Home Cooking. Rachel Allen
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
1 tbsp pine nuts, lightly toasted (see tip on page 50)
1 tbsp finely grated Parmesan cheese
4 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 Add the oil to a large saucepan on a high heat and sauté the bacon pieces quickly for about 1 minute or until crisp and golden. Remove from the pan and drain on kitchen paper.
2 Reduce the heat a little and add the butter to the oil in the pan. When it has melted, add the onion, leek and potatoes, season with salt and pepper and cook gently for 8–10 minutes without browning. Pour the stock over and simmer gently for 5 minutes or until the potatoes are completely cooked through.
3 Meanwhile, make the parsley pesto. Discard the stalks from the parsley and place in a bowl with the garlic, pine nuts, Parmesan and olive oil. Using a hand-held blender, purée to a fairly smooth paste, adding a little more oil if necessary so that it is a thick but drizzling consistency. Alternatively, crush the parsley, garlic and pine nuts using a pestle and mortar and stir in the Parmesan and olive oil. Season to taste with salt and pepper and set aside.
4 Purée the soup until smooth in a blender or using a hand-held blender. Return to the pan and stir in all but 1 tablespoon of the reserved bacon pieces. Check the seasoning, adjusting if necessary, and heat for a minute more before serving.
5 Ladle the soup into warm bowls. Drizzle over the parsley pesto and scatter the remaining bacon pieces on top.
Rachel’s tip
Use the leek trimmings and parsley stalks for making a delicious stock (see stock recipes on page 326).
Salad with goats cheese toast and walnuts
SERVES 2 · VEGETARIAN
This is the kind of simple salad that so many little brasseries in Paris have on their menus. In France the goat’s cheese served for