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At the risk of sounding like everyone that has ever written about food, there really is something very comforting about having a cold roast chicken in the fridge. All too often, I fry left over boiled new potatoes up in some butter and olive oil, and eat these with slices of the breast meat and garlic mayonnaise, though this is a guilty pleasure I normally indulge in when alone. Last night something a little healthier, more restorative, was called for, and this chicken noodle soup really fits the bill; chillies provide a warming kick, parsley and lemon give a sharp, clean taste, and the noodles, chicken and vegetables lend some body. Cook it for someone who's feeling a little under the weather and they'll love you forever.
Serves 2, generously
A left over chicken carcass, stripped of any remaining meat
2 onions
1 carrot
2 sticks of celery
1 big leek
Half a cabbage
Handful of frozen peas
2 portions of dried noodles
3-4 of chillies
Bunch of parsley
1 lemon
Firstly, make up the stock, which is going to be the base of the soup. If I'm making this for dinner when I get in from work, I don't make the stock correctly; I just throw the carcass in a pan with chopped onions, carrot and celery, a couple of bay leaves and a sprig of thyme, then cover this with water and simmer it for about an hour and a half. Not the best stock in the world, but good enough for this soup and the longer you can leave it on the hob, the better it will be. Whilst the stock bubbles away, get the rest of the ingredients chopped and ready to go in to the soup. Trim and wash the leek, cut in half and thinly slice, do the same with the cabbage, roughly chop the chillies (I tend to leave the seeds in) and parsley, and shred any meat you salvaged from the carcass. When the stock's ready, strain to remove the carcass, meat scraps, and vegetables, then return to the pan. Add the leek, cabbage, chillies, peas, noodles and chicken and simmer for 5 minutes. At this point, check the seasoning; it will need salt and probably pepper, and add lemon juice to taste. Add the chopped parsley, stir through, and that's it, finished. Share between two large bowls, and you'll need a fork and spoon to tackle it or, if you're that way inclined, use chopsticks and drink the soup from the bowl...
I'm not much of a baker, really. Despite being a scientist, I'm not really one for weighing things out accurately or following recipes religiously, so this is my first stab at baking in a good long time, inspired by my friend Joe who has been providing colleagues with his home-baking recently. I chose flapjack as it was something I hoped I would struggle to mess up; even I can melt stuff in a pan, stir in oats and put it in the oven. The entire contents of the tin disappeared over coffee at work today, so I think they turned out OK. Hopefully this marks the the start of me baking more regularly...
Makes about 12 squares
150g of rolled oats
100g of golden syrup
80g of unsalted butter
2 tbsp of muscavado sugar
Pre-heat the oven to 180C and, while waiting, place the syrup, butter and sugar in a pan and place over a medium heat. When molten, pour the liquid into a bowl with the oats and stir together. Grease the inside of a brownie tray (or similar: I used a 25cm ceramic Le Creuset baking dish), pour in the mixture and spread out to an even thickness. Place in the oven for 20-25 minutes and, when done, take out and leave to cool. Once cold, slice the flapjack into squares, fingers... whatever you fancy, and store in an airtight tin. Should keep for a few days, will last a few minutes...
I am lazy. I am lazy enough that home-made pesto is something I wouldn't normally think to make; it's easy enough to pick some up from the Italian deli or, failing that, a jar from the supermarket. Our organic box this week had a big bunch of basil in which needed using up, so in a fit of domesticity I decided to give making my own a try. It really is very easy to do and I think I may even stick to making it from fresh in the future; it has a much more vivid colour and fresh taste when it's just made. One last thing: excuse my very rough measurements, as I was making it up as I went along.
Makes enough to fill a small kiln jar
A large bunch of basil
A handful of pine nuts
A half-handful of Parmigiano-Reggiano
Olive oil, probably around 100ml
Put the basil, pine nuts and parmesan into a food processor, and blitz until everything's smooth. Start adding the oil, and keep checking the consistency of the pesto; you're looking for a fairly runny paste, but stop adding oil before it becomes entirely liquid. When it'd done, spoon the pesto into a sterilised jar, and pour a thin film of oil over the surface, which should stop the top layer discolouring over time. In the fridge, it should last for a couple of weeks.
At the risk of sounding like everyone that has ever written about food, there really is something very comforting about having a cold roast chicken in the fridge. All too often, I fry left over boiled new potatoes up in some butter and olive oil, and eat these with slices of the breast meat and garlic mayonnaise, though this is a guilty pleasure I normally indulge in when alone. Last night something a little healthier, more restorative, was called for, and this chicken noodle soup really fits the bill; chillies provide a warming kick, parsley and lemon give a sharp, clean taste, and the noodles, chicken and vegetables lend some body. Cook it for someone who's feeling a little under the weather and they'll love you forever.
