Winter Warmers - Carrot & Ginger Soup

Carrot & Ginger Soup

Ginger provides a fragrant flavour that bridges the gap between sweet & savoury. Using it in this instance provides a means to fight off the cold this winter, with a soup that is best served hot, but holds equal merit when cold. Using a root vegetable such as coarrots also provides a winter dimension to it, with earthy and sweet flavours. 

Ingredients

3 tablespoons of butter, or a few of splashes of olive oil (or half of each)

Small pinch of salt

1lb large carrots, chopped

1 medium onion, chopped

4 tbsp brown sugar

1 stalk of celery, peeled and chopped (peeling gets rid of the "strings")

1 teaspoon ginger, chopped or grated. You can use ground ginger if you like, but be careful otherwise the flavour may be too overpowering. 

5 cups chicken broth or stock; or use vegetable stock for vegetarian version.

Preparation

Heat butter or oil in soup pot on medium low. Add the chopped onions, carrots, celery and salt. Saute until onions and carrots are soft. Add ginger. Cook for a minute or two more. (If ginger is chopped instead of grated, add it earlier). Add the sugar until caramelised, then add the stock.  Bring to the boil, then cook for 20 minutes at a simmer.

Use blender, food processor or hand-held immersion blender to puree the soup.

Serve with a swirl of cream, and chopped herbs to garnish

Enjoy!

The perfect buffet addition

Canape's and other little morsels are ideal for buffets and small functions. They add an amount of elegance and finesse to a function when presented elegantly, and the contrast of flavours presented can also provide a pleasant tone for you and your guests. This recipe, presents a beautiful and classic combination, providing earthy tones and sweet overtones, levelled out with a fromage presentation. I will be serving these at the Church Lodge Christmas party, which amongst other ides should go down a storm.

This recipe is not one of my own, although there have been modifications made to it to suit various tastes of my own, and that of other guests. Hereby I will share it with you, in order for you to also enjoy its beauty.

Ingredients:

1 venison steak (the leaner the better)
12 small pastry cases, mini
4 tbsp cranberry sauce, preferably home-made
4 tbsp Soured cream (In this instance i prefer to use creme fraiche,with chopped chervil or parsley)
1 tbsp chopped chives
1 pinch long chives, to garnish
1 pinch ground black pepper

Method

 

Heat a ridged griddle pan until smoking hot. Put the venison on the griddle to sear for 2-3 minutes. Turn over and cook for a further three minutes. This is for rare meat cook for 2-3 minutes longer for medium rare. 

(Please be aware that these guidelines are dependant on thickness of steak, fat content, weight etc, and should be adjusted accordingly)

Lift onto a plate, cover with foil and leave to rest for ten minutes to allow the Venison to relax. You can leave this to become completely cold. Slice up as thinly as you can. 

Set out the pastry cases on a tray. Spoon a teaspoon of cranberry sauce into each case. Top with a twisted slice of rare venison. Add a blob of soured cream, a sprinkling of chopped chives and a couple of long chives to garnish. Grind over some black pepper and serve immediately before they go soggy. 

Enjoy!

Home favourites... (1) - Home baked oven "chips"

Since the weather was rather dreary, and the temperature unfavourable in our (great?) city today, I considered something homely would be served at the table of Church Lodge. The best part about this home favourite, is it can be achieved remarkably on a budget, and also is moderately healthy too. 

As an accompaniment, this recipe is very versatile. It can be served with anything from chicken legs to chilli. As with anything, the key is in the preparation.

You will need (Ingredients)

Dried garlic (milled if possible)

Sea Salt

4 Baking Potatoes

Olive Oil

Hot water

Equipment:

Moderately Hot Oven (220 C)

Baking Tray

Greaseproof paper / non stick mat

Saucepan

Sharp knife you are comfortable with

Cutting Board

 - Mise En Place - 

I have chosen baking potatoes for this recipe in particular, because of their versatility, and cheapness. They are a very soft potato, when cooked properly, and have a remarkable sweetness especially in the peel. If you shop carefully, you can find baking potatoes phenomenally cheap. Stores like Aldi, and Netto, can provide baking potatoes by moderately large amounts. (Last checked at £0.69 GBP per 2.5kg). This also works out at about (excluding energy costs) about £0.12 GBP per portion.

Cut the potatoes into chip sizes. Don't worry about the peel, as keeping the peel on will provide you with an extra dimension of flavour and texture. I like them quite chunky, but it is entirely up to you. If you have a fancy tool that can cut chips for you, by all means use it. I prefer to get to knowing the knife personally, but this isn't Haute cuisine, it's home cooking. Besides, after a hard day's work, you'll probably want to make this as effortless as possible.

In the saucepan, put enough water in to cover the chips, then bring to the boil. 

Time / money saving tip: You can of course save time (and money, what with the rising gas prices) by boiling the kettle beforehand. This can give you a very quick source of hot water. :D

Add the chips to the water if you have not done so already, then leave to simmer for about 6 minutes. When the chips have just begun to soften on the outside (you can test this by poking with a knife), strain them off and put them on your greaseproofed oven tray. If you have a teflon mat, I would highly recommend its use in place of greaseproof paper. They provide a flawless application for oven work,  and literally nothing is going to stick to it. They are inexpensive (about £3) and will last for years if looked after properly.

Drizzle the chips generously with olive oil, and season with the dried garlic and sea salt

Place in the preheated oven on the middle shelf. Give them a shuffle every five minutes or so, to ensure even cooking. When golden brown, slightly crisp on the outside, and soft on the inside, they are ready to eat. They should take about 20 - 30 minutes, depending on the efficiency of your oven.

Time saving tip: You can of course prepare the chips in the morning before you leave for work, play, or other mischief. Be sure to keep them under water however, or they will have spoiled upon your return.