Bone Broth
Ingredients
- 1 leftover chicken carcass
- Water
- Salt
- Splash apple cider vinegar
- Small bunch spring onions
- Bunch of fresh coriander
- 2 sticks lemongrass (outer leaves removed), finely chopped
- 4 lime leaves
- large knob ginger, peeled and finely sliced
- 4 cloves garlic, crushed
- 1 tbsp fish sauce
- 1 tbsp miso
- salt & pepper
- juice of 2 limes
Method
Simmer your roast chicken bones in 3 litres of water for at least 4 hours with a splash of cider vinegar, with a lid on it.
Even though you have a lid on it, you might need to top it up so that the bones are covered.
After it has cooked for 4 hours, take the lid off and let it reduce by a third.
At this point, I spoon out the bones and throw them away.
Then I cool the stock down by putting the pot in a cold "bath" in my kitchen sink.
After about an hour, it should be cold enough to be transferred into a smaller pot or bowl which can then fit in your fridge.
You can use this oin other soup recipe s or go onto make soothing Asian flavoured broth.
When you are ready to make your broth, it couldn't be faster:
In a large saucepan, heat the broth and then add all the other ingredients except the fresh herbs and miso.
Simmer for 10 minutes to allow the flavours to infuse, before stirring in the miso (which shouldn't be boiled) and serving with chopped fresh coriander.
Serves 4
Chicken & Coriander Soup
Ingredients
- 2 leeks, washed and chopped
- 2 onions, peeled and chopped
- big knob butter (about 25g)
- 4 cloves garlic
- 1 1/2 litres chicken or vegetable stock
- 2 big bunches fresh coriander (about 50g)
- 4 chicken breasts, skinned and diced
Method
In a large saucepan on a medium heat, sweat the leeks, onions and garlic in the butter until they're soft – about ten minutes.
Add the stock and the coriander and blitz with a blender until smooth.
Add in the raw (or cooked) diced chicken and poach gently until cooked (or if already cooked, warmed through) – again, about ten minutes.
Serve with some crusty sourdough.
Serves 4-6
Red Pepper & Garlic Soup
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 large onion, peeled and sliced
- 1 whole head garlic, peeled and crushed
- 1 heaped tsp smoked sweet paprika
- few sprigs fresh thyme
- 3 red peppers, diced
- 2 large tomatoes, roughly chopped
- 1 litre water
- salt & pepper
- 200g breadcrumbs or sourdough bread, cut into chunks
- 6 slices jamon, grilled
- extra olive oil for garnish
Method
In a heavy saucepan, sweat the onion in the olive oil until soft.
Add the garlic and paprika, and over a lowish heat, cook for ten minutes, taking care not to burn the garlic.
Add the thyme, three chopped peppers, tomatoes and water, season well and then bring to a simmer and cook for 10-20 minutes until all those flavours have thoroughly mingled and are well acquainted with one another.
Then blitz in a blender before adding the breadcrumbs or bread.
If you like, you can add a few extra fresh tomatoes at this point before blitzing further.
Meanwhile, grill the jamon till crisp.
Pour the soup into bowls and garnish each bowl with the shards of jamon and a good drizzle of your best olive oil.
Serves 6
Lazy Fish Soup
I love bouillabaise and classic fish soups, but bouillabaise takes a lot of loving. This recipe is a kind of soupy stew and does not involve bones, stock and hours of your time. It's lazy, but tasty and satisfying and could easily be a meal in itself with the accoutrements. Feel free to play around with whatever fish you want to add.
Ingredients
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 4 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
- 2 onions, peeled and chopped
- 2 leeks, peeled & chopped
- ½ head celery, chopped
- 1 fennel, diced
- 1 bay leaf
- ½ tsp cayenne pepper
- Good splash Tobasco
- Good splash Lea & Perrins
- Pinch dried chilli flakes
- 2 x 400 g tins tomatoes
- 1 litre vegetable stock
- Zest and juice of 1 orange
- 500 g monkfish, cut into chunks
- 200 g frozen prawns (optional)
- 200 g mussels
- Chopped parsley
Method
Heat the olive oil in a big, heavy saucepan and sweat the garlic and onions till soft.
Add the leeks, celery, fennel and spices.
Mix well and sweat for a few minutes until well coated.
Add the tomatoes, orange juice, zest and stock.
Cook on a gentle heat for about 45 minutes to let the flavours develop.
Taste and season with salt and pepper and you can cool it down and refrigerate at this stage or else chuck in the fish and cook for another ten minutes on a gentle heat.
Make sure the mussels are well rinsed and scrubbed before you put them in and that they are fully closed.
After cooking for ten minutes, discard any mussels that haven’t opened up.
Scatter some chopped parsley on top and serve with the rouille and baguette below for a perfect and complete dinner.
Serves 4 generously
Rouille
Ingredients
- 2 egg yolks at room temperature
- Approx 250 ml olive oil
- 3 cloves garlic, peeled & crushed
- Good pinch cayenne pepper
- Good pinch tomato puree
- Thyme leaves, finely chopped
- Salt
- 2 tablespoons stale breadcrumbs
Method
Whisk together the egg yolks with a few drops of olive oil.
Gradually and very slowly add the oil and when it has started to thicken, you can add a bit more quickly.
After adding about 150 ml oil, add the rest of the ingredients and taste.
You may want to add the rest of the olive oil or you may prefer to keep the rouille it thicker and stronger.
Parmesan croutes
Ingredients
- 1 small baguette
- Olive oil
- Two garlic cloves, peeled
- 50-100g Parmesan
Method
Turn the oven on to 160 C.
Slice the baguette into 2cm thick slices and lay out on a baking tray.
Brush generously with olive oil and bake for 15-20 minutes until golden brown.
Once they are a good colour, let them cool down and rub with a whole garlic clove for extra flavour.
You can then sprinkle them with parmesan and heat again so the parmesan melts or else just serve the croutes with the soup and sprinkle the Parmesan directly into the soup along with some parsley, lots of black pepper and a blob of rouille.