LEEK AND POTATO SOUP

This is the simplest soup to make, only 2 ingredients, leeks and potatoes!

INGREDIENTS
Leeks

Potatoes

Olive Oil

Chicken Stock

Salt and Pepper

METHOD

I'm afraid this is another recipe that I do by eye and taste.  You basically want about equal quantities of leeks and potatoes. I don't liquidise it so you need to bear that in mind when chopping the leeks and dicing the potatoes.

Clean and carefully wash the leeks, making sure no dirt remains.

Slice lengthways and then chop crossways.  Add to a large pan.

Peel and dice the potatoes, add to the pan.

Add a little olive oil, and on a medium heat sweat the leeks and potatoes for about 10 minutes, turning frequently, making sure that they don't catch and brown.

Add water and chicken stock cubes or bouillon powder.  Simmer until the potatoes are tender and collapsing.  With a potato masher, mash a few of the potatoes in order to thicken the liquid.  

Add salt and pepper to taste. 

Serve with crusty bread.

Variation:  Leek and Potato Soup is usually liquidised to a smooth consistency and if this is your preference you can blitz it in the pan with a stick blender.  I usually make a huge pan and then blitz half of it. Serve with a swirl of cream and croutons.

CHICKEN & VEGETABLE SOUP

This is really a 2 day process but it's worth it!  You can skip the first step by buying a cooked chicken but I really recommend you still take the time to make some stock from the carcass, it makes all the difference.  If not, you can always use some chicken bouillon powder instead but it's not quite the same.  The stock created by boiling chicken bones contains the anti-inflammatory properties that make chicken soup not only good for the soul but good for the body too.  It's not called Jewish Penicillin for nothing!  If anyone has a cold, get plenty of hot chicken soup down them and they'll soon be on the road to recovery. 

INGREDIENTS

For the stock:

1 Chicken (approx 3lb) (no giblets)

2 Garlic Cloves

1 Bay Leaf

Sea Salt

Peppercorns

For the soup:

Onion

Carrots

Celery

Dried Mixed Herbs

Fresh Parsley

Olive Oil

Ground Sea Salt

Ground Black Pepper

Chicken Bouillon Powder

There's no hard and fast rules here with regard to quantities, just do it by eye.  You can also add some other vegetables, leeks would make a good addition or any root vegetable.  Soup is a great way to use up odd vegetables that you have left over.  I often add cubed potatoes too which makes it a meal in bowl.

METHOD

1)  Cook the chicken by poaching which also produces some fantastic golden liquor for the soup.  Place the chicken in a big pan, cover with cold water, add the garlic cloves, bay leaf, sea salt and peppercorns.  Bring to the boil and then turn it down a little.  A foamy scum will start to float.  Use a slotted spoon to remove it.  Repeat this until you don't see any more coming up.  Now put the lid on and turn the heat down so that it continues to simmer for 1½ hrs. You'll know the chicken is cooked when all you have to do is touch the skin with your spoon and the skin breaks.  Remove the chicken and set aside in a dish to cool, pouring back into the pan any liquid that escaped.  Strain the liquid and set aside to cool, preferably overnight.

2)  When the chicken is cool enough to handle remove all the meat from the carcass and set aside.  Place all the bones, skin and any other waste into a pan and cover with cold water. Bring to the boil then turn down the heat and simmer for at least one hour, preferably two. Keep an eye on it to make sure that it doesn't boil dry and add more water as necessary.

3)  Whilst the stock is simmering prepare all your vegetables, adding all the vegetable peelings and waste to the stock pot (pan with the bones in).  Chop all the vegetables quite small.  I use a food processor and the pulse function so that they are not over chopped. Place all the vegetables in a pan along with a little oil, salt and dried herbs and on a medium heat sweat for about 5 minutes until they start to soften.  Add water, just enough to cover the vegetables, bring to the boil and simmer for about 10 minutes or until they are cooked and a lot of the liquid has evaporated.  Set aside to cool.

4)  Time to turn your attention to the meat that you have set aside.  I usually save the breast meat and use that to make another meal.  It can be used for a quick curry, a pie filling, a salad etc.  The remainder of the meat I shred into reasonably small pieces and reserve some of that for sandwiches, the rest for the soup.  One chicken can provide you with quite a few meals.

5)  Now to the stock pan.  Place a colander over another pan and tip the contents of the stock pan into it to strain the liquid from the carcass etc.  Discard the waste and set liquid aside to cool, preferably overnight.

Note:  The reason I say to let the stock cool overnight is because as it cools any fat and scum sits in a layer on the top making it very easy to remove.  The stock from boiling the bones will cool and form a jelly, again with a top layer of fat and scum which is easy to remove with a spoon.  Any small bits of bone will have sunk to the bottom too and so are easy to discard. If you start the cooking process in the morning then there should be enough time for the stocks to cool and you can serve the soup in the evening.  At this point you should have all the components of the soup set aside ready for assembly later..

Poaching liquor

Stock

Cooked chicken

Cooked vegetables

6)  Take your cooled cooking liquor and stock and remove the top layer of fat / scum that has formed.  Put the cooking liquor, stock jelly and softened vegetables into a pan and bring to the boil.  It is important that it boils.  Add more water if necessary so that the soup has the desired consistency. Add bouillon powder and seasoning to taste.

7) Finally add the shredded chicken and freshly chopped parsley and simmer for a few minutes to make sure the chicken is thoroughly reheated.  Serve and enjoy!

NB:  To make this quickly using bouillon powder and cooked chicken prepare and cook the vegetables as above.  Then just add water until you get the desired consistency and add stock powder and seasoning to taste.  Finally adding the cooked chicken and parsley.  If you use stock cubes instead of bouillon powder buy Knorr stock cubes or similar.  Don't use Oxo chicken cubes, they are better for chicken gravy.

TIP:  This is a great soup if you're on a diet.  There's very little fat, just lots of vegetables and protein and it is very filling.

VARIATIONS

You can make this a Cream of Chicken & Vegetable Soup by turning down the heat at the end and adding a tub of cream.

You can also make Cream of Chicken Soup by leaving out all the vegetables apart from the onion.  Just make sure the onions are chopped extremely finely or when cooked blitz them into the stock using a hand blender directly in the pan.  Then add the cooked chicken and heat through, then turn down the heat and add a tub of cream and fresh parsley.  For Creme of Chicken and Mushroom Soup add some chopped mushrooms before adding the cooked chicken and cook for a few minutes, then add the cooked chicken, cream and parsley.

PRAWN & NOODLE SOUP

Again, not one of my recipes but another from Nigel Slater that my friend Debbie cooked for us the other night.  It was one of the tastiest dishes I've had for a long time!  She said it was incredibly easy too!  Nigel says "One of the reasons this soup is so tasty is the marriage of sugar and spice - bringing together some lovely Southeast Asian flavours with coconut milk for sweetness and chilli for heat."

INGREDIENTS 
3 small bird's-eye chillies
4 cloves garlic 
a lump of ginger the size of your thumb
2 plump stalks lemongrass
6 lime leaves 
a good handful coriander leaves 
a little vegetable oil
500ml/1pt chicken or vegetable stock
400ml/14fl oz coconut milk 
10 cherry tomatoes
2 tbsp nam pla (Thai fish sauce)
the juice of half a lime
200g raw king prawns, frozen
100g/4oz dried noodles, cooked as it says on the packet
a large handful mint leaves

METHOD
Chop the chillies, removing the seeds if you wish, peel the garlic and ginger and chop roughly. Put them all into a food processor. Discard the outer leaves of the lemongrass and roughly chop the inner leaves. Shred the lime leaves and add them all to the chillies with the coriander stems and half of the leaves. Blitz them to a pulp, adding a little vegetable oil if the mixture needs it to go round. 

Place a fairly deep pan over a moderate heat, add half the spice paste (keep the other half in the fridge for tomorrow) and fry it, moving it around the pan so it does not scorch. Do this for a minute or two, then pour in the stock and the coconut milk and bring to the boil.

Cut the tomatoes into quarters and add them to the soup with the fish sauce and lime juice. They will take about seven minutes to cook. Add the prawns - they are cooked when they take on a pink colour. Chop up the remaining coriander leaves and add to the sauce.

Now to serve, put a swirl of noodles in each of four bowls, pour over the sauce and add the chopped mint at the last second for a bit of freshness.

The original recipe by Nigel Slater can be found here, including a video:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/prawn_and_noodle_soup_30100

CREAM OF CAULIFLOWER SOUP

The easiest way to make this is with a stick blender as you can liquidize it directly into the pan.  If you don't have one I recommend you invest in one, they are one of the most useful kitchen gadgets and the easiest way to rescue a lumpy sauce!

INGREDIENTS
Large cauliflower (I use 2 but then I make a large pan of soup)
Onions (I use 1 onion per cauliflower)
Chicken stock cube
Milk
Chopped fresh parsley
Tabasco
Sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Grated cheddar cheese
Cream

METHOD
Remove the outer leaves and stalk from the cauliflower.  Break up into florets and place in a large pan.  Peel and quarter the onion and separate the sections and add to the pan along with a stock cube. Only fill the pan about half way up with water and put on the lid.  Cook until the cauliflower is very soft.

When the cauliflower is cooked, remove a good handful of cauliflower and reserve on a plate.  Using a stick blender liquidise the cauliflower and onion into the cooking water until smooth.  You will end up with something looking like baby food.

Add milk to the mixture until you reach a consistency of a thick soup.  Add salt & pepper to taste and a few dashes of tabasco.  Add a pile of grated cheddar cheese and stir until it has melted and incorporated into the soup.

When you are happy with the flavour of the soup add the reserved cauliflower (crumbled / chopped into smaller pieces), the chopped parsley and some cream to taste.  Reserve a little parsley for a garnish.

Serve garnished with parsley and warm crusty bread.

Variation: For broccoli soup use exactly the same method but use broccoli instead.  I also make cauliflower and broccoli soup but use twice as much cauliflower as broccoli.

CREAMY CHICKEN CHOWDER

Chicken Chowder,  a meal in a soup.  If you have left over chicken from a roast you could use that instead along with any left over vegetables and boil the carcass up to get some fabulous chicken stock.  No quantities again I'm afraid, all done by eye.

INGREDIENTS

Chicken breasts

Milk

Onion

Potatoes

Leeks

Carrots

Tinned Sweetcorn

Tabasco

Butter

Plain flour

Chicken stock cube

Sea salt & freshly ground black pepper

Double cream

Fresh parsley

WHAT YOU NEED 

Lots of pans! A large deep sided frying pan, or a large pan.  3 further pans to cook the vegetables. A very large pan for the soup.

METHOD

Vegetables: First, peel and wash the potatoes, leeks and carrots.  

Quarter the potatoes and place in a pan of salter cold water, bring to the boil and simmer until cooked.

Slice the carrots and place in a pan of salted cold water, bring to the boil and simmer until cooked.

Slice the leeks and place in a pan of salted cold water, bring to the boil and simmer until cooked.

With all the vegetables, don't overfill the pan with water, use just enough water to nearly cover the vegetables, this is because we want to use the liquid later and if there is too much water the flavour will be diluted.  Alternatively you could always steam the vegetables.

Chicken: Whilst the vegetables are cooking you can start on the chicken. In a deep sided frying pan lay the chicken breasts, pour over some milk until nearly covered.  Peel and quarter an onion and place that in the pan too.  Put on a medium heat and poach the chicken in the milk until cooked, this won't take long and you will see the chicken change colour and texture, it will become firm to the touch.  If you're not sure you can cut into the middle of one of the breasts, if there is any hint of pink in the flesh it is not cooked.  Don't boil the milk or it will boil over so keep an eye on the pan.

Vegetables & Chicken: Keep an eye on everything.  As each item becomes cooked remove it from the heat and drain.  With the vegetables you want to reserve the vegetable water but keep the potato water separate as if you have to choose between which liquid you are going to use you want to use the potato water first as that has starch in it which will help to thicken the soup.  Once cooked and cool enough to handle all the vegetables and chicken need to be chopped into smaller pieces: - 

Potatoes: Cube the potatoes into bite size pieces

Carrots: Chop the carrots into quite small pieces

Leeks: The leeks will have probably have separated, just chop them a little more into bite size pieces

Chicken: Remove from the milk, reserving the liquid, and chop into bite size pieces

Place all the above onto a plate or in a bowl, ready to add to the soup later.  Open and drain your tin of sweetcorn and chop the parsley.

Roux: A roux is always made from equal quantities of butter and flour ie 40g butter, 40g of flour to around half a pint of liquid.  I never measure it and just do it by eye, a big spoon of butter and a couple of spoons of flour, you'll soon get the hang of it!

In the large pan which you have chosen for your soup you are now going to make a roux. Add the butter and melt.  Once it has melted take if off the heat and add the plain flour.  Stir with a wooden spoon until all the flour has been absorbed into the butter then put it back on the heat.  Keep stirring and cook for a couple of minutes until 'blonde'.  Add the reserved milk little by little, stirring the sauce against the side of the pan with the wooden spoon to break up any lumps, or you could use a whisk.  Keep going until it is a sauce consistency, it should coat the back of your spoon.  If you run out of milk start adding some of potato water.  As you cook the sauce it will thicken, keep stirring, don't leave it!  

Assembly: You now should have a white sauce and we are going to dilute that to soup consistency. Add some potato liquid, little by little until you are happy with the consistency of your soup, adding some of vegetable water if possible. Then add your seasonings, stock cube or seasoned sea salt, freshly ground black pepper, a couple of dashes of tabasco (used just as a flavour enhancer) and fresh parsley (reserving some for a garnish).  Next add all your reserved chopped vegetables and chicken and finally add the sweetcorn.  Taste to check your seasonings and add some more if necessary.  Heat the soup through to make sure everything has heated through thoroughly and finally add some cream.  Serve garnished with chopped fresh parsley and fresh crusty bread.

NB: As this soup has milk and chicken in it any leftovers need to be refrigerated.  When you reheat make sure you heat it thoroughly to ensure all the ingredients are thoroughly reheated.

MINESTRONE SOUP

Mourish, comforting and a great diet soup too!

INGREDIENTS

Tinned tomatoes

White cabbage

Onions

Carrots

Leeks

Courgettes

Celery

Chicken stock cubes

Sea Salt / Seasoned Sea Salt (A.Vogel Herbamare, see link below)

http://www.avogel.co.uk/avogel-world-new/avogel_product_stories/herbamare.php 

Freshly ground black pepper

Provencal dried herbs

Freshly chopped parsley

I've not mentioned any quantities as I do it by eye & I make a huge pan of it but I have listed the ingredients in order of amount used, i.e. use more tinned tomatoes and white cabbage than the other vegetables, I use 2 very large tins of tomatoes but then I make a large quantity. There's no hard and fast rules as to the amounts of vegetables you use, once you start chopping and putting the vegetables in the pan you'll soon assess what you need more or less of.  I usually start with a whole cabbage, carrots and onions and reserve some of those 3 vegetables to make coleslaw at the same time. 

Click here for the coleslaw recipe

METHOD

First of all you need a very big pan, if you haven't got one then don't chop quite as many vegetables!

Finely chop all the vegetables.  I use a food processor and you can have it done in minutes, otherwise you'll have to chop by hand which is fine, it will just take you longer.  If you are using a food processor use the pulse button so that you don't end up chopping them too fine.

Place all the chopped vegetables into your pan with a little olive oil and butter, not too much, and place on a low heat with the pan lid on to 'sweat' the vegetables until they are soft, stirring occasionally.  It won't take long so keep your eye on it as you don't want the vegetables to catch and start burning.  Then add the tinned tomatoes and top up with water.  Add your stock cubes, dried herbs, salt & freshly ground black pepper.  The amount of stock cubes used obviously depends on how much liquid there is but don't over season, you can always add more later.

Bring it up to the boil and then turn down the heat to a simmer.  At first the liquid will be very red but as it simmers it will change colour to a more orangey red as it cooks. Keep an eye on it as you may need to add more water from time to time.  I actually simmer it for about an hour.  Towards the end of the cooking add some freshly chopped parsley, reserving some for a garnish.

To serve garnish with chopped parsley and some freshly grated parmesan. Make sure it is fresh parmesan not that awful stuff in a tub that smells terrible!  Serve some warm crusty bread too.

TIP:  This is a perfect diet soup (minus the parmesan and bread), you can eat as much as you want, it's comforting and it fills you up as well as being very nutritious.

As you're already chopping the vegetables it doesn't require much extra effort to make coleslaw at the same time.  A great lunch is minestrone soup followed by ham and coleslaw sandwiches.

As I make a huge pan it is too big for the fridge so it sits on my stove on a low simmer so everyone can just help themselves.  If you leave it out overnight make sure you bring it to a fast boil in the morning to kill any bacteria but I think you'll find it won't last long!  Alternatively you can always freeze some of it.