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. 

 

Winter Vegetable soup

A simple winter vegetable soup based on a bag of soup ingredients on sale in the local co-op. I added the turnip, the stock, and the herbs. We got through a lot of winters on the basis of this sort of soup. Easy to make, and the kitchen smells great while it is on the hob. Basically cabbage, celery, leek, turnp, carrot, plus herbs and vegetable stock. And some (optional) cumin seeds. 

 

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. 

 

Haggis, with Potato, and Carrot and Turnip Mash

This dish has appeared on this blog before, Traditionally, it is haggis, plus potato and turnip or swede mash. I like to sweeten the turnip mash with carrot, but I love it in most forms. This was a MacSween haggis, which is, by general agreement, the best haggis available. I'm not sure however if they include some minimal amount of wheat in the recipe. I'd like to know. Haggis needs oats, but it doesn't need wheat. 

One of the great things about this dish is how it is possible to do the whole thing in a single steamer. No extra herbs, no extra salt, no added stock. 45 minutes cooking time all told, and ready to serve on the plate.I've had deep fried haggis (in the distant past), which is also quite delicious. But that was decades ago, and I won't revisit that.  

 

Unsmoked Gammon Soup, with Carrot, Parsnip, Onion and Turnip

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This soup began as a vegetable dish, made with a small white onion, one peeled parsnip, two medium carrots, and half a turnip (peeled). It was complete with some vegetable stock, and half a teaspoonful of white (or black) pepper. Simmered under glass for an hour, and then mashed before serving. 

I then added diced unsmoked gammon from a joint I'd roasted the day before. I also added the juices from the roast (done in a casserole dish). Again, simmered for an hour under glass before serving. I added black pepper as a final garnish. One of the most delicious soups I have made. 

 

MacSween Haggis, with Potato and Turnip and Carrot Mash

A MacSween Haggis cooked in a steamer for fifty minutes. Allowed to stand for fifteen minutes, and then was cut in half with a sharp knife. The vegetables were cooked in a pan of salted water for half an hour. Each of the vegetables was cut in a different way to allow their easy separation, before mashing the carrot and turnip together. 

 

Turnip and Potato Soup

Essentially a delicious and warming winter soup, made with half a turnip (bought to accompany a haggis), a large handful of chopped curly kale (a form of cabbage), diced potato, and some grains of Kamut (wheat grains).

The ingredients were boiled for about an hour, and then lightly mashed. I added vegetable stock, some black pepper, and the herbs Rosemary and Thyme.

Serve with potato bread.

Bacon and Chorizo Soup

Bacon and chorizo soup, with a whole green pepper, celery and turnip.

The bacon was fried first until crispy, then all of the vegetable ingredients were diced and added to a pan of boiling water. Simmered under glass for thirty to forty minutes, and then mashed.

The crispy smoked bacon was diced, along with about 100g of chorizo sausage, and added to the pan. Simmered under glass for forty minutes.

Add the ham stock, black pepper and the herbs (Oregano and Basil in this case). Cook for another ten minutes, when it is ready to serve. Delicious!

Roast Silverside Beef, with a Parsnip and Onion Gravy

 The joint was sealed on all sides in a flat-lidded pan in some sunflower oil. Once browned, the joint was put into a lidded casserole dish with about 300 mls of water, and the dish was put into an oven preheated to 190 deg C, on the middle shelf.

The joint was  900g in weight, so the cooking time was about 80 minutes (25 minutes per 500g, plus another 25 minutes is the basic formula). You can judge by eye how the joint is progressing. The final twenty minutes were spent unlidded, in order to further brown the joint.

The joint can be cut manually into slices with a large sharp knife once it has cooled.

The gravy was made with parsnips, turnip, celery and onion, all diced, and cooked in boiling water for about half an hour, after which the ingredients were mashed. They continued to cook for a further half an hour. Then I added a pinch of paprika, a pinch of both Rosemary and Thyme, and some beef stock.

I blended the whole mixture with a hand electric mixer. Once the roast was complete, I added the juices from the casserole dish to the pan with the gravy, and simmered the mixture for fifteen minutes under glass. Mmm! A beautiful gravy.

Served with boiled potatoes and carrots.

Winter Vegetable Stew with Beetroot and Chilli

Beetroot and chilli? It actually works. I'd already made a borscht earlier in the week, so decided to do something different with some beetroot which needed to be eaten.

Essentially this is a vegetable stew made with carrot and onions, turnip and tomato puree. Plus the diced pieces of beetroot. The vegetables were stir-fried in some sunflower oil. The haricot beans came from a can of baked beans which had been in the fridge for a couple of days.

I added water to the stew, three finger chillies, and some vegetable stock. Allowed to simmer on the hob for about an hour at a low heat under glass, stirring occasionally. Add a little oregano before serving.

Served with half a toasted naan bread, or another flatbread of your choice. Delicious!

Root Vegetable Ground Beef Casoulet

The ground beef was browned at a medium heat for 20 minutes, stirring frequently, and then I added a diced red onion, and finely diced carrot.

Stir-fried for another fifteen minutes, and then boiling water was added, plus some beef stock and two bay leaves. Simmered for one hour under glass.

Some of the ground beef stew was used for another dish, and the other half spent a day in the fridge. The second half was brought to the boil, and I added more carrot, with larger chunks this time, plus most of a medium sized turnip. Cooked for half an hour, and then I added diced green beans, a teaspoonful of capers, some fresh rosemary leaves, black pepper, paprika,Worcester sauce, and dried oregano. Simmer under glass for twenty minutes before serving.

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!

Winter Vegetable Soup

A simple and satisfying soup, made with turnip (1), carrot (2), onion (1), potato (1) and half a head of brocolli.

Everything was diced, including the brocolli. The onion, carrot, turnip and potato was stir-fried in a saute pan for fifteen minutes at a medium heat. The brocolli was added, and the mix stir-fried for a further five minutes.

Then I added about a pint of boiling water, plus vegetable stock. Allowed to simmer under glass for about forty minutes. Then the soup was thoroughly mashed. I added three dashes of Worcester sauce, and the herbs thyme, and tarragon.

Allowed to simmer slowly for another forty minutes before serving. Delicious!

Spinach, Lentil and Turnip Soup

A really simple soup, conjured to use up half a turnip in the fridge.

Chopped turnip cooked for twenty minutes in boiling water. Then added half a cupful of red lentils. Boiled for half an hour, and then blended.

I added some vegetable stock, and some finely diced spinach. Cooked for another twenty five minutes or so. No herbs! Just dandy as it is!

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.

Spring Onion and Mushroom Soup

One bunch of spring onions, half a savoy cabbage, two large carrots, half a cup of red lentils, one quarter turnip.Two sticks of celery. Vegetable and mushroom stock. Turnip thinly sliced and slightly browned in olive oil. Chopped carrot, celery and cabbage added, plus water and lentils. The assemblage was cooked for an hour and blended. A dash of Lea & Perrins, smoked paprika, fresh ground pepper, and two pinches of sage.

Spring Onion and Mushroom Soup