Chicken noodle soup

I had some chicken thighs that i needed to use - originally defrosted for saturday night, but i ended up staying sat night at wittering having gone down to buy a sailing dinghy.  A successful trip though - fiona and i are now the proud joint owners of an RS Vision!  So, after easter lunch at Matt's (great salads - very ottolenghi), i started on a couple of chicken dishes - the noodle soup for supper, and the chicken stew to freeze.  The chicken stew asked for harissa, which we'd run out of, so i had to quickly make some harissa as well.

The chicken noodle soup was not quite how i imagined - a classic jewish feel good soup, i thought, but nigella marinades hers in mirin and sake - not the most jewish ingredients.  It was okay, but i think could be improved upon.

- Mix 4 tablespoons of sake, 3 tablespoons mirin, 1 tablespoon soy sauce, 1 minced clove garlic and 1 dried red chilli.
- Cut 1 chicken breast into strips and marinade in the mixture for an hour.
- Cook 100g noodles and add choi sum or pak choi (i didn't have any green to cook, so just added pea shoots at the end) for the last couple of mins of cooking.
- Heat up 500ml chicken stock.
- Heat 1 tablespoon oil and a few drops of sesame oil in a pan or wok and add the pieces of chicken on a high heat.
- When cooked, pour in the marinade and when its nearly all bubbled away, put the noodles in a bowl, add the chicken stock, top with the glossy chicken, and sprinkle with fresh coriander.
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Italian broth

I had this just as a soup, but it's actually more of a stock - nigella says it makes a great base for a rissotto.  A lot of meat goes into making this, and i'm not sure its worth it.

- Put 500g piece beef flank, 2 pieces ossobuco, and 500g chicken wings in a large saucepan.
- Add 1 onion cut in half, each stuck with a clove, 2 sliced carrots, 2 sliced stalks celery, 2 sliced leeks, 1 ripe tomato halved, 1 peeled clove garlic, 1 bay leaf, 6 parsley stalks, 6 peppercorns and 1 teaspoon of salt.
- Cover with water by 6cm, bring to the boil and simmer very gently for 3 hours, skimming the scum off every hour.
- Remove the large pieces of meat and strain through a cheesecloth or muslin.
- If storing, cool in the fridge and remove the fat from the top of the jelly with a kitchen towel.

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Consommé

It doesn't look much in the bowl, but it tasted good and took 8 hours to make.  I started early and had something to show for it by the end of the day.  It seemed strange to cook a whole chicken and a lot of beef, to then throw it away and just keep what's left over.  But i tasted the chicken and beef and its flavour had left it.  It seems a huge waste, but apparently its common in france to use a fresh chicken to make stock, rather than just a carcass.  Nigella suggests making a lot and freezing it.

- Put a whole chicken in a large pot, and add 1kg shin of beef, cubed (i used stewing steak).
- Cover with 3.5 litres of water and bring to the boil.
- Remove the scum, adding 100ml or so of water to replace, repeating a couple of times as necessary.
- Simmer for 1 hour, then add 2 large carrots, 2 onions, and 2 leeks, each thickly sliced, together with 3 stalks parsley3 sprigs thyme, 1 peeled clove garlic, salt, pepper and 2 cloves.
- Simmer for 7 hours, then strain through a cheesecloth, muslin or j-cloth.

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Mushroom udon soup

I increasingly like making eastern style soups since they are so healthy and tasty.  You do need some unusual items in your store cupboard though.

- Soak 5g shitake mushrooms in 300ml hot water for 10 mins.
- Strain the water into a pan, add a few drops of soy sauce, 1 teaspoon instant dashi (japanese stock apparently) and then the mushrooms.
- When the water boils, add 50g udon noodles.
- When cooked, pour into a serving bowl, add a few drops of sesame oil and sprinkle with coriander.
- Should be enough for 1.

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Minestrone Soup

We were lucky enough to have Anu, Joan and their baby daughter, Niah over for lunch, as well as Ginny and Matt.  Tara had decided to go shopping for the morning, leaving me with Marni.  So i had to look after marni, go shopping for food and then cook it.  Feeding marni - tick; putting her down to sleep - tick; trip to sainsbury's with marni - tick; mani staying asleep at sainsburys - tick; getting all the ingredients - tick; me reading recipe beforehand - not quite - managed to miss the "cook for 2 1/2 hours"!  So i had to curtail the simmering process slightly, but it was none the worse for it.  1 hour or so was fine, particularly as its just vegetables.

- Cook 3 onions, thinly sliced in 40g butter and 8 tablespoons olive oil in a large pan until soft.
- Add 5 diced carrots and cook for a further 3 mins.
- Then add the following 1 at a time, with 1 min or so in between - 2 sticks chopped celery; 300g diced potatoes; 3 diced courgettes; and 100g french beans in 1 cm lengths.
- Add 200g shredded savoy cabbage and cook for a further 8 mins.
- Add 1 1/2 litres stock and the end of a piece of parmesan if you have one.  Season to taste, cover and cook for 1 1/2 - 2 1/2 hours.
- Soup should be thick but with enough water to cook some pasta in it.
- Add 120g dried white beans or 400g tin cannellini beans and cook for 5 mins.
- Add 150g small pasta such as ditalini (i used Alfabeto - yes, it is small pasta letters) and cook for 15 mins.
- Take out the parmesan rind, add 40g grated parmesan and serve with a slug of olive oil.

Here's ginny demonstrating just how good it tasted!

Black Bean Soup

A lot of soups can have very flavours and textures - wholesome, earthy, etc.  This had a texture unlike most other soups you get.  This was light and fresh which surprised me for soup with beans in it.  The red peppers and lime juice lift it, and the beans are left whole.  Definitely one to try.

- Place 450g dried black beans in a pan with 2 bay leaves, cover with 2 litres water and simmer for 1 1/2 hours (or use tinned beans.which i did!)
- Saute 2 chopped red peppers, 2 chopped shallots, 2 chopped onions in 200ml olive oil for about 15 mins.
- Add 8 cloves chopped garlic, 1 tablespoon ground cumin, 1 tablespoon dried oregano, the zest of 1 lime and saute for a further 5 mins.
- Puree in a blender.
- Add the puree to the cooked beans (still should be covered in water) together with1/2 tablespoon muscovado sugar, 1 tablespoon salt and cook until tender for about 20-30 mins.
- Season and add 2 tablespoons dry sherry.
- Serve with bowls of chopped coriander, chopped red onion, quartered limes, and sour cream and tabasco, for people to add as they wish.

I made this for tara and I as a weekend lunch - an unexpected hit!

Cream of Chicken Soup

Having cooked this, I'm not sure i've ever had a proper cream of chicken soup before - ever! It's not something i've ever cooked before, i never order something like this in a restaurant, and no-one has ever served at a dinner party. The closest i have come is out of a packet, and that's not very close. I can heartily recommend it though - a true classic that is definitely under-represented on today's menus.

- Melt 30g butter and cook 200g finely sliced leeks in it for 10 mins or until soft.

- Put 300ml chicken stock and 300ml milk in a saucepan, add a clove of garlic, 2 bay leaves and a chicken breast and bring to the boil.

- Simmer until the chicken breast is just tender, probably only 5-10 mins after the mixture has boiled, then remove the chicken.

- Add 1 tablespoon of flour to the leeks, cook for a couple mins, then add the milk/stock mixture, keeping on the simmer.

- Finely shred the chicken, add this to the sauce, add a pinch of salt and cook for a further 5 mins.

- Add 15g butter and cook for a further 5 mins, adding extra milk if it starts to look like white sauce.

- Put it in a blender, and sieve into a saucepan.

- Put back on the heat, add an egg yolk and 3 tablespoons double cream.

It sounds quite complicated for a soup, but basically it's cook, blend, sieve. The chicken gives up its flavour really well and makes it taste delicious. It's worth it just to know what a proper cream of chicken soup tastes like.

Butternut and Pasta Soup

A truly delicious soup. The quantities below make enough for 2 apparently, but it was so good that Tara and I both wanted more - this recipe deserves upping the quantities.

- Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a big pan, and add 1/2 finely chopped onion.

- Cook for 10 mins or until soft, then add 205g butternut squash, cut into 1 cm cubes.

- Turn for 2 mins, then add 60ml white wine or vermouth, let it bubble, and then add 600ml stock and a bay leaf.

- Simmer for 10 mins, then take a ladleful, puree it and add back.

- Add small soup pasta, and cook for another 10 mins.

- Once thick and stew like, serve with grated parmesan.

The butternut squash pieces are just firm enough to give texture but soft enough to be sweet and chewy. Make it - you won't be disappointed.

Vegetable Soup

What i like about Nigella's vegetable soup recipe is the parsnips and turnips, which give it an earthy depth that you don't get with just carrots and potatoes. i followed the recipe exactly (as i always try to!) but of course all manner of vegetable variations would work. The addition of the dry sherry is a revelation. I was also tempted to add some double cream or creme fraiche at the end - but she doesn't, so i didn't, but you could.

- Chop an onion, a turnip, a parsnip, a potato, a leek, 2 carrots and a stick of celery either by hand or using a blender.

- Heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a pan and add the vegetables and some salt.

- Fry/cook for 10-15 mins with the lid on, turning occasionally.

- Add 1 litre of vegetable stock, a bouquet garni and lots of pepper.

- Simmer for 30-40 mins.

- Blend the soup together to taste - i like it not too pureed.

- Add some nutmeg, parsley and 2 tablespoons of dry sherry.

Delicious with the white loaf I've just made and perfect for the onset of autumn...