To serve
crusty bread
1. Melt the butter in a large saucepan over a medium heat. When foaming, add the potatoes and onion, and toss in the butter until well coated, then season with salt and pepper. Turn the heat down, cover the pan and cook for 10 minutes or until the vegetables are soft, stirring regularly so that the vegetables don’t stick and burn.
2. Next, add the stock and bring to a rolling boil, then add the wild garlic leaves and cook for 2 minutes or until the leaves have wilted. Don’t overcook the soup at this stage or it will lose its fresh green colour and flavour.
3. Immediately pour into a blender and whiz until smooth, then return to the clean pan, stir in the cream and taste for seasoning.
4. Serve hot with crusty bread.
Beetroot soup with chives
SERVES 8–10
I remember my mum started making beetroot soup for dinner parties in the 1980s and back then I thought the vivid pink concoction was the epitome of chic. I still do, and love it that something so stunningly pretty can be that good for you.
900g (2lb) whole raw beetroot
25g (1oz) butter
225g (8oz) onions, chopped
1.2 litres (2 pints) chicken or vegetable stock
110ml (4fl oz) cream or milk, or a mixture
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
To serve
110g (4oz) sour cream or crème fraîche
2 tbsp finely chopped chives
1. Remove the leaves from the beetroot (use these for another recipe), then cut off most of the stalk, leaving about 2cm (¾in) still attached to the root. Leave the tails of the beetroot intact. Wash the beetroot carefully under a cold tap. Do not scrub them – simply rub off any dirt with your fingers. You don’t want to damage the skin or to cut off the top or tails, otherwise the beetroot will ‘bleed’ while cooking, losing important nutrients.
2. Place the beetroot in a saucepan and cover with cold water and a pinch of salt. Place over a medium heat and bring to a simmer. Cover, then continue to simmer for 30 minutes–2 hours, depending on the size and age of your beetroot. They are cooked when their skins rub off easily and a knife just slides into the centre.
3. While the beetroot cooks, melt the butter in a large saucepan over a low heat. When melted, add the onions and season with salt and pepper. Cover and cook for 8–10 minutes until soft but not coloured.
4. When the beetroot is cooked, rub off the skins and discard, then cut into chunks. Add to the onions with the stock. Bring to a rolling boil, then pour into a blender and whiz until it is quite smooth (be careful, beetroot will stain). Return to the pan over a medium heat, stir in the cream and/or milk, then taste and adjust the seasoning.
5. Serve hot, topped with a spoonful of sour cream or crème fraîche and a scattering of chives.
Almost-instant tomato and basil soup
SERVES 4
A delicious fresh-tasting soup that’s super-quick to make, this is like summer in a bowl. Like many soups, it can be frozen, too, for a taste of summer in any season!
25g (1oz) butter
125g (4½oz) white parts of spring onions, chopped (keep the green tops for another recipe)
1 garlic clove, chopped
400g (14oz) very ripe tomatoes, chopped or 1 × 400g tin chopped tomatoes
generous pinch of sugar
400ml (14fl oz) hot vegetable or chicken stock
50ml (2fl oz) regular or double cream
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
To serve
1 tbsp chopped basil or 4 tsp basil pesto
1. Melt the butter in a saucepan over a medium heat, then add the spring onions and garlic and season with salt and pepper. Cover the pan and sweat the onions for 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes and sugar. Turn up the heat and bring to the boil, then turn the heat down and simmer for 5 minutes. Add the stock, bring to the boil, then turn down the heat and simmer for a further 5 minutes. Add the cream and simmer for just 1 minute.
2. Transfer to a blender and whiz really well. Pour the soup through a fine sieve into a clean pan and gently reheat but do not boil the soup.
3. To serve, stir in the chopped basil or drizzle the basil pesto over each bowl.
Warm salad of hot-smoked duck, glazed navettes and toasted hazelnuts
SERVES 4
Duck reacts so well to a bit of hot smoke – the rich flavour of the meat is enhanced by its full-bodied aroma and the lovely layer of fat under the skin ensures the meat does not dry out during smoking. The little white turnips, called navettes, end up tender and coated in a delicious glaze set against the welcome crunch of the hazelnuts.
32 hazelnuts, chopped into 2 or 3 pieces and toasted (see tip)
4 navettes (small white turnips), cut into 6 or 8 wedges
15g (½oz) butter
2 duck breasts
4 good handfuls of bitter greens (watercress, rocket, mustard leaf, frisée)
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the dressing
1 tbsp good-quality sherry vinegar
3 tbsp hazelnut or walnut oil
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1. Place all the dressing ingredients in a bowl, season with salt and pepper and whisk well to combine. Set aside.
2. Place the navettes in a flameproof casserole or small saucepan. Add 3 tablespoons water and the butter, and season with salt and pepper. Cover with a tight-fitting lid and cook for 20 minutes over a medium heat. Check the navettes while they are cooking and remove the lid for the last few minutes of cooking time if there is still a lot of liquid in the casserole. They should be glazed but not wet.
3. Meanwhile, following the instructions for the Biscuit-Tin-Smoked Fish, put your duck breasts into the biscuit-tin smoker to smoke for 20 minutes while the navettes are cooking.
