This is a thick and rich soup, perfect for winter. It also makes a great starter for a dinner party; just serve it in small portions as it is quite rich. The truffle oil makes this soup even more luxurious, but you can easily leave this out. You can also use less cream if you prefer a lighter soup.
Ingredients
- 50g butter
- 3 large leeks
- 2 white onions, chopped
- 3 large potatoes, cubed
- 2 sticks celery, chopped
- 1 litre chicken stock
- 200ml single cream
- ½ tsp truffle oil (optional)
- salt & pepper
Method
- Remove the green portion of the leeks and wash thoroughly. Slice the white part of the leeks.
- Heat the butter in a large saucepan and add the sliced leeks, along with the potatoes and celery. Add a good pinch of salt and cover the saucepan. Cook on a low heat for 10 minutes until the vegetables have softened completely.
- Add the chicken stock and whizz using a stick blender. Simmer gently for 5 minutes then stir through the truffle oil and cream. Season to taste with salt and plenty of freshly-ground black pepper. Garnish with a drop of truffle oil or a blob of cream and some finely chopped chives.
Serves 4.
Here’s a great cocktail to serve at Christmas. I made this recently after discovering the recipe in GoodFood magazine. I like to serve cocktails in pitchers - it saves all that faffing around with measures and cocktail shakers. Put plenty of ice in a pitcher and add 150ml gin, 300ml cranberry juice, some mint leaves and a bottle of sparkling wine (or champers if you’re feeling flush). Add some mixed berries for an attractive garnish. Very tasty and no fuss.
At the beginning of the twentieth century, the majority of Indians did not know how to make a cup of tea and were reluctant to drink one. Now that India is both the world’s major producer and consumer of tea, this seems incredible. It confounds the myth that the British acquired their love of tea from their Indian subjects. In fact, it was the British who introduced tea to the Indians. Although they barely changed the way Indians eat, the British radically altered what they eat and drink. While the introduction of a wide variety of European and American vegetables to India was an inadvertent by-product of British rule, the conversion of the population to tea-drinking was the result of what must have been the first major marketing campaign in India. The British-owned Indian Tea Association set itself the task of first creating a new habit among the Indian population, and then spreading it across the entire subcontinent.
Extract from “Curry - A Biography” by Lizzie Collingham.
If like me, you tend to “over-indulge” when you eat Indian food, chai is a great option for dessert when you’re too full, but you still want to satisfy that sweet tooth. The fragrant spices are infused in boiling water and milk before the tea is steeped. Chai is also believed to be great for tummy upsets and generally aiding digestion.
Even if you’re not accustomed to taking sugar in your tea, don’t skip on the sweetening. You need it to bring out the warmth and flavour of the spices.
Ingredients
- 350ml water
- 100 ml milk
- 5 cardamom pods, lightly crushed
- 5 black peppercorns
- 3 cloves
- ½ tsp fennel seeds
- piece of cinnamon stick (about 5cm)
- slice of ginger root (about 2cm thick)
- 1 tsp tea leaves (black tea)
- 1-2 tsp sugar
Method
- Heat the water, milk, ginger and spices in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and leave simmer gently for 15 minutes.
- Take off the heat and add the tea leaves. Leave to stand for 3 minutes before straining into a mug and sweetening to taste with a little sugar. A teaspoon or two should do it.
Serves 1.
Salsa verde makes a great accompaniment to fish or chicken. Absolutely addictive. Just blitz the following ingredients (apart from the grain mustard) in a food processor and season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Ingredients
- ½ clove garlic
- 1 tbsp capers
- 2 handfuls flat-leaf parsley
- 1 handful fresh mint
- 1 handful fresh basil
- juice of ½ lemon
- extra-virgin olive oil (enough to give a sauce consistency)
- 2 tsp grain mustard
