Pea and Ham Soup

A pea and ham soup made with some surplus breaded Wiltshire ham. The base of the soup was made with diced turnip, potato, diced leek, and whole yellow peas. Plus ham stock. 

The vegetables were cooked first, for about seventy minutes, after which they were mashed. A pinch of paprika was added, along with a little rosemary. The diced ham was then added, and cooked for another twenty five minutes under glass. Added black pepper. 

Serve as is, or with a bread of your choice. 

 

Haggis in the Neolithic

Hard to know a lot of things about Neolithic culture. However the cooking strategies that we know about point to a way of cooking and eating which tell us how they might have prepared various dishes. Modern haggis in Scotland is made to be cooked in boiling water, as it was in the neolithic. Some of us now steam it instead, along with the vegetables which traditionally accompany the dish (turnip or swede, and potato). I commit heresy by adding mashed carrot to the turnip, because it needs to be sweetened a little. 

There were no carrots available in the neolithic (they arrived with the Romans), and potatoes didn't arrive until after Columbus. So how did they eat haggis in the neolithic? The turnip was easily available, though not the most attractive root vegetable.. It needs to be sweetened. What they did have was pease pudding (essentially mushy peas). That adds sweetness to the dish. So this experimental dish may be close to how they actually served this food.  Absolutely gorgeous!.                                                      

 

 

Venison Stew, with Root Vegetables

A simple winter stew made with diced deer meat and an assortment of root vegetables (parsnip, carrot, turnip & onion for the stew itself, and served with semi-skinned potatoes). The venison was cooked for at least half an hour until most of the moisture in the meat had evaporated, and browned in the sunflower oil. 

Then decanted into a pot of boiling salted water, and simmered under glass for an hour. 

After that, I added the diced root vegetables to the pot, and cooked them for another forty-five minutes, after which I mashed the vegetables (the venison will survive this!). Simmered again for another quarter hour or so, before serving. 

No added herbs, stock or spices, though rosemary would be an appropriate choice. Cornflower or Bisto could be used if you prefer a thicker gravy. Delicious! Sourced via Sainsbury's. 

 

Cauliflower, Swede and Carrot Soup

One half of a head of cauliflower chopped into florets, half a peeled swede cut into thin strips, one large carrot cut into chunks, and eight diced cherry tomatoes.

The cauliflower florets, the swede and the carrots were stir-fried in sunflower oil for ten minutes at a medium to high heat, stirring frequently.

The diced tomato was added, along with around a pint of boiling water. The heat was turned down low, and the pot was lidded. Simmered for forty-five minutes.

After that, the contents of the pot were mashed for about thirty seconds (I wanted this soup to be chunky). I added the vegetable stock and two pinches of Tarragon. Simmered again for twenty minutes before serving. Great flavour!

Mushroom and Chorizo Casoulet

Sixteen whole white mushrooms, four chopped chestnut mushrooms, around 200g of sliced chorizo sausage, 100g of chopped green beans, eight chopped spring onions, two shredded salad tomatoes, and half of a roughly cut swede. The chorizo and the swede were cooked in a little bacon fat under glass at a moderate heat for around 15 to 20 minutes. I added six whole garlic cloves which were in a chilli suffused sunflower oil. Then boiling water was added to the pot, along with a couple of squeezes of tomato paste, and two ham stock cubes. The casoulet was allowed to simmer for two hours, at the end of which white pepper and two generous pinches of thyme and rosemary were stirred into the stew. Naturally this dish could be made with potatoes instead of a swede. But I had a swede which needed to be used, so I chose to use the swede. The combo is fine. The other half of the swede will find its way into a soup.

Beetroot and Parsnip Soup

A simple borscht style soup made with fresh boiled beetroot (2), 2 medium onions, about 100g of turnip or swede, and one medium parsnip.

All the vegetables were peeled and diced, and cooked in boiling water for about 40 minutes. After that they were mashed. I added some vegetable stock (salt will do instead), and a pinch of marjoram.

Served with a plain flatbread, or one flavoured with some diced coriander, and black pepper. Fabulous!

Parsnip and Leek Soup

A rich soup made with parsnip, leek, celery, carrot, turnip or swede, green lentils, tomato puree, turmeric, vegetable and chicken stock, paprika, basil, rosemary, bay leaf,  and oregano. With a generous sprinkling of black pepper.

Chop the vegetables into chunks. The vegetables were first stir-fried in some sunflower oil, until soft, then I added boiling water. Cooked under glass with two bay leaves for at least an hour and a half. Allow to cool.

Once cooled, mash the vegetables. Remove the bay leaves. Add the green lentils (a third of a cupful), two squeezes of tomato puree, half a teaspoonful of turmeric, half a teaspoonful of paprika, the vegetable and chicken stock, plus the herbs (two pinches each if dried). Cook for another hour.

Blend the mixture for at least a minute until smooth. Cook for a further half an hour, by which time it will be ready to serve. Add black pepper according to taste. Served (in this case) with home-baked wheat-free brown bread, made with Dove's farm brown flour.

Lentil and Bacon Broth

Made with one leek, finely chopped celery, green lentils, half a turnip, three carrots, and two rashers of fried bacon, chopped into small pieces. I stir-fried the leek first (in a little bacon fat), then added boiling water, and then the chopped carrot, turnip the fried bacon pieces (crispy!), and then a third of a cup of green lentils.

Simmer for an hour and then mash. Add ham stock, black pepper, and simmer under glass at a low heat for another half an hour, stirring occasionally. Nutritious! Tasty!

Serve with some toasted potato bread, or another flatbread of your choice.

Chicken Broth

A great winter warmer of a soup. Made with chopped turnip or swede, two potatoes, two carrots, two small onions (or a medium sized leek), spinach, chicken stock, sage, a small handful of spelt grains, black pepper, and a third of a cup of green lentils (red lentils will do instead). Plus chopped breast of chicken.

The soup base should be prepared first. The lentils, the spelt grains,and the chopped vegetables should added to a pan of boiling water, and cooked at a low simmer under glass for twenty to twenty five minutes until soft. Then use a masher for one or two minutes to produce the broth consistency.

Add the chicken stock, a large pinch of sage, and a few shakes of ground black pepper. Stir together.

The chicken was pre-fried on the previous evening (bought from a supermarket close to the sell-by date), and stored in the fridge. The chicken breast should be chopped into small pieces and added to the pot. Stir into the broth. Simmer under glass for at least half an hour before serving. Even better on the next day, which is often the case with soups.

Haggis, Turnip and Potatoes

A variation on haggis, neeps and potatoes, the Scottish national dish eaten on the 25th of January (Robert Burns' birthday), and any other time you feel like it. Haggis was a favourite dish of Serge Gainsbourg, which he sought out nearly every time he visited London. He found it exotic. It is.

I've never made an actual haggis, largely because it is easy to get ready made in both traditional and vegetarian forms. Essentially it is made with minced sheep lungs, oatmeal, pepper and spices, and used to be sold in the form of a large sausage made from sheep offal.

Traditionally served with boiled potato and boiled turnip or swede. It is fine just like that, but I prefer to serve the combo with the turnip leavened with mashed carrot, which makes it a sweeter dish.

Preparation is straightforward. The potatoes should be boiled for twenty minutes, and the same for the chopped turnip and carrot. Mash the turnip and the carrot together in a bowl, with a knob of butter, The potatoes can be mashed also (separately), but I prefer to mash them as the meal proceeds. Traditionally the haggis is boiled for forty-five to fifty minutes, but these days I tend to cook it in a steamer for fifty minutes to an hour, at a low heat.

I lived for years in London, and eating haggis there was a reminder of home. A cosmopolitan friend lived close by, with an enormous collection of cookery books and a fabulous kitchen, and sometimes cooked haggis.  She once served (without warning) a heretical variation of the dish, which involved substituting the turnip with baked beans, with a little red wine mixed in. It worked. I did some cat-sitting for her, which was a great opportunity to explore her books. I've been riffing on some of those recipes ever since.

Venison Sausage in a Red Currant Sauce

Low fat venison and pork sausages in a red currant sauce, served with boiled swede and potato, and a parsley garnish.

The sauce was made with cornflour and water, with some pork stock, which was boiled until it thickened. The red currant component came from a jar of red currant jelly - two teaspoonfuls of it. The dish has a delicious combination of flavours.

Venison Sausage in a Red Currant Sauce

Carrot and Leek Soup with Curly Kale

A simple soup made entirely with vegetables common in northern Europe: Chantenay baby carrots (200g), three medium sized leeks (500g), a bag of curly kale (300g) from Leicestershire, and half a swede (200g). Plus two ham stock cubes and a half teaspoonful of white pepper. 

The chopped leek was stir-fried in sunflower oil for fifteen minutes at a low heat, then the Chantenay baby carrots were added, after topping and tailing. The kale and the swede were added for the last five minutes, then boiling water was added, along with a third of cup of red lentils, bringing the volume of soup up to 2.5 litres. 

The soup was allowed to simmer slowly on the hob for two hours under glass, and was stirred occasionally. After one hour the contents of the pot were mashed. More water can be added if you prefer a thinner soup. 

Carrot and Leek Soup with Curly Kale

Chicken Soup with Sage and Tarragon

A simple and easy to prepare chicken soup.

Chicken, with onion, swede, celeriac, chicken juices and stock. Plus sage and fresh tarragon. Served with black pepper.

Cooked in a glass lidded pan for an hour, at a gentle simmer. The herbs were added ten minutes before the heat was turned off. The soup was served with bread from a home-made spelt loaf, crumbled into the soup. Delicious!

Chicken Soup with Sage and Tarragon

Five Vegetable Winter Soup

Began as a leek and potato soup, but I needed to use some onion, carrot and swede. Also added chicken stock and some spelt. Served with tabasco sauce and *lots* of freshly ground black pepper.

Five Vegetable Winter Soup