the bacon is cooked, add it to the bowl with the chicken, followed by all the remaining ingredients. Season to taste with salt and pepper, then toss together and serve.
The Thai tradition of making a specially flavoured paste as a base for soups is a great way of dispersing flavours, but it’s also such a convenient method for entertaining, as the paste can be made beforehand and will keep for a week or two. I’ve used tiger prawns here, but you could use any prawns or chicken.
SERVES 3–4
75g (3oz) egg or rice noodles (optional)
1 × 400ml tin of coconut milk
450ml (16fl oz) chicken stock
250g (9fl oz) peeled raw tiger prawns
For the paste
1 bunch of coriander
1 lemongrass stalk (outer layer removed), roughly chopped
3 cloves of garlic, peeled
2 tbsp light soy sauce
1 tbsp fish sauce (nam pla)
2 tbsp caster sugar
½ red chilli, deseeded
To serve
½ red chilli, deseeded and sliced
Juice of 1 lime
A few splashes of fish sauce (nam pla)
1 Cook the egg or rice noodles (if using) following the instructions on the packet, then drain and rinse through with cold water. Drain again.
2 For the paste, remove the leaves from the coriander and chop 4 tablespoons of the leaves to serve. Set aside and put the stalks, together with the rest of the paste ingredients and 2 tablespoons of water, in a food processor. Whiz for 1–2 minutes or until smooth.
3 Pour into a large saucepan and cook for 1 minute on a medium heat, then add the coconut milk and stock and gently warm through for 5 minutes. Add the prawns and noodles (if using) and cook for a further 2 minutes.
4 To serve, stir in the chilli, chopped coriander leaves, lime juice and fish sauce, and pour into warmed bowls.
VARIATION
Thai chicken soup: Make the recipe as above, replacing the prawns with thin slices of raw chicken, adding the chicken 2 minutes before the noodles.
This has to be one of my very favourite things to eat! It’s a sort of rough pâté. Traditionally made just with pork, rillettes is now prepared with other types of meat and even fish, but the original is the best in my opinion. I usually pot it and serve it as a starter or for lunch with delicious breads from the market and some cornichons on the side. It will keep for a few months if left completely covered in the fat in a sealed jar.
MAKES 1 LITRE (1¾ PINTS)
500g (1lb 2oz) pork belly
500g (1lb 2oz) pork shoulder
200ml (7fl oz) dry white wine
6 cloves of garlic, peeled and roughly chopped
½ tsp freshly grated nutmeg
½ tsp ground black pepper, plus extra if needed
2 tsp sea salt, plus extra if needed
2 bay leaves
1 tbsp chopped thyme or rosemary leaves
Medium-sized casserole dish or ovenproof saucepan
1 Preheat the oven to 150°C (300°F), Gas mark 2.
2 Remove the rind and fat from the top of the pork and cut the flesh into 1–2cm (½–¾in) cubes. Also cut the pork shoulder into 1–2cm (½–¾in) cubes. Set the shoulder and flesh aside. Roughly chop the pork belly rind and fat into a few pieces and place in a roasting tin. Cook in the oven for ½–1 hour to render the fat, then pour the liquid into a bowl and discard (or eat!) the cooked rind. Set aside until later.
3 To make the rillettes, place all the remaining ingredients in a casserole dish or ovenproof saucepan with the meat. Place on a medium heat, stirring to mix everything together. Bring to simmering point, then cover with a lid and transfer to the oven. The rillettes need to cook for about 5 hours; all the fat on the meat should be rendered into liquid and the meat should be flaky and not at all chewy. You can break the meat up a little if you wish.
4 Taste for seasoning, then transfer to one or more sterilised preserving jars (see tip below), packing the meat down tightly and pouring over the rendered fat to just cover the meat. Allow to cool to room temperature so the fat has solidified before serving.
RACHEL’S TIP
To sterilise jars and bottles, put them through a dishwasher cycle, boil in a large saucepan filled with water for 5 minutes or place in a preheated oven (150°C/300°F/Gas mark 2) for 10 minutes.
Game terrine with celeriac remoulade
I adore this kind of food for casual entertaining: thick slabs of a wonderful rustic winter terrine sitting on slices of crusty white or sourdough bread and some tangy celeriac remoulade on the side. This is great to serve for lunch when having friends staying over for the weekend. If you have a mincer, the texture will be better, however, you can mince meat in a food processor by pulsing a few times to get very small pieces.
SERVES AT LEAST 6
25g (1oz) butter, plus extra for greasing
1 large onion, peeled and very finely chopped
Salt and ground black pepper
300g (11oz) boneless mixed game bird meat, minced or pulsed in a food processor
200g (7oz) minced pork (at least 20% fat)
50g (2oz) streaky bacon, minced or pulsed in a food processor
Large
