Recipes: soups for the soul
Cawl Mamgu (Welsh Grandmother’s Lamb and Leek Soup), by R M Evans
All great soups promise a moment of utter stillness, but for my granddaughter Elizabeth this soup provides the most tranquil pause of all. Every year, at the first hint of autumn, I wend my way kitchenwards and recreate this best memory of my own childhood, my own grandmother’s version of cawl mamgu. And although the scent of lamb and leeks wafting through the house draws remonstrations from my lovely wife (for alleged kitchen infractions that I personally can never see), I don’t mind at all, as the aroma also draws a smile from my Beth bach.
All ingredients should be organic and local, or fresh from the garden, wherever possible.
This recipes takes a good three to four hours to make, with about half an hour of actual work.
Serves roughly four, depending on appetites.
Ingredients
500 g to 1 kg lamb neck chops
2 litres water
2 large or 3 medium leeks, sliced and washed
3 carrots, peeled and diced
2 parsnips, peeled and cubed
salt and freshly ground black pepper
bunch of parsley, finely chopped
Method
1. Gently brown the neck chops in a large, heavy-based saucepan.
2. Add 2 litres of cold water, scraping any browned bits off the bottom of the saucepan. Bring to the boil then gently simmer the chops for at least 2 hours.
3. Turn off the heat. Let the chops cool enough to touch, then remove all the flesh and reserve. Someone in the family may enjoy chewing the bones.
4. If you wish to (I wouldn’t), skim the fat off the top of the stock.
5. Return stock to the heat and add the vegetables. Simmer until the vegetables are just cooked.
6. Add the lamb meat, then season to taste with salt and pepper.
7. Serve sprinkled with parsley, and preferably with freshly baked bread rolls and salted butter.
Xīntòng Tāng 心痛汤 (Chinese Heartache Soup), from Cho Pimms
Although this sounds like a traditional Chinese recipe, it isn’t. The author of Nine Jars, L.J.M. Owen, took her knowledge of Chinese cooking and her love of a good soup and created this ‘blanket-in-a bowl’ of pork and prawn balls, egg dumplings and noodles served in a rich chicken stock. With the use of 100% buckwheat soba noodles it is suitable for the gluten-free eater. It was the favourite ‘Chinese’ dish of my only son’s wife. My grandchildren love it, too.
All ingredients should be organic and local, or fresh from the garden, wherever possible.
This is a long recipe, so it’s best to read it through before shopping for ingredients. Set aside a whole morning or afternoon to prepare it, especially the first time you make it. It can take practice to master the dumpling-making technique. Perhaps sip tea or wine as you go.
Serves roughly six, depending on appetites.
Ingredients
For the chicken stock
1 whole chicken, or 2 kg chicken bones
2 bulbs garlic, deskinned
2 tablespoons fresh ginger, grated
6 French shallots, diced
2 tablespoons rich dark soy
1 teaspoon good-quality sesame oil
filtered water
For the prawn and pork egg dumplings
300 g pork mince (free range)
300 g whole fresh green prawns (sustainably caught or farmed), chopped
½ cup fresh coriander leaves, very finely sliced
5 stalks green shallots, very finely sliced
2 tablespoons fish sauce
1 large carrot, finely grated
white pepper
100 g buckwheat flour (organic, ‘fancy’ or ‘white’)
3 large eggs
For the soup
100 g packet 100% buckwheat soba noodles
3 bunches bok choy, sliced and thoroughly washed
12 dried black Chinese mushrooms, rehydrated and sliced
sesame oil
fresh coriander, or fresh chilli, or both
Method
Step One: the Chicken Stock
1. Add all ingredients to a large, heavy-based saucepan and cover with filtered water.
2. Simmer all ingredients for 2 hours, topping up with water if needed to keep the chicken covered.
3. Allow to cool. Remove chicken and/or chicken bones. Strain liquid and set aside.
*If you used a whole chicken, use the flesh for a second dish, such as cut white chicken with soy and chilli dipping sauces, Kung Pao chicken or chicken fried rice.
Step Two: Prawn and Pork Egg Dumplings
1. Combine all ingredients except the eggs and buckwheat flour. Mix by hand until smooth-ish. Don’t use a food processor as the prawn flavour and texture will be lost.
2. Slowly add the buckwheat flour in small amounts. Mix until the mixture holds together well in your hand and forms small balls when you roll it. You want just enough buckwheat flour to do this, and no more, otherwise the mixture can become gluey.
3. Halve the mixture and put half aside. This will be used to make the pork balls.
4. In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs until smooth.
5. On a heated flat non-stick griddle or pan, spoon 1 tablespoon of egg onto the surface, keeping it contained as much as possible in a round shape.
6. Place 1 teaspoon of pork and prawn mixture onto one half of the little round omelette as soon as it starts to cook. Flip the other side over the top to create a semi-circular dumpling, similar to a pasta dumpling such as tortellini.
7. Continue to cook for 1 minute, then carefully flip over to cook on the other side for a further minute. Continue to create these little filled half-moon mini-omelettes until you’ve used all the pork and prawn mixture. Some experimentation may be required to get your technique and quantities just right.
Step Three: Prawn and Pork Balls
1. Carefully roll the reserved prawn and pork mixture into approximately 12 balls – a very heaped teaspoon’s worth each. Set aside.
Step Four: Assemble the Soup
1. Cook the buckwheat noodles (or other noodles of your choice) to al dente, drain and set aside.
2. Reheat the chicken stock to just simmering. Gently lower prawn and pork balls into stock. Hold for few moments as they seal, then let them simmer for 5 minutes. Remove the balls from the stock.
3. Add bok choy and sliced black mushrooms to the stock and simmer for 5 minutes.
4. Place the noodles in the bottom of large, deep bowls.
5. Distribute the bok choy and mushrooms among the bowls.
6. Add 3 drops sesame oil to each bowl, then carefully ladle stock over the noodles and vegetables until they are just covered.
7. Carefully place the prawn and pork balls and the dumplings on top of the noodles and vegetables, then ladle more stock into the bowl until it is comfortably full – not so much that it will spill, but enough to feel indulgent.
8. Sprinkle with a small pinch of fresh finely chopped coriander, or chilli, or both.
9. Settle into your favourite spot and sip some comfort back into your weary soul.
Soupe au poulet et nouilles (French Country Chicken Noodle Soup) by Mme Madeleine Evans
I have great hopes that one day my only grandson, Mathieu, will walk in my footsteps and become a great (and tidy) cook. For this, he will need to master many classic recipes, including this essential preparation. When I was a child I took this whenever I was ill, and felt much better. So today I am certain to make this for my grandchildren whenever they are unwell.
All ingredients must be organic and local, or fresh from the garden.
This recipe should be made over two days. If you take less time, the stock will not have such good flavour.
Serves roughly eight, depending on appetites.
Ingredients
For the broth
2.5 kg chicken thighs (with skin on, bones in)
4 L filtered water
1 onion, coarsely chopped
2 carrots, coarsely chopped
2 stalks celery, coarsely chopped
1 teaspoon dried thyme
½ teaspoon peppercorns
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon salt
For the rest of the soup
2 medium onions, finely diced
2 carrots, finely sliced
½ a bunch of celery, finely sliced
1 teaspoon salt (add more to taste at the end if required)
1 teaspoon freshly ground white pepper (add more to taste at the end if required)
½ cup peas (fresh or frozen)
200 g dried or 800 g fresh of your favourite pasta, broken or cut into 2 cm long pieces
2 tablespoons freshly chopped parsley
Method
Day One: the Broth
1. Place the chicken thighs in a large, heavy-based saucepan. Cover with water and bring to the boil. Skim the broth as it boils.
2. Add the onions, carrots, celery, thyme, peppercorns, bay leaf and salt. Simmer uncovered over a low heat for 2 hours.
3. Using a slotted spoon, remove the chicken thighs from the pan and place in a bowl. Cover the chicken and refrigerate.
4. In a colander lined with cheesecloth (muslin) and placed over a large bowl, strain the broth and press the vegetables to extract all the liquid. Discard the vegetables.
5. Refrigerate the stock for at least 12 hours or until the fat solidifies on the surface.
Day Two: The Rest of the Soup
1. In a large saucepan bring the broth from the previous day to a boil. Add onions, carrots, celery, salt and pepper. Simmer gently for 20 to 25 minutes or until the vegetables are tender.
2. In a separate saucepan, boil the noodles until they are just al dente. Remove from the heat and drain, then return to saucepan and cover to keep moist.
3. Carefully remove any solidified fat from the refrigerated, cooked chicken and put to one side. This is schmaltz – you can use it for cooking other things as you would any other animal fat.
4. Debone the chicken and cut it into small pieces.
5. Add the chicken and peas to the simmering soup.
6. After two minutes add the noodles and parsley. Mix carefully.
7. Ladle into waiting bowls and serve to waiting people.