Home Made: Good, honest food made easy

400g tin of chopped tomatoes

1.5 litres/2

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pints good-quality fish stock

2 tsp fresh or dried marjoram

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-1 tsp cayenne pepper

700g/1

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lb fresh cod or pollack, skinned and cut into 4cm/1

/

inch chunks

100g/3

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oz peeled raw prawns

1 tbsp chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

salt and black pepper

Tabasco sauce to serve

Serves: 6-8

Prep time: 30 minutes

Cooking time: 30 minutes

1 Choose a large saucepan with a lid. Heat the oil in the pan on a low-medium heat and add the onions along with the garlic and chillies. Cover and cook for 8-10 minutes, until softened. Add the red and green peppers and sweat until softened slightly.

2 Pour the contents of the pan into a food processor along with the tomatoes and blend until smooth.

3 Return the mixture to the saucepan and add the stock, marjoram and cayenne pepper. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for about 10 minutes. Add salt to taste, then stir in the fish and prawns and cook gently for no more than 10 minutes – be careful not to overcook.

4 Add the parsley and serve in warm bowls. The Tabasco and a grinding of black pepper should be added to taste once the soup is served.

WHY NOT TRY …

If cooking for a dinner party, try roasting and skinning the peppers before adding to the soup.

Cullen skink (#ulink_85f7b2cf-15a7-560d-8a0e-6f4578d43782)

Good-quality smoked haddock fillet is essential to this recipe as its flavour is crucial to the success of the finished soup. I prefer to use Charlotte potatoes as they keep their colour and shape.

60g/2

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oz butter

2 medium onions, peeled and finely chopped

1kg/2

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lb Charlotte potatoes, peeled and diced into 1cm/

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inch cubes

800ml/1 pint 7fl oz full-fat milk

500g/1lb 2oz undyed smoked haddock fillet

50ml/2fl oz whipping cream

black pepper and perhaps a little salt

chopped chives to garnish

Serves: 4-6

Prep time: 20 minutes

Cooking time: 30 minutes plus 10 minutes standing

1 Choose a large saucepan with a tight-fitting lid. Melt the butter in the pan on a low-medium heat, add the onions and fry for 5 minutes, until softening. Add the potatoes and continue to fry for another 5 minutes or so until they are just beginning to soften. Add the milk and bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 5 minutes.

2 Lay the haddock on top of the potatoes and milk, folding the thin end of the tail underneath, if necessary, so it fits in the pan. Cover with the lid and reduce the heat to a minimum so that it is barely simmering. Cook for 10 minutes. Remove from the heat. Keep the lid on and leave for a further 10 minutes, until the haddock is just cooked.

3 Remove the haddock from the pan, place on a plate and leave until cool enough to handle. Flake the flesh, discarding the skin and any bones. Return the fish to the pan, season with pepper and a little salt if necessary, and stir gently to combine. Add the cream and slowly bring back to the boil.

4 Serve in warm bowls, garnished with chives and ground black pepper, and accompanied by plenty of crusty brown bread.