Serves 4–6
Orzo is a rice-shaped pasta that is brilliant to use in soups, salads and all kinds of pasta dishes. It looks like a type of grain and is categorised as pastina in Italy, which means 'little pasta'. It’s actually, a very popular ingredient all over Europe, particularly in Greece, where it’s called kritharaki.
Prep 15 MINS
Cook 55 MINS
FREEZER FRIENDLY
- 1 large onion, finely chopped
- 2 carrots, chopped
- 2 celery sticks, chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 3 bay leaves
- 1 tsp chopped fresh thyme, plus
- extra to garnish
- 1.7 litres (3 pints) water
- 2 chicken stock cubes
- 4 boneless, skinless chicken fillets
- 175g (6oz) orzo (see the intro)
- 2 tbsp roughly chopped fresh flatleaf
- parsley
- sea salt and freshly ground black
- pepper
TO SERVE
Sourdough baguette and butter.
To make the stock, place the onion, carrots, celery, garlic, bay leaves and thyme in a large pan with the water. Bring to the boil, then crumble in the stock cubes and simmer for 20 minutes, until the
vegetables have released their flavour. Reduce the heat to low, then add the chicken fillets and poach for 12–15 minutes, until tender. Transfer to a plate and leave to cool for 5 minutes.
Meanwhile, stir the orzo into the pan and simmer for 8–10 minutes, until tender.
When the chicken has rested for 5 minutes, shred the meat using two forks and return to the soup while the orzo is finishing cooking. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Ladle the chicken and orzo soup into bowls (discarding the bay leaves) and scatter the extra thyme and the parsley on top. Serve with chunks of sourdough baguette spread with butter.
Black Bean Soup with Tortilla Chips
Serves 4–6
This healthy soup is made in no time with canned beans, some basic aromatics and Cuban-inspired spices. It’s incredibly flavourful and delicious and if you want to keep it gluten free, it’s worth buying the tortilla chips that are clearly marked as such.
Prep 15 MINS
Cook 45 MINS
FREEZER FRIENDLY
- 4 red onions, thinly sliced
- juice of 3 limes
- pinch of caster sugar
- 2 tbsp rapeseed oil
- 2 carrots, finely chopped
- 2 celery sticks, finely chopped
- 4 garlic cloves, crushed
- 4 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp dried chilli flakes
- 2 × 400g (14oz) tins of black beans,
- drained and rinsed
- 1.2 litres (2 pints) vegetable or
- chicken stock (from a cube is fine)
- sea salt and freshly ground black
- pepper
- TO GARNISH
- fresh coriander leaves (optional)
- soured cream (optional)
- TO SERVE
- tortilla chips
First make the pickled red onions – mix one of the sliced onions with half of the lime juice in a small bowl. Add the sugar and season with salt and pepper. Set aside to pickle for at least 30 minutes. These will keep for up to a week covered in the fridge.
Meanwhile, heat the rapeseed oil in a pan over a medium-high heat. Add the rest of the sliced onions along with the carrots, celery and some salt and pepper. Cook for about 10 minutes, until softened. Stir in the garlic, cumin and chilli flakes and cook for about 30 seconds, until fragrant. Add the black beans and stock and bring to a simmer.
Reduce the heat to a gentle simmer and cook for 30 minutes, until the beans are meltingly tender. Blitz with a hand-held blender to roughly blend – you still want plenty of texture – and season with salt and pepper. To serve, stir in the rest of the lime juice to taste, then ladle into bowls. Drain the pickled onions, then add to the soup and top with fresh coriander leaves and soured cream (if using). Serve with tortilla chips on the side.