Gingered Chicken Soup
Singles or couples could halve the quantities and enjoy this soup over several days. As with all chicken and stock dishes, allow it to get cold and then keep it chilled in the refrigerator until you need it. You can reboil the soup and add fresh bean sprouts, so it is a very good stand-by. You can also freeze this into portions and use for a quick lunch or appetizer.
A boiling chicken is the best thing for chicken soup, but they are increasingly hard to find. An ordinary roasting bird will be fine, but you must remove the meat after an hour or it will be too dry.
Serves 10
Stock (bouillon)
1 boiling chicken, or an ordinary medium-sized roasting chicken, about 1.5kg/3lbs
2 litres/8 cups water plus I litre/4 cups for topping up
Pinch of sea salt and 1 teaspoon black peppercorns
1 tablespoon cold pressed extra virgin olive oil
6cm/2in piece root ginger, peeled and cut into chunks
1 large onion, coarsely chopped
2 tablespoons Thai fish sauce*
Soup
6cm/2in piece root ginger, peeled and grated
Pinch of sea salt
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 small chilli (hot or mild according to taste), finely chopped
300g/5 cups bean sprouts
8 spring onions (scallions), finely chopped
15g/½oz fresh coriander (cilantro) leaves, finely chopped
Optional
Soy sauce* to serve
Put the chicken into a large pan and add the water, salt and peppercorns. Bring to the boil over a high heat. In a frying pan (skillet), heat 1 tablespoon of oil and stir in the ginger and onion until they begin to colour slightly, and then add them to the chicken. When the water is boiling, add 1 tablespoon of the Thai fish sauce, turn the heat down and leave the chicken to simmer. Remove the chicken after an hour and, when it is cool enough, pick off the meat and shred it coarsely. Put the carcass back into the pot and simmer for another 2 hours.
Strain the stock (bouillon) into a bowl and discard the carcass. When the stock (bouillon) is cold, cover and refrigerate it for at least 3 hours or overnight. You will then be able to skim off the layer of fat.
You can make this stock (bouillon) 1 day in advance; just make sure the shredded chicken meat is kept in an airtight container in the refrigerator or it will become dry. When you want to make the soup, bring the stock (bouillon) to the boil and let it simmer, adding the shredded chicken, another tablespoon of fish sauce, the grated ginger, salt, garlic and chilli. Stir in the bean sprouts and cook for 1 minute.
Serve the soup in warm bowls and top with the coriander (cilantro) and spring onions (scallions). As some people like to sprinkle their soup with soy sauce, serve it separately.
Beetroot and Cranberry Soup
Centuries ago, beetroot (beet) was grown for its leaves and not for the root. It was used to cure all sorts of ills. Most people throw away the leaves now, but they are a perfectly good substitute for spinach. This soup freezes well.
Serves 6
3 large fresh beetroots (beets), cooked in boiling water until tender, about 40 minutes, or 2 x 200g/7oz packets organic, cooked, whole beetroots (beets) (not in vinegar)
1 tablespoon cold pressed extra virgin olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
150g/5oz cranberries, fresh or frozen, or when out of season 40g/⅓ cup dried cranberries
Pinch of ground cloves
Pinch of grated nutmeg
Pinch of cayenne pepper
Freshly ground black pepper
2 teaspoons allergy-free vegetable bouillon powder
1 litre/4 cups cranberry juice (Ocean Spray or similar)
Finely grated rind and juice of ½ an unwaxed orange
6 teaspoons half-fat crème fraîche or dairy-free Sour Supreme (see here for stockist) for serving
15g/½oz chopped coriander (cilantro) leaves for serving
If using fresh beetroots (beets), top and tail them and peel them once they have cooled down. Discard the skins, stalks and the cooking liquid. Quarter either the fresh or the prepared beetroots (beets). Cook the beetroots (beets) and onion with the oil in a pan over medium heat for about 5 minutes. Stir frequently to prevent the vegetables sticking to the pan.
Add the cranberries, spices, bouillon powder and cranberry juice, bring to the boil and then reduce the heat slightly and simmer it for about 30 minutes. When the onions are soft, remove the pan from the heat, add both the orange rind and juice and adjust the seasoning with the pepper.
Once the soup is cool, purée until smooth in a blender, return to the pan and reheat. Serve hot with a spoonful of crème fraîche or Sour Supreme and a sprinkling of coriander (cilantro) in each bowl.
Artichoke Chowder
This is a slight variation on a traditional chowder. The artichokes give the soup a very smooth and subtle flavour.
Serves 4
Juice of ½ a lemon
500g/1lb 2oz Jerusalem artichokes, peeled and coarsely chopped
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 large baking potato, peeled and chopped into small cubes
1 leek, severely trimmed and finely chopped
1 tablespoon cold pressed extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
1 bay leaf
1 litre/4 cups hot allergy-free vegetable stock (bouillon)
A sprinkling of grated nutmeg
Sea