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350g (12oz) nettles, destalked and chopped
For the crostini
2 demi baguettes or 1 thin baguette, cut in half
1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
2 smoked mackerel fillets (about 150g/5oz in weight)
4 tbsp crème fraîche
Juice of 1 lemon
1 tbsp dill
1 tbsp sweet chilli sauce (optional)
1 Add the butter or olive oil to a large saucepan on a very low heat and when the butter has melted, tip in the onions and potatoes and season with salt and pepper. Cover with a lid and cook for 8–10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until soft but not browned.
2 Pour in the stock and milk into the pan, bring to the boil and add the nettles. Cook, uncovered, on a high heat for about 1 minute until the nettles are just cooked — don’t heat them for too long or they will lose their fresh green colour. Remove from the heat and purée until smooth in a blender or using a hand-held blender. Check the seasoning, adding more salt and pepper if necessary.
3 Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F), Gas mark 4, and prepare the crostini.
4 With the baguettes running lengthways away from you, trim the ends of each loaf and then cut the remaining bread into six long thin slices. Arrange the slices on a baking tray crust side down and brush the olive oil over evenly. Bake in the oven for 6–8 minutes or until crisp and golden. Remove and allow to cool.
5 Peel the skin from the mackerel and chop the flesh. Place in a blender with the crème fraîche, lemon juice, most of the dill, chilli sauce (if using) and a little pepper. Blend for a few seconds until smooth. Taste and season with a little salt, if necessary.
6 When ready to serve, divide the mackerel pâté between the cooled crostini, spread evenly and sprinkle with the remaining dill. Ladle the soup into warm bowls, arrange two pieces of mackerel crostini on the side and serve.
6 5 minutes or until the spring onions have softened. Check the seasoning, adjusting it if necessary, and ladle into warm bowls to serve.
Chicken and garlic soup
SERVES 6–8
This is a wonderfully easy, warming soup with deliciously sweet garlic. As well as normal garlic, you could use wild garlic leaves in this soup, which are in season in April and May. Simply substitute for the chives and spring onions.
50g (2oz) butter
1 onion, peeled and diced
10 cloves of garlic, peeled and finely chopped
1 skinless, boneless chicken breast (about 200g/7oz), finely diced
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
600ml (1 pint) chicken stock (see page 326)
300ml (½ pint) milk
300ml (½ pint) double or regular cream
1 tbsp finely chopped chives
4 spring onions, trimmed and finely chopped
1 Melt the butter in a large saucepan on a medium heat and fry the onion and garlic for 3–4 minutes or until soft but not browned. Add the chicken, season with salt and pepper and cook for a further 4–5 minutes.
2 Pour in the stock, the milk and cream and bring to the boil. Stir in the chives and spring onions and simmer for about
Oxtail soup
SERVES 10 – 12
This old-fashioned, rustic and hearty soup has been popular since the 18th century and makes good use of a cheaper cut of beef. It is ideal for warming up friends and family on a cold day.
1 tbsp plain flour Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1.5kg (3lb 5oz) oxtail, cut into 3 cm (1¼in) pieces and trimmed of excess fat
2–3 tbsp vegetable oil
1 large onion, peeled and finely chopped
2 carrots, peeled and finely chopped
3 sticks of celery, trimmed and finely sliced
1 bay leaf
1 sprig of thyme
6 peppercorns
2 cloves
1 tbsp tomato purée
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
2 litres (3½ pints) beef stock (see page 326)
1 Sift the flour onto a large plate, season with salt and pepper and toss the oxtail pieces in the flour to coat evenly. Place a large saucepan or casserole dish on a high heat, add 1–2 tablespoons of the oil and fry the oxtail pieces in batches, adding more oil if necessary, for 4–5 minutes in total, or until they are well browned all over. Remove from the pan and set aside.
2 Add the onion, carrots and celery, cover with a tight-fitting lid and cook on a gentle heat for 8–10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are soft but not browned.
3 Return the oxtail to the pan and add the bay leaf, thyme, peppercorns, cloves, tomato purée and Worcestershire sauce. Season with salt and pepper, pour in the stock and bring slowly to the boil, skimming off any frothy impurities that rise to the surface. Reduce the heat to very low, cover with the lid and gently simmer for about 3 hours or until the meat is falling off the bone. Continue to occasionally skim off any impurities as well as any melted fat.
4 Remove from the heat and strain through a colander over a large bowl to catch the liquid. Tip the meat and vegetables into a large, shallow bowl and leave to cool a little. Add a few ice cubes to the liquid and wait for the fat to solidify and rise to the top, before removing and discarding it. Once the meat and vegetables are cool enough to handle, discard the bay leaf and thyme stalks (the cloves will be blended into the soup later) and remove the meat from the oxtail bones.
5 Pour the liquid into a blender with the reserved vegetables and two-thirds of the meat (you may have to do this in batches) and blitz to a smooth soup, then return to the pan. Add the remaining chunks of meat and bring slowly to the boil. Check the seasoning and serve immediately.
Alphabet soup
SERVES 6
Alphabet pasta is available in larger supermarkets, but use what other little shapes you can get hold of, such as small rings, tiny shells, little bows, wheels, stars or moons — they are fun additions to soup, amusing adults just as much as children. You can use raw chorizo or chicken instead of the bacon, if you prefer.
1 tbsp olive oil
150g (5oz) streaky bacon, thinly sliced
1 onion, peeled and diced
4 cloves of garlic, peeled and crushed
1 × 400g tin of chopped tomatoes
1 litre (1¾ pints) chicken or vegetable stock (see page 326)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
½–1 tsp caster sugar
100g (3½oz) alphabet pasta or other small pasta shapes
2 tbsp finely shredded basil (optional)
1 Add the olive oil to a large saucepan on a high heat and fry the bacon for 3–4 minutes or until crisp and golden. Tip in the onion and garlic, reduce the heat and gently cook for 8–10 minutes or until soft but not browned. Add the tomatoes and stock and season to taste with salt, pepper and sugar.
2 Increase the heat a little and simmer for about 15 minutes or until slightly reduced. Add the pasta shapes and continue to simmer for a further 5 minutes or until the pasta is cooked.
3 Remove from the heat and stir in the basil (if using). Check the seasoning, adding more salt, pepper or sugar if necessary, and ladle into warm bowls.
Zac’s chicken and sweetcorn soup
SERVES 4
Ideal for a light lunch, this is a quick and easy meal in a bowl — something the whole family will enjoy. Use leftover chicken or even the leftover Christmas turkey, adding it to the soup later in the method, as described below.
25g (1oz) butter
200g (7oz) skinless, boneless chicken breast, cut into 2cm (¾in) cubes
1 large onion, peeled and finely chopped
3–4 large cloves of garlic, peeled and finely chopped
600ml (1 pint) chicken stock (see page 326)
125ml (4½fl oz) milk
125ml (4½fl oz) single or regular cream
1 × 340g tin of sweetcorn, drained
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tbsp roughly chopped parsley
1 spring onion, trimmed and finely chopped
Squeeze of lemon juice
1 Melt the butter in a large saucepan on a medium heat and add the chicken, onion and garlic. Cook gently for 8–10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the chicken and onion start turning light golden around the edges. If you are using pre-cooked chicken, just cook the onion and garlic and then add the meat.
2 Place the stock, milk, cream and sweetcorn in a blender, season with salt and pepper and whiz for a few seconds to a rough purée. Alternatively, place in a large bowl and blitz with a hand-held blender. Pour the purée over the cooked chicken and onion mixture and bring slowly to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 4–5 minutes.
3 Stir in the parsley and spring onion and squeeze in a little lemon juice to taste. Check the seasoning, adjusting if necessary, and serve the soup immediately.
Potato, leek and smoked bacon soup with parsly pesto
SERVES 6
The rich wintry flavours of this soup are made even more delicious with a drizzle of parsley pesto.
1 tbsp sunflower or olive oil
4 rashers of smoked streaky bacon, diced
25g (1oz) butter
l onion, peeled and roughly chopped
1 large leek, trimmed and diced
500g (1lb 2oz) potatoes (about 2 large), peeled and diced
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1.2 litres (2 pints) chicken or vegetable stock (see page 326)
For the parsley pesto
15g (½oz) flat-leaf parsley
1 clove of garlic, peeled and roughly chopped
