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Cooking for Friends

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Год написания книги
2019
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Conger eels are considered a delicacy by the French and Japanese, and rightly so. Here I’ve used the eel as a base for a flavourful fish soup. It’s rich, so serve it in small bowls as a starter with a few garlic croutes on the side.

SERVES 4-6

2kg conger eel fillets (get your fishmonger to remove the skin and cut the meat into

boneless fillets) pinch of saffron strands olive oil, for cooking 1 fennel bulb, finely sliced

1 carrot, chopped

2 celery stalks, chopped

1 shallot, chopped

2 garlic cloves, crushed 2 star anise

generous pinch of cayenne pepper

250ml Pernod or Noilly Prat

1 large potato, about 300g, finely diced

5 vine-ripened plum tomatoes, deseeded and chopped

sprig each of basil and flat-leaf parsley, leaves chopped

1 litre hot fish stock (see page 262)

squeeze of lemon juice (optional)

Season the eel fillets with salt, pepper and saffron, then drizzle over a little olive oil. Toss well to coat evenly. Heat a thin layer of olive oil in a wide pan. Fry the eel fillets in batches over a moderate heat for 2-3 minutes on each side. Remove to a plate and set aside.

Add a little more oil to the pan and toss in the fennel, carrot, celery, shallot, garlic, star anise and cayenne pepper. Stir frequently over a medium heat for a few minutes. Pour in the Pernod and boil until reduced to a syrupy consistency. Add the potato, tomatoes and herbs, then return the eel to the pan. Pour in enough stock to cover and bring to a simmer. Cook gently for about 15-20 minutes until the potatoes are very soft.

Fish out and discard the star anise. In batches, blend the soup until smooth, holding a tea towel over the blender as you blitz to avoid hot-soup splatters. Strain the soup through a fine sieve into a clean pan, pressing down to extract all the liquid.

Return the soup to a gentle simmer and reheat for a few minutes. Taste and adjust the seasoning, adding a squeeze of lemon juice if you wish. Pour into warm soup bowls and serve immediately.

Italian-style turnip soup (#ulink_b19712c1-921a-5338-8e93-b4665a80469b)

This is a great quick and healthy soup for a weeknight supper. It is also ideal for vegetarians – simply omit the bacon and use vegetable stock. You also could add a mixture of root vegetables and replace the rice with macaroni or other pasta.

SERVES 4-6

knob of butter

1 tbsp olive oil, plus extra

to drizzle 3 rashers of streaky bacon,

chopped 1 medium onion, chopped

into 1cm dice 450g turnips, chopped into

1cm dice 150g risotto rice, such as

carnaroli, vialone nano or

arborio 800ml hot chicken or

vegetable stock (see

pages 258-9) 5-6 heaped tbsp freshly

grated parmesan handful of flat-leaf parsley,

leaves chopped

Heat the butter and oil in a large saucepan. As the butter begins to foam, add the bacon and fry for 3-4 minutes until golden brown. Stir in the onion, turnips and some salt and pepper and cook for another 6-8 minutes until the vegetables are soft and lightly golden. Tip in the rice and stir well, adding a little more oil if necessary. Toast the rice for a minute, then pour in the stock to cover. Give the mixture a stir, then partially cover the pan. Simmer gently for 15-20 minutes until the rice is tender. Taste and adjust the seasoning, and add a little boiling water as necessary to increase the broth.

Just before serving, stir in 2 tbsp of parmesan. Ladle the soup into warm bowls and sprinkle over the remaining parmesan and the chopped parsley. Serve immediately.

Cornish crab soup (#ulink_3b888785-7cb1-5e72-99c8-8fde9d4c666b)

This crab soup instantly transports me to lovely holidays by the Cornish coast. It may seem like a lot of effort to pick out the flesh from the crab and use the shells to make your own stock, but, trust me, the results are well worth it.

SERVES 4

1 large cooked crab, about 1.5kg

3 tbsp olive oil

1 onion, finely chopped

1 large carrot, finely chopped

2 celery stalks, finely chopped 1 large garlic clove, sliced

1 lemongrass stalk, roughly chopped

1 tbsp tomato purée

splash of brandy or cognac

200ml Noilly Prat or dry white wine

3 plum tomatoes, chopped

sprig each of basil, tarragon and parsley
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