Soup

Adapted from Nigel Slater onion / leek 500ml water & 500 ml milk 400g new potatoes (or waxy potatoes, cut into chunks) 400g mixed fish (I dislike salmon in this, but any white or smoked fish is good) large handful of frozen sweetcorn 2 spring onions, sliced parsley, chopped Soften onion/leek in butter and season with salt and pepper. Add liquid & potatoes. When soft, add fish, cook for 10 minutes.

From NYT. Ingredients 75ml/5 tablespoons olive oil 1 small onion, chopped 1 carrot, chopped 1 celery stalk, chopped 1 tablespoon minced garlic Salt and ground black pepper 2 cups cooked or canned cannellini beans 1 15-ounce can whole peeled tomatoes (400g) 950ml/4 cups vegetable stock or water 1 fresh rosemary sprig 1 fresh thyme sprig 1 pound chopped kale or escarole 4 large, thick slices whole-grain bread, toasted 1 small red onion, thinly sliced 50g/½ cup freshly grated Parmesan Directions Put 2 tablespoons of the oil in a large pot over medium heat.

Ham Soup 1 ham hock, pre-cooked (can substitute 200g cooked ham) 1/2 onion 80g pancetta or smoked bacon 100g red lentils 100g yellow split peas 1 can marrowfat peas 1 bay leaf Brown the pancetta in 1 tablespoon of oil, then add the onion and sweat until translucent. then add the various pulses and the bay leaf, and cover well with water. If you have a hock, add it now, bone and skin and fat and all.

100g pancetta (optional) 1 dried chilli 1/2 onion 1 clove garlic, finely chopped 1 can tomatoes 1 cup red lentils 3-4 large red peppers Brown the pancetta in a tablespoon of oil, then add the onion over a low/medium heat. Cook until the onion starts to turn transparent, then add the chilli and garlic for 30 seconds to one minute, until you can smell the aroma of the cooking garlic.

200g frozen bay scallops/queenies 50g smoked bacon, in lardons 1 tbs butter 1 onion, sliced 200g cauliflower/potatoes, in small chunks 250ml double cream 250ml milk 100ml water 1 bay leaf Garnish: chopped parsley Melt the butter in a saucepan, and fry the bacon to crispy. Add the onion and soften. About eight to ten minutes so far. At the same time, boil the cauliflower or potato for 8-10 minutes or until tender.

There is no set recipe for this, and it should use seasonal vegetables. I’ll give one variant that is reasonably year-round (and cheap), plus a few suggestions. The core concept is to start with a soffrito, and add beans and pasta, as well as vegetables. Start with some pancetta or bacon, chopped into small cubes, and fry to lightly brown over a medium heat. This can be omitted if desperate.

Ingredients 1 tbs oil 1 pack pancetta 1 onion 1 clove garlic 1 chili 2 tins black beans chicken stock garnish: coriander, cheese, sour cream, chili, chives, chopped spring onion, etc Equipment medium to large saucepan Method Put the saucepan over a medium heat and chop the onion. Add the oil and lightly brown the pancetta. Sweat the onion with a pinch of salt; take care not to brown.

Ingredients 1 cup dhal - red lentils, or a mix of red lentils and mung dhal. 1 tsp turmeric 30 fl oz (1 ltr) water 2 tbs oil (olive is fine, but not required) 1/2 onion, chopped finely 1 clove garlic, thinly sliced Variation 1 2 small red chilis, fresh or dried 1/2 tsp cumin seeds 1/3 tsp asafoetida (large pinch) Variation 2 3 tbs tomato passata (or a mashed tinned tomato with a little extra juice) 1 green chili, finely chopped 1 tsp ginger, freshly grated Garnish 1 tbs coriander leaves 1-2 red chilis, finely sliced 1 tsp garam masala (optional) Equipment Medium/large saucepan small frying pan spatula Method This is my version, with some variations on the tarka.

pack of chicken thighs (500g) 2 leeks 6 medium carrots small bunch of thyme 1 stick celery 1 tin cannelini beans 1 glass white wine 0.5 - 1.0 lt/1-2 pt chicken stock (good quality stock is very important) Bone and trim the thighs, and brown them with a little oil (they give off a lot of fat, so use just enough to start them). Skin them after browning, and break up into decent sized lumps - sort of broad bean sized, if that helps.