Crab, tomato and fennel broth
This is a delicious, warming but fragrant soup for the cold winter months. It's light enough toserve as a starter, or you could increase the portions and add some crusty, slightly charred sourdough bread to make a more substantial option.
Encourage the diners to pick at the claw when the broth has finished.
Serves 4
Olive oil, for cooking
4 crab claws, cracked
1 small fennel bulb, finely diced
1 small onion, finely diced
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
2 celery stalks, finely diced
½ red chilli, deseeded and chopped
Splash of white wine
4 ripe plum tomatoes, deseeded and chopped
150g picked fresh white crab meat
Handful of small fennel fronds or fresh dill
Salt and black pepper
1 Heat a heavy-based saucepan over a high heat and add a splash of oil. When hot add the crab claws and fry them on all sides to colour. 2 Now add the fennel, onion, garlic, celery andchilli. Turn down the heat and sweat thevegetables for 6-7 minutes until soft. Addthewine and reduce.
3 Pour over about 750ml water and bring to the boil, then turn it down to a simmer. Cook for about 20minutes, then add the tomatoes, crab meatand season well.
4 Cook for a further 5 minutes and then garnish with the fennel fronds. Serve in bowlswith aclaw for each person.
Recipe supplied by Ben Tish, saltyard.co.uk
Oxtail, abbot ale and brown sugar broth with bone marrow toastie
This dish is a real winter warmer: you can easily substitute the oxtail for a shin of beef orbraising steak, and if you don't fancy the bone marrow, then brie or cheddar with trufflewould also work a treat. Using dark muscavado sugar works well to balance the bitter ale, but any brown sugar will do.
Serves 4
1 oxtail cut (ask your butcher to do this)
2 shallots, diced
1 carrot, diced
1 stick of celery, diced
1 garlic clove, minced
½ leek, diced
280ml Abbot ale or similar
1 tbsp dark muscavado sugar
1 tsp tomato puree
1 litre chicken or beef stock
1 tsp Marmite
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
2 bay leaves
4 sprigs thyme
For the toastie
4 slices of white bread
2 x 5cm pieces of bone marrow
50g salted butter
1 For the broth, fry the oxtail on a high heat with a little vegetable oil until evenly coloured. Add to a large saucepan with all the other ingredients, bring up to a simmer then cook on a low heat for 2-3 hours or until the meat is very tender and falls off the bone. Remove from the heat and when cool, pick the meat away from the bone and return to the pan. Discard the bones. Season with salt and pepper and add a little water if needed.
2 For the toastie, run the bones under cold water. After 3-4 minutes push the marrow out of the bone. Thinly slice it and cover both slices of toast, then grill so the bread is lightly toasted and the marrow starting to melt. Make a sandwich with the toast, butter the outside, then grill the outside. To serve, remove crusts and cut into four fingers.
Recipe supplied by Eric Snaith, Titchwell Manor
Vegetable broth with salsa verde
All the vitamins and tasty goodness from the veggies are retained in the making of this simple broth. Adding a spoon of salsa verde atthe table gives it a bright zing.
Serves 4
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp fennel seeds
½ tsp chilli flakes
1 fennel bulb, chopped, fronds reserved
1 onion, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
1 bay leaf
2 sprigs thyme
100g pearl barley
1 litre vegetable stock
For the salsa verde
Bunch flat leaf parsley
Zest 1 lemon
1 garlic clove, chopped
1 tsp capers, drained
2 tbsp olive oil
1 Heat the olive oil in a large high-sided pan. Add the fennel seeds, chilli flakes, fennel and onion and cook for 5 minutes until starting to turn golden. Add the carrot, bay leaf, thyme and barley, then cook for a couple of minutes. Pour in the stock, bring to a simmer and cook for 30minutes, or until the barley is tender, remove from the heat and season.
2 Meanwhile, to make the salsa verde, put all of the ingredients and reserved fennel fronds on a chopping board and go over the lot with asharp knife until finely chopped. Scrape intoa bowl and stir in the olive oil.
3 Ladle the soup into bowls to serve, stir in a spoon full of zesty salsa verde before eating.
Recipe supplied by Rosie Reynolds
Doctor's orders stracciatella
Stracciatella is Italian for "little strands". This soup is so called because as you quickly whisk the egg into the stock it forms shapes like comet tails. These attract all the fatty bits and other solids, drawing them out of the liquid, thus "clarifying" it, and making even the cloudiest stock clear to the bottom of the bowl, which is very satisfying. It's the simplest of pauper's soups – just what you want when feeling poorly – and it always reminds me of my dad, who was a doctor, which is a fine endorsem*nt for its healing properties. It's made in the allaRomana style, which means plenty ofcheese and pepper.
Serves 2
500ml chicken stock
2 eggs
A big handful of finely grated parmesan
Grated nutmeg, to taste (optional)
A handful of flat-leaf parsley, finelychopped(optional)
Salt and black pepper
1 Pour the stock into a saucepan and, while it is coming up to a simmer, beat the eggs in a little bowl or mug with most of the parmesan, the nutmeg and some seasoning. Using a whisk, stir the hot stock fast in one direction for a second, so it's swirling round like a vortex, and then continue doing so as you slowly dribble in the beaten egg.
2 Once it's all in, turn the heat off, and stir in the parsley, salt to taste, add quite a good amount of pepper and the remainder of the parmesan. Very good healing.
Big Table, Busy Kitchen by Allegra McEvedy (Quercus)
Tunisian chickpea and lemon broth with poached egg
Lablabi is the traditional breakfast soup served up in virtually every Tunisian cafe. Themagical combination of light, lemony broth with chickpeas, bread and poached eggwill certainly set you up for the day. If you do get around to cooking your own chickpeas, their cooking water will really enhance the broth.
Serves 4
3 tbsp olive oil
1 large onion, diced
5 garlic cloves, crushed
700g home-cooked chickpeas or 3 x 400g cans
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tbsp harissa
Salt
850ml vegetable stock or chickpea cooking water
Juice of 1 lemon
2-4 slices of day-old rustic bread, rippedintolargepieces
4 fresh eggs, poached
1 tsp wine vinegar
For the garnish
4 tsp harissa
1 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
2 tbsp capers
12 black olives, chopped
2 roasted red peppers peeled, deseeded and cut into ribbons (optional)
Dash of olive oil
1 lemon, quartered
1 Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan and cook the onion until soft and golden. Add thegarlic and, once your kitchen is filled with its fabulous smell, throw in the chickpeas, cumin, harissa, a pinch of salt and the stock. Simmer for 5 minutes. Squeeze in the lemonjuice and season with salt to taste.
2 Place the ripped bread in individual soup bowls – the wider the better. Ladle over the broth and some chickpeas and place an egg on top.
3 To garnish, sit a small blob of harissa on top of the egg and serve some more at the table. Sprinkle all the other bits over the soup and serve with a wedge of lemon.
Pulse by Jenny Chandler (Pavilion)
Lemony chicken broth with orzo pasta and chard
Orzo is a little rice-shaped pasta that is great in soups and stews. If you can't find orzo, any little pasta shape – the smaller the better – works: try conchigliette (tiny shells), stelle (little stars) or risoni (like orzo but smaller).
Serves 4
2 tbsp olive oil
1 red onion, finely sliced
2 garlic cloves, crushed
500ml chicken stock
500ml water
6 skinless boneless chicken thighs
A few sprigs of fresh thyme
Zest and juice of 1 lemon, thinly pared
200g orzo pasta
300g chard, sliced
Salt and black pepper
1 Heat the oil in a deep saucepan over a medium heat and fry the onion for about 10minutes until soft. Add the garlic and cookfor a further minute, then pour in thechicken stock and water.
2 Add the chicken thighs, thyme and strips oflemon zest with some salt and pepper. Bring to the boil, then reduce to a simmer andcook for 10–12 minutes until the chicken isjust cooked. Remove the chicken with aslotted spoon and set aside.
3 Add the orzo to the pan and cook for 6–8 minutes until almost tender. Cut the chicken into chunks and return to the pan with the chard. Cook for a few more minutes until the chard is wilted and tender. Remove from the heat and add the lemon juice. Serve immediately.
Great British Bake Off Winter Kitchen by Lizzie Kamenetzky (BBC Books)
Helleem (Indian broth)
Haleem is often eaten during the winter months in the northern, mountainous territories of India and Pakistan. It's a steaming bowl ofhome comfort, a nutritiouscombination oflentils, shredded lamb and bulgur wheat that has depth and awarming texture.
Serves up to 8
11 onions, sliced
250ml vegetable oil
2 tbsp ginger paste
2 tbsp garlic paste
8 garlic cloves, crushed and chopped
2 tsp turmeric powder
1 tbsp ground coriander
1 tbsp chilli powder
1kg boneless lamb, cut into 4cm cubes
250g bulgur wheat
250g mixed pulses, such as red and yellow lentils
Salt
2 litres water
1 tbsp garam masala
Mint leaves and lime wedges, to serve
1 Fry four of the onions in a little of the oil, until brown at the edges. Allow to cool, thenmince in a blender.
2 Heat the oil over a medium heat and add two sliced onions, frying until golden. Pour in the ginger and garlic pastes together with the crushed garlic and minced onions, drop in the turmeric, coriander and chilli powder, and stir-fry for a couple of minutes, until the masala has darkened in colour. Add the lamb and brown all over for 10 minutes.
3 Tip in the bulgur and mixed pulses, season with salt and flood with the water. Bring the water to the boil and then reduce the heat to low, cover and cook for 1½ hours. Stir regularly, making sure nothing sticks to thebottom.
4 Once the meat is tender, mash it with the back of a wooden spoon and cook for another 20 minutes. The oil should have risen to the top. Layer in the garam masala, allowing it to saturate for another 10 minutes. After 2 hours of cooking, the pot should be a heaving spiced lamb broth.
5 In a separate pan, fry the remaining sliced onions until crispy. Tip them over the surface of the haleem when it's served, then sprinkle with mint leaves and lime chunks.
Recipe supplied by Ivor Peters, urbanrajah.co.uk
Green borsch
This sorrel and chopped egg broth is known asgreen borsch in the Ukraine. You can also use chicken instead of duck in this recipe, or quails – and then serving with quail's eggs instead of duck eggs.
Serves 4
1 duck, jointed
1 fresh bay leaf
1 onion, peeled
100g spring onions, finely chopped
100g parsley root (or stalks), finely chopped
1 tbsp rapeseed oil
4 medium potatoes, peeled and diced
500g sorrel, chopped
200g spinach, chopped
To serve
2 duck eggs, hard-boiled and chopped
½ bunch dill, chopped
70g sour cream
1 Place the duck pieces, bay leaf and the whole onion into 2 litres cold water in a large saucepan. Bring to the boil, then lower the heat and simmer for one hour. Skim the stock from time to time.
2 Blitz the spring onions and the parsley root into a paste in a small bowl of a food processor. Heat the oil, add the paste and fry for 2 minutes over a medium-low heat.
3 Add the potatoes and the green paste to thestock, season well with salt and pepper and cook for 10 minutes or until the potatoesare almost done.
4 Add the sorrel and the spinach and cook for 1-2 minutes. Serve with the chopped egg, dill, a dollop of sour cream and a chunk of sourdough bread.
Recipe supplied by Olia Hercules
Green curry broth
How spicy you make this broth is up to you; it's good with a bit of a kick, but nothing that overwhelms. If made with coconut oil or olive oil, this easily becomes vegan.
Serves 4
1 tbsp coriander seeds
1½ tsp whole cumin seeds
2 tbsp coconut oil, clarified butter or olive oil
4 shallots, thinly sliced
4 medium garlic cloves, finely chopped
4 small serrano chilli peppers, thinly sliced
3 lemongrass stalks, minced
2cm piece ginger, peeled and grated
8 onions, trimmed, thinly sliced
⅛ tsp turmeric powder
60ml freshly squeezed lime juice and a bit of zest
1½ litres vegetable broth
340g tofu, cut into tiny cubes
Kernels from 2 ears of sweetcorn
4 handfuls torn spinach, stems trimmed
A small handful of each of the following: fresh mint, fresh coriander, fresh basil, all chopped just before serving and combined in a small bowl
1 Use a pestle and mortar or spice grinder tocrush the coriander and cumin seeds a bit. Heat the oil in a large saucepan or soup pot over a medium-high heat, stir in the crushed spices, and toast until fragrant – which should take around 30seconds.
2 Stir in the shallots, garlic, chilli peppers, lemongrass, ginger, onions and turmeric. Stir well, then add the lime juice and zest. Cook until the shallots are soft and translucent – under 5 minutes.
3 Stir in 1.5 litres of the broth and bring to a simmer. Simmer for a few minutes, then taste for seasoning. You might need to add more salt and if the broth is too strong for your liking add some water, or a bit more lime. Justkeep tweaking until it tastes good to you. It's the base of your soup, so you want it to taste great on its own.
4 Pour the liquids through a strainer into a bowl, pressing on the solids to get all the broth out. Discard the solids, and return the strained broth to the pot. Bring it to a simmer, then stir in the tofu and corn. Let them heat through. Just before serving, stir in the spinach, then sprinkle each serving with a big pinch of the herb mixture.
Recipe supplied by Heidi Swanson, 101cookbooks.com
Red dzao salmon steamboat broth
Steamboats are a perfect dinner party dish. They are super easy, as all you need to do is cook the broth and slice up your ingredients. Your guests then do the rest, cooking their own meal.
Serves 4
1.5kg whole salmon, gutted
4 tomatoes, cut into wedges
500g silken tofu, cut into cubes
1kg soft rice noodles
1 Chinese white cabbage, sliced
1 bunch watercress
1 bunch water spinach
1 bunch mustard greens
For the broth
4 lemongrass stems, bruised
4cm piece of fresh ginger, peeled and sliced
15 dried shiitake mushrooms, soaked in water for 30 minutes and drained
2 black cardamom pods
2 star anise
2 coriander roots, washed well
2 tomatoes, diced
2 long red chillies, sliced
1 tbsp satay sauce
½ pineapple, peeled, cored and sliced
Juice of 2 limes
1 tbsp salt
125ml fish sauce
1 Cut the head off the salmon and reserve. Fillet the salmon, reserving the bones and trimmings for the broth. Cut the fillets into 3x5cm chunks. Cover and refrigerate while making the broth.
2 To make the broth, put the salmon head, bones and trimmings in a stockpot. Add the lemongrass, ginger, mushrooms, cardamom, star anise and coriander. Cover with 3 litres water and bring to the boil. Skim off all the impurities until the broth is clear, then reduce the heat to a low simmer and cook for 1 hour.
3 Stir in the remaining broth ingredients and simmer for a further 5 minutes. Meanwhile, distribute all the remaining raw ingredients on separate platters and place around a portable gas cooker in the middle of the dining table. Place the stockpot on top of the cooker and turn it up to a medium heat.
4 When the stock starts to simmer, each person dips their own ingredients in the hot broth until cooked. They then retrieve their cooked ingredients with their chopsticks and ladle some of the hot broth into their bowls.
Recipe supplied by Luke Nguyen, The Food of Vietnam (Hardie Grant)
