Paprika and Cumin Soup

Cold weather and snow makes me think of soup, as I'm sure it does most people.

This Paprika and cumin soup has a high level of garlic too and is probably up there with chicken soup if you are feeling under the weather or just in need of an infusion of spice on a Winter's day.

For this recipe I have used my base vegetable stock but any good shop bought one will be good for this as would a light chicken stock if you think you may need a protein injection as well.  As the stock never goes above simmering temperature, there less evaporation than with many other soups so less stock is required.  However, this is very scalable recipe and for those of you who love more of a kick (but keeping the essence of the soup itself) increase the spice load in the appropriate ratio otherwise the black pepper does tend to overpower the cumin.

Five or six large fresh Paprika or sweet peppers are needed for this, but experiment as I've also made a thicker version with twice as many.  For this particular soup I use red ones but if you like, you can use the slightly sour greens which are also particularly tasty - but as they less fleshy, they do need a lower heat (say 150c).  Roast these whole and slowly in a medium (160c) oven for about 30 minutes.  Put a layer of oven foil on your baking sheet and sprinkle with just a little olive oil.

• Five or six large Paprika or sweet peppers (as above)
• Two dessert spoons of cumin seeds
• One dessert spoon of black pepper corns
• 25 mls of good olive oil
• One large white Spanish onion, halved and roughly chopped
• Five large cloves of garlic roughly chopped
• 25 mls of cold water
• One teaspoon of salt
• One litre of vegetable stock
• 50 mls of dry vermouth

In a spice mill, freshly grind the cumin and peppers corns.

In a large pan, and over a medium heat, add the olive oil and as this starts to warm through add the onion and garlic.  As these start to soften, add the ground spices and stir constantly until the onion just begins to change colour.  Add the cold water and lower the heat.  As the onion/spice paste starts to thicken slightly, add the salt and about a third of the stock.

Meanwhile, taking the Paprika/sweet peppers out of the oven and allow to cool enough to handle.  De-stalk and seed them and roughly chop them up.  The stock should be warming through and just below simmering point when you add the peppers.  Stir and then add the remaining stock and again bring to just below simmering point.  Take off the heat and cover and allow the flavours to amalgamate for approximately an hour or more.

About 30 minutes before you are ready to serve, blend the soup to a smooth consistency and add the vermouth.  Place on a low to medium heat and again, bring just below the simmer point.

Serve with a small spoon of sour cream in the centre and a little bowl of caramelised onions on the side.

Potatoes, a taste of Provence

Feeling the pangs for Summer, or at least warmer temperatures and a little sunshine amongst the grey clouds, colour on your plate is always satisfying as is the freshness of peppers and spring shoots.

Although our bodies crave the reassurance of carbohydrates it is our minds that crave the Summer sun.

A simple dish to allow both body and mind to be at peace is potato dish which brings with it the taste of Provence and a little of the sun further around the Mediterranean.

• Two good sized waxy potatoes, sliced thinly
• Three or four anchovy fillets, chopped finely
• Four dessert spoons of parsley, chopped finely
• A dessert spoon of capers, chopped finely
• A handful of olives, pitted and chopped
• A large clove of garlic, grated
• Two large red sweet peppers, one sliced thinly and the other liquidised or passed through a sieve
• 25 mls of dry sherry
• 50 mls of vegetable stock

Pre-heat your oven to 160c.

In a medium sized Gratin dish, place a layer of potato, a sprinkling of anchovy, parsley, capers, olives and garlic and few strips of pepper.  Repeat for three layers.

In a small bowl, add the sherry, stock and liquidised pepper and pour gently over the top.  Cover tightly with kitchen foil and place into your oven for about an hour and a half.

Serve with grilled fish and a very cold glass of something fizzy on the side.

Baked Beetroot with Feta

One of the pleasures of Winter cooking are the abundance of root vegetables. 

I love most of what Winter can throw at me but I do gravitate towards beetroot and onions.  If only because of the alchemy involved when cooking both these vegetables can make them rather addictive.

Baking (as opposed to roasting) beetroot is mainly due the amount of liquid and heat applied.  I don't think the method I outline below can be called roasting per se, as the outcome isn't browned vegetables, rather a more sturdy braised version.

I've utilised some bulb fennel is this recipe, although not essential as I have used fennel seeds in other incantations which have also worked very well indeed.

Using sesame oil along with a cooking oil is also one of my preferred flavourings, not just because of the flavour itself, in this case, but because there is such an effective coupling with the sweetness of the root vegetables that really does make this dish sing.

For this, I've used an oven tray with a deep (1 inch lip), so it acts as a shallow dish more than a tray.  With this mind, a large, shallow dish would also be an option, but in either case, remember to toss the vegetables regularly so that they do not dry out.   The liquid in the tomatoes and fennel should be enough, but do add a little water with a touch of sherry vinegar, if they start to catch (thereby imitating the slight acidity of the tomatoes).

• 25 mls of olive oil
• One dessert spoon of sesame oil
• Five or six small to medium sized beetroots, with three inches of stalk remaining and scrubbed thoroughly, quartered lengthwise
• One large bulb of fennel, sliced thinly
• Two medium sized red onions, cut into wedges
• Two large tomatoes, cored and cut into wedges
• Two teaspoons of dried thyme
• One teaspoon of salt
• A handful of black pitted olives, chopped roughly
• 200 grams of feta, chopped roughly
• 3 dessert  spoons of chopped parsley

Preheat your oven to 190c.

In a large bowl add all the ingredients except the olives and feta and toss thoroughly so that oil and seasonings evenly coat them.

Add to the tray as evenly as possible and place in the oven for an initial 20 minutes.  Toss the vegetables and return to the oven for a further 15 to 20 minutes and toss again, this time adding the chopped olives. 

After a further 10 minutes, the beetroot should be almost done, the colour should be still be dark and flesh should be firm but not undercooked.    Turn off the oven and add the feta now over the top of the vegetables and place back into the oven for a further 10 minutes so that it softens in the residual heat.

On taking out of the oven, toss once more with half the parsley and sprinkle the remaining parsley on top.   A great dish on its own (generous portions for two) or as an accompaniment or winter starter.

Kitchen Diary: a simple fish pate

Eliot was a neighbour of a friend.  He was a "theatrical bachelor" in his mid-sixties and had lived in his studio flat just off the Charing Cross Road for over twenty years when I met him in the late eighties.

He was a handsome gentleman and very well attired.  John, my friend at the time was an assistant booking agent and Eliot had been one of the actors who from time to time he had encountered along the way.  After a while they had become friends.

The studio itself was on the third floor of a Victorian mansion block, from the communal stairwell you entered directly into a large room with a recess at the back which was curtained and behind which was the sleeping arrangements.  Just to the side of this was a little inner hall with two doors, one to bathroom and the other to a little kitchen.

His kitchen was literally a large cupboard with a window, not much more than six feet square with a small service sink and drainer, a 1950's bright green pantry cupboard and a small one ring hob on a waist high shelf, lined up against a wall.  Just inside the door was a small table and chair which looked out of a window towards the stage door of a famous theatre.  John and I visited him a few times for tea, he thought me a bit of a bubble head to begin with (I was 19 when I first met him), but when he realised my love of food, he also showed an uncanny ability for imaginative preparations.  With very scarce kitchen amenities John told me later, this very small flat was routinely the centre for small scale receptions.  So handy was its location, Eliot's fellow actors would come by for impromptu theatre salons and literary discussions well into the small hours.

This quick fish pate (and a number variations on this theme) was particularly good.

• One small fillet of skinned salmon, poached and mashed
• One hard boiled egg, mashed well
• Two dessert spoons of chopped parsley
• The juice of a small lemon
• 25 grams of softened salted butter
• A dessert spoon of chopped caper berries
• A good helping (of say half a teaspoon) of ground black pepper
• A pinch of cayenne pepper

Mixed thoroughly together, with a little added vegetable or other tasteless oil if the mixture is too solid.

Eliot served this with thin slices of French bread, which he had griddled on a flat iron over the single ring of his hob.

Related food links:

Retro Entertaining, 1980s Style
Entertaining, Simple Asparagus Rolls
Entertaining, Three Best Dips
Entertaining, Mid-Week cheeky one - Bloody Mary Tomatoes
Retro Entertaining, Leeks Vinaigrette
Entertaining, Mid-Week cheeky one - Chilli Baby Aubergines
 

Five January pick-me-ups

Christmas and New Year's Day are now over and either you are of the mind to wash away all those extra pounds, hibernate until the mornings start getting lighter or simply to feel better about the things you drink or eat, here are five great ways to beat the Winter blues.

Morning smoothies:  a great way to increase vitamins but also a brilliant alternative to breakfast too - especially if you are in a rush in the morning.  Try utilising some dried fruits (such as sour cherries or apricots - kept soaking in the fridge in apple juice) to give a little more substance and, if you need that spike of spice, add freshly grated ginseng, ginger or dried chili flakes which are a great way to wake up those taste buds.

Green tea:  an acquired taste for some, but if you're finding it hard even with the promise of all those extra anti-oxidants, try adding a bag of mint or blackcurrant tea to the mix as well.

Slow roasting:  already a fan?  Our bodies crave root vegetables at this time of year and slow roasting brings out their natural sugars and flavours.   Adding vegetable stock and blitzing in a food processor is an easy soup to make and you can make the flavours you want, use as little fat as you want and take any excess to work for lunch - also saving the pennies to beat the January blues.  Great flavour combinations would be ginger and beetroot, carrot and fennel seed and one of my particular favourites, parsnip and cumin.

Uplifting colours on your plate:  we are cheered by bright colours and best of all, foods which are deeper in colour tend to loaded in vitamins.  Use kale and red cabbage as much as you can and, although mentioned above with ginger, beetroot roasted and allowed to cool with steamed carrots is just heaven on a plate, try making a warm salad dressing with sesame oil and aged balsamic.

Let the sun shine:  it's a simple thing, I realise that many of us work during the day, but if you are an office worker and the sun is out, take a minimum of 30 minutes to take a walk in it.  Sunshine makes us feel good even if the temperature is minus 5, its still good to feel sunshine on your face.