Bread for the soup and sandwiches!

Whether it's bread for the soup or for the sandwiches it's perfect for a winter day! What could be more inviting for lunch than home-made bread and a bowl of soup – so comforting, so simple.

Not for nothing have I chosen this recipe – it's delicious, it's easy to make and it's very much in the cheap and cheerful category!

Soda bread

170g self raising wholemeal flour

170g plain flour

½ tsp salt

½ tsp bicarbonate of soda

290ml buttermilk

an optional sprinkle of semolina – try a sprinkle of semolina

to flour your baking sheet and after you've added your “x”

on top of the loaf

Pre heat your oven 180fan/200c/Gas 6.

Tip the flours, salt and bicarb into a large bowl and mix.

Make a well in the centre, pour in 290ml of buttermilk and mix quickly with a large fork until you have a soft dough formed. You may need an extra drop if your dough is too stiff but take care it should not be too wet or sticky.

Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead briefly.

Form the dough into a round and flatten slightly. Place on a lightly floured baking sheet.

Slice an “x” on the top of the loaf and bake for 30 minutes – the base should sound hollow when tapped.

Just to confuse the issue I've found buttermilk in different weights. A low fat version weighing 284ml and a full fat version weighing 300ml – a tip – if you can only source the 284ml rinse out the pot with a drop of milk.

Here it is :

Personally I'd go for soup and a sandwich too – yum!

Some sandwich suggestions ...

… it's my take on a “takeaway” chicken idea for the weekend. Slow cooking a whole chicken doesn't take a great deal of effort, nor break the bank either. I'd recommend too that you use the star anise option in the cavity, the flavour is divine. You'll also produce lots of moist chicken which shreds very easily, it almost melts before your eyes.

We've already had chicken soup for the soul – now here's a chicken sandwich for the soul – I have it on good authority that this is the best ever and well worth slow cooking a whole chicken solely for that purpose!

Who likes what?

It wouldn't be a sandwich without the extras, here are my

suggestions and it is not an exhaustive list!

Avocado, sliced or mashed to suit, with lemon

juice

Crispy bacon – and bits are better!

Good quality mayo

Beef tomatoes, sliced thinly

Beetroot relish or slices if you prefer

Any salad item you love – spring onions, shredded

iceberg lettuce

capers, cornichons

A slaw of your choice – here's an Asian

recipe that will compliment your anise infused

shredded chicken

Asian Coleslaw

110g white cabbage, finely sliced – approximately

one third of a medium size cabbage

1 carrot – peeled and sliced with a

julienne peeler

1 spring onion – 15g finely sliced

if you want to create a basic slaw stash then

double the amounts given above

3-4 tbsp soy sauce

1 tbsp caster sugar

Half tbsp rice wine

2 tbsp lime juice

1 tbsp peanut butter

Half tsp chilli powder

4 tbsp fresh coriander

Combine all the above ingredients except the fresh coriander.

Marinade for at least an hour – 2-3 is better still!

Just before serving strain off the excess liquid, stir in the coriander and serve!

You'll need delicious bread and when I say delicious bread I mean a loaf (or may be two) that can be sliced into doorsteps.

Alternatively you could serve with a side of wedges or fries if you prefer – or both!

Bread recipe coming up ...

Chicken for the soup – two meals for one!

You could push the boat out and cook a chicken this way – it's easy peasy and economical too. Alternatively as I said, you could use the leftovers from your Sunday roast and not bother!

Slow Cook a Whole Chicken

1 chicken – between 1.5kg – 1.75kg

1 chicken stock pot

2 tsps of garlic paste or 1 garlic stock pot

generous sprinkle of oregano or garlic

Italian seasoning

OR

Alternatively use two whole star anise in the cavity

and omit the herbs

Place your chicken in the slow cooker and mix the stock pot with the garlic paste and spread over the chicken. Sprinkle with the herbs OR add the whole star anise to the cavity and omit the herbs. Switch your slow cooker to the low setting and leave it for 8 hours.

Strain the stock and freeze the resultant liquid gold if you're not using it, strip the chicken, keeping aside what you need and then bag and freeze the remainder.

You'll get approximately 250ml of stock from the chicken and so make it up with a stock pot for the remaining 250ml

If you want to make your own stock - use a large saucepan, cover the carcass with water and any veggie stock you've got and bring to the boil, turn it down to a simmer and let it do its magic for 30/45 minutes. Strain the stock, cool, cover and set aside until you're ready – you may find more chicken to add to your stash.

You don't have to make your own chicken stock – I use Knorr Stock Pots – chicken or vegetable – if need be.

I always have leftover Charlotte potatoes in my fridge – an ideal way of avoiding waste!

You'll get cooked chicken too for sandwiches and a slaw or a curry, with noodles or a stir fry – the world is your lobster.

Next up … some sandwich suggestions!

Chicken soup – the ultimate comfort blanket

What could be better in this weather than a steaming bowl of your choice.

My first offering is chicken soup for the soul – it makes you feel better when you're in need of comfort. It's a perfect way to use scraps of leftover chicken - remove the chicken left on the legs and wings – and anywhere else. Dice, box and fridge - ready for later.

Here's the recipe :

Cream of Chicken Soup

Serves 4

30g unsalted butter

1 large onion, finely chopped

1 clove of garlic – preferably roasted

500ml chicken stock

250ml whole milk

celery salt and white pepper

diced chicken stash

garnish of grated nutmeg

50-75ml double (heavy) cream

200g Charlotte potatoes, peel and cut

into small dice

a handful of frozen petit pois

Heat the butter in a large saucepan. Add the onion and garlic and sauté gently for 2-3 minutes – there should be no colour, season with celery salt. Add the stock and diced potatoes and simmer gently for 15 minutes then add the milk and simmer again for 10 minutes Remove from the heat and allow to cool. Blitz 2/3 ladles of the soup until thick and return to the pan. Add the cream, nutmeg, peas, ground white pepper and chicken - heat gently until piping hot.

Don't forget to warm the soup bowls.

Here it is :

chicken soup for the soul – a generous

serving for supper - add good bread for dunking!

Freeze any leftover, ready to use on a cold winter day.

Thrifty or what – save yourself time and money!

Here they are …

 

All in the frying pan

Ready to freeze if you prefer

or ready for the oven

flipped over and ready to serve

Perfect for a supper party – you can pull the toffee apple mixture from the freezer and add the puff pastry lids and it's done.

Next … it's back to savoury winter warmers – a hearty soup me thinks!

Now for a retro dessert …

The last time I wrote this version of Tarte Tatin was in June 2019 – how time flies!

Here it is :

Toffee Apple Tarte Tatin

6-8 large Cox's apples, peeled, cored and sliced

115g unsalted butter

125g soft dark brown sugar

1 orange, zest and juice

One ready to use 1 x 320g puff pastry sheet.

6 individual circular tins measuring 10cms/4” in diameter.

Place the apples, butter, soft dark brown sugar, orange zest and juice into a large frying pan and cook for 10 minutes until tender.

You can cook the apples ahead and freeze them, ready to use at your convenience.

Pre-heat oven 180 fan/200c/Gas 6.

Unroll your puff pastry sheet and cut into six circles, using a ring that is at least the same diameter as the tin – it can be slightly larger. Spoon the toffee apple mixture into your tins and then add a puff pastry circle, tucking it into the tin.

Bake for 25 minutes.

When you are ready to serve – I would suggest you use a dessert bowl – place it over the tin and flip it – ensuring you do so away from yourself.

Serve with clotted cream.

If you forget to buy a fresh orange 4 tablespoons of pure orange juice is the equivalent amount from the whole fruit.

There are photos too ...

The method and variations!

It's easy peasy, here are a couple of photos :-

the Knorr stock pot and the Flora

melting in the pan

with the combination of the Elmlea alternative

You can zhuzh the basic sauce by adding :

two roast garlic cloves

a splash of white wine

flat leaf parsley to garnish

if you want to thicken the sauce

a smidgeon, a heaped tsp of cornflour

slaked in a tbsp of water, slowly adding

to the gently heating sauce, stirring as

you go

This will make a fabulous sauce that will enhance any supper party dish, coating veggie protein of your choice. Perhaps with a puff pastry lid to complete.

This is by no means an exhaustive list of variations – the best introduction is to try with pasta instead of the old faithful tomato based sauces … food for thought!

I hope you enjoy this recipe and find it useful ...