Minestrone Soup

The perfect lunch. This substantial soup is often thought of as a great winter dish but, although I agree, I also find it magnificent in the spring and summer when fresh greens come into season. It serves as a great way to use up any leftover veggies but they should still be relatively fresh to bring out the best flavour. The two most important things here are; the stock (homemade chicken stock is best) and the bacon/pancetta. The stock and bacon form the basis of the taste of this dish so use the best you can afford. I used homemade chicken stock and home cured free-range bacon but any good quality streaky bacon or pancetta would be ok. If you are making this to do for a couple of days be aware that the pasta may soak up the stock over time so you may have to add more (water is fine) while reheating. Feel free to add whatever vegetables you have lying around, almost anything will work.

Serves 4-6

3 tbsp Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
100g Streaky Bacon (chopped)
1 Onion (finely chopped)
2 cloves of Garlic (finely sliced)
3 stalks of Celery (chopped)
2 Tomatoes (chopped)
1 large Carrot (chopped)
150g Sugar Snap Peas (chopped)
1 tbsp Pesto
1.25 L of Chicken Stock
1 tin of Butter Beans
100g Pasta (small shells or tubes are best, broken spaghetti is also fine)
Sea Salt and Freshly Ground Pepper
Parmesan Cheese to serve

1. Heat the oil over a medium heat and add the bacon, onion and garlic. Season well and cook for 7-10 minutes. Add the celery, tomato, carrot, peas and pesto and stir well to coat everything. Pour in the stock, bring to the boil and cook for 10 minutes.

2. Add the beans and pasta and cook for a further ten minutes. Check the seasoning, adding more salt and pepper if necessary. Pour into bowls and grate over copious amounts of Parmesan cheese. Serve with good, crusty bread.

Turkey Noodle Soup

It's 5 weeks to the day. 5 WEEKS!! Where has 2014 gone? I'd swear Christmas gets earlier every year. I'm not prepared at all. This time last year we had the cake and pudding made and a few big batches of sausage rolls in the freezer for the inevitable surprise visitors. This year I'm going with an even more DIY Christmas. I have the ham (a 4KG chunk of leg) curing at the bottom of the fridge and our turkey will come from Ali's cousin Jo-Ann at Cairns Farm in Bellewstown. The starter will be a paté made from the liver of the lamb I bought from the same farm while Ali will be on dessert duty, always a good move!

 Before I get into some Christmas recipes here's another great way to use up some leftover turkey. It's unbelievably quick and stupidly delicious, it's Turkey Noodle Soup! This is a nice way to use up some leftover breast meat as it won't dry out too much and become stringy in such a short cooking time. If you only have leg meat then even better, it will give the soup a deeper flavour. You really can't beat homemade turkey stock here but if you didn't bother making some (who would be bothered on Christmas day?) then a good chicken stock will work well.

Serves 4 as a starter or 2-3 as a main.

900ml Turkey Stock

2 Carrots (chopped into matchsticks)

1/2 thumb sized piece of Ginger (chopped into matchsticks)

1 clove of Garlic (finely sliced)

120g Whole Wheat Noodles

200g Cooked Turkey (torn into chunks)

1 Red Chilli (finely sliced)

4 Spring Onions (finely sliced)

Sea Salt and Freshly Ground Pepper

1. Bring the stock up to the boil and add the carrots, ginger and garlic. Simmer for 3-4 minutes before adding the noodles, turkey and chilli. Continue to cook for 3-4 minutes until the noodles are tender. Add the spring onions, season to taste and serve.

I told you it was quick!

Pasulj

World Cup, Day 14 - Bosnia and Herzegovina

Pasulj

Bean Stew

Day 14 is here, amid the controversy of Luis Suarez taking a nibble on Italy's Giorgio Chiellini last night. I'll put it out there - for just 1% of your wages Chewy, sorry, Luis, I'll cook you a satisfying dinner each day. Think about it! Earlier, Bosnia & Herzegovina were knocked out of the tournament but not before achieving their first win at a World Cup. Pretty impressive for a country that is just 22 years old.

I made a pasulj (directly translated as 'bean') in honour of Bosnia and Herzegovina, although the dish is enjoyed in all the Balkan states. I researched recipes but they vary wildly from each other, so I took elements from each one and added my own touches. It certainly isn't authentic but it works. I added rice to make it more substantial but you could leave it out and add zafrig (oil mixed with flour) to thicken.

Serves 4

4 tbsp Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
1 Onion (finely chopped)
1 stick of Celery (finely chopped)
1 Carrot (finely chopped)
1/2 Chilli (finely chopped)
160g Smoked Rashers (chopped)
150g Smoked Kabanossi Sausage (sliced)
750ml Boiling Water
400g tin of Cannellini Beans (drained)
1 Bay Leaf
150g Long Grain Rice
Sea Salt and Freshly Ground Pepper

1. Heat the oil over a medium heat and add the onion, celery, carrot, chilli, rashers and sausage. Season and cook for 10 minutes, stirring regularly. Add the boiling water, beans, bay leaf and rice. Season, bring to the boil and simmer for 20-25 minutes until the rice is tender. Remove the bay leaf before serving.

Simple Fish Soup

Simple Fish Soup

From an early age, my Dad used to take my brother and I fishing almost every month. Hail, rain or shine we'd be sitting on the side of a lake or river with some form of dead bait on the end of our line waiting for the slightest of movements of the rod to indicate a fish was on. As we got older we were promoted to spinning and eventually the art of fly fishing but one thing always remained, the sense of excitement when you felt the pull of a fish, guessing how big he was and usually being incredibly surprised with the fight they put up (especially Pike!). My favourite time for fishing was always the trout season when we'd take home our catch and have it that day for dinner. Nothing better than fresh, wild trout!

My fishing days are pretty much behind me apart from the odd excursion but my excitement for fish remains very much intact. For me, fish epitomizes the quick, delicious and healthy meal. It can be prepared so quickly and yet still be so delicious. This is a very simple yet delicious fish soup. It's very filling and it looks impressive too. Please dont neglect to put the bread at the bottom of your serving dish, it soaks up all the flavour and is the perfect way to round off the meal. As always, the quality of the fish will determine the outcome of this meal, get the freshest you can. This recipe will serve 4 as a starter or 2 as a good sized main. Enjoy!

1tbsp Semolina optional
3tbsp Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
1 Small Onion (finely chopped)
7-10 Mini San Marzano Tomatoes or good Cherry Tomatoes (halved)
1tbsp Tomato Puree
80ml White Wine
500g Mussels
700ml Vegetable Stock
200g Tiger Prawns
1 Squid Tube (cut into rings)
1tsp Dried Oregano
100g Orzo Pasta
Juice of 1/2 Lemon
Sea Salt and Freshly Ground Pepper
1 Ciabatta Roll (halved)

1. Put the mussels in a large mixing bowl and cover with cold water. Add a good pinch of Sea Salt and 1 heaped tablespoon of Semolina (optional) and leave to soak for one hour. Remove from the water and wash under cold running water, taking off the beards and any barnacles as you go. If any mussels are open, give them a sharp tap on the counter, if they dont close immediately discard.

2. Heat the Oil in a saucepan over a medium heat and add the onion, season well and allow to cook for 5-7 mins until soft but not coloured. Add the Tomatoes and Tomato Puree and cook for 1 minute, add the wine and stir well. Tip in the mussels, put on the lid and allow to cook until the mussels open, a good shake every now and again will help them on their way! Discard any that remain closed.

3. Add the Stock, Prawns, Squid, Oregano and Pasta. Season well and bring back to the boil, put on the lid and simmer for 8 minutes. Stir in the Lemon Juice and check for seasoning.

4. To serve, put half (or a quarter if for a starter) of the Ciabatta at the bottom of each bowl and a few good ladles of Fish and Broth on top. 

Variations

There are hundreds of variations on a Fish Soup and every region in Italy will have its own take. I like to add a Chilli for some kick and of course any fish can be added depending on what you like.

Don't turn your back on the cat while doing this one, it can only end in disaster!