Soups, Salads and Starters
Making soup is not hard but there is a golden rule; don’t boil it. Boiling brings out scum and changes the flavour of the veg. It’s much better to start it with whatever flavours you need, sweat the ingredients, and then gently simmer after adding the stock. Reheating is fine too but again don’t boil it, just heat it up gently ‘til it starts to bubble.
If you are putting meat or poultry in it, you are likely to get a scum forming on top; a mixture of fat and juices. There’s nothing wrong with it but it doesn’t look great so skim it off with a spoon.
These recipes are tried and tested ideas but you could use anything in most of them using the same method: replace the potatoes in Vichyssoise with carrots and add in some chopped coriander for a classic, the variations are endless once you know how to make the basic thing.
Yum Yum! This is a beautiful thing
This is a very beautiful hot and sour soup from Thailand. You can just about make it vegetarian, but the fish sauce is important in my view.
It's what the mackerel would have wanted!
Well, I would if I were a dead mackerel. At least it didn't die in vain.
The best soup in the world
This is inspired by a Rick Stein recipe that is absolutely lovely.
Not authentic in any way
But if someone says they’d like a spring roll, then I’m here for them!
Ever wondered what tinned peas were for?
Well, it's this
It's not exactly cooking
Well, this is predominantly a food site, even if I am using it to blog about spending a couple of months in Spain.
Any excuse to use nuoc cham and rare beef
Use any salad you like - we are weird in Europe in that we make a salad from veg and variations on lettuce and then add a few herbs whereas in other parts of the world herbs are the salad. Tabouleh in the Middle East for example isn't parsley in salad, it's parsley as salad.
