Chilled Cucumber Soup

ingredients

• 60g butter
• 1 onion, diced
• 3 cucumbers, roughly chopped
• 1.5l chicken stock
• ½ bunch of chives, chopped
• ½ bunch of parsley, leaves chopped
• Juice of 2 lemons
• 200ml single cream

starter | serves 10–12

1. Melt the butter in a large pan and sauté the onions over a medium heat for 4–5 minutes, until softened. Add the cucumber, reduce the heat to low and continue to cook for 5 minutes. Add the stock, bring to the boil then reduce the heat again. Season well, and leave to simmer for 5 minutes.
2. Add the chives, parsley and lemon juice and cook for a further 5 minutes.
3. Transfer to a blender and purée until smooth (in batches, if necessary). Place the soup in a bowl, allow to cool at room temperature then refrigerate until cold. Pour into a large thermos or two to take to your picnic, then whisk in the cream and season to taste there.

Per serving 133 cals, 9g fat (5g saturated), 4.7g protein, 7.7g carbs, 4.5g sugars

Classic Onion Soup

Ingredients

• 50g butter
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1kg onions, halved and thinly sliced
• 1 tsp sugar
• 4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 2 tbsp plain flour
• 250ml dry white wine
• 1.3l hot strongly-flavoured beef stock
• 4-8 slices French bread (depending on size)
• 140g Gruyère, finely grated

Method

1. Melt the butter with the oil in a large heavy-based pan. Add the onions and fry with the lid on for 10 mins until soft. Sprinkle in the sugar and cook for 20 mins more, stirring frequently, until caramelised. The onions should be really golden, full of flavour and soft when pinched between your fingers. Take care towards the end to ensure that they don’t burn.
2. Add the garlic for the final few mins of the onions’ cooking time, then sprinkle in the flour and stir well. Increase the heat and keep stirring as you gradually add the wine, followed by the hot stock. Cover and simmer for 15-20 mins.
3. To serve, turn on the grill, and toast the bread. Ladle the soup into heatproof bowls. Put a slice or two of toast on top of the bowls of soup, and pile on the cheese. Grill until melted. Alternatively, you can complete the toasts under the grill, then serve them on top.

First time we tried this recipe was: on May 2, 2014!

Coq au Vin

Ingredients

• 400g/14oz shallots, peeled and left whole
• 2 carrots, cut into chunky pieces, about 2½cm/1in
• 2 sticks celery, cut into 1cm/½in slices
• salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 100g/3½oz smoked, dry-cured thick bacon
• 2 tbsp plain flour
• 4 whole chicken legs, cut into thighs and drumsticks
• 1 fresh bay leaf
• few sprigs fresh thyme, or 1 tsp dried
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 tbsp tomato purée
• 300ml/½pt full-bodied red wine
• 100ml/3½fl oz good quality chicken stock
• 150g/5½oz button or crimini mushrooms, or larger mushrooms cut in half

 

Preparation method

1. Put the shallots, carrots and celery into a slow cooker, and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Fry the lardons in a large frying pan over a low heat for 10 minutes until crisp, golden and the fat has run from the meat. Remove from the pan and tip most of the fat into a heatproof bowl.
2. Meanwhile, put the flour into a food bag or bowl, season with salt and freshly ground pepper, then toss the chicken pieces in the flour to coat.
3. Fry the floured chicken in the residual bacon fat until golden-brown, about five minutes each side. Put the chicken on top of the vegetables in the slow cooker and scatter with the lardons, bay leaf and thyme sprigs.
4. Add a little more fat to the pan if needed, then add the garlic and tomato purée. Cook for a minute, then add the wine and bring to the boil for two minutes. Add the stock, return to the boil, season with salt and freshly ground black pepper, then pour over the meat and vegetables. Cover with the lid then cook on low for six hours, until the chicken is very tender.
5. Just before serving, heat a little fat in a frying pan and fry the mushrooms over a high heat, until golden-brown. Scatter over the chicken and serve.

First time we made this recipe was: on December 27, 2013 in the new slow cooker!

Happy New Year 2014!

Ham Hock Christmas Soup with Lentils

Ingredients

• 1 leftover smoked ham bone or 2 smoked ham hocks
• 1 pound lentils (about 2 1/2 cups), picked over and rinsed
• 1/2 pound mushrooms, chopped (about 3 1/2 cups)
• 3 onions, chopped coarse
• 1 cup chopped carrot
• 1 cup chopped celery
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1 bay leaf
• 3 1/2 cups beef broth
• 8 cups water
• Optional: green peas, potato diced

 

Preparation

In a 6- to 8-quart kettle combine all ingredients and simmer soup, covered partially, stirring occasionally, 1 1/2 hours. Discard bay leaf and cinnamon stick and remove meat from bone or hocks. Chop meat and stir into soup.

First time we tried (something similar to) this recipe was: on November 28, 2013 after author presentation by Simon Sebag Montefiore at Pret.