Or freeze the extra soup for another time.

INGREDIENTS

– 120g plain flour

– 1 tsp baking powder – 1 tsp garlic powder

(optional)

– 2 tbsp olive oil

– 1 large egg, lightly

beaten

– about 120ml leftover soup (more or less, as needed)

– 50g strong cheese (cheddar, Comté, Gouda), grated

– a small handful of fresh herbs, chopped (optional)

– 1 spring onion, finely

chopped (optional)

METHOD Preheat the oven to 180C/160C fan/gas mark 4 and line 4 holes of a large muffin tray with paper cases or baking paper.

In a mixing bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder and garlic powder (if using) together with a fork, along with ¼ tsp fine sea salt and some freshly ground black pepper. Add the oil and egg, and stir. Then add enough of the soup to make a fairly thick batter.

Stir in the cheese and, if using, the herbs and spring onion. Add a splash more soup if the batter is too thick. Distribute between the muffin cases and bake for 25 minutes, until golden. These are delicious served warm.