Home-Brew Recipes

Archive for the ‘Soups & Salads’ Category

The combination of sweet beetroot, zesty orange and warm cinnamon is both unusual and delicious, and this dish makes a healthy light meal served with some warm, crusty bread to mop up the vibrant juices.

Ingredients:

675 g- beetroot steamed or boiled then peeled, 1 – peeled orange and sliced, 30ml – orange flower water, 1 tablespoon – ground cinnamon, salt and ground black pepper to taste.

Preparation Method:

• Quarter the cooked beetroot, then slice the quarters. Arrange the beetroot on a plate with the orange slices or toss them together in a bowl.
• Gently heat the orange flower water with the sugar, stir in the cinnamon and season to taste. Pour over the beetroot and orange salad and chill for atleast 1 hour before serving.

Usually served cooked, raw young tender turnips have a tangy, slightly peppery flavor and a crunchy texture. Serve this as an accompaniment for grilled poultry or meat. It is also delicious as an appetite garnished with parsley or paprika, and served with warmed flat breads such as pitta or naan. Garnish the salad with fresh flat leaf parsly and paprika if you like.

Ingredients:

2 – peeled tender turnips, ¼ – finely chopped onions, 60ml – sour cream, 2 drops – white wine vinegar.

Preparation Method:

1. Thinly slice or coarsely grate the turnips. Alternatively, slice half the turnips and grate the remaining half. Put it in the bowl.
2. Add the onion and vinegar and season to taste with salt and plenty of freshly ground black pepper. Toss together, then stir in the sour cream. Chill with before serving.
3. You can use large white radishes instead of turnips for a more peppery flavor. Simply, peel then thinly slice or coarsely grate the radishes.
4. Crème fraiche or natural yogurt can be substituted for the sour cream, if you prefer.

With their tangy flavor, orange segments are the perfect partner for tender chicken in this tasty and wholesome rice salad.

Ingredients:

3 – large seedless oranges, 450g – cooked chicken, 75g – almonds or cashew nuts which are toasted, mixed salad leaves to serve, 175g – long grain rice, 175ml – home-made vinaigrette, 10ml – strong Dijon mustard, 2.5ml – caster sugar and salt and ground black pepper to taste.

Preparation Method:

1. Pare one of the oranges thinly, removing only the rind, not the white pith. Put the pieces of rind in a pan and add the rice.
2. Pour in 475ml water and bring to the boil. Cover and cook over a very low heat for about 15 minutes or until the rice is tender and all the water has been absorbed.
3. Meanwhile, peel the oranges, removing all the white pith. Working over a plate to catch the juices, separate them into segments. Tip the juices into a small bowl and add the vinaigrette with the mustard and sugar, whisking to continue.
4. When the rice is cooked, remove it from the heat and discard the pieces of orange rind. Spoon into a bowl, let it cool slightly then add half of the dressing. Toss well, and then set aside to cool.
5. Add the chicken, chives, toasted nuts and orange segments to the cooled rice. Pour over the remaining dressing and toss gently to combine. Serve on a bed of mixed salad leaves.

Made with the freshest of seasonal ingredients, this classic Provencal salad makes a simple yet unbeatable summer dish. Serve with warm country-style bread for a nutritious and sustaining main meal.

Ingredients:

115g – trimmed green beans, 115 g – mixed salad leaves, ½ small cucumber, 4 – ripe tomatoes, 50 g – drained anchovies, 4 – hard-boiled eggs, 1 – tuna steak, ½ – bunch of small radishes, 50g – small black olive, 2 – cloved garlic cloves, 90ml – extra virgin olive oil, 15ml – white wine vinegar, salt and ground black pepper to taste.

Preparation Method:

1. To make the dressing, whisk together 90 ml of the olive oil, the garlic and the vinegar in the bowl and season to taste with salt and pepper. Alternatively shake together in a screw-top jar. Set aside.
2. Cook the green beans in a pan of boiling water for 2 minutes, until just tender, then drain.
3. Mix together the salad leaves, sliced cucumber, tomatoes and green beans in a large, shallow bowl. Have the anchovies lengthways and shell and quarter the eggs.
4. Preheat the grill. Brush the tuna with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and black pepper. Grill for 4 minutes on each side until cooked through. Cool, the flake with a fork.
5. Sprinkle the flaked tuna, sliced anchovies, quartered eggs, radishes and olives over the salad. Pour over the dressing and toss together lightly to combine. Serve immediately.

This makes a substantial main course soup in winter, served with fresh crusty bread. You will need nothing more than a mixed green salad or fresh winter fruit to follow, such as satsumas or tangerines.

Ingredients:

1.3kg – chicken, 1 – small head of celery, 1 – coarsely chopped onion, 1 – bay leaf, a few fresh parsley sprigs, a few fresh tarragon sprigs, 2.5liters – water, 3 – large leeks, 2 – potatoes cut into chunks, 150ml – dry white wine, 30 tbsp – single cream, 90g – pancetta, 75ml – olive oil and salt and ground black pepper.

Preparation Method:

1)      Cut the breasts off the chicken and set aside. Chop the rest of the chicken carcass into 8 pieces and place them in a large pan or stockpot.

2)      Chop 4 of the outer sticks of the head of the celery and add them to the pan with coarsely chopped onion. Tie the bay leaf, parsley stalks and tarragon sprigs together to make a bouquet garni and add to the pan. Pour in the cold water to cover the ingredients and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and cover the pan with a lid, then simmer for 1 ½ hours.

3)      Remove the chicken form the pan using a slotted spoon and cut off and reserve the meat.

4)      Strain the stock through a sieve, then return it to the cleaned pan and boil rapidly until it has reduced in volume to about 1.5 liters.

5)      Set about 150g of the leek. Slice the remaining leeks and the remaining celery leaves. Chop the celery leaves and set them aside to garnish the soup.

6)      Heat half the oil in a large, heavy pan. Add the sliced leeks and celery, cover and cook over a low heat for about 10 minutes, or until the vegetables are softened but now browned. Add the potatoes, wine and 1.2litres of the stock.

7)      Season with a little salt and plenty of black pepper, bring to the boil and reduce the heat. Part-cover the pan and slimmer the soup for 15 minutes or until the potatoes are cooked.

8)       Check and adjust the seasoning as required, bring to the boil and reduce the heat. Part-cover the pan and simmer the soup for 15 minutes.

9)      Thickly slice the reserved leeks, add to the frying pan and cook, stirring occasionally for a further 4 minutes until they are just cooked.

10)   Stir in the crea, if using and the chicken and leek mixture. Reheat the soup gently.

11)   Serve with warmed bowls. Crumble the pancetta over the soup and sprinkle with the celery leaves or reserved leek slices.