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2 Add all the remaining ingredients apart from the cream and simmer gently for 15–20 minutes or until the tomatoes are completely soft.
3 Remove the saucepan from the heat and whiz the soup in a blender. Reheat gently if necessary and stir in the cream, season to taste and serve immediately with some crusty bread.
COOKING A CRAB
1 First place the crab in the freezer for a couple of hours so that it is unconscious before boiling. To cook it, place in a large saucepan, cover with water, add 1 tablespoon of salt for every 1.2 litres (2 pints) of water and bring to the boil.
2 Simmer on a medium heat for 20 minutes per 450g (1lb) and then pour off about two-thirds of the water, cover with a lid and continue to cook for a further 6 minutes. To check to see if the crab is cooked, gently shake it quite close to your ear and you shouldn’t hear liquid splashing around. Remove the crab and allow to cool.
3 Once the crab has cooled, remove the large claws and crack these (using a heavy weight or nut crackers), then extract every bit of meat using the handle of a teaspoon. Retain the shell if making dressed crab or stock, otherwise discard all of the shell. Turn the body of the crab upside down and pull out the centre portion.
4 Discard the gills, known as ‘dead man’s fingers’, each about 4cm (1½ in) long. Scoop out all the lovely brown meat and add it to the white meat from the claws. The meat can be used immediately or frozen for future use.
NOTE: 450g (1lb) of cooked crab in the shell yields approximately 175–225g (6–8oz) crab meat.
Crab or prawn/shrimp stock
If you have any shells left over after preparing and eating shellfish such as crabs, prawns or shrimps, then use them to make this shellfish stock. It can be used for the Crab Bisque (opposite) as well as the Ballycotton Prawn Soup. Stock can easily be frozen in small portions to be used whenever you need.
MAKES ABOUT 1.2 LITRES (2 PINTS)
1 litre (1¾ pints) crab, prawn or shrimp shells
1 glass of dry white wine
1 large onion, peeled and roughly chopped
1 stick of celery, trimmed and roughly chopped
1 carrot, peeled and roughly chopped
2 tbsp tomato paste
A few sprigs of parsley
1 small bay leaf
6 whole black peppercorns
1 tsp salt
1 Place the shells in a saucepan, cover with 1 litre (1¾ pints) of water and bring to the boil.
2 Add the remaining ingredients, bring back up to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer (but do not boil) for 30 minutes, skimming off any foam that appears on the surface. If you are making crab stock, it is necessary to simmer the shells in a pan covered with a lid for 20 minutes.
3 Pour through a fine sieve or through muslin and use immediately or either keep in the fridge for up to 48 hours or freeze for up to 1 month.
RACHEL’S TIP
If you are using large crab shells, first break them up slightly by placing them in a thick plastic bag and bashing them with a rolling pin or even a hammer.
Salade Niçoise (#ulink_d66df7c8-a496-52d7-a7cf-5d0bd1467dd5)
This is, of course, a classic, and when made with freshly seared tuna and delicious seasonal vegetables, lovely free-range eggs and really good olive oil, it is a perfect, fresh daytime dish.
SERVES 6
18 small new potatoes, unpeeled
Salt and ground black pepper
18 French beans
3 handfuls of rocket leaves
3 chunky tuna steaks, seared
6 eggs, hard-boiled (see tip below), peeled and cut into quarters
2 tbsp chopped parsley
2 tbsp sliced or torn basil
6 very ripe tomatoes, cut into wedges
24 black olives with the stones in, or pitted if you prefer (see tip below)
2 tbsp capers, drained and rinsed
9 spring onions, trimmed and cut into 1cm (½in) chunks
18 tinned anchovies, drained and rinsed
Handful of chopped mixed herbs
For the dressing
3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
1 tsp runny honey
2 cloves of garlic, peeled and crushed
1 Place the potatoes in a saucepan and cover with water. Add a good pinch of salt and bring to the boil, then cook for 20 minutes or until tender. Drain the potatoes and cut into 2cm (¾in) chunks and set aside.
2 Meanwhile, bring another saucepan of water to the boil, add a good pinch of salt and cook the French beans for 3–4 minutes or until just cooked but still a little ‘squeaky’ when bitten, then drain and set aside.
3 Next make the dressing by placing all the ingredients in a clean screw-top jam jar. Season with a little salt and pepper, then place the lid on the jar and shake vigorously. Set aside.
4 Place the rocket leaves in a serving dish, then arrange the cooked potatoes and beans randomly on top, along with the remaining ingredients. Season with salt and pepper, pour over the dressing and sprinkle with the herbs. Toss the salad so all the ingredients are evenly coated in the dressing and serve immediately.
RACHEL’S TIPS
Boiling the eggs for 8–9 minutes will leave the whites completely cooked but the yolks still ever so slightly soft, which is ideal for this dish.
Try to resist buying olives that come ready-pitted in jars as they have much less flavour. To pit them, just give them a bash with the flat side of a chopping-knife blade and remove the stones.
Chicken and cabbage salad (#ulink_a5f83a2c-2285-57f3-89d0-7c93cfd213f0)
This is a wonderful, great big salad to serve as a centrepiece for a lunch with friends. Like any good salad, this one has a lovely balance of flavours and textures.
SERVES 6–8
4 large cooked chicken breasts or thighs, shredded
1 tsp chopped tarragon
3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
200g (7oz) streaky bacon rashers
½ green leafy cabbage, such as Savoy
2 green eating apples, grated
3 large carrots, peeled and grated
2 tbsp mayonnaise
Salt and ground black pepper
1 In a large bowl, mix together the chicken with the tarragon, 2 tablespoons of olive oil and the vinegar.
2 Cut the bacon rashers into 2cm (¾in) pieces. Quarter the cabbage lenthways, remove the core and finely slice the leaves.
3 Place a frying pan on a medium-high heat and pour in the remaining olive oil. Add the bacon and cook, stirring frequently, for 3–4 minutes or until the bacon is golden and crispy. Remove from the pan and drain on kitchen paper.
4 When the bacon is cooked, add it to the bowl with the chicken, followed by all the remaining ingredients. Season to taste with salt and pepper, then toss together and serve.
Thai noodle broth (#ulink_f54acd2e-9f9e-5576-9938-9be1c01c970f)
The Thai tradition of making a specially flavoured paste as a base for soups is a great way of dispersing flavours, but it’s also such a convenient method for entertaining, as the paste can be made beforehand and will keep for a week or two. I’ve used tiger prawns here, but you could use any prawns or chicken.
SERVES 3–4
75g (3oz) egg or rice noodles (optional)
1 × 400ml tin of coconut milk
450ml (16fl oz) chicken stock
250g (9fl oz) peeled raw tiger prawns
For the paste
1 bunch of coriander
1 lemongrass stalk (outer layer removed), roughly chopped
3 cloves of garlic, peeled
2 tbsp light soy sauce
1 tbsp fish sauce (nam pla)
2 tbsp caster sugar
½ red chilli, deseeded
To serve
½ red chilli, deseeded and sliced
Juice of 1 lime
A few splashes of fish sauce (nam pla)
1 Cook the egg or rice noodles (if using) following the instructions on the packet, then drain and rinse through with cold water. Drain again.
2 For the paste, remove the leaves from the coriander and chop 4 tablespoons of the leaves to serve. Set aside and put the stalks, together with the rest of the paste ingredients and 2 tablespoons of water, in a food processor. Whiz for 1–2 minutes or until smooth.
3 Pour into a large saucepan and cook for 1 minute on a medium heat, then add the coconut milk and stock and gently warm through for 5 minutes. Add the prawns and noodles (if using) and cook for a further 2 minutes.
4 To serve, stir in the chilli, chopped coriander leaves, lime juice and fish sauce, and pour into warmed bowls.
VARIATION
Thai chicken soup: Make the recipe as above, replacing the prawns with thin slices of raw chicken, adding the chicken 2 minutes before the noodles.
Pork rillettes (#ulink_53f1531c-845c-57b0-bfbb-a40491c03b7b)
This has to be one of my very favourite things to eat! It’s a sort of rough pâté. Traditionally made just with pork, rillettes is now prepared with other types of meat and even fish, but the original is the best in my opinion. I usually pot it and serve it as a starter or for lunch with delicious breads from the market and some cornichons on the side. It will keep for a few months if left completely covered in the fat in a sealed jar.
MAKES 1 LITRE (1¾ PINTS)
