Yesterday, I made my usual chicken stock using 5 chicken carcasses, 1 kg of chicken necks, 2 onions, 2 carrot, 1 leek, 2 celery, 2 bay leaves, 10 black peppercorns, 1 tbsp dried thyme, 10 parsley stalks, covered with plenty of water and slowly brought to the simmer and continued with a lazy bubble, what [...]
Makes 1.5 – 2 litres stock Ingredients 75g dried shitake mushrooms 1 ½ tbsp olive oil 100g fresh mushrooms 2 medium carrots, peeled, diced 1 medium onion, chopped into 1 cm pieces 2 celery stalks diced ½ cup leek greens, roughly chopped, 1 cm pieces 3 sage leaves or large pinch dried sage Bouquet garni [...]
This smooth, luxurious and flavoursome soup is perfect as a wintry pick-me-up. It is also ideal for freezing. Mussels are inexpensive and taste wonderful when paired with the pumpkin. Serves 4 Ingredients 250ml white wine 1kg mussels -rinsed, de-bearded, discard any mussels that do not close tightly when tapped 50g butter 1 onion, roughly chopped [...]
Especially delicious for cold winter days, or any day really, this soup or stew is a meal in itself. Make it into a stew by adding more chicken pieces and serve it with a crisp, mixed salad. Serves 4 Ingredients 2 onions finely diced 25g butter 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil 1 red [...]
Preparing for the weekend Italian classes, I was reading a lovely book called Acquacotta: recipes and stories from Tuscany’s secret silver coast, by Emiko Davies, given to me, recently, by my dear friend Jenny Peters. Along with some wonderful Tuscan recipes, Emiko mentions the story of Stone Soup or in Italian zuppa di sasso. This [...]
This is a refreshing and light starter or lunch dish for a summer's day and it looks very pretty. Serves 6 The soup 3 onions 4 cloves garlic 600g Desiree potatoes 100ml olive oil 300ml pouring cream 300ml milk 2 telegraph cucumbers ½ - 1 bird's-eye [...]
They’re not croutons they’re sippets. Olden days sippets are your winter soup's best friend. Winter is great soup time and, as always, I am into pea and ham soups of varying styles. The old fashioned pea and ham has been a long time family favourite; my mother made it for years and I still use [...]
