Soups and Starters
Making soup is not hard but there is a golden rule; don’t boil it. Boiling brings out scum and changes the flavour of the veg. It’s much better to start it with whatever flavours you need, sweat the ingredients, and then gently simmer after adding the stock. Reheating is fine too but again don’t boil it, just heat it up gently ‘til it starts to bubble.
If you are putting meat or poultry in it, you are likely to get a scum forming on top; a mixture of fat and juices. There’s nothing wrong with it but it doesn’t look great so skim it off with a spoon.
These recipes are tried and tested ideas but you could use anything in most of them using the same method: replace the potatoes in Vichyssoise with carrots and add in some chopped coriander for a classic, the variations are endless once you know how to make the basic thing.
It's what the mackerel would have wanted!
This is a very basic recipe which you can play with by adding different flavourings if you like: garlic, spring onion, chilli, up to you
No, nothing at all to do with French Nazi sympathisers
It's not exactly cooking
Well, this is predominantly a food site, even if I am using it to blog about spending a couple of months in Spain.
Ever wondered what tinned peas were for? Well, it's this
Use tinned marrowfats for this recipe. I've used sage because it goes better with the ham or bacon than mint would, but peas and mint go really well. In summer use frozen peas instead of tinned and leave the meat out, swap the sage for mint and you've got something beautiful
The best soup in the world
This is inspired by a Rick Stein recipe that is absolutely lovely.
