As Strong As Soup

I can't claim that these little aperitif biscuits are in any way original. They're based on a simple, historic recipe for Le Pébradou (or Gâteaux au Poivre) from Limoux. These are certainly not British style biscuits to have with tea. They're actually considered a fine accompaniment to a glass of Blanquette de Limoux, which is possibly the oldest sparkling wine in France and maybe anywhere else on the planet. The biscuits are very pleasing with many other drinks too (alcoholic or not) and they're not too shabby alongside dips of various kinds. Many aperitif nibbles are designed to tempt you to drink by having a lot of salt and these do something similar but with a little hum of pepper heat rather than salt. Although they're good at any time of the year, they're often associated with Christmas and so, for once in my life, I'm almost in sync with the festive season. You can use whatever olive oil you'd like but personally I prefer a lighter style. If the o...

It's time for a warming autumn soup. The first recipe for chestnut soup that I can remember reading was by the always reliable Alastair Little around 30 years ago. This simple recipe owes a lot to that original. Mr Little was a significant influence on many professional and amateur cooks in this country with his dedication to purist Italian food. I always thought of him as unapologetically old school and some of the dogmatic things that he wrote, I have to admit, I found more amusing than useful. For instance, he wrote that pasta “should always be eaten as a first course. If you have pasta as a main course you will be hungry again within 2 hours." But, if I want a dependable, classic Italian recipe, then his books are one of the first places I look. Sadly, he passed away in 2022. I'm definitely not a purist and this recipe has certainly departed from the original, but, in my defence, it's really quick and easy and remains suitably tasty. You can, of course, gather your...

As time's gone by I've become a lot less formal about the way I serve meals and I use more and more little savoury spreads, dips and sauces. They can be prepared in advance and put on the table in various combinations for people to share. There are plenty of recipes of that kind around, but these two Provençal classics don't seem to turn up very often these days. So here are my versions. They're really easy to make, there's no cooking involved and all you need is a blender. Admittedly, like so many of my recipes, they aren't quite authentic. (See if I care).  I first came across these two tasty treats as dips for crudités (essentially, strips of raw veg) but I think they're even nicer spread on toast (or savoury biscuits or crackers, if you prefer). In fact, they're even more versatile: for instance, try using saussoun as a sauce for pasta or roasted veg or serve it alongside lamb or simply cooked fish. At the risk of sounding excessively elegiac, I feel...

I can't really describe this classic recipe as forgotten, but it seems to be overlooked and unfashionable these days. It fits perfectly with my plan to gather some of the recipes that I've been meaning to get around to for years. The first version of this recipe (at least, in English) seems to have surfaced in Elizabeth David’s ‘A Book Of Mediterranean Food’ in 1950 (interestingly, she suggests using red or white wine). It became a staple of the celebrated restaurant ‘The Hole in the Wall’ in Bath and its chef George Perry-Smith through the 1950s and 60s. In the following two or three decades, versions of the recipe surfaced now and then, but I've not seen it mentioned much in the new century. It's a simple recipe that's too tasty to fade away, so here's my version, for what it's worth. The definition of “button” mushrooms is a bit loose and if yours are not quite as small as you might expect, then extend the cooking times a bit. I've used unsmoked pance...

Around 45 years ago, I was best of chums with a woman who loved good food and was a fine cook. But, in her view, all that cooking palaver was wasting good partying time. Now and then, she did prepare some food for one of her own parties and that usually meant large pots of decidedly tasty chilli or a strange, vaguely oriental stew of chicken or pork cooked in prodigious amounts of soy sauce. The latter was stuffed into pitta bread before being served to bemused but captive partygoers. It was a very long way from being an authentic dish but, personally, I don't think there's anything wrong with that. To this day, though, I think it just might be the saltiest and, in some ways, the oddest thing I've ever attempted to eat. Recently, I saw some pork shoulder steaks on offer in the supermarket and, for some reason, I remembered that curious, party dish. This definitely isn't  an attempt to recreate it, but I think this modern version sort of captures the spirit of the origin...

Continuing my personal plan for 2024, here's another recipe that I've been meaning to get round to for many years. Using new potatoes in a soup may seem a bit odd, but I remember Franco Taruschio used to make a new potato soup back in the hallowed Walnut Tree days and the estimable Simon Hopkinson has made several versions over the years. So, if two of my food heroes make it, then I have to produce my own, prosaic version. It's a different way of celebrating spring or early summer produce and you can even use the bits of asparagus that taste good but may be cheaper because they don't look their best. As I've discovered to my cost, there are two aspects to this soup that are really important. First, don't try to ramp up the flavours by adding too many ingredients, powerful stock or spices because you'll lose the subtle flavour of the potatoes. Second, the purée stage of the soup is absolutely crucial. If you liquidise the potato mix, then the soup is likely ...