As Strong As Soup

It's that happy time of year again when courgettes are growing in the garden and appearing in the shops faster than a politician thinking up excuses. Here are two simple recipes to make use of the bounty that are just a little bit different. ( Slow-cooked courgettes are also well worth trying, if you haven't already). Courgette, Olive and Basil Sauce If you take a look at the ingredients, I'm sure it won't come as a surprise when I say that this is a Southern French sauce, or, at least, my interpretation of one. It's a way of producing a creamy sauce with no cream (or anything like it) and plenty of flavour. Admittedly, the colour of the sauce isn't quite as exciting as the taste, but it will seriously liven up simply-cooked chicken, roasted veg (squash, for instance) or, as I fancied eating this time, flash-fried prawns. If you want to vary the amount of basil or olives, or add a little chilli, then I'm confident that the sauce will still come up smiling.

Duck with orange sauce is a great classic and can be truly delicious. But it became a bit of a joke when less-than-great restaurants began to turn out overcooked, dry duck in something resembling marmalade with a dollop of Grand Marnier in it. I haven't come across many restaurants in recent years that still serve this dish. (Although I do know of one establishment that seems unchanged since the 1970s and not only serves the classic duck à l’orange but also has a sweet trolley). This recipe is not the classic sauce, but it's a relatively simple dish that doesn't need the whole duck or too much time to prepare and it shows why the duck and orange sauce was a really good idea in the first place.  This recipe has the great advantage that the sauce is largely made in advance, although it's best to add the finishing touches immediately before serving. Blood oranges aren't essential but, if they're in season, they do have a lovely flavour without being too sweet and

Zézettes are biscuits from Sète in the south of France that have a sweet, crisp exterior and a satisfying, softer interior. They work really well with coffee or tea and, I think, are also lovely alongside gooey desserts and ice creams. Even better, they're simple and quick to make. Although based on a much older, Algerian biscuit, zézettes were actually created and named by Gaston Bentata somewhere around the time it was impossible to avoid disco. Strictly speaking, you should use the excellent, sweet wine local to Sète, Muscat de Frontignan, in this recipe, but other sweet wines will work just fine too. In fact, you could use any white wine you happen to have and still get a decent result. Just don't tell anybody in Sète that I said that. I use a mixture of two sugars, but I'm probably being a bit fussy there, so use just one if it's easier. The combination of orange flower water and vanilla is crucial to the character of the biscuit (well, that's what I think), bu

There are thousands of soda bread recipes on the net and this one isn't so very different, but I wanted to record my basic, perfect-for-soup (and other things) soda bread recipe. Forgive me if you've heard it all before.  Apart from the buttermilk, this recipe uses ingredients that I normally have to hand in my kitchen cupboards and fridge and so this is a bread that can be put together quickly with minimal effort. To that end, I use the packaged crispy onions that you can buy at pretty much any supermarket but don't let me stop you frying your own crispy onions, if you're so inclined.  Like other soda breads, this does not store well and should either be eaten quickly or frozen. Happily, it does freeze very well. The amount of buttermilk specified here might seem strange but buttermilk is most commonly sold in ½ pint measures in the UK. Let's just say that the reason for this is historic. 160g self-raising flour 160g wholegrain flour  1 tsp bicarbonate of soda  40g

Venison shanks are a flavourful, reasonably-priced (usually) cut of meat. They need lengthy cooking and are ideal for letting a slow cooker do all the hard work. This looks like quite a long recipe but it's actually a pretty straightforward and relaxed way to get beautifully tender meat which tastes a little different to the usual ways of flavouring venison.  I've owned a number of slow cookers over the years and I wish I could say that they all behave in exactly the same way. But I can't. So the cooking time here should be treated as a reasonable, but in no way foolproof, recommendation. I've used a five spice paste to give extra depth and make things easy, but a little five spice powder could be added instead, if that's what you have. I think the gochujang works particularly well with the venison, but you could substitute a different chilli paste (maybe a smoky one) if you prefer. This should be enough for 4 people and, since it delivers some punchy flavour, is pr

Marmalade is a joyous thing but I think it's worth making much wider use of Seville oranges.  They're sharp enough to be used in dressings in the place of lemons, for instance, and that dressing will work very well with roasted veg. They also work in sauces. Duck is a traditional choice but, for a change, try cooking pork fillet in an orange sauce. Apart from the oranges, this sauce is made up of ingredients that I tend to have to have knocking around in the kitchen, but it's possible to make substitutions with your chosen favourites. The important thing is to get the sweet and sour balance just the way you like it. If you want to use other types of orange, then they'll probably be (significantly) sweeter, so reduce the amount of maple syrup you use and, maybe, add a little lemon juice. This will serve 2. 1 pork fillet (tenderloin) Juice of 5 or 6 Seville oranges - about 150ml will be ideal 3 or 4 tsp maple syrup (add more or less to taste) 1 tsp dark soy sauce 1 tsp sw