Beetroot leaf soup

We love beetroot, especially when it's been freshly cooked at home.

Not so long ago I was standing on a platform at Liverpool Street station, metropolitan line. On my way home from a little jaunt. Something was nagging at me, but then that's what tube travel used to be like - right now it seems a far off dream of course. I got to Dollis Hill and it came to me. An hour or so before I'd run out of the house leaving a pot of beetroot cooking on the stove, in our newly built kitchen. I called a neighbour friend who keeps our key for emergencies and went around straight away to check and turn it off. Everything was fine, although the house smelled like I'd been smoking food. Which I had. The beetroot were charred shrivelled remains, having been left to boil dry on a very low heat with a lid on the pan. They were a also inedible, although another slightly less charred edition tasted great, kinda chipotle style, smoke dried ripe beetroot. 

Undaunted I am still cooking beetroot, and admiring the pan in question. It was an inherited pentole pan, you can see it in the pictures below. It's the best pan I have for beetroot. Like many things of value it has a heavy bottom.

Time was you bought beetroot fresh cooked off a market stall, the stall holder had a gas burner and was cooking it in large batches on the spot. I suppose in the cold weather it kept them warm. Now beetroot are often sold with all their greenery, and loath to bin it, I've been cooking it. I've made beet leaf tarts and lately beet leaf soup.



I took the tops off the fresh beetroot, gave them a wash and popped them into a pot with water, veg stock. I boiled them for about 20 minutes, then I got the stick blender out and pureed the lot.

Beetroot top soup, very tasty.

Voila. A little bit of greek yoghurt and some pepper to stir through

Cauliflower soup

I like soup all year round, and in the winter I like it even more. The variety of consistencies of soup is also a delight, minestrone types - mixed finely chopped veg is great, but sometimes what is wanted is a smooth soup. Thanks to hand blenders these soups are very easy to make. When I can't lay my hands on a blender I have been known to scoop out some of the cooked vegetables so that I can mash them with a fork. The mashed veg then lend variety to the texture of the soup, and act as a thickener as well.

This recipe for cauliflower soup is very easy. I use leftover cooked cauliflower, but it would be worth cooking it especially for the purpose. Pureed cauliflower is very smooth indeed, velvety, like chocolate. Ok, I know that chocolate afficionados out there may be outraged, but it really does give the same pleasure when you eat it, at least from the point of view of texture. Mouth feel as it is called by some.

I am not oblivious to the fact that some people don't like cauliflower. Obviously, they are nuts. The low, slightly rooty and a little bit cabbagey flavour is wonderful, as far as I am concerned. I have converted people to cauliflower by cooking it in pieces (steam or boil) and then sauteeing in butter with plenty of black pepper and a pinch of salt. The sound as it rolls around the frying pan is great, the smell is terrific, it looks so tasty, with the little browned patches and when it comes to the taste, it is glorious. Rooty, nutty, peppery, buttery and sweet - and it hardly needs chewing. 

Recipe

Ingredients

a large bowlful of cooked cauliflower

1 onion

1 potato

1 clove garlic

large handful of parsley, chopped

three mugfuls of water/stock

pepper and salt

nutmeg

Method

• Prepare the onion, potato and garlic - peel and chop up quite small - and cook in the water until soft
• Add the cauliflower and chopped parsley, pepper and salt (to taste, but make sure there is lots of pepper) and a pinch of nutmeg, simmer for a couple of minutes
• Blend the lot and serve

If you're greedy and organised you could accompany your soup with a nice samosa and pea fritter, or similar.

stock from double chicken roast + chicken

At the end of a wet Sunday we shared supper with Alex and Derek. We walked our food round to theirs, and had two roast chickens. Alex had made roasties to the usual high quality, I had thrown some cooked new potatoes around in pounded garlic with paprika, lemon and olive oil and let them cook for 15m on the shelf above my chicken. I had carefully removed the drumsticks and set them aside with another set of legs, remaining from the chicken we'd bought to eat just the breast meat. After all, the breast meat being sold on its own cost the same price as a whole chicken. So I roasted a chicken without its drumsticks, adding the chicken wings from the other bird. It was a mismatched puzzle of a roast chicken... because Derek really likes chicken wings, and that way there were six to choose from (remember, they were also roasting a chicken. Fascinating.

The upshot, after the meal was eaten and we waddled home, was that I ended up with three chicken carcasses. There were a couple of legs missing, and a couple of drumsticks (being made into stew soon), but it was still a whole heap of bones. So into the large pot went the bones with a bayleaf, a small bunch of parsley, an onion studded with four whole cloves, a leek, several cloves of garlic, peppercorns, a carrot and some mixed herbs. On top of that went about three litres of water, and then it was all boiled together for around an hour. The result? Stock, lovely gelatinous stock.

Soup follows

Forgive me - paella

Paella is an all in one dish, full of flavour, and very impressive on the table. The paprika and garlic flavours give a light punch, with a squeeze of fresh lemon giving a lovely zingy edge. Saffron gives a pale buttery yellow colour...  turmeric can be substituted, but a very small amount, the flavour of saffron is light and turmeric in too large a quantity may leave a slightly bitter taste.

Rice dishes like paella and risotto can end up like a savoury rice pudding if you’re not careful. So I looked at an assortment of recipes carefully. As usual I’ve made a combo of several, and cooked what’s sometimes called free-style paella. It mixes chicken, chorizo and prawns. What is particularly nice about this recipe, is that you can do most of the cooking in advance.

I made a vast amount, to fit in my long owned but never used paella pan, 60cm across. The principle is the same whatever size pan you use. Of course, when cooking on gas, a smaller pan makes things easier. I doubt you'll have any leftovers.

If you use skinless chicken thighs, you can buy it off the bone, or get it with bones in and use them to make stock. You don’t want any skin, so use this and the bones to make stock if you like, or use bouillon if you like.

I marinaded the chicken in garlic, paprika and lemon the day before. I didn't marinade the prawns... but might next time.

Paella rice is round, like risotto rice. Delia Smith gives the lowdown on rice here http://www.deliaonline.com/ingredients/ingredients-a-z/ingredients-p-r/Rice.html. Like any specialist rice, you can buy very expensive types or medium expensive: I opt for the latter because I’m a cheapskate and a culinary vandal. Disculpeme, lo siento etc… remember, paella is easier to make than you might think.

I’m giving a quantity you can make in a large frying pan for four. If you’ve got a good size paella pan, scale it up and enjoy yourself.

INGREDIENTS

150g piece chorizo, halved lengthways and sliced

4 large chicken thighs, skin removed, boned and cut into large chunks
12 large prawns, or as many as you want to include

1 tbsp olive oil

1 onion, chopped

2 garlic cloves, crushed

Pinch of saffron (about 15 threads)

1 tbsp smoked sweet paprika

300g paella or risotto rice

1 glass white wine

1 litre chicken stock (and a bit), hot

1 red peppers and 1 yellow peppers, deseeded and sliced

75g frozen peas (a mugful)

1 tin chopped tomatoes (or 3 large fresh ones, chopped)

1 bunch (min 25g pack) chopped flatleaf parsley, stems discarded

1 lemon cut into wedges, to serve

Marinade for chicken

1 tsp paprika

Large pinch salt

Generous grindings black pepper (I sometimes use mixed red/pink/green/black peppers)

1 clove garlic

Juice of 1 lemon

METHOD

Cut the chicken thighs into large pieces (put skin and the bones aside if you have them), mix with marinade and set aside, leave for at least an hour, or overnight.

• Prepare your stock, with a slug of white wine, adding the saffron once you have taken it off the heat, to infuse
•  Put a large, deep frying pan on a medium heat
• Add the chopped chorizo and cook, stirring occasionally, until some of the oil has been released
• Remove and set aside, leaving fat in the pan
• Cook the diced chicken in the chorizo fat for 3-4 minutes, stirring, until coloured on all sides
• Remove, leaving fat in the pan and set aside with the chorizo
• Pour a little olive oil into the pan, and add the onions and peppers, until they soften, about  5 minutes
• Add the garlic and paprika, together with a handful of chopped parsley, and cook for about a minute
• Add the tinned tomatoes and cook for another minute, stirring
• Add the rice and mix gently with the veg, until it’s mixed with the veg and oil

PREPARE IN ADVANCE UP TO THIS POINT IF YOU LIKE

you’ll have the meat, the stock and the rice mixture ready to go

• In the pan over a medium heat, stir the rice mixture gently, add the hot stock and simmer for ten minutes, stirring occasionally
• Return the chicken to the pan, pushing it into the rice mixture, and cook for 5 minutes, adding a little more stock or hot water if necessary
• Season and gently stir in the chorizo, thawed peas, and prawns the chorizo and the rest of the parsley
• Continue to cook for about 5 minutes (or until the prawns are cooked) without stirring – a little stickiness on the underside adds to the flavour

Serve with lemon wedges to squeeze over

Eat

Gunpowder sauce

Ken Lo says this sauce is the difference between Western and Chinese cooking. It’s a different combination of flavours, rather than flavours that aren’t Western. Soy sauce is quintessentially oriental, of course. I use tamari, since I cater to the gluten intolerant.

Ingredients

½ pint soy sauce
5 tbsp sherry
6 tbsp good stock or 1 chicken stock cube
1 tbsp sugar
3 slices fresh ginger
½ onion

Method
Simmer everything together in a pan for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Store in the fridge for about a week.

I sometimes like to add a handful of peppercorns and a star anise and other times some coriander seeds.

If I don’t have fresh ginger I use lemon zest, not powdered ginger, which can give a slightly soapy flavour.

Chicken stock

So, you've had some chicken and you have bones left over. Soup is on its way.

The more the bones have been cooked, the less useful they'll be in stock. So bones from fast cooked chicken are best, still all are pretty good. You'll find the stock bubbling on the hob the day after a roast in our house. Alongside the carcass, stripped of meat I either include French or Oriental flavours. The principal is the same, add vegetables and flavours, cover the lot with water and bring it to the boil. I usually boil it up for an hour or two, usually in 20m bursts. I find if I try to do it all at once I seem to burn the pan. I'm the only person I've ever met who has managed to oxidise a heavy-based steel saucepan. Talent will out, and most other burnt pans have ended up in the bin, so I recommend Pentole, if you're prepared to fork out the money.

Ingredients for French stock:
chicken carcass
bouquet garni (thyme, rosemary, parsley, bay leaf and garlic - tied up with string, or you can get it in a bag... I sometimes lob in a hearty pinch of dried mixed herbs, it gets strained off after all)
large carrot
leek
onion studded with cloves (three cloves pushed into the whole peeled raw onion)
two litres of water

You might like to add a glass of white wine towards the end of the cooking time, or add half a lemon to the stock.

Ingredients for 'Oriental' stock:
chicken carcass
1" slice ginger, peeled
three cloves garlic
handful of peppercorns
spoonful coriander seeds
bay leaf

This is the basic set of ingredients. Add a bunch of coriander, curry leaves and/or thai basil to tweak the flavour. You could also add five spice ingredients (star anise, cinnamon stick, allspice and nutmeg - the fifth flavour, ginger, is already included).

Check the link - I've added some words from Ken Lo about gunpowder sauce with a recipe.

Method
place everything in a large casserole and bring to the boil
simmer for about two hours
strain liquid into clean container
chill and use within a week

If you want to freeze the stock, once it is chilled, scrape off the fat, heat again, pour (once cooled) into ice cube tray and freeze. Once frozen store in a freezer bag and use within three months.

I also freeze larger amounts in plastic bags sat in a bowl and freeze it like that - obviously this thaws more slowly.

one pan coconut dhal

Coconut dhal
This dhal is a staple in our house, it is the first recipe I wrote out for my darling daughter, it's cheap and easy to make and delicious. I included the ingredients when I sent a care package after she told me she'd been living on pot noodle alone, along with a savoy cabbage and a cake. 

Ingredients	Equipment needed
Orange split lentils Water/stock 1 onion 1 carrot Garlic Curry powder Fresh coriander 1” Creamed coconut Salt, pepper 1 Tomato Optional extras Potatoes or 1 apple	Wooden spoon Medium sized saucepan Mug Chopping board Knife
Peel onion and chop up roughly Peel carrot and slice up Take one or two cloves of garlic and crush under flat of knife and peel Take 1 mugful of lentils, put in pan Add two generous mugfuls of water or stock to pan Bring to boil and simmer over low heat You may see some scum start to bubble up – just remove it with the spoon – if you don’t everything will still taste fine Add chopped onion and carrot Add 1 tsp curry powder, pinch of salt, pepper and tomato Cook over low heat until the lentils are getting soft, about 15m Add creamed coconut, check that there is still enough liquid, if it’s getting dry add some more water and cook 5m more Add chopped coriander leaves and stir through – check seasoning and add salt if needed You might like to add a squeeze of lemon Eat with rice or on its own.

If you want to make this into soup use three mugfuls of water.

My aunt cooks this and eats it with rice. Any leftovers she puts in a pot and then eats spread on toast as pate. Sounds a bit weird? I thought so, and ate it out of politeness, only to discover it is really delicious. She chops everything up much finer than me. Just a little tip.