leek, potato & chicken soup

2 leeks, washed trimmed and finely sliced
1 small red onion and 1 small white onion, finely diced
2 sticks celery, trimmed and finely chopped
25g butter
3 cloves garlic, finely sliced
olive oil
Maldon
freshly ground black pepper
1l chicken stock
200-400g diced chicken
4T cream
25g grated Parmesan
4 medium or 2 large potatoes, peeled and diced
fresh chopped parsley

Sweat the onions, leeks, garlic and celery in oil and butter until translucent. add the potato and stir for several minutes. Add stock and seasoning, cover and leave to simmer for 5 minutes. Blitz with a handheld blender. Bring to a gentle simmer and add the chicken. cook for 1 minute, add cream and Parmesan. adjust seasoning to taste. Serve with freshly grated Parmesan and a scattering of parsley. Eat with some crusty, toasted sourdough smeared with cold butter.

five-minute Lanzhou noodles and seared steak in asian broth

This delicious meal uses the excess stock from the Asian poached chicken recipe, which can be frozen until needed. the following recipe serves two.

1 piece decent aged steak
1/4 romaine lettuce, finely sliced
1/2 small red onion, finely sliced
1t sesame oil
1 litre chicken stock (from asian poached chicken)
1T fish sauce
1 bunch coriander, roughly chopped
1 lime
1 small red chili, finely sliced
1t tamarind paste
1t palm sugar
good pinch Maldon
1 or 2 bundles of Lanzhou noodles
4cm of cucumber, finely sliced, then shredded

Bring stock to a simmer and add some of the coriander (stalk ends), the chili, sesame oil, fish sauce, red onion, sugar, salt, tamarind paste and noodles. Cook for several minutes. Sear steak in a hot pan. Rest and slice thinly, toss in a hot pan to finish if desired. To serve, layer noodles and coriander and lettuce alternately in a bowl. Finish with a layer of lettuce and coriander. Top with steak and cucumber. Ladle the broth over the noodles and steak. Serve with wedges of lime for squeezing to taste.

asian-infused pumpkin soup

pumpkin - peeled and chopped into chunks (whatever variety(s) you prefer)
2 red onions, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 inch ginger, finely chopped
1 red chili, finely chopped
1T curry powder
2t sugar
Maldon
freshly ground black pepper
1 stick of lemon grass - lay it flat on a board and smack it a few times with a rolling pin or pestle
1 chicken stock cube
1-2 chopped tomatoes
water
milk - or coconut milk if desired

Cook the pumpkin in boiling water until soft, drain and set aside. Sweat the onions, garlic, ginger and chili in oil until transparent. Add the curry powder and stock. Add all other ingredients, except the milk and chopped tomatoes. Cook for 5 minutes, remove from heat, fish out the lemon grass and puree the remaining pumpkin mixture with a hand-held blender. Once smooth, return to the heat, add the milk and chopped tomatoes and cook gently for a further 5 minutes. Serve with a dollop of yogurt and scattering of coriander leaves.