Superfood dinners with Neven Maguire

I love this time of year as so much is happening in our vegetable garden. Kevin has new things to show almost every day and we get so much pleasure from growing a lot of our own vegetables for the restaurant.

This spinach and potato soup is very light, and with no flour it is suitable for people on a gluten-free diet. Basil is also nice in this recipe. You could try a few proportions but I wouldn’t go beyond half and half as the basil then gets a bit strong. This soup can be made ahead and kept in the fridge for up to two days. It also freezes very well for up to a month.

The one-pot green vegetable pasta is full of goodness. Sometimes I add chicken, ham, or smoked bacon. Courgettes are also good in this recipe. There are days where one pot is all we can handle.

Here I’m just using the same pan that I’m cooking the pasta in for the vegetables as well. You could just use spinach but I like the contrast of textures that the other vegetables bring to the dish.

Spinach & potato soup

Serves four

2 tbsp Donegal Rapeseed oil

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

2 leeks, trimmed and thinly sliced

1 large potato, peeled and diced

450ml chicken or vegetable stock (from a cube is fine)

600ml milk

450g fresh spinach, roughly chopped

15g fresh parsley, leaves only

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Lightly whipped cream or crème fraiche, to garnish

Brown soda bread, to serve

1. Heat the oil in a large pan with a lid and gently fry the garlic and leeks for five to six minutes until soft. Stir in the potato and cook for another minute, then pour in the stock. Bring to the boil and then reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes until the potato is tender. Pour in the milk and tip in half of the spinach, stirring to combine.

2. Put the lid on and cook for five minutes until the spinach has wilted. Season with salt and pepper and stir in the remaining spinach with the parsley (this is what keeps the soup bright green and fresh tasting).

3. Blitz the soup in the pan until smooth with a hand blender (or use a food processor).

4. Ladle into warmed bowls and add a swirl of cream or crème fraiche to garnish. Serve with the brown soda bread, if liked.

One-pot green vegetable pasta

Serves four

350g (12oz) dried pasta of your choice

1 small crown of broccoli (about 300g (11oz)

1 bunch asparagus

100g (4oz) baby spinach leaves

2-3 tbsp Donegal Rapeseed oil

about 4 tbsp freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

1. Bring a large pan of salted water to a rolling boil and add the pasta. Give it a good stir and cook for seven minutes.

2. Meanwhile, prepare the vegetables. Cut the broccoli into small florets and stems into 1mm (1/4in) slices. Snap the ends off the asparagus and then cut the remainder into 2.5cm (1in) pieces.

3. Add the broccoli and asparagus to the pasta and cook for another three minutes, then stir in the spinach for the last 30 seconds or so until just wilted.

4. Drain the pasta and vegetables into a colander and shake dry. Divide among individual plates or wide-rimmed bowls and drizzle each one with one to two teaspoons of the oil, tossing to gently coat. Scatter over the Parmesan and give a good grinding of black pepper to serve.