fun

Broccoli Cheddar Soup

| adamcockle

brocsoupblog

I honestly can’t remember when I stopped eating vegetables because they were ‘healthy’ and started eating them because they’re fricking delicious (well, most of them anyway.  Sprouts can do one frankly).  This soup is packed with broccoli, and I’m sure that it has loads of health benefits yadda yadda, but mostly its just totally yum.  Try it.

Ingredients:

Serves 2

  • Two ‘heads’ of broccoli (about 500g)
  • 1 small onion
  • 2 Tbsp olive oil
  • 1 Tbsp butter
  • 2 stock cubes (vegetable or chicken)
  • 100g mature cheddar cheese (grated)
  • 4 Tbsp double cream (optional)
  • Salt and pepper

Method:

Heat the oil and butter in a large, deep saucepan until the butter starts to foam.  Dice the onion (don’t worry about being too neat, its going to get blended anyway) and add to the pan.  Cook the onion until translucent – 2 to 3 minutes.

Chop up the broccoli and dispose of the hard central stem.  Add to the pan and stir through with the butter and onion for a couple of minutes.  Add enough water to the pan so that it comes up to about half the level of the broccoli.  Turn the heat down low and cover the pan with a lid or foil.  Cook for about 10 minutes until the broccoli is streamed and tender.

Blend the contents of the pan (use a stick blender or transfer to a standing one) until smooth.  Return to the pan on a low heat.  Crumble in the stock cubes and add enough water until you’ve achieved your optimum soup consistency (I like mine thiiiiiiick).  Stir in the cheese and cook for a few minutes until it has melted in.  Add the cream and stir.  Do a quick taste test and season to your liking.  Serve immediately with shed-loads of crusty bread – see if you can eat an entire bowl without needing a spoon.

 

Creamy mushroom soup

| adamcockle

mushroomsoupblog3

So, my favorite local foodery, drinkery, playhouse and provider of caffeinated beverages – The Old Market Assembly – has added bakery to its CV (yummy bread here)  And what better way to sample a delicious sourdough loaf than with a bowl of creamy mushroom soup topped with creme fraiche, crispy bacon and sage leaves.

Ingredients:

Serves 2

  • 10 or so fresh sage leaves
  • 4 rashers of streaky bacon
  • 1tbps olive oil
  • 1tbsp butter
  • 1 medium onion (peeled and finely diced)
  • 650g of mushrooms (I used chestnut mushrooms and baby portobello)
  • Chicken or vegetable stock
  • 4tbsp double cream
  • 2tbsp creme fraiche
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • Thick slices of yummy bread for dippin’

Method:

 

Heat the oil in a large pan and cook the bacon until crisp before removing to a piece of kitchen paper.  Add the butter to the same pan and fry the sage leaves until crisp – put aside with the bacon.

Add the onion to the pan and cook until translucent.  Next in with the mushrooms along with a pinch of salt and pepper (it will look like a LOT of mushrooms, but worry not, they will reduce down significantly).  Heat the mushrooms, stirring regularly until they are reduced and dark and the pan fairly dry.

Pour a little stock into the pan and use a stick blender to whizz everything up into a smooth paste.  Add more stock as you go until you achieve your desired consistency  (I like mine thick enough to stand a spoon up in, or build an exterior wall).   Stir in the double cream and add pepper (and perhaps more salt) to your taste.

Spoon into bowls and top with and dollup of creme fraiche, some bacon (chopped or crumbled) and a few crispy sage leaves.  If your bread is as good as mine (and your soup as thick) you won’t need a spoon to polish this off!

mushroomsoupblog1

 

 

 

Chicken and Chorizo with Fried Gnocchi

| adamcockle

 

chorizoblog1

Oh Chorizo, how I love thee, let me count the ways!

An absolute stock cupboard essential, chorizo adds oodles of flavour (thats a technical term, feel free to look it up) to pretty much anything.  Chopped and fried to release the delicious oils and spices, this spicy Spanish sausage can be added to soups, stews and pasta sauces.  Its favourite bedfellows are – in my opinion – chicken, tomatoes and white beans.

Ingredients:

Serves 2

  • 2 chicken breasts (diced)
  • 1 large onion
  • 2 cloves of garlic
  • 100g dry cured chorizo (cut into small chunks)
  • 1 red bell pepper
  • 2 tins of butter beans
  • 1 tin chopped tomatoes
  • 1tbsp tomato puree
  • 1/2 teaspoon each of ground fennel, ground cumin, chilli flakes, thyme
  • 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
  • 500g gnocchi
  • Sour cream to serve

Method:

Add a tablespoon of olive oil to a large pan and (before turning on the heat) add the chorizo.  Heat on medium-high until the chorizo turns crisp at the edges and releases all of its delicious oil.  Remove the chorizo to a bowl (using a spatula or slotted spoon to keep all of the oils in the pan) and add the diced chicken breast to the same pan, frying until browned on all sides.  Remove the chicken to the same bowl with the chorizo.

Finely dice the onion, and garlic and cut the pepper into chunks before adding to the pan.  Once the onion has turned translucent add the paprika and other spices along with a little splash of water (or wine if you’ve got some lying around) and the tomato puree.  Stir for a minute or two and then add the tinned tomatoes, the beans and the chicken and chorizo from earlier.    Bring to a bubble (you may need to add a splash of water if things aren’t looking particularly ‘saucy’.  This will depend on how much water comes out of the tomatoes) and turn the heat down low.

In a large frying pan, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil and 1 tablespoon of butter on a medium high heat.  Once the butter starts to bubble, add the gnocchi to the pan.  Cook until crispy on all sides, tossing the pan only occasionally.  Transfer the gnocchi to a tray or bowl lined with a couple of sheets of kitchen paper to remove any excess oil.  Bin the kitchen paper and season the gnocchi with fine salt.

Season the chicken, chorizo and beans mixture to taste with salt and pepper and serve alongside the crispy gnocchi.  Enjoy with a glass of Rioja.

chorizoblog2

 

Nacho chicken bites

| adamcockle

nachochickenblog

I was in two minds about even posting this recipe – I mean, its chicken pieces coated in crushed up nachos, but man its just so frickin’ delicious that you really must try it.

Ingredients:

  • 200g bag of nachos (I used ‘cheese’ flavoured, but go for whatever tickles your fancy)
  • 50g seasoned flour (add salt/pepper to your liking)
  • 2 eggs (beaten)
  • 4 chicken breasts (cut into chunks of roughly equal size)
  • Sunflower or vegetable oil (the amount will depend on the size of your pan)

Method:

Half fill a large deep pan with oil and set on a medium high heat.

Crush the nachos into a rough crumbly mixture with both large and small pieces (I poured mine into a deep jug and bashed the hell out of them with the end of a rolling pin – top quality catharsis) .

Sprinkle the nachos onto a baking tray or large plate, the flour onto another and the beaten egg onto yet another.  Dip your chicken chunks into the flour until coated and then follow with the egg and finally the nacho dust.  Repeat until all chicken pieces are coated (you can ‘double-dip’ with more egg and nacho dust if you have some left over).

Your oil should be hot enough by now (I test mine by dipping in the end of a wooden spoon – you’re ready to fry if bubbles form around the handle).  Carefully add your coated chicken chunks to the pan using a slotted spoon (cook in batches so as not to overcrowd the pan) and let them sizzle away until crisp and golden.  Remove from the pan and drain on kitchen towel to remove any excess oil.

I served my chicken chunks on their own (with a sour cream dip) as well as in a tortilla wrap (or three) with salsa, lettuce and grated cheddar cheese.

nachochickenblog2