Nursery Spaghetti

Here is what you do.

Cook a packet of spaghetti til it's al dente (I say that to make this seem fancier and more foodie than it is, truth be told, but DO cook your spaghetti nicely)

Then you need

One warmed tin of condensed tomato soup (don't add water! must NOT be salt reduced! if you like a lot of sauce, get the biggest can of soup)

One block of Kraft cheddar cheese, grated (this is the one that is NOT kept in the fridge at the supermarket)

You cook the spaghetti, as we said.

You use the warm non diluted soup as the pasta sauce.

You put a LOT of cheese on top.

You eat it up.

Shame. Shame. Shame. Yum.

Pip's Mexican Style Chicken

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This is really easy to make.  I get the chillis I need from Casa Iberica.

1 kilo of chicken thigh fillets, no skin, fat trimmed

To Make The Marinade

2 dried guajillo chillis : seeds removed and snipped into pieces with scissors

1/2 chipotle chilli (I use the chipotle which are tinned in adobo sauce.... and I add a teaspoon of the sauce)

1 tablespoon of ground sweet paprika

1/2 tablespoon of ground cumin

1/2 tablespoon of dried oregano

1 tomato, chopped roughly

1 red onion, chopped roughly

2 cloves of garlic, peeled and chopped

juice of one lemon

2 tablespoons of olive oil

1 tsp of salt

1 tsp white pepper

Put all these ingredients in a food processor and pulse until it's a nice red paste.  You can use a mortar and pestle for this if you like, but I shake all the crockery out of the cabinets if I do.  Don't do that, will you?!  Scoop it all out into a bowl and throw your chicken in for at least 2 or 3 hours to marinate!  

To cook the chicken, heat a slosh of olive oil in a nice, big heavy based pan.  Plonk the chicken in and arrange it neatly  in one layer.  Pop a lid on and simmer over a medium low heat for 20 minutes.  You can turn up the heat at the end if you want a bit more colour on your chicken.  Cut the chicken into pieces while it's still in the pan and toss in the pan juices. 

You can season it with black pepper, coriander and a squeeze of lime to serve!

We have this in tortillas, usually, with lots of fresh salsa, guacamole and crunchy greens!

It's good with spiced rice and corn on the cob too!

Pip's Teriyaki Chicken : uber good

Pip's Uber Famous Teriyaki Chicken

Serves 6

Ingredients

1kg skinless chicken breast fillets (free range if you can!) cut into rough 1" pieces

1/2 cup of potato starch (from Asian grocers and some supermarkets)

1/2 cup of oil (I just used canola oil)

Sauce :: Mix Together

1/4 cup of good quality soy sauce (like Kikkoman)

1/4 cup of mirin

1/4 cup of sake

1/4 cup of raw sugar

1/4 cup of water

2 teaspoons of sesame oil

To serve::

Short grain rice or sushi rice

Chilli sauce if you are into it

Chopped spring onions and any other chopped raw vegies you like 

(I like to use cherry tomatoes and I steam some broccoli to the right side of crunchy to have with it too!)

Let's Make It...

Tip the potato starch into a plastic bag and then dump the chopped up chicken in there.  Twist the bag a few times to seal it and then shake it all up to coat the chicken well.  We want the starch all over every piece.

Heat your oil in a large frying pan or wok over a medium high heat.  Fry the coated chicken in two batches, just until it's sealed and colouring a tiny bit.  We don't need to cook it right through yet.  Drain the sealed chicken on kitchen towel.  Now, tip out the oil leaving just a teensy bit in the pan.  There will be bits of fried stuff stuck to the pan too.  That is just fine.  Leave that in there.

Put the pan with teensy bit of oil and leftover fried bits back on to a medium heat.  Add all of your chicken to the pan.  It will be a bit crowded.  Stir your sauce mixture to distribute the sugar a bit, then tip it over the chicken and toss well.  It will bubble up and start to look pretty impressive and delicious.

Put a lid on for a minute or two to help cook the chicken through properly, shaking the pan every now and then to prevent things burning. Then take the lid off and toss the chicken for another minute or two, until it's lovely and glazed and caramelizing a bit. (If you don't have a lid, just cook for four minutes without the lid, tossing well to keep things cooking evenly.)  That's all you do!

Serve on top of a few spoonfuls of rice.  Top with spring onions and the raw vegies.  I always put a big dollop of chilli sauce atop mine.  

Serve with green tea and marvel at the amazing texture of the chicken!  SO so so so yummy.  Try it. You will be amazed. Honest.

Lazy Risotto A La Oven

Lazy Risotto A La Oven

2 regular size tins of diced tomatoes (or chopped up tinned whole tomatoes)

1 carrot, peeled and grated

2 cups of arborio rice

3 cups of stock or water

1 tablespoon of capers (not rinsed)

1 tablespoon of sweet paprika

2 cloves of garlic, crushed

1 red onion, sliced

1 tablespoon of pesto if you have it

1 tablespoon of red or white wine vinegar

1/2 cup of mozarella cheese, chopped roughly or grated

1/4 cup of other cheese : parmesan or cheddar : again chopped or grated

Fresh herbs : a half a handful of whatever you have on hand (or a teaspoon of dried herbs like basil or an Italian mix)

Fry the onion, carrot and garlic in a good glug of olive oil until soft and aromatic.  Add the tinned tomatoes, paprika, pesto, herbs, vinegar.  Cook for ten minutes, stirring often.  Season with salt and lots of pepper. (I like white pepper, but black pepper is good too)

While that's cooking, slug some olive oil into an oven proof dish/pot with a lid.  I use a cast iron one.  Heat the oil over a medium heat and throw in the rice.  Saute the rice for a minute or so, stirring all the while.  Then tip in the stock.  Excellent.  Next tip in the tomato sauce you just made.  Perfect.  Mix it all up and finally throw in the cheese.  (You can also throw in some chilli and some lemon juice/nutmeg at this point)

Cook in a medium oven for 30 minutes with a lid on. Ta-dah!  Add more salt or pepper as needed and serve with a dollop of chili or more pesto if you like!

(Based on a recipe I found via The Vine)

Pip's Lamb Rolls

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Pip's Mayo

2 egg yolks

1 tbsp of Dijon mustard

1 tbsp of Worcestershire Sauce (Lee & Perrins is good!)

1 tbsp of red wine vinegar

juice of half a lemon

a slosh of tabasco

a pinch of salt

a pinch of black pepper

1 cup of good quality oil (I used a mild olive oil, but you can use canola oil if you like!)

I use a food processor to make this, but you could use a regular mixer or do it by hand with a whisk if you are very energetic.  To make the mayo, plonk all the ingredients EXCEPT the oil in the food processor.  Blend or beat until well combined.  Now keep the motor running and slowly, slowly, slowly drizzle the oil in.  The mixture will thicken up nicely as you drizzle and spin.  You must do this slowly, or else the mayo will split and go runny!  Ick. We don't want that.  Slowly, slowly we go.  Once you've added all the oil, add a tablespoon or two of boiling water to lighten the texture and colour a bit.  Voila!  (Makes 1 cup of Pip's Mayo!)

Pip's Lamb Rolls

Serves 4

300g of lamb fillets (I used 'backstraps')

Marinate these whole for at least 15 minutes in :: two tablespoons of olive oil, 1 tsp of dried oregano, 1 diced clove of garlic, 1 tbsp of red wine vinegar, salt and pepper.

Next, sear the lamb fillets in a hot pan, first on one side and then on the other. Once they have lots of colour and smell delicious, put them in a hot oven for five minutes or so to finish them off.  They should still be a bit soft to touch when you take them out, if you are after pinkish lamb.  Cover them with foil for a few minutes so they can rest and relax.

Now we need

4 soft long rolls, split down the middle (but not all the way through!)

1 large tomato, sliced with some basil sprinkled atop it, if you like

1/2 cucumber, sliced

1 handful of baby spinach or rocket (washed and dried!)

Slice your lamb fillets as thinly as you can.  I'm not much good with a knife, but mine were a BIT thin.  Now spread your roll with lots of mayo.  Pop in the lamb next, then the tomato and cucumber.  Finally squoosh in the spinach.  Season with salt and pepper and gobble them up!

Also :: You can add feta, avocado, chili, pesto or capers

Pumpkin and Miso Curry

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Pip's Potato Curry

serves six

Ingredients

2kg of potatoes (no need to peel, just cut into 1 inch-ish chunks!)

2 onions, peeled and sliced

2 cloves of garlic, peeled and diced

1 inch piece of ginger, peeled and diced

2 tablespoons of curry powder (I use this one)

1 tablespoon of soy sauce

1 cup of frozen peas

sea salt and freshly ground pepper

To Serve : fresh coriander or mint and some lemon wedges

To Make It

First boil the chopped potatoes until just tender.

While they are boiling, and in a very large fry pan, fry the onion in a tablespoon of good quality oil over a medium heat.  You want the onions to cook for five or ten minutes, until they are soft and golden. Yum.

Then, add the ginger and fry for a minute.  Next add the garlic and cooked potatoes to the onions and toss well.  Let them fry together for 2 or 3 minutes, so they can get to know each other.  

Next sprinkle the curry powder over the top of the whole lot and add 1/2 cup of water and the soy sauce.

Carefully toss and combine, frying for 2 or 3 minutes.

Add the peas and gently mix them through, cooking for another minute or so.

Season with salt and pepper and serve garnished with some fresh mint or coriander and lemon wedges.

The end!

Simple Mexican Potatoes

1 kg of unpeeled roughly chopped potatoes

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon of sweet paprika

1 teaspoon of dried oregano

juice of one lemon

optional : 1 tsp of chipotle powder

Toss all these ingredients together and make sure the potatoes are well coated in the oil and herbs and spices (and lemon juice!)  Tumble onto a heavy based tray and bake in a HOT oven for 35 minutes (until nice and golden and tender and crunchy!) Season with salt and pepper.

Serve with salsa or mayo or yoghurt if you would like that!

Pip's Mee Rebus : Speedy Style

Pip's Mee Rebus

serves 4

Ingredients

A slosh of oil

1 sweet potato, peeled and thinly sliced

1 onion, finely diced

1 clove of garlic, finely diced

1 tablespoon of curry powder : I use this one

a slosh  of soy

1 tsp of white pepper

1 cup or so of coconut milk

1 cup of chicken stock (or vegetable stock)

1 packet of noodles : around 250g  (the fresh, thickish yellow ones) : soaked in boiling water for a few minutes

1 handful of sliced fried tofu

1 handful of baby spinach

1 handful of bean shoots

Garnish 

Fried shallots (from a packet!)

Lemon

Coriander

Optional :: sliced fish cake, sliced cooked chicken, sliced cooked potatoes

Slosh the oil into a large fry pan or wok.  When it's nice and hot, add the onions and stir fry for a minute or so.  Next add the garlic and sweet potato.  Toss well and lower the heat (to very low).  Put a lid on the pan (or some foil!) and let it simmer for 15 minutes until the sweet potato is soft. Remove the lid and mash the potato in the pan with the onions and garlic.  Add the curry powder and the soy and white pepper. Add the stock and mix and mash until you have a puree.  Now add the coconut milk and mix well. Then toss in the tofu and any of the optional ingredients.  Cook for a minute and then add the noodles.  Toss well.  Finally add the spinach and bean shoots and toss again.

Spoon into bowls and garnish with coriander, fried shallots and a squeeze of lemon.  You can add some chili too, if you like it spicy!

Simple Spanish-ish Beef

Simple Spanish-ish Beef

1 kilo of diced beef/steak

2 tins of diced tomatoes

2 onions, sliced

2 red peppers, sliced

1 tablespoon of sweet paprika

juice of one small lemon and some rind if you can be bothered

1/2 tablespoon of dried oregano (or a bit more of fresh oregano!)

2 cloves of garlic, crushed

1 good slosh of red wine vinegar

1 good slosh of olive oil

Slosh the oil into a heavy based pan and heat it up.  Now throw in the onions.  Cook them over a medium heat, stirring now and then, until softened and a bit golden.  Now throw in the peppers and cook until softened.  Next throw in the garlic.  Cook for 30 seconds, stirring all the while. Now add your tomatoes, beef, paprika, oregano, lemon and vinegar.  Season well with salt and pepper.  Cook for a couple of hours over a low heat, or until the meat is tender.

I made roast potatoes as a side ::

Peel a kilo or so of potatoes (more if your family are greedy!)  Cook the peeled spuds in boiling water for ten minutes.  Drain and allow to dry in the colander.  Put a healthy slosh of oil in an oven tray.  Throw in your potatoes and toss them well.  Cook for an hour or so in a hot oven, turning frequently.  When nearly done, mix a tablespoon of extra oil, with 1/2 tablespoon of sweet paprika, some sea salt and black pepper and a clove of very well crushed garlic.  Throw this over the potatoes and toss them well.  Put the potatoes back in the oven and cook for another 5 minutes. Yum.

Serve with international condiments like aioli and chipotle in adobo sauce. Yum.  And a crunchy salad too. Yes.

Tessa Kiros Tomato Lasagna

My version of Tessa Kiros' Tomato Lasagna

Tomato Sauce

1.25 kg of tinned diced tomatoes

3 cloves of garlic, crushed

a good slosh of olive oil

one cup of warm water of stock

bunch of fresh basil or a teaspoon full of dried Italian herbs

8 sheets of instant lasagna (the dried one) : I used one family sized packet : about 350g

250g Parmesan

Bechamel Sauce

1 litre of warmed milk

3/4 cup of plain flour

120g of butter

nutmeg

Make the Tomato Sauce First

Heat the oil and gently fry the garlic till it's fragrant (not browned!) Throw in the tomatoes. Cook for 15 minutes, and then add 1 cup of water (or you could use stock!) Season with salt and pepper and then simmer it on a low heat while you make the Bechamel sauce. (You are meant to puree it, but I didn't, because I am lazy and I don't like too many dishes!)

Make the Bechamel Sauce Next

First warm your milk. Then in a separate large-ish pot melt the butter. Once the butter is melted, add the flour and whisk like crazy to make a smooth butter and flour paste. Continue to stir the floury butter over the heat for a few minutes to cook the floury taste away. Now start whisking in the warm milk a slosh at a time. Don't stop whisking! Your Bechamel will end up nice and thick and smooth. Good work. It needs to be thick so that it layers nicely.

Assemble it All

Grease a lasagna suitable dish or just slosh some oil and and coat the dish well with it using a pastry brush or your fingers. My dish was around 20cm x 30cm and quite deep. Slosh a layer of Bechamel sauce in first and spread it over the base. Put two sheets of dried lasagna atop the Bechamel. Now layer tomato sauce, then Bechamel, then Parmesan, then lasagna. Do that two times. Then add a final layer of lasagna and top with Bechamel, more Parmesan and dot with any leftover tomato sauce.

Cook in a 360F/180C degree oven for 30 minutes until golden and cheesy.

Eat it all up!

Serves 6

30 Soupy Recipes

Salt N Peppa Shakers via here

Last night we put an extra blanket on the bed.  And we had the heater on at the breakfast table.  You know what that means?  It's time for soup! I really love soup!  Soup with crusty bread, soup with crackers, soup with toasted sandwiches, soup, soup, SOUP!  Here are 30 extra great soup recipes for you to peruse.  Let me know if you make anything... I think I am going to do Sophie Grigson's soup tonight!

1. Chicken and Rice Soup via Martha //// here
2. Baked Potato Soup via Smitten Kitchen //// here
3. Happiness Soup via Nigella //// here
4. Spicy Parsnip Soup via Jamie Oliver //// here
5. Feel Good Chicken Broth via Jamie Oliver //// here
6. Cream of Cauliflower Soup via Pip! //// here
7. Stefano De Pieri's Minestrone via Pip! //// here
8. Chickpea and Celery Soup via Gourmet Traveller //// here
9. Corn, Bacon and Potato Soup via Pip! //// here
10. Lovely Mushroom Soup via Pip! //// here
11. Creamy Tomato Soup via The Splendid Table //// here
12. Vintage Vogue Soup Paysanne via Pip! //// here
13. Chicken Noodle Soup via Gourmet Traveller //// here
14. Kylie Kwong's Sweetcorn and Crab Soup via Lifestyle //// here
15. Madame E Saint-Ange's Pumpkin Soup via Recipes For Two //// here
16. Tyler Florence's Roasted Tomato Soup via Lifestyle //// here
17. Broccoli Soup via Chocolate and Zucchini //// here
18. French Onion Soup via Girl Cook In Paris //// here
19. Pumpkin, Barley and Miso Soup via Gourmet Traveller //// here
20. Coconut Red Lentil Soup via 101 Cookbooks //// here
21. Julia Child's Leek and Potato Soup via Food Network //// here
22. Simple Carrot Soup via Stone Soup Blog //// here
23. Sophie Grigson's Vegetable Soup via BBC Food //// here
24. Nigel Slater's Bubble and Squeak Soup via BBC Food //// here
25. Rachel Allen's Chicken and Udon Soup via Lifestyle //// here
26. Simple Tom Yum Soup via ABC Sydney //// here
27. Pea and Ham Soup via Gourmet Traveller //// here
28. Bill Granger's White Bean and Chorizo Soup via Lifestyle //// here
29. Rice Noodle Soup with Beef and Fresh Herbs via The Splendid Table //// here
30. Julia Child's Leek and Pepper Soup via Smell My Kitchen //// here

Ten Warm Drinks To Make You Feel Cozy!

Because you can't always drink regular old tea... or wine, for that matter.  Sometimes you need to change it up a bit, don't you?  Here are some nice drinks to give you a fancier time with your favourite mug.

1. Condensed Milk Chai via The Spendid Table //// here
2. Very Best Cocoa via K Shimotsu Photography //// here
3. Gluhwein via Pip //// here
4. Ginger Tea via Martha //// here
5. Mexican Hot Chocolate via Nigella //// here
6. Non-Alcoholic Mulled 'Wine' via Pip also //// here
7. Warm Apple Cider via Jane Spice //// here
8. Hot Chocolate via The Hairy Bikers //// here
9. Irish Coffee via Martha //// here
10. Warm Vanilla Milk via La Cucina Italiana //// here

Pip's Kimchi Salad

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My Kimchi Salad

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Basic Ingredients
One tub of Kimchi from your local Asian grocer (I buy the Chinese Cabbage style one!)
One packet of ramen or soba noodles
2 diced cucumbers
1 diced avocado
1/2 tub of cherry tomatoes, halved
1 handful of diced beancurd
(you can also add some blanched peas, green beans, snow pea sprouts... whatever YOU love!)


Dressing
1 tablespoon of soy sauce
1/2 tablespoon of sesame oil
1/2 tablespoon of mirin
1/2 tablespoon of nice vinegar (white wine, red wine or sherry are all good!)


Garnish
a handful of fried shallots (the kind you buy in a packet!)
a sprinkling of chopped peanuts if you like
a lemon or a lime squeezed over the top
Optional :: Coriander

How To:
Cook the noodles in a big pot of boiling water as per the instructions on the packet. Be careful not to over cook them. That would be yuck. No one likes mooshy noodles. Test them often until they are done. Now, cool the noodles under cold running water and drain them thoroughly.

Mix all the other ingredients together in a BIG BOWL. You can just slosh it all together and mix it up nicely with a pair of tongs or a spoon.Try not to mush it to much if you have added the avocado, or better still, put it on last. Add the cold, drained noodles and toss well again. If you are hands on, use your hands, but keep your chili fingers away from your face etc!

Plate it up and garnish with the shallots, peanuts and lemon or lime! You can add fresh herbs, too, if you like. Coriander would be lovely!

The Lazy Baker's Hot Cross Buns

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 The Lazy Baker's Hot Cross Buns

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Make the dough the night before and be sure it's in a nice big bowl (so it doesn't overflow!) and well covered (no one likes bug-buns!)

Yeast Mixture:
2 7g sachets of dried yeast
1 tsp white sugar
1 3/4 cups of warm milk (not hot!)

Mix above ingredients together and let sit for 5 to 10 minutes to get the yeast going and the milk frothy.

Dough Ingredients:
1/2 cup sugar (yes, more sugar!)
a pinch of salt
50g butter - softened (not melted though!)
4 cups good quality plain flour
1/2 cup sultanas (or you could add some currants as well!)
1 tbsp chopped mixed peel
1 egg
ground cinnamon, nutmeg and mixed spice - a good shake of each or about 1/4 tsp if you are shy

Make the dough:
Sift the salt and flour together. Sprinkle in the 1/2 cup of sugar. Now add the cinnamon, nutmeg and mixed spice. Rub in the butter next until well mixed. Plonk the egg in with the milky/yeasty mixture - and whisk with a fork to combine. Now pour the eggy/milky/yeasty mixture into the floury/buttery mix. Add the sultanas and peel. It might be quite sticky. Flour your hands and push on. Sticky is good. Sticky means they will end up moist and bubbly. Knead together with springy, spirit fingers until it's all nicely combined and looks like a nice big lump of speckled dough.

First Rise (the night before!) :
Place into a greased bowl and sprinkle with some cinnamon and nutmeg. I brushed mine gently with some melted butter to keep it moist. You might like to do that if you can be bothered. Allow to rise covered with a clean cloth (until doubled in size). It will rise more quickly in a warm, draught free area.

Here is where you cover them and let it sit overnight. If you want the 'do it in one day' recipe look here!

Get up and shape your buns: 
Good morning! I like your hair! Okay. Make a cup of coffee. Preheat your oven to 200C. Next, turn the dough out gently onto a floured surface. Don't knead it! Just carefully cut it into rough square-ish pieces around 4cm square (or bigger if you like big buns!) Gently push them into a nice bun shape with your finger tips, as though you are a very gentle dough sculptor. You should get about 16 or so buns from this - enough for 2 trays - don't worry if you get less (but don't try for 20 or they'll be TINY!) Grease your trays and pop the buns on - a little way apart - they will join together as they rise and bake.

Recovery Rise:
Now cover these nearly oven-ready buns with a couple of tea towels and let them rise again for half an hour or so in a warm spot. They may not double in size, but they will have time to recover and get ready to rise more in the oven. 

While you are waiting you could pop over here and have a bit of a read?

Make the flour paste and get piping if you want traditional crosses:
Mix half a cup of plain flour with four or five tablespoons of water and pipe onto the uncooked buns in crosses (use a piping bag or a plastic bag with the corner snipped off a teensy bit)

Uncover the buns and brush them with egg wash:

Mix 1 Egg Yolk with 1 Tbsp Milk to make 'egg wash'. Now brush your buns all over with this mixture using a pastry brush. Be sure to avoid your crosses if you added them! This egg wash will help make your buns a nice burnished golden colour!

Buns in the Oven:
Put your buns in the oven for 15 to 20 minutes. Put them as high up as you can in your oven, allowing room for the buns to rise upwards too. Keep an eye on them while the cook, they are a bit prone to burn on the bottoms. If they do, they'll still be yummy, but obviously we want crisp bottoms, not burnt bottoms!

Make a pot of tea

Next:
While they are cooking make the sugary glaze to make your buns sticky! 

Mix 100g sugar with 50ml water in a pot on the stove. When your buns are ready, boil the sugar and water mix up and pour or brush it onto the just baked buns! Not too much, though, just enough to make them shiny and delicious! Sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar if you would like! Maybe some nutmeg too?!

Icing Crosses for Hot Cross Buns : instead of the traditional floury crosses :
Mix 1 cup of sifted icing sugar with 1 dessert spoon full of warm milk (or enough to make a piping consistency) - pipe onto your warm (not hot!) buns!

Variation for Fussy Kids:

Omit the sultanas and peel and add 150g of choc chips!

:: Crockpot Concussion Beef

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Crockpot Concussion Beef 

(to have in tortillas or tacos)

based on this recipe

500g of gravy beef

1 tin of tomatoes, juice and all

1 jar of nice quality salsa

1 cup of chicken stock

1 diced onion

3 cloves of garlic, crushed

a tablespoon of cumin
a teaspoon of paprika : smoked or not

a teaspoon of dried mixed herbs

1 teaspoon of brown sugar

a slosh of sherry vinegar or other nice vinegar

Lots of ground black pepper (or lovely white pepper!)

Some salt

Some olive oil

NB : I add chilli to my own, because my kids are not super spicy, but you can add chilli when you cook it if you like... and some beans would be nice too!

Mix all these things together, drizzle with some olive oil and put in a heavy based pan in a low oven for 4 hours.

Or in a slow cooker for 6 hours on high : if you use a slow cooker you will need to remove the meat and reduce the sauce down at the end.

Pull the beef apart with two forks and serve in tortillas with some of its sauce and lots of avocado, tomato, lettuce, jalapenos and extra salsa!  Cheese is nice for some people too, so add cheese if you like!

Sophie Dahl's Chicken Soup (Best croutons EVER!)

I have made this soup a couple of times. It is a really lovely thing to cook on a lazy day, or to have bubbling away between breakfast and errands and things.  The croutons are truly sublime, cooked in the leftover fat from the roasted chicken. Y to the UM.

via

For the chicken

• 1.8kg free range chicken
• 1 lemon
• 1 onion
• 1 bay leaf
• knob of butter
• olive oil
• sea salt and freshly ground pepper

For the soup

• 2 red onions, peeled and roughly chopped
• 2 cloves garlic – peeled and chopped
• 2 leeks, sliced
• 2 litres vegetable of chicken stock
• 2 carrots – cut into pieces
• 2 celery stalks
• some bay leaves
• small bunch of parsley
• white wine

To finish the soup and serve

• 2 stick celery – chopped into very small pieces
• 1 large carrot – chopped into very small pieces
• 1 leek – cut into small rounds
• 2 large handfuls of freshly shelled peas
• small bunch of tarragon – finely chopped
• small bunch of flat leaf parsley – finely chopped
• fresh parmesan – grated just prior to serving
• small sourdough loaf – ripped into pieces

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1. Pre-heat the oven to 180C
2. Stuff the cavity of the chicken with the whole lemon, whole peeled onion and bay leaf. Rub the skin with some butter and a little olive oil. Season and roast about 1 ½ hours at 180C FAN/200C/Gas Mark 6 until cooked right through. Keep the roasting tray and juices to one side to be used later on.
3. For the soup. Gently fry the red onion and the garlic in a large saucepan big enough to fit the whole chicken and liquid in
4. Add the leeks
5. Put in the whole cooked chicken once it is roasted – remove the lemon from the cavity before you do this
6. Add 2 litres of stock – and make sure that the chicken is almost completely covered
7. Add the roughly chopped carrots and celery sticks
8. Add several bay leaves, the small bunch of parsley and a lug of white wine
9. Leave the soup to cook for around 4 hours – check the liquid doesn’t evaporate too much and if necessary add a little water.
10. When the soup is cooked. First toss the sourdough chunks in the original roasting pan from the chicken and place it back in the oven for around 15 minutes at 180C fan/200C/Gas mark 6 while you are finishing off the soup.
11. Heat a little oil in another large pan, gently fry and soften the remaining sticks of chopped celery, the carrot and the leek
12. Remove the chicken from the pan and strain the soup from into the softened vegetables
13. Add the fresh peas and allow to cook for a minute.
14. Shred some of the chicken meat (enough for as many portions as you need)
15. Serve the soup with the meat, tarragon, parsley and freshly grated parmesan – with the roasted pieces of sourdough bread on the side