A Simple Supper
I love to cook & create; but just sometimes the only answer is just is to create something simple - In this case in advance, so that it can just be warmed up & ready to go … Light the fire & watch a box set …
For me the essence to any soup is the back ground flavour of a the home made stock. There are many stock recipes, here is a simple stock that I always have to hand either in the fridge or in the freezer, because weekly I am always cooking a chicken for some other recipe. But if you either don’t have the time or the inclination then of course you can use a stock cube but [for me] the soup will not have the deep flavour, but will still taste good..
Simple Stock
Chicken bones - Left over from a roast Chicken - For Vegetarians or Vegans - Omit the Chicken & up the veg!
Most roast Chicken I cook will have been cooked with celery, carrot, garlic, bay leaves & salt & pepper [I also usually use a lemon when roasting - leave this out of the stock]
‘Bung’ all of the above into a pot and cover with water & add what you can find in your fridge to give the stock some flavour, for example, a carrot snapped in half, a stick or 3 of celery, a chopped onion, [I leave the skin on - again I am not a purist - I just like simplicity & flavour!] Pepper corns & bay leaves are good too if you have them. Add a good old seasoning of salt.
‘Pop’ on the hob and bring to the boil, then simmer for an hour, with the lid slightly open. [Lids tend to shut themselves - it is one of the great unknown mysteries of boiling/simmering. So rest a wooden spoon across the top to keep the lid ajar]. Keep an eye on the liquid that it does not boil away. After an hour put the lid on the pot and leave the content to cool.
Drain off the fluid into a pot using a colander/sieve. Put in the fridge for when you need it. If you are lucky when it cools it will be thick & almost jelly like - wonderful.
Pea Soup ..
Olive oil
A garlic or 2
An onion
350g of frozen peas
Couple of celery sticks, chopped - if you have them
Our chicken stock - or veg stock
Worchester sauce - good splash
NP/ME - Secret ingredient - I always have a bit of parmesan skin kicking around in my fridge, freezer [not literally kicking obviously!] If you don’t have this then you can use a good quality cheddar grated in the final soup
Pan fry an onion, or shallot, until it is translucent, [a great many chiefs will say at this point to put the garlic in, then they say keep an eye on the garlic so that it does not burn? [I would say - What is the point of putting the garlic in at this point as it cooks at a different pace to the onion!] Add the celery & continue to cook. Once the onion has gone translucent add the garlic and continue to cook, gently. Agitating the vegetables in the pan as they cook, if they get too dry dribble some of the stock into the mixture to keep it moist.
Once the vegetables are cooked through, fill the pot with pea’s & cover with just the right amount of the stock to cover the peas. Add the skin of parmesan & cook for about 10/15 minutes. Add the Worchester sauce a couple of drops & season to taste.
Remove the cheese skin & blend the mixture then put the soup back into the pot & warm through, check the seasoning. If you did not add the cheese then when you serve add some grated cheeses over the soup. Serve with a bread of your choosing ….
