Neven Maguire: yes cheese to a bowl of comfort

I think there is a rumour out there, because I am often asked about getting a table at MacNean House. The idea seems to be that we are permanently full!

I don’t think there is a restaurant on the planet which is always full, but thankfully, we do have a lot of guests who like to eat and stay with us and long may it continue – we certainly appreciate the support and custom.

I can still remember those earlier days when we might just have seven or eight people dining with us. These days, we do just one evening sitting for 60 people.

Some restaurants do more than one sitting in an evening, and we used to as well, but over the past few years we have decided on one sitting because we feel it makes for a nicer dining experience for our guests, with no rush to leave. It works out better for the staff, too.

I am always so happy to see a full restaurant. That said, we also get cancellations, and noticeably more so since the COVID-19 pandemic.

Thankfully, we haven’t had a problem with no-shows, but of course plans do tend to change or people get ill and they are always kind enough to let us know. We always call ahead to confirm reservations three weeks ahead of time. When there are cancellations, we immediately put them up on our website.

Many restaurants have had issues with no shows over the past few years - especially smaller restaurants who might have been holding a table for a large party only to have them never show up. That can really devastate a small restaurant’s daily earnings, so you often see restaurants asking for credit card details at the time of booking now and you’ll also see the website say there will be a charge on the credit card if you do not show up. It’s not nice, but it has to be done for some businesses to be able to stay in operation.

Luckily, as I said, we have never had a problem with no-shows, and I really appreciate all of our guests.

March is such a lovely time of year to enjoy a nice, hot bowl of soup. Today, I am sharing two soup recipes which I think you will really enjoy.

For the first recipe, you can’t go wrong with a cauliflower and cheese combination – it is a classic. This is a gluten-free soup (we are often asked if we have gluten-free menu options or recipes) and cauliflower is a vegetable which is growing in popularity thanks to its versatility and great texture. We often use it in the restaurant – either roasted or deep-fried in a tempura batter.

I think cauliflower is just delicious. If you are looking for a bit of a spicy kick, try adding a teaspoon of mild or medium curry powder to this soup. I love that little bit of warming spice with the cheese and the velvety texture.

Both of these recipes can be batch cooked. They will keep four or five days in the fridge, or can be frozen for several weeks.

Cheesy treat

The second is a butternut squash soup with cheese toasties – so really, it is two recipes in one. I love any kind of winter squash and especially enjoy them in a soup.

Butternut squash has a subtle and almost nutty flavour which is hard to beat – especially when it’s served with gooey, delicious toasted cheese sandwiches. I am often asked how to prepare a butternut squash. All you really need is a nice, sharp knife and a potato peeler. You trim the top and bottom, then peel it before scooping out the seeds and slicing and dicing. You can also usually find butternut squash already peeled and diced in supermarkets or at your local greengrocer – that way, you can save yourself the trouble.

If you don’t want to use butternut squash, this soup would work well with carrots, sweet potato or pumpkin. If you’re looking for a heftier sandwich, try adding some tasty ham to the cheese toastie.

Ingredients: Serves 6-8

25g butter

1 large onion, finely chopped

1 garlic clove, crushed

2 heads of cauliflower, chopped

1 large potato, peeled and chopped

1.2 litres chicken or vegetable stock

150ml cream

100g mature Cheddar cheese, grated

100g Gruyère cheese, grated

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, to garnish

Method

1 Melt the butter in a large pan set over a medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring, until softened but not coloured.

2 Add half of the cauliflower with the potato and stock and bring to a boil. Season with salt and pepper, then reduce the heat and simmer for 20 minutes, until the vegetables are completely soft.

3 Steam the rest of the cauliflower for 6–8 minutes or until just tender.

4 Stir the cream into the soup and blitz with a hand- held blender until smooth. Add the steamed cauliflower florets and stir to combine, then reheat gently until hot but not boiling.

5 Preheat the grill to high. Ladle the soup into heatproof bowls. Mix the cheeses together and scatter them over the top of the bowls. Arrange on a sturdy baking tray and grill for 2–3 minutes, until the cheese is bubbling and golden.

6 Scatter over the parsley. Add a good grinding of black pepper to each one to serve.

Ingredients: Serves 4–6

2 tbsp rapeseed oil

2 onions, finely chopped

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1kg butternut squash, peeled, seeds removed and cut into cubes

1.2 litres vegetable or chicken stock

4 fresh thyme sprigs

200g crème fraîche

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the cheese toasties:

50g butter, softened

8 slices of brown or white bread

200g Gruyère or mature Cheddar cheese, grated

1 tbsp snipped fresh chives

Method

1 Heat the oil in a large pan. Cook the onions, garlic and butternut squash over a gentle heat for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onions have softened but not coloured.

2 Pour in the stock and add the thyme. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat, cover and simmer for abou 25 minutes or until the butternut squash is tender.

3 To make the cheese toasties, butter the bread and arrange the cheese over half of the slices, buttered side down. Sprinkle over the chives and cover with the remaining slices of bread with the buttered side up.

4 Preheat a griddle or large non-stick frying pan and cook the sandwiches two at a time for two minutes on each side, until golden brown and the cheese has melted. Keep hot in a warm oven until the soup is ready.

5 Meanwhile, remove the thyme stalks from the soup and purée with a hand blender until the soup is completely smooth.

6 Stir in the crème fraîche and reheat gently, then season to taste.

7 Slice the cheese toasties. Ladle the soup into warmed bowls set on plates and stack up the cheese toasties to one side to serve.

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