Category: Soup

Red thai broth with king prawns and noodles

October 28, 2015
When you are under the weather, or you don’t have much energy to make anything, this is the perfect meal for you. However you do need to be able to take on a little spiciness with this one.
With this recipe, you’ll be able to have something homemade and with those classic thai flavours in there it will fight against a cold.  Im no Doctor, obviously, but when I’m ill a broth always fixes me. It’s so nice to have, its like a warm hug.

 I’ve made this recipe even easier with a little cheats way of using a ready made paste just to be less time consuming. You can even shred cooked chicken through instead of using prawns.

  This spicy bowl of goodness is even great just on a cold evening to warm up your cockles. So get slurping those noodles with chopsticks so you have the lovely broth to look forward to at the bottom.

  
Red thai broth with king prawns and noodles:






Ingredients:
(Serves 2)
  • 4 spring onions ( white ends chopped, green ends sliced diagonally )
  • A thumbnail size piece of fresh ginger finely diced
  • 1 garlic clove finely diced
  • 1 tbsp rapeseed oil
  • 1 level tbsp thai red curry paste ( I bought mine from Wang Fung Hong in Leicester )
  • 800ml of homemade Chicken stock or 1 chicken gel stock pot in 800ml water
  • approximately 14 Frozen raw King prawns, defrosted
  • 75g Rice noodles ( cooked to packet instructions )(From Wang Fung Hong )
  • 1 tsp of coconut cream
  • a few leaves of pak choi sliced lengthways 
  • a good handful of bean sprouts ( Wang Fung Hong )
  • A handful of fresh coriander chopped

Method:
  • Fry off the white end tips of the spring onions for a minute, add the garlic and ginger, stir and cook for a further minute. 
  • Add your paste and then add a little water to allow not to stick and stir. Add the stock and bring to the boil and cook for 10 minutes.
  •   Turn down your heat a little and add in your prawns. Cook for 4 minutes. 
  •   Then turn your heat back up a little and add in your pak choi and noodles and cook for a further 2 minutes. 
  •   Add in your bean sprouts and green ends of your spring onions and cook for a further minute. 
–  Serve into bowls and sprinkle with chopped coriander.




  

  

Tomato, Barley and vegetable soup

September 21, 2015
This recipe sent me back thinking to my childhood, not because it was something we always ate, but because it reflected on something that happens all over our country at this time of year, in Churches, schools, Farm shops and that is of course…The Harvest festival. 
   
  Farmers and vegetable growers of all levels gather their crops in Autumn as a celebration to show the general public where their food comes from and also it’s a chance to raise money for Charity. 
  Last Saturday was also the start of British food Fortnight, (19th Sep-4th Oct 2015) so the two fit perfectly together.

  This soup is packed full of most vegetables that are being harvested now and they certainly were from my little Kitchen garden that Im so very proud of. 


   Soup always makes me feel good inside and warm,when Ive had it. Maybe after a long day or when a cold is drawing near. With this recipe, Im sure it will give you quite an amount of your Five-a day.

  This is a one pot dish that is so economical but with the added pearl barley and lots of vegetables it will keep you feeling full –  Fit for the Harvest festival! 








Tomato Barley and vegetable soup:
Ingredients:
( Serves 4 approximately)
  •   1-2 tbsp rapeseed oil 
  •   a couple of handfuls of pearl barley
  • 1 onion finely diced
  • 1  Large carrot finely diced
  • 1  large celery stick finely sliced
  • 2 cloves of garlic finely chopped or grated
  • 1 tin of chopped tomatoes
  • 1-2 tbsp of tomato puree
  •   Pinch of sugar
  • 1 leek  finely sliced 
  • 1 gel pot of vegetable stock or Chicken stock
  • handful of fresh herbs : Oregano, Thyme, Rosemary finely chopped
  • 1-2 runner beans sliced
  • 1 courgette chopped finely
  • salt and cracked black pepper to season
  • Handful of finely chopped fresh basil to finish
Method
  • Cook Pearl barley to packet instructions but add in some stock to your water, whichever you are using.
  •   Sweat off your carrot and celery with your rapeseed oil in a pan for a minute or two, then add in your onions. Cook until starting to soften.
  •   Then add in your sliced leek, stir and sweat down for about 2 minutes. Add in your Garlic and stir again.
  •   Pop in your chopped tomatoes, tomato puree and sugar and turn down the heat slightly. Stir in your stock and add about 1/2 litre of water. (I prefer to add as I go) 
  •   Leave this now to simmer away for about 15-20 minutes allowing your veg to soften. Keep checking and if it needs more water, add a little more.
  • After this point, add in your courgettes and runner beans and cook for about 3 minutes.
  • Then add in your cooked pearl barley and herbs, stir, add more water if it needs it and cook until your beans and courgettes are softened.
  • Taste and see if it requires seasoning or sometimes a little sugar if tart.

–   Serve into bowls, sprinkle on the basil and dive in with some crusty bread.




French Onion Soup (East meets West) style

October 16, 2014



When I was given the details for this Development Project for Lee Kum Kee, I thought of this recipe first, not sure how? Just I suppose I think that way and wanted to start with something fairly simple.  I believe I thought of a way in which the earthiness of the Oyster sauce and soy would work together well in which a traditional French soup has that strong  flavour.  I wanted this to be Sweet, yet powerful. 
   I would like to add that this Soup may look like you can eat tonnes of it, but do believe me, with all the flavours and Croutons, it is very filling!  This is why I feel this recipe goes to 4 people. 
  I imagine coming home from a cold hard day, need to use up an old, slightly crusty baguette and a bit of cheese in the fridge…Get that bubbling away while you’re in the bath and Bloody great stuff!  You’ve got yourself a filling, slightly different soup/meal.




French Onion Soup with Giant Garlic Cheese Croutons:



Ingredients:

(Serves 4) 

Soup:

–  3 onions sliced
–  1 Tbsp of Rapeseed or Olive oil
–  A good Knob of Unsalted Butter (40g)
–  Pinch of Caster Sugar
–  1 Heaped Tbsp of Plain Flour
–  150 ml of dry white wine
–  0.75 litres of Beef stock (1 1/2 cubes)
–  1 Bay Leaf
–  A very Small Sprig of Fresh Thyme
–  Cracked Black Pepper
–  2 heaped Tbsp of Lee Kum Kee Oyster sauce 
–  1 Tbsp of Lee Kum Kee Double deluxe Soy Sauce
–  Fresh Parsley chopped to serve

Giant Croutons:

–  A day old Baguette
–  2 Garlic Cloves
–  Grated Extra Mature Cheddar Cheese Or Gruyere 


Method:

–  In a Large Saucepan, (Heavy bottomed if possible) fry off the sliced onions in butter 
and add the glug of oil to Soften over a low to medium heat.

–  Once the Onions have softened, Add the Sugar to help the onions Caramelise.

–  When the Onions are more Sticky and golden in colour then add your flour and coat.

–  Then add the White Wine, Beef Stock, Bay Leaf, Sprig of Thyme and some Cracked Black Pepper. Partially Cover and Simmer for about 20 minutes. Checking in between if you need to top up with a little extra water.

–  After 20 minutes add the Oyster Sauce and Soy sauce and repeat for a further 20 minutes.

– Just before the Soup is ready, preheat your Oven to 180c. Place some sliced Baguettes into the hot oven for about 3 minutes. Take out. Rub some fresh garlic clove onto the bread. Cover with grated cheese and cook for a further 3 mins or until melted.

– Serve the soup with chopped fresh parsley and the Giant Croutons.

*Note* –  This Soup should Taste Sweet yet Earthy and deep from the Oyster sauce, beef stock and Soy sauce.  If it needs Salt, add extra Soy sauce. You can always add a little more   sugar also if you want it sweeter.






"Sunshine In a Bowl" For Food Friday on BBC Radio Leicester

March 23, 2014

So about a few months back now. Ben Jackson from BBC Radio Leicester asked me to join their team of Foodie-Maniac Food Friday Cooks.  Straight away I Jumped at the chance!   I immediately couldn’t wait to get on the show! 

  Now I’ve already been on the show which aired on the 7th of March. That was with Ed Stagg who was filling in for Ben that day. I did a “revamped” version of my Chicken and Veg pie, which I will put on here soon.  
  I first wanted to Share with you the dish which I did this Friday just gone, the 21st of March.  There’s a few reasons why I chose to do this recipe. Firstly, was that it was using up things in the fridge and store cupboard ingredients. Second was its great for people who have colds at the moment! It seemed to help Ben’s out a bit! And Finally its healthy and Cheap! Ok that was four… 
This is my Thick Spiced Moroccan Soup with Garlic Flatbreads.  It got a nickname of Sunshine Soup!  

   If you would like to have a listen to me doing this recipe with Ben, take a look here…

BBC Radio Leicester with Ben Jackson and Me on Food Friday 21st March 2014.

Thick Spiced Moroccan Soup (Sunshine soup) with Homemade Garlic Flatbreads:



Ingredients: (Serves 4)

Soup:

– 1 Tbsp Olive Oil
– 1 Onion Diced
– 2 Small Celery sticks chopped including leaves
– 3 Medium sized carrots peeled and chopped roughly
– Sweet Potato, Peeled and Chopped into rough chunks. (I used a white variety from Asian stores which is purple on the outside but you can use the Orange variety.
– Half  a Butternut Squash chopped into rough chunks.
– 1 tsp of Ground Coriander and Cumin mix (I used a company called Spice Kitchen for most of the dry Spices)
– 1 tsp of turmeric, (Spice Kitchen)
– 1 tsp of Chilli Powder,  (Spice Kitchen)
– 1 tsp of Garam Masala,  (Spice Kitchen)
– A Thumb Size amount of fresh Ginger finely chopped or grated if you prefer.
– 1 large clove of Garlic finely chopped
– A 3 cm piece of Cinnamon bark,  (Spice Kitchen)
– Just over half a tin of chopped tomatoes (250g) 
– 1 tbsp of Tomato Puree
– 1 Chicken Stock cube/Gel pot or Veg if Vegetarian
– In total about 500ml of water added to the Soup a bit at a time.
– 150g of Pre cooked Pearl Barley
– 250g (just over half a tin) of Butter beans
– 2 Handfuls of Fresh Spinach
– Chopped Fresh Parsley.
– Salt and Ground Black Pepper 


Garlic Flatbreads:

– 200g of Plain Flour
– Warm Water just to bind
– Salt and Ground Black Pepper
– Sprinkle of Garlic Powder for each Flatbread.


Soup Method:

– Fry off  the Onion in the Olive oil.
– Add your Celery, Carrots and Sweet Potato and start to sweat down for about 5 mins.
– Then add your Butternut Squash to the Soup mix and stir through.
– Add your Dry spices, Ginger and Garlic and cook for a further 5-10 mins to allow the spices to coat all the Vegetables. 
– Next to go in are the Chopped Tomatoes, Tomato Puree, Butter Beans and stock with about 300ml of water to cook down for a further 10 mins. 
– Add your Pearl Barley and allow that to simmer away nicely whilst you get on with the FlatBreads. Always check in-between  if your soup needs a bit more water adding.

Flatbread Method:

-Take your 200g of Plain Flour, add salt and pepper and start to add a drop of warm water to it to bind to form a firm dough.
– Knead the dough only a couple of times.
– Stretch out into a thick sausage-like shape about 2 inches in width and divide into 5 parts.
– Roll the 5 parts of dough into a ball, add a sprinkle of your Garlic powder, roll again and then Roll out your dough as thinly as possible with a Rolling Pin on a lightly floured surface. 
– Heat up a dry frying pan and once the Pan is very hot add your flatbread dough. You will then start to see it puff up and brown.
– Repeat the process with all the other dough balls.

– By now your soup will be ready to add the Spinach and any other seasoning required.
– Blitz your soup only with a few pulses as it needs to be thick.
– Add your fresh chopped Parsley. 
– Voila! Ready to Dunk in with your FlatBread! 
   





Minestrone soup at Wimbledon?

June 25, 2013

That time of year is upon us yet again… “Wimbledon”!! 

  I love this time of year as for all foodies and vegetable growers in the UK, this week brings such joy.  It is as if everything starts to come alive when Wimbledon starts.  My first thought whilst I was watching Wimbledon for its first day was of course about the great British strawberry.  I could’nt get it out of my head…Still can’t! 
 Yesterday and today has been a real inspiration and I have fantastic ideas to conquer, which I will dissclose at a later date.

  As I look outside I can see my little peas growing fast, Salads and herbs galore! Even my Courgettes have had a burst of growth (at about 5-6 inches now) I cannot wait to eat the flowers aswell.
 So…What did I make for lunch yesterday…MINESTRONE SOUP!…** Screeching of a record player sounds** …
 MINESTRONE SOUP? I asked myself where on earth that came from?, thus having all these other ideas floating around my Foodie brain? Well at about 2.30pm it came. It was  after watching Keith Floyd again yesterday morning, I apparantly couldn’t get that out of my brain either! That man does it yet again for me. I didn’t do entirly his recipe as I like to have a few differences.  But it was a lovely, fresh, hearty but yet light, late Lunch.
So there we have it… Minestrone soup at Wimbledon!














Minestrone soup

Recipe: (Serves 2-3 ish)

Olive oil.
1 onion finely diced.
1 large Carrot diced small.
1 large stick of celery chopped finely also.
2 cloves of Garlic or 1 large clove chopped very fine.
level tsp of  dried oregano.
Fresh Chopped tomatoes (The better quality the better) really red and juicy.Approx 250g
Roughly 700ml of water.
I used 1/4 cube of veg stock and 1/4 of chicken stock. You can use veg or chicken or both in my case.
1 tbsp of tomato puree
A bouquet garni of fresh thyme and rosemary. (tied together).
Spaghetti broken to 1 inch in length or very small shaped pasta.
100g of Butter beans or cannellini beans rinsed off with water (Tinned)
A handfull of fresh baby Spinach. Ripped roughly.
Cracked black pepper and salt if needed.
Chopped Basil and grated parmesan to serve.

Fry off in the olive oil the onion, carrot and celery for a few minutes. Then add the garlic, oregano, tomatoes and tomato puree. You may need to add a little more olive oil at this stage. Then top up with the water and stock.  Add the Bouquet garni and cook for about 20 minutes.
  In that 20 minutes is a perfect time to have a glass of wine in the sun 🙂

 After the 20 minutes, You may need to add a little more water to this as you are adding the spaghetti and beans next. If you do add water, taste to see if you need more stock or tomato puree or even seasoning etc…
 Cook the spaghetti and beans for no more than 10 minutes. Should be done after 8 minutes. After 8 minutes add the spinach.

 Scatter the chopped basil and grated parmesan (don’t be shy now) and serve with crusty ciabatta and of course your second large glass of Red wine, preferably a Chianti.