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Roasted new patatas & chorizo bravas with aïoli (#ulink_1b9c7249-9f1d-5724-a687-f823004abe69)
I went to a restaurant with my dad where we feasted on spicy patatas bravas, jamón ibérico that melted on the tongue like a fine butter and garlic prawns served simply with lime and fresh herbs. My dad (the Spanish teacher) was talking to the waiter who thought his Spanish was so good he was actually from Spain. Well, I just sat there beaming with pride. This is a recipe to remind me of that fantastic Friday lunch. There are many ways to make patatas bravas, and chorizo is not usually thrown in, but being a chorizo addict, totally entranced by its robust flavours, I just had to add some.
Time from start to finish: 25 minutes
Serves: 2
Equipment: Large roasting tin, medium pan
500g baby or new potatoes
Olive oil
400g tin of chopped tomatoes
4 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1–2 tsp smoked paprika
1–2 tsp caster sugar
150ml aïoli (#litres_trial_promo) (shop-bought, or if you fancy making your own)
150g chorizo ring
A small handful of fresh flat leaf parsley
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
+ Preheat the oven to 220°C, (fan 200°C), 425°F, Gas Mark 7.
+ Put the potatoes into a large roasting tin. If using new potatoes (not ‘baby’), halve or quarter them first. Season with salt and pepper and drizzle with a good amount of oil. Roast in the hot oven for 20 minutes.
+ Pour the tomatoes into a medium pan over a medium heat. Add the vinegar, paprika and sugar to taste, a drizzle of oil, and salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer then bubble away for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
+ Meanwhile, make your aïoli and set aside or skip to the next step if using shop-bought.
+ Peel and chop the chorizo into chunky pieces and set aside.
+ Give the sauce a stir and check on the potatoes, tossing them about a bit. Add the chorizo to the sauce for the last 5 minutes of cooking time.
+ The potatoes are cooked when crisp and golden outside and tender inside when pierced with a knife. Remove them from the oven and tip onto a serving platter for sharing. Take the now-reduced tomato sauce off the heat and add some salt and pepper if need be. Then pour it over the potatoes and top with the aïoli and tear over the parsley leaves. Sometimes in Spain this is served with cocktail sticks. Wonderful!
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Potato & leek vichyssoise with crispy bacon & chives (#ulink_2d6704cc-8aa3-5984-8017-26d4f1a6fafa)
It has been said that this soup comes from Vichy in France, but rumour has it that the chef who created it had some Vichy roots and the link is no more than that. It is supposed to be served cold, but personally I am not one for cold potato soup. So I turned up the heat and added one of my favourite ingredients, bacon, which has been crisped up to within a very inch of its life, adding some welcome crunch and saltiness, along with a drizzle of cream and a few snips of chives.
Time from start to finish: 35 minutes
Serves: 4
Equipment: Large pan, small frying pan, stick or standard blender, scissors
50g butter
2 large leeks
2 large floury potatoes
100ml white wine
1 litre good-quality chicken stock (fresh is best to use here)
75g oak-smoked bacon lardons or cubed pancetta
A little double cream (optional)
Small handful of fresh chives
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
+ Put a large pan on a low heat with the butter. While it is heating up, trim the leeks, remove any tough outer leaves, split them in half lengthways and wash really well before finely slicing. Add to the pan and cook gently for about 10 minutes until really soft, stirring from time to time.
+ Meanwhile, peel and chop the potatoes into bite-sized chunks. Add to the leeks (once they are cooked) along with the wine. Allow the wine to bubble down for 2–3 minutes before adding the stock and some salt and pepper. Then turn up the heat and bring to the boil. Let the soup bubble away for 10–15 minutes until the potato is nice and tender.
+ While the soup is cooking, place a small frying pan on a high heat. Once hot, add the bacon (or pancetta) lardons and fry for 3–4 minutes, stirring from time to time, until crisp and golden. Spoon onto kitchen paper to drain, and set aside.
+ Using a stick blender, carefully blitz the now-cooked soup until really smooth. A jug blender does the trick also; just be careful to blend in a couple of batches.
+ Taste the soup, adding more salt and pepper if you think it needs it (but allowing for the saltiness of the bacon) and then ladle into four serving bowls. Swirl a little cream on top of each, if using, snip the chives over and finally scatter with the cooked lardons to serve.
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Thai chicken soup with coconut milk & ginger (#ulink_07006c5d-f442-5d3e-86c4-15dd70a760bd)
A smoother-than-velvet Thai-style soup with an orchestra of flavours going on inside. If you can get your hands on fresh kaffir lime leaves that would be great; the dried ones can be found in the herbs and spices section in the supermarket, or use frozen.
Time from start to finish: 20 minutes
Serves: 4
Equipment: Large pan or wok
Vegetable oil
1 lemongrass stalk
2 garlic cloves
5cm piece of fresh ginger
Large handful of fresh coriander
3 kaffir lime leaves (fresh, frozen or dried)
2 × 400ml tins of coconut milk
300ml good-quality chicken stock (fresh is best to use here)
1 red chilli
3 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
1 bunch of spring onions
2 limes
2–3 tbsp fish sauce
1–2 tsp caster sugar
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
+ Heat a drizzle of oil in a large pan or wok on a medium heat.
+ Trim the lemongrass stalk and discard any tough outer leaves before finely chopping the white bit (discard the green bit as it can be quite bitter). Peel and finely chop the garlic and then peel the ginger and cut it into thin slivers. Chop the stalks off the coriander (in one go) and then finely slice them (keeping the coriander leaves aside for later).
+ Carefully toss them all in the hot oil with the kaffir lime leaves and stir-fry for a couple of minutes, being careful that nothing catches and burns.
+ Next add the coconut milk and stock and leave to come to the boil.
+ Meanwhile, halve the chilli lengthways and then finely slice it, leaving the seeds in if you like it quite fiery. Chop the chicken into bite-sized pieces and add both ingredients to the now-boiled soup. Reduce the heat a little and leave it to bubble away for about 8 minutes until the chicken is cooked.
+ Finely slice the spring onions (both the green and the white bits), juice the limes and roughly chop half of the reserved coriander leaves. Add these once the chicken is cooked and then leave to simmer for a final minute. Finally, add enough fish sauce and sugar to taste and season with salt and pepper if necessary.
+ Ladle into four serving bowls, scatter the remaining coriander leaves over and serve.
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Hot-and-sour king prawn soup (#ulink_c21d0988-7776-5b79-80bf-99e5ceea40ab)
A light, lucid soup with fragrant Asian flavours and succulent blushing prawns. Definitely one for a packed lunch.
Time from start to finish: 15 minutes
Serves: 2
Equipment: Medium pan with lid
500ml good-quality fish or chicken stock (fresh is best to use here)
1–2 red chillies (depending on how hot you like them)
1 lemongrass stalk
Small handful of fresh coriander
2 kaffir lime leaves (fresh, frozen or dried)
3 tbsp fish sauce
12 sustainably caught raw king prawns, shell off
2 limes
1–2 tsp caster sugar
+ Pour the stock into a medium pan on a high heat and cover with the lid (so it heats up more quickly).
+ Meanwhile, slice, deseed and finely chop the chillies, finely slice the lemongrass (the white bit only) and coriander stalks (reserving the leaves).
+ Once the stock has come to the boil, add them to the pan along with the kaffir lime leaves and fish sauce and cover again with the lid. Turn the heat down a little and leave to simmer for 4–5 minutes.
+ Add the prawns and continue to simmer for another minute or so until the prawns turn pink.
+ Then finish with the coriander leaves, juice of the limes and sugar to taste.
+ Ladle into two serving bowls and serve.
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Red pepper, tomato & basil gazpacho with salt & pepper croutons (#ulink_1df91639-44d0-524f-9d21-abfd68ce0dff)
Every summer I book myself and the family on Britain’s favourite orange airline and head south to Spain. Circling high above Barcelona’s La Rambla, which leads down to the sparkling sapphire blue surf, I know that very soon I will be among the bustling throng of beautiful bronzed bodies, sipping on a bubbling cava, dipping hunks of just-cooked bread in hot sizzling oil full of garlicky prawns and diving my spoon into a perfect bowl of that intensely flavoured, cooling Spanish soup.
Time from start to finish: 15 minutes
Chilling time: 30 minutes in the freezer (or 1 hour in the fridge)
Serves: 4–6
Equipment: Blender or food processor, large jug, baking tray
Gazpacho
