As Strong As Soup

Dear Blog, Sorry that I haven’t written lately, but I’ve been busy – honest. It’s so much easier to find time to think about recipes in the winter. Anyway, ciambelloni….. I was under the impression that this was an Italian cake that was always relatively light, plain and simple. But then I kept coming across more and more variations – versions flavoured with saffron or lots of orange zest, decorated versions, denser versions made with shedfuls of butter.... So it seems that there may be as many versions as there are people who cook it and the only real constant is the ring shape. So, not to be outdone, here's my version which has the simple qualities that first got me interested. This cake is good at breakfast time with coffee or as a dessert with sweet wine or any time you like with a cup of tea. It’s pretty easy to make but even easier if you use a free-standing electric mixer. 250 g ricotta 220 g caster sugar 2 eggs, lightly beaten 1 tsp vanilla bean paste (or extract...

This is not a bread for making toast and marmalade or a quick sandwich; it’s a simple, dense bread for tearing apart and dipping into spicy soups and stews. I resurrected this recipe from an old notebook that I had been ignoring for some time and I’ve no idea where the original idea came from. You’ll need a frying pan of 23 cm diameter or thereabouts – it will be easier if it’s a non-stick one. This should serve 4 people. 450 g strong white bread flour 1 tsp salt 1½ tsp sugar 170 ml coconut milk 1 egg, lightly beaten 1 tbsp olive oil 2 tsp fast-action dried yeast For the topping:      2 tsp sesame seeds      ½ tsp dried thyme      1 tsp sumac      1 tsp sea salt flakes Put the flour, salt, sugar and a grind or two of pepper in a bowl and make a well in the centre. Combine the wet ingredients in a jug and stir in the dried yeast. Pour into the bowl with the dry ingredients and mix to form ...

I’ve always liked the idea of the very English, very old-fashioned Queen of Puddings – anything topped with meringue has to be a good thing after all. But the reality is that I find the sweetness can be overwhelming and the texture of the breadcrumbs can seem a little odd. For this version I’ve used a combination of lemon and almond flavours and I’ve substituted cake crumbs for the bread. This recipe works best using a zesty, sharp lemon curd and, though you could make your own, your local supermarket probably has a decent alternative (Waitrose sells a particularly good zesty curd). It’s possible to add more than the 2 spoonfuls of the lemon curd which will give more of a lemony sauce, but which will very possibly make the pudding look just a bit too messy for its own good. 600 ml milk Finely grated zest of 1 lemon 20 g butter, plus a bit for greasing the dish 75 g cake or brioche crumbs (Madeira cake works very well) 25 g ground almonds 4 eggs, separated 250 g caster sug...

Toward the end of this long, cold winter I have to admit that I’m getting a bit fed up with the idea of yet more root veg. It’s not that there’s anything wrong with them, but carrots seemed so much more interesting at the start of the winter. However, using a good can of Italian tomatoes adds a bit of sunshine and balances the sweetness nicely. This should make 5 or 6 portions 1 onion, finely chopped 500g (prepared weight) carrots, chopped 1 potato, about 150 g – 200 g, peeled and chopped Pinch of dried chilli flakes 1 litre chicken stock 400g tin of chopped tomatoes ½ tsp sugar Sprig of fresh rosemary 2 tsp sherry vinegar A little lemon juice In a large frying pan, soften the onion in a little oil, adding a drop or two of water to prevent it browning or cooking too quickly. Add the carrots, potato, chilli flakes and a grind or two of black pepper then pour over 750 ml of the stock. Bring to a simmer, cover the pan and cook gently for 15 minutes. Add the can of tomatoes, the su...

Oddly my wife seems to believe that you can have too many recipe books. At New Year 200 9 she challenged me to make at least one dish that I hadn’t made before from every one of the books that I’ve picked up here and there over the years. I’m not really sure how many that is but I’m sure it’s more than 200. Fourteen months later, I’ve managed 51, which is pretty poor, but I’m easily distracted.  During those 14 months I’ve only added half a dozen or so books to the collection and oddest among these additions is a copy of the Constance Spry Cookery Book that my father-in-law gave me. This book was published in the 1950s and comes from an alien world of shooting party luncheons, gills and yard men in country houses. It’s strangely refreshing to see food considered from such a different viewpoint.   One of the recipes in the book that particularly interested me is from a village baker in Savennières in the Loire valley. I didn’t really fancy making it the authentic Constance...

Duck can be expensive, but the legs seem to be the best value bit.  I’ve been told that duck sauces should be served with tagliatelle and, since I don’t want to argue with an Italian, I couldn’t agree more. (Although I’m sure that a different pasta of the same general type and shape might do instead). 2 duck legs (fairly meaty ones) 1 medium carrot, very finely chopped 1 shallot, finely chopped 2 garlic cloves, crushed ½ glass red wine 400 g tin of chopped tomatoes Pinch of sugar ½ tsp dried oregano or about 1 tsp of chopped fresh leaves Season the duck legs all over and roast at 180°C (in a fan oven, a little hotter otherwise) for 50 minutes. Set them aside until they are cool enough to handle, remove the skin and strip all the meat from the bones, getting rid of as much fat as reasonably possible as you go. Hopefully you should be left with small but irregular bits of meat. In the meantime, heat a little olive oil and fry the shallots and carrots gently for 7 or 8 minutes. A...

I seem to use parsnips a lot for soups during the winter – their sweetness seems very comforting. This is a really easy soup, the only trick is to use the right amount of lime to get the balance of sweet and sour just the way you like it. Makes around 3 portions 2 rashers bacon, chopped 1 small onion, very finely chopped 1 tsp fresh ginger, very finely chopped or grated 2 cloves garlic, crushed 1 tbsp dark brown soft sugar Generous pinch of dried chilli flakes ½ glass marsala 200 g parsnips, prepared weight, i.e. peeled, any woody bits from the core removed and cut into chunks 1 medium potato, peeled and chopped into small chunks 900 ml chicken or vegetable stock 2 tsp maple syrup 3 or 4 tsp lime juice Fry the bacon briefly with a splash of olive oil in a large frying pan until some of the bacon fat is released and it starts to take on a little colour. Remove the bacon and set aside but leave the fat in the pan. Add the onion to the pan, with an extra splash of oil if necessar...