Recipes: Thai chicken soup

Create a mouth-watering chicken soup with leftovers from your roast lunch

Ingredients

140g soba or wholewheat noodles
100g beansprouts
2 pak choi , leaves separated
1 red chilli , deseeded and sliced
1 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp honey
juice 1 lime , plus wedges to serve
4 spring onions , sliced
½ small bunch mint , roughly chopped

FOR THE BROTH

1 roast chicken carcass and wings
thumb-sized piece ginger , bashed and sliced
1 garlic clove , crushed
2 spring onions , sliced
5 peppercorns

1. To make the broth, place the chicken carcass and wings in a large pan. Cover with cold water, then add the rest of the ingredients and simmer for 1 hr.
2. Strain the chicken broth into a clean pan. Carefully pick out any pieces of chicken and return to the broth. Put the broth back on the heat and bring back to the boil.
3. Add the noodles and cook for 3 mins until tender, then stir in the beansprouts, pak choi, red chilli, soy sauce, honey and lime juice, adding the squeezed lime halves to the pot, too. Can be frozen at this point. Cook for 2 mins more. Ladle the soup into bowls, scatter over the spring onions and mint leaves, and serve with the lime wedges for squeezing over.

NUTRITION PER SERVING:

206 kcalories, protein 15g, carbohydrate 35g, fat 2 g, saturated fat 0g, fibre 2g, sugar 7g, salt 1.96 g 

source: bbcgoodfood.com

Recipes: Tested Hot & sour fish soup

James Martin's Asian soup combines a fragrant broth with fish, seafood and light noodles, topped with strong herbs

Ingredients

1 tsp coriander seeds
small piece ginger or galangal, sliced
850ml chicken or fish stock
175g thin rice noodles
2 tbsp fish sauce
2 fat red chillies , deseeded and thinly sliced
3 garlic cloves , thinly sliced
300g raw, tail-on tiger prawns
200g/7oz skinless salmon fillet , cut into small cubes
4 spring onions , chopped
handful coriander leaves
handful mint leaves , torn
juice 2 limes

1. Put the coriander seeds and galangal or ginger in a saucepan. Pour in the stock, bring to the boil, then simmer gently for 5 mins. Leave to stand for 10 mins.
2. Meanwhile, cook the noodles following pack instructions. Drain and keep warm. Return stock to the boil. Add the fish sauce, chillies and garlic, reduce the heat and simmer for 2 mins. Add the prawns and salmon, return to a simmer and cook gently for about 5 mins until both are firm and cooked. Add the spring onions, herbs and lime juice, to taste.
3. Divide the noodles between soup bowls. Using a slotted spoon, lift out the prawns and fish, and place on the noodles. Season the hot stock, pour into the bowls and serve with Spring rolls on the side.

NUTRITION PER SERVING:

322 kcalories, protein 29g, carbohydrate 39g, fat 7 g, saturated fat 1g, fibre 1g, sugar 1g, salt 3.46 g 

source: bbcgoodfood.com

Recipes: Tested Smoked haddock & white bean soup

Freeze this rich fish soup ahead of a dinner party with friends to make host duties easier

Ingredients

50g butter
2 large onions , thinly sliced
400g can cannellini beans , drained
500ml pot fresh chicken stock
270ml pot whipping cream
2 good pinches saffron
450g undyed smoked haddock , skinned
snipped chives , to serve

1. Heat the butter in a non-stick pan. Add the onions and fry very gently for 15 mins until soft but not coloured. Stir in the beans, chicken stock, cream and a good pinch of saffron, then cover and cook gently for 5 mins.
2. Add the haddock fillets, then cover and cook 5-8 mins more until the fish is just cooked and flakes when tested.
3. Take out one-third of the haddock and set aside, then blitz the soup in the pan with a stick blender, or blend in a food processor until smooth. For a velvety texture, rub through a sieve. Tip into a pan or a freezer container, then stir in the remaining pinch of saffron and flake in the fish. If freezing, cover the surface of the soup with cling film before putting the lid on the container. To defrost, thaw in the fridge overnight.
4. To serve, reheat gently in a pan, ladle into bowls and scatter with the snipped chives.

NUTRITION PER SERVING:

375 kcalories, protein 22g, carbohydrate 14g, fat 26 g, saturated fat 16g, fibre 3g, sugar 6g, salt 1.97 g 

source: bbcgoodfood.com

Recipes: Blackberry & apple cake

A moist fruit sponge, packed with the best seasonal produce with a touch of almond and cinnamon too

Ingredients

• 125.0g butter , softened, plus extra for the tin
• 125.0g caster sugar
• 3 large eggs , beaten
• 50.0g ground almonds
• 100.0g self-raising flour
• 2 Discovery, Russet or Worcester apples , peeled and cored, each cut into 12 segments
• 100.0g blackberries

• 1 large pinch cinnamon
• 2.0 tbsp demerara sugar
• 25.0g butter , cut into small flakes
• 25.0g peeled and toastedhazelnuts , roughly chopped
• icing sugar , for dusting

  

  1. Heat oven to 160C/140C fan/gas 3. Butter a 22cm round loose-bottomed cake tin and line the base with baking parchment. Beat the butter and caster sugar together in a large bowl until it is light and fluffy. Gradually pour in and beat the eggs, a little at a time, until you have used two-thirds, adding flour if it curdles. Fold in the remaining egg, the ground almonds and finally the flour, and combine everything gently.
  2. Add two-thirds of the apples to the cake mixture and all the blackberries. Turn the mixture into the prepared tin and smooth it out evenly. Scatter the remaining apples over the surface of the cake. For the topping, sprinkle over the cinnamon, demerara sugar and butter. Bake for 50-55 mins or until a skewer comes out clean. Remove the cake from the oven and scatter on the toasted hazelnuts. When the cake is cool, dust lightly with icing sugar. Serve in slices.

  PER SLICE (8)

  372 kcalories, protein 6.0g, carbohydrate 34.0g, fat 24.0 g, saturated fat 11.0g, fibre 2.0g, sugar 26.0g, salt 0.5 g

  
  

  source: bbcgoodfood.com

Recipes: Split pea & green pea smoked ham soup

John Torode shares the recipe for one of his all-time favourite soups

Ingredients

1kg gammon or ham hock
200g split peas , soaked overnight
2 onions , roughly chopped
2 carrots , roughly chopped
2 bay leaves
1 stick celery , roughly chopped
300g frozen peas
crusty bread and butter, to serve

1. Put the gammon in a very large pan with 2 litres water and bring to the boil. Remove from the heat and drain off the water - this helps to get rid of some of the saltiness. Recover with 2 litres cold water and bring to the boil again. Put everything but the frozen peas into the pan and bring to the boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook for 1½-2½ hrs, topping up the water as and when you need to, to a similar level it started at. As the ham cooks and softens, you can halve it if you want, so it is all submerged under the liquid. When the ham is tender enough to pull into shreds, it is ready.
2. Lift out the ham, peel off and discard the skin. While it is still hot (wear a clean pair of rubber gloves), shred the meat. Remove bay from the soup and stir in the frozen peas. Simmer for 1 min, then blend until smooth. Add a splash of water if too thick, and return to the pan to heat through if it has cooled, or if you are making ahead.
3. When you are ready to serve, mix the hot soup with most of the ham - gently reheat if made ahead. Serve in bowls with the remaining ham scattered on top, and eat with crusty bread and butter.

NUTRITION PER SERVING:

292 kcalories, protein 26g, carbohydrate 23g, fat 11 g, saturated fat 4g, fibre 5g, sugar 5g, salt 3.56 g 

 source: bbcgoodfood.com

Recipes: Frozen blackberry fool

Falling somewhere between an ice cream and a syllabub, this berry-rippled dessert is seasonal and spectacular

Ingredients

• 300.0g blackberries
• juice 1 lemon
• 85.0g golden caster sugar
• 300.0ml double cream
• shortbread biscuits , to serve

  

  1. Mash most of the blackberries with the lemon juice and half the sugar. Whip the cream with the remaining sugar. Fold the whipped cream and blackberry mix together to make a mauve cream, then tip into a freezer container and freeze until set. Serve in scoops in glasses, with the shortbread and remaining blackberries on the side.

  PER SERVING

  475 kcalories, protein 2.0g, carbohydrate 26.0g, fat 40.0 g, saturated fat 25.0g, fibre 3.0g, sugar 26.0g, salt 0.0 g

  
  

  source: bbcgoodfood.com

Recipes: Spiced tomato & couscous soup

Couscous and harissa are a great pairing in this good-value soup

Ingredients

olive oil
1 large onion , chopped
2 carrots , diced
3 stalks celery , diced
2-3 tbsp harissa paste
1 tsp ground cumin
1 x 400g tin chopped tomatoes
2 tbsp tomato purée
500ml vegetable stock
1 x 400g tin chickpeas
2 tbsp couscous
½ small bunch parsley , chopped

1. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a large pan and cook the onion, carrot and celery for a few minutes until softened. Add the harissa and cumin and stir. Tip in all the other ingredients except the couscous and stir well, then cover and simmer for 30 minutes. Add the couscous and simmer for another 5 minutes.
2. Stir in the parsley before serving.

NUTRITION PER SERVING:

186 kcalories, protein 7.9g, carbohydrate 25.5g, fat 6.6 g, saturated fat 0.6g, fibre 6g, salt 1.99 g 

source: bbcgoodfood.com

Recipes: Mini blackberry Bakewells

Use up seasonal fruit in mini almond tarts with frangipane filling and crisp shortcrust cases - best served with thick clotted cream

Ingredients

375g pack shortcrust pastry
1 tbsp plain flour , plus extra for dusting
100g butter , at room temperature
100g caster sugar
1 large egg
100g ground almonds
150g punnet blackberries
25g toasted flaked almonds
clotted cream , to serve (optional)

1. Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Roll out the pastry on a lightly floured surface and stamp out 12 circles with an 8-9cm cutter. Use to line the holes of a bun tin. Chill while you make the filling.
2. To make the filling, beat together the butter, caster sugar, egg, ground almonds and flour. Divide the filling between the tarts, pushing in the blackberries as you go. Scatter over the flaked almonds and bake for 15-20 mins until lightly golden.
3. Remove from the tins and serve warm or cool, with a dollop of clotted cream if you're feeling indulgent.

PER TART

315 kcalories, protein 5g, carbohydrate 24g, fat 22 g, saturated fat 8g, fibre 1g, sugar 10g, salt 0.5 g

source: bbcgoodfood.com

Recipes: Shallot soup with watercress purée

This delicate soup packs a subtle punch with its vibrant seasonal ingredients

Ingredients

10 large banana shallots , peeled and sliced - the finer the better
3 garlic cloves , sliced
few sprigs thyme
50g butter
2 potatoes , peeled and diced
1l chicken or vegetable stock
3 bay leaves
200ml double cream

FOR THE WATERCRESS PUREE

1 small onion , finely diced
1 garlic clove , sliced
25g butter
150ml double cream
3 bunches watercress , washed
squeeze lemon juice

1. Pour in the stock so the liquid barely covers the ingredients and add the bay leaves. Bring to the boil and simmer for 20 minutes or so until the potatoes are soft. Add the cream and bring back to the boil, then remove from the heat.
2. Take out the thyme sprigs and blend the mixture with the remaining butter. Push through a sieve for a smoother soup. Season and reheat before serving.
3. To make the watercress purée, fry the onion with the garlic in the butter over a gentle heat for 10 minutes until soft. Add the double cream and reduce by half. n Blanch the watercress in boiling water and then immediately put it in ice-cold water. Remove, drain and dry thoroughly.
4. Put into a blender with the onions and a little of their reduced cream and blitz. Add more of the cream until you have the consistency of thick double cream. Season with salt, white pepper and a little lemon juice.
5. To serve, warm the soup gently and serve with a tablespoon of watercress purée on top.

NUTRITION PER SERVING:

663 kcalories, protein 6,2g, carbohydrate 15,3g, fat 64,4 g, saturated fat 36,1g, fibre 2,8g, salt 2,35 g 

source: bbcgoodfood.com

Recipes: Mushroom tom yum

This really easy soup has complex and spicy Asian flavours and will have friends fooled that you've spent ages in the kitchen

Ingredients

1l chicken or vegetable stock
1-2 tbsp tom yum paste (look in the Asian ingredients section at the supermarket)
200g mushrooms , a mixture of button, oyster, shiitake and shimeji
4 dried shiitake mushrooms , soaked until rehydrated (snip the ends off)
1 lime , juiced
1 tbsp fish sauce
1 red chilli , sliced
a handful coriander

1. Bring the stock to the boil and stir in the paste. Add the mushrooms and simmer for 5 minutes. Add the remaining ingredients,
2. Season with more fish sauce if you think it needs it.

NUTRITION PER SERVING:

36 kcalories, protein 2.3g, carbohydrate 2.2g, fat 2.1 g, saturated fat 0.1g, fibre 0.8g, salt 2.71 g 

source: bbcgoodfood.com