With a winter the worst in one hundred years on its way (yay *breaks out the mittens*) it's time to start eating warming, healthy food. Not the double cheeseburger and medium fries I've had for lunch every day for the past fortnight. I tell myself it;s allowed now cold weather's drawing in - after all, bears do it - but alas, I am not a bear. I need something more than cardboard burgers to nourish me.
So here are a few recipes we've handpicked to suit even the drizzliest of days.
A soup for those battling a winter cold
Chicken broth
2 chicken thighs or 4 chicken wings
1 tablespoon oil
3 thick stalks celery, peeled and sliced
1 large onion, peeled and sliced
1 medium carrot, peeled and diced
1.2 litres chicken stock
100g brown rice
1 teaspoon horseradish sauce
A generous bunch of parsley, stalks removed and leaves very finely chopped
Salt and pepper
Roast the chicken pieces in a medium to hot oven until the skins are crisp and they're cooked through.
While the chicken is roasting, prepare the other ingredients to make your soup.
Warm the oil in a soup pot, add the celery, onion and carrot and sauté gently until the vegetables are tender, for about 15 minutes.
Add the stock and bring slowly to the boil.
Reduce the heat, add the rice and simmer, covered until the rice is cooked, around 20 minutes.
Skin the chicken pieces and shred/chop before adding to the soup with the horseradish sauce and parsley.
Stir well and season to taste.
As rice soaks up a lot of liquid, you will probably have to add more stock or water to achieve a lighter meal.
A soup for the brave
Warm avocado soup
1 tablespoon oil
1 small onion, peeled and "nely chopped
1 small green chilli, seeds removed and "nely sliced
1 small clove garlic, peeled and crushed
2 tablespoons coriander leaves, roughly chopped
1 litre chicken or vegetable stock
2 small, ripe avocados, stoned, !esh spooned out and diced
Juice of half a lemon
Salt and pepper
Warm the oil in a soup pot and gently sauté the onion and chilli until tender, but it's important not to let the onions brown.
Add the garlic and coriander.
Continue to sauté very gently for a further 5 minutes.
Add three-quarters of the stock, bring to the boil.
When it's bubbling nicely, neduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes.
Remove from the heat and let the soup cool a little.
Add the avocado and lemon juice, season to taste and either transfer to a liquidiser or blitz with a hand blender until preferred consistency - some like it chunky, others like it smooth.
Add more stock if it is too thick and lemon juice to taste. Serve while warm.
A rich and filling soup for the dieter
Skinny mushroom soup
20g dried porcini mushrooms
1 tablespoon oil
2 medium onions, peeled and "nely sliced or chopped
600g button mushrooms, cleaned and "nely sliced or chopped
1 litre chicken or vegetable stock
1 tablespoon Mushroom Ketchup
100ml dry sherry (optional)
Salt and pepper
Fresh parsley leaves, chopped
Soak the dried mushrooms in 200ml boiling water and set aside while
you get on with preparing the onions and button mushrooms.
Warm the oil in a large pan, add the onion and sauté for 10 minutes until golden and slightly caramelised around the edges then add the fresh mushrooms and sauté for a further 5 minutes - again, go for a slightly
caramelised edge.
Drain and roughly chop the dried mushrooms and add both the mushrooms and the soaking liquor to the pot.
Add the stock, Mushroom Ketchup and sherry, if using and gently simmer for a further 15 minutes then season to taste.
At this stage you can either serve the soup as it is, liquidise the whole lot until smooth and creamy or remove the mushrooms before liquidising and return them to the soup before reheating and serving with lots of chopped parsley.
These soups were taken from the Soup Can Make You Thin cookbook, which is available
here if you fancy it!
