GRILLED SESAME CHICKEN BREASTS

1 tablespoon oil
¼ cup soy sauce
¼ cup dry white wine
1 teaspoon dried tarragon
1 teaspoon dry mustard
4 boned half-breasts of chicken
sesame seeds to coat

Combine oil, soy sauce, wine, tarragon and mustard. Marinate chicken in this mixture for 2–3 hours. Grill chicken breasts gently under a preheated grill for 4 minutes each side, basting with a little marinade from time to time. Remove from heat, brush all over with marinade and roll in sesame seeds. Return to grill to brown sesame seeds. Serves 4.

NOTE: Chicken fillets may also be cooked over hot charcoal, or in a preheated hot oven (200°C/400°F) for about 15 minutes, basting from time to time.

SESAME SEED SALAD

1 lettuce, torn into pieces
½ cup stoned black olives
2 large ripe tomatoes, cut into wedges
2 tablespoons sesame seeds
15 g (½ oz) butter
¼ cup Vinaigrette Dressing

Place lettuce in bowl with olives and tomatoes. Gently fry sesame seeds in butter until golden. Add to salad and toss with dressing. Serves 4–6.

SESAME OAT FINGERS

¾ cup rolled oats
¼ cup sesame seeds
cup firmly packed brown sugar
¾ cup desiccated coconut
1 teaspoon salt
125 g (4 oz) butter, melted

Combine rolled oats, sesame seeds, sugar, coconut and salt. Add melted butter and mix well. Press mixture into a greased shallow tin. Bake in a preheated moderately hot oven (190°C/375°F) for about 30 minutes. Cut into fingers when cold. Makes about 20.

GREEK SESAME RINGS

250 g (8 oz) unsalted butter
1 cup caster sugar
3 eggs
¼ cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
½ teaspoon grated orange rind
½ teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon nutmeg
5 cups flour, sifted
3 teaspoons baking powder
½ –1 cup sesame seeds

Cream butter with sugar until light. Add 2 eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Lightly beat remaining egg. Take out 1 tablespoon egg, add to milk and set aside. Add the remainder of egg to creamed mixture with vanilla and orange rind. Sift spices with flour and baking powder, and add to mixture gradually to form smooth dough. Knead for several minutes, then chill dough in refrigerator for 1 hour. To shape biscuits, take a piece of dough and roll into a thick rope about 1 cm (½ in) in diameter. Form into rings or figure-8 shapes, brush tops with reserved egg-milk mixture and dip into sesame seeds. Place on greased baking trays. Bake in a preheated moderate oven (180°C/350°F) for 25 minutes or until just lightly coloured. Cool slightly on trays before transferring to wire racks. Store in airtight containers. Makes about 60.

SHALLOT AND SPRING ONION

These members of the onion family are both known by each other’s name in different parts of the world. Although a misnomer, what are bought in some parts of Australia as shallots are really non-bulbous fresh green onions.

Shallot: The true shallot or eschalot is often considered the queen of all the onions. Its flavour is intense without being too pungent. Shallots usually grow in clusters, although they can be single, and have long stems and a purplish flesh; the skins can vary from a greyish to a golden-copper colour – these are called golden shallots. The shallot is much used in the cooking of northern France to flavour sauces, and in steak, fish and vegetable dishes.

Spring Onion: Two types of fresh spring onion are available. The first is slim and bulbless, except for a tiny bulge above the root, and is sold complete with its long, tubular green leaves. It may also be called green onion or scallion. Both the white and green parts are used. It is mild, delicious in salads and their dressings. It is also used to great effect in soups, sauces, savoury butters, casseroles, omelettes and other egg dishes, and in many Chinese dishes as both ingredient and garnish.

The second type of spring onion has a shiny, round white bulb about the size of a walnut, on a long, green stem. This onion is excellent sliced into salads, glazed whole in butter and used to give a delicious onion flavour to soups, stews, sauces, fish, meat and poultry dishes. It is superb with other vegetables such as fresh young green peas (see Petits Pois à la Française).

SHASLIK

See Kebab.

SHELLFISH

See Crab, Lobster and Prawn.

SHEPHERD’S PIE

A great homely dish invented to use up leftover roast lamb but so good in its own right that it’s worth cooking more lamb than you need for the first meal just to enjoy it.

SHEPHERD’S PIE

375 g (12 oz) cooked boneless lamb (weight after trimming off skin, gristle and larger pieces of fat)
30 g (1 oz) bacon dripping or butter
1 onion, chopped
1 cup leftover gravy, or 1½ tablespoons flour and 1 cup warm beef stock
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
500 g (1 lb) potatoes, peeled
30 g (1 oz) butter
2 tablespoons hot milk

Mince lamb or chop it very fine. Melt dripping or butter in a saucepan and fry onion gently for about 5 minutes or until golden. Stir in gravy and bring to simmering point. Or stir flour into onion, cook for 1 minute, remove from heat and cool a little. Add stock, stirring until smoothly blended, then return to heat and stir until boiling. Add lamb, salt, pepper and Worcestershire sauce. Cover and simmer gently for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, cook potatoes until tender. Drain well, dry off over low heat and mash with butter and hot milk. Transfer meat mixture to a pie dish. Spread potato over and rough up surface with a fork. Place under a preheated moderate grill until top is golden-brown. Serve at once. Serves 4–6.

NOTE: To extend meat, 1 can of baked beans and a pinch of nutmeg can be added 5 minutes before the end of cooking.

VARIATION

COTTAGE PIE: This is the name for a similar pie when the dish has been varied by using beef instead of lamb or by adding diced, cooked vegetables to the filling.

SHERBET

See Ices, Sorbets, Granite and Sherbets.

SHERRY

A fortified wine, usually offered as a pre-dinner drink. It is available in varying degrees of sweetness, dry sherry being the least sweet and sweet sherry the sweetest.

Sherry is often added to a dish at the last minute rather than being used in its cooking. Many soups and sauces benefit from a dash of sherry added just before serving.

Rich fruit cakes can be enhanced with sherry, preferably the sweet type. Soak the prepared fruit overnight in sherry, and when the cake comes out of the oven sprinkle a little sherry over. Sweet sherry is also sprinkled over plain cake when used to prepare a trifle, and impromptu desserts can be quickly made with cake, sherry, fresh or stewed fruit and cream.

SHERRIED MUSHROOM SOUP

375 g (12 oz) mushrooms
90 g (3 oz) butter
2 tablespoons flour
4 cups warm milk
1 egg yolk
¼ cup dry sherry
salt and freshly ground black pepper

Slice mushroom caps; finely chop stems. Gently fry in butter until soft. Sprinkle with flour and cook over low heat, stirring, for 4 minutes. Stir in milk. Simmer soup for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Mix egg yolk with sherry and add to soup. Season with salt and pepper. Heat carefully, stirring constantly. Do not let soup boil. Serves 4.

SHERRIED VEAL WITH CREAM

1 kg (2 lb) boneless veal shoulder or leg, cubed
60 g (2 oz) butter
2 tablespoons dry sherry
2 small onions, finely chopped
2 tablespoons flour
1 clove garlic, crushed
3 tomatoes, peeled, seeded and roughly chopped
1 tablespoon tomato paste
½ cup veal or chicken stock
½ cup sour light cream
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 bay leaf
chopped chives

Brown veal in butter in heavy saucepan. Pour in sherry, allow to bubble a little, then remove veal and set aside. Add onions to pan and cook for 2 minutes. Sprinkle with flour and stir well, then add garlic and tomatoes and cook for 3 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in tomato paste and stock. Return to low heat and bring to the boil, stirring. Carefully blend in sour cream, and season with salt and pepper. Add bay leaf and return veal to pan. Cook over very gentle heat for 45 minutes, or in a preheated moderate oven (180°C/350°F) for 1–1½ hours. Remove bay leaf before serving. Sprinkle with chopped chives. Accompany with buttered noodles. Serves 6.

SPANISH CHICKEN IN SHERRY

Sweet sherry is not frequently used in savoury dishes but, in this interesting recipe, it adds fascinating flavour to otherwise simple ingredients. The chicken is partially cooked the night before and refrigerated in its sauce – the marinating is part of the flavour secret – a deliciously easy main course for a special dinner.

1.5 kg (3 lb) chicken joints (thighs, drumsticks or a mixture)
about 2½ cups medium-sweet sherry
125 g (4 oz) butter
16 tiny white onions, or 4 onions, quartered
1 × 820 g can tomatoes
2 bay leaves
salt and freshly ground black pepper
½ cup stuffed olives, sliced

Place chicken in a deep glass or plastic bowl and pour over enough sherry to cover. Refrigerate, covered for 2–3 hours or longer. Drain chicken, reserving sherry. Heat butter in a large flameproof casserole and brown chicken pieces on all sides over medium heat. (This will be easier to do if you brown just a few pieces at a time.) Return all chicken to casserole and add onions, tomatoes with their juice, bay leaves and enough reserved sherry to cover ingredients. Season with salt and pepper. Cover casserole and simmer for 30 minutes. Allow to cool, then refrigerate overnight. Next day, bring casserole to room temperature and bake, uncovered, in a preheated moderate oven (180°C/350°F) for 40 minutes or until chicken is tender and sauce reduced. Stir olives into casserole and cook for a further 2–3 minutes to heat through. Discard bay leaves. Serve with rice or noodles and mixed salad. Serves 6.

SHERRY SULTANA CAKE

500 g (1 lb) sultanas
¾ cup water
¼ cup sweet sherry
250 g (8 oz) butter
1 cup sugar
2 teaspoons cornflour mixed with ½ cup cold
water
3 eggs
1½ cups plain flour
1½ cups self-raising flour
pinch salt
¼ cup blanched almonds

Simmer sultanas in water and sherry until all liquid is absorbed. Cool. Cream butter with sugar until light and fluffy. Add cornflour mixture and beat well. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Sift flours with salt and fold into creamed mixture. Lastly, fold in sultanas. Turn into 20 cm (8 in) round or square cake tin lined with greaseproof paper. Arrange blanched almonds on top. Bake in preheated slow oven (150°C/300°F) for 1–1½ hours or until a skewer inserted in centre comes out clean.

SHISH KEBAB

See Kebab.

SHORTBREAD

Eaten all year round but especially at New Year, Scottish shortbread is famous all over the world, but how many people really know how to make it the Scottish way? The dough must be kneaded for about 15 minutes until it becomes smooth and very buttery before it is pressed into a tin or ring and decorated. If you do as the Scots do, you will have a superb shortbread, crisp yet tender. If making ahead, recrisp in a moderate oven for 15 minutes before serving.

SHORTBREAD

250 g (8 oz) butter
½ cup caster sugar
4 cups flour

Cream butter until it resembles whipped cream, then add sugar gradually, beating until mixture is light and fluffy. Work in flour gradually, then knead dough for about 15 minutes or until very smooth. Divide dough into 2 pieces and press into 2 × 20 cm (8 in) flan rings standing on baking trays, or sandwich tins. With the heel of the hand push dough out until mixture is very smooth, then smooth over the surface with a palette knife. Remove flan ring and crimp edges by pressing edge of dough with the finger and then pinching edge together. If using a sandwich tin, fork edge for decoration. Prick surface of shortbread with a fork. (This is done to release moisture as it cooks, making shortbread crisp.) Bake in centre of a preheated moderate oven (180°C/350°F) for 10 minutes, then reduce temperature to slow (150°C/300°F) and bake for a further 40 minutes.

SHORTCAKE

American shortcake is a luscious dessert consisting of a tender, scone-like cake which is split, filled and topped with fruit and cream, and served warm. Rounds of rich pastry can also be layered with cream and fruit, lemon cheese or passionfruit butter to make a Continental-style shortcake.

AMERICAN STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE

2 cups flour
¼ cup caster sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
125 g (4 oz) butter
1 egg
milk
1 tablespoon butter, melted
Filling
2 punnets (500 g/1 lb) strawberries
½ cup sugar
1 cup cream
2 tablespoons icing sugar, sifted

Make filling first. Reserve a few of the best strawberries, unhulled, to decorate. Hull remainder and divide in half. Slice one lot in halves, place in a bowl and toss with ¼ cup sugar. Crush other half of strawberries with remaining sugar. Whip cream with icing sugar until soft peaks form. Refrigerate filling.

Sift flour, sugar, baking powder and salt into a bowl. Cut butter into mixture with 2 knives until size of small peas. Break egg into a measuring cup and add enough milk to measure ¾ cup; mix lightly. Make a well in centre of flour mixture, add milk and egg all at once and mix quickly with a fork until moistened. Turn mixture into a greased 20 cm (8 in) sandwich tin and smooth top. Bake in a preheated very hot oven (220°C/425°F) for 25–30 minutes or until a skewer inserted in centre comes out clean.

To serve, immediately turn shortcake out onto a wire rack and split into 2 layers. Place bottom layer, cut side up, on a serving plate and brush with melted butter. Spoon on half of crushed and sliced strawberries, put other layer of cake on top, and spoon on remaining strawberries. Pile cream in centre and decorate with reserved whole strawberries. Serve immediately while still warm. Serves 8.

CONTINENTAL STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE

Shortcake pastry

2 cups flour
pinch salt
185 g (6 oz) butter
5 tablespoons icing sugar, sifted
2 egg yolks
few drops vanilla essence

Filling

2 punnets (500 g/1 lb) strawberries
1 cup cream
2 tablespoons icing sugar, sifted
few drops vanilla essence

Sift flour and salt onto work surface and make a well in centre. Place remaining pastry ingredients in well and work together with fingertips of one hand. With other hand, use a metal spatula to draw flour quickly into centre to make a smooth dough. Shape into a ball, wrap in plastic wrap and chill for 30 minutes. Divide dough in half and roll or pat out into 2 × 23 cm (9 in) rounds, about 5 mm (¼ in) thick. Place rounds on lightly greased baking trays. Prick all over with a fork and crimp edges with fingers and thumb. Bake in a preheated moderately hot oven (190°C/375°F) for 15–20 minutes or until pastry is a pale biscuit colour. Do not allow to brown. Remove from oven and, while pastry is warm, cut 1 round into 8 segments. Cool pastry on a wire rack. Reserve 8 of the best unhulled strawberries for decoration; hull and slice remainder. Whip cream with icing sugar and vanilla. Reserve one-third cream for decoration and mix remainder with sliced strawberries. Place whole pastry round on a serving plate and cover with strawberry and cream mixture. Smooth over and arrange 8 pastry segments flat on top. Dust with extra sifted icing sugar and decorate with rosettes of cream topped with reserved whole strawberries. Leave for 1 hour before serving. Serves 8.

NOTE: Other prepared fresh fruit (sliced peaches, plums, whole raspberries) can be substituted for strawberries, or use about 1½ cups cooked, puréed dried apricots or 1 quantity Lemon Cheese or Passionfruit Cheese.

DANISH RASPBERRY SHORTCAKE

½ quantity Shortcake Pastry (opposite)

Topping

2 punnets (500 g/1 lb) raspberries
4 tablespoons redcurrant jelly
1 tablespoon water
½ cup cream

Wrap pastry in plastic wrap and chill for 30 minutes. Roll or pat out to an 18–20 cm (7–8 in) round and crimp the edges. Place on a lightly greased baking tray. Bake in a preheated moderately hot oven (190°C/375°F) for 15–20 minutes or until pastry is a pale biscuit colour; do not allow to brown. Remove from oven and cool on a wire rack. Place pastry on a serving plate and cover with raspberries. Rub redcurrant jelly through a sieve into a small, heavy saucepan. Add water and heat slowly to boiling point, stirring, then boil until thick enough to coat a spoon thinly and last drops are sticky as they fall from the spoon. Brush warm glaze over raspberries. When quite cold, whip cream, and, using a piping bag fitted with a 1 cm (½ in) star tube, pipe a border round top of shortcake. Serves 6.

VARIATION

APRICOT SHORTCAKE: Follow recipe for Danish Raspberry Shortcake but use well-drained poached or canned apricots instead of raspberries, and 5–6 tablespoons Apricot Glaze instead of redcurrant glaze. Brush pastry base with 2–3 tablespoons glaze before arranging fruit on top, to prevent juices from soaking into pastry, then use remaining glaze to brush over fruit.

SHORT CRUST (SHORTCRUST)

See Pastry.

SHORT SOUP

Also known as wonton soup, a specialty found on Chinese menus thoughout the world. Wonton are the little meat-filled dumplings wrapped in a square of pasta – short as opposed to the long strands of pasta that go into long soup, hence the name. The wonton wrappers are available from most Chinese grocery suppliers, or ask at the local Chinese restaurant.

SHORT SOUP

Soup

6 cups chicken stock
3 spring onions, finely chopped
½ teaspoon sesame oil

Wontons

375 g (12 oz) minced pork
2 tablespoons chopped water chestnuts
3–4 green prawns, shelled, de-veined and chopped (optional)
1 tablespoon soy sauce
½ teaspoon Oriental sesame oil
1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
24 wonton wrappers
1 egg, beaten
salt

Place all soup ingredients in a saucepan and bring to the boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 3 minutes.

To make the wontons, combine pork with water chestnuts, prawns, if using, soy sauce, sesame oil and grated ginger, mixing well. Place 1 teaspoon filling slightly below centre of each wonton wrapper. Brush around edges of wrapper with lightly beaten egg. Fold wrapper diagonally in half to form a triangle. Press edges to seal, and press out any air pockets around filling. Brush a dab of egg on front of right corner of each triangle and on back of left corner. With a twisting action, bring 2 moistened surfaces together. Pinch to seal. Drop wontons into vigorously boiling salted water and cook for about 5–7 minutes or until they float to top. Drain. Place 4 wontons in the bottom of each soup bowl and pour hot soup over. Serves 6.

SHRIMP

See Prawn.

SIENA CAKE

This ‘flat’ cake with a nougat-like texture, rich with candied peel, toasted nuts and spices, is a particular specialty of the town of Siena, Italy.

SIENA CAKE

cup hazelnuts, toasted, skinned and chopped
¾ cup coarsely chopped, blanched almonds
1 cup finely chopped candied peel
¼ cup cocoa
½ cup plain flour
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ cup ground nutmeg
½ cup sugar
cup clear honey

Topping

2 tablespoons icing sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Mix together hazelnuts, almonds, candied peel, cocoa, flour and spices. Put sugar and honey into a small pan, heat gently until sugar dissolves, then boil steadily until a sugar thermometer registers 115°C (240°F) or until a little of the mixture dropped into a cup of cold water forms a soft ball. Take off the heat immediately and stir in nut mixture. Turn into a lined and greased 20 cm (8 in) flan ring, spread evenly and press down firmly. Bake in a cool oven (150°C/ 300°F) for 30–35 minutes. Allow to cool then turn out and sprinkle the top liberally with the icing sugar sifted with cinnamon. Cut into small wedges before serving. Serves 8–12.

SILVERBEET

See Spinach.

SILVERSIDE

See Beef.

SIRLOIN

See Beef.

SMØRREBRØD

See Danish Open Sandwiches.

SNAIL

A small land mollusc, very popular in France, where it is called escargot and found in all wine-growing areas. Snails are also a favourite dish in other Mediterranean countries, where they can be cooked in a spicy tomato stew.

Outside France, it is more common to buy snails already prepared and cooked, in cans. The large shells are usually sold with the cans, so that the snails can be returned to their shells with a garlic butter, often called snail butter, or beurre pour escargots, before heating. This is the most common way of serving snails in France. Allow about 6–8 per person.

ESCARGOTS À LA BOURGUIGNONNE (SNAILS WITH GARLIC BUTTER)

125 g (4 oz) butter
2 tablespoons finely chopped golden shallots
1–2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley
salt and freshly ground black pepper
24 snail shells
24 canned snails

Cream butter well, then beat in shallots, garlic, parsley, salt and pepper. Put a little garlic butter in each snail shell, then add a snail, and fill shells with remaining butter mixture. Place snails in special plates (with indentations for shells, so that they stay upright and butter does not spill). Bake in a preheated very hot oven (230°C/450°F) for about 7 minutes or until butter sizzles. Serve hot, with plenty of crusty bread. Serves 4.

SNOW PEA

Know as mange-tout in French, meaning ‘eat all’, because all of the pea is edible, this delicately flavoured vegetable is one of the easiest to prepare and cook.

The sugar snap pea is a similar tender pea but plumper and shorter than the snow pea. Use as for snow pea.

Basic preparation: Simply top and tail them, removing strings at the same time, as though they were young beans.

To cook: Snow peas are best when lightly cooked to retain some of their crispness. They can be quickly cooked in boiling water, then tossed in butter, or steamed.

Snow peas are a common ingredient in Chinese cooking, when they may be used whole or cut into short diagonal sections, and stir-fried quickly in a wok.

BRAISED SNOW PEAS

2 tablespoons oil
500 g (1 lb) snow peas, trimmed and stringed
½ teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons chicken stock or water
½ teaspoon sugar
2 teaspoons light soy sauce

Heat oil in a wok or frying pan, add peas and stir-fry for 30 seconds without browning. Add remaining ingredients, stir to coat peas and cook for 1 minute longer. Peas should be tender but still crisp. Serve immediately. Serves 6.

SORBET

See Ices, Sorbets, Granite and Sherbets.

SORREL

This plant is sometimes considered to be a herb, sometimes a vegetable. In appearance it is rather like English spinach but its flavour is lemony and fairly sharp, even bitter, although not unpleasant. It is because of its strong flavour that it is often used sparingly, like a herb.

Sorrel is a spring and summer plant, very easy to grow – the leaves should be picked often and while they are young and fresh. They may be added to other greens in a salad, or cooked like spinach and finished with cream or butter. In France, a handful of sorrel is often added to spinach; in this way, the sharpness of its taste is offset by the mild flavour of the spinach.

Cooked, squeezed dry and puréed, sorrel can be combined with fresh cheese and hard-boiled egg yolks, to refill the egg whites. Delicious soups are also made with sorrel and other greens, or with potato, cooked in chicken stock and finished with cream. A hot purée of sorrel, with or without spinach, goes well with pork or veal, and sorrel makes a classic accompaniment to salmon – indeed, it goes well with any fish.

FISH WITH SORREL

Poached fish fillets coated in a creamy sorrel and spinach sauce.

12 small fish fillets, about 100 g (3½ oz) each, skinned
salt and freshly ground black pepper
90 g (3 oz) butter
3 tablespoons finely chopped golden shallot
1 clove garlic
1 bouquet garni (4 sprigs each fresh parsley and tarragon, 1 sprig fresh thyme)
2 cups dry white wine
155 g (5 oz) sorrel, chopped
155 g (5 oz) spinach, chopped
4 sticks tender celery, finely chopped
2 teaspoons chopped parsley
2 teaspoons chopped chives
1 tablespoon flour
1 teaspoon mustard
½ cup cream
lemon juice

Season fish fillets lightly and fold in 2, skinned side in. Heat 30 g (1 oz) butter in a saucepan and cook shallot until soft. Add garlic, bouquet garni and wine. Bring to the boil and simmer until reduced by about half. Strain and set aside. Heat remaining butter in a frying pan. Add sorrel, spinach, celery and herbs and cook for 5 minutes. Sprinkle with flour and stir well, then pour on reduced wine. Bring to the boil, stirring constantly, and simmer gently for 10 minutes. Add fish fillets, cover and cook over very low heat for 5–7 minutes. Carefully remove fish to heated plates. Blend mustard and cream, and add to sauce with lemon juice to taste. Adjust seasoning. Pour sauce over fish and serve immediately. Serves 6.

SORREL SOUP

1 small onion, finely chopped
45 g (1½ oz) butter
2 medium potatoes, peeled and diced
4 cups chicken stock
salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 cups sorrel leaves
pinch sugar
pinch nutmeg
3–4 tablespoons cream

Cook onion in butter in saucepan until soft. Add potatoes and chicken stock, season with salt and pepper and simmer until potatoes are soft. Place sorrel leaves in blender with potato soup and blend until smooth. (Do this in several batches.) Reheat gently, then add sugar and nutmeg, stir in cream and adjust seasoning. If desired, serve sprinkled with chopped chives or small Croûtons. Serves 4.

SOUFFLÉ

Highly renowned as a creation of French cuisine, a soufflé is one of the lightest, most delectable and useful dishes in a cook’s repertoire. Any chef worth their salt can whip up a soufflé on command. And most people who like to cook and care about what they eat will, with a little leftover chicken or cheese, reach for the eggs to make a superb cheese soufflé or soufflé de volaille à la reine – a right royal chicken soufflé.

To make a soufflé you need eggs, milk, butter and flour. You make a sauce, add egg yolks then fold in beaten egg whites, bake in the oven and, voilà – a light-as-air soufflé. For flavour you can add grated cheese, chopped cooked chicken, seafood, ham or vegetables – the range is limitless. If you want a sweet soufflé, sugar and vanilla are a natural choice. Liqueurs like Grand Marnier or Cognac, fruits, fresh or candied and, of course, that great favourite, chocolate, make a sweet soufflé one of the most popular dishes on restaurant menus.

A word of reassurance: a soufflé is not as difficult to make as many people think. The soufflé gained a reputation for being difficult in the days of wood-burning stoves. With today’s excellent thermostatically controlled ovens, baking a perfect soufflé is assured.

Basic preparation: Success with soufflés is simply a matter of following basic rules.

A soufflé does have to be eaten as soon as it’s ready. During baking, the air trapped in the whites expands and the soufflé puffs up, but because of its delicate structure it will not hold up for more than a few minutes.

The flavourings are added in different ways. Cooked chicken, seafood and vegetables are often chopped finely, almost to a purée; cheese may be grated. These are folded into the basic sauce before adding egg whites. Sometimes the food is cut into thin slices and folded into the finished mixture, and for some soufflés, whole, lightly cooked food is added, like a poached egg or strawberries.

Eggs should be at room temperature. The main point to watch when making a soufflé is that the egg whites are beaten correctly. The whites must have no trace of yolk, and the bowl and beaters must be dry and free of grease. Beat the whites until foamy, add cream of tartar or salt (as indicated in recipe) and beat to a velvety snow. Test by gathering a little mixture on the beater and holding it upright; at the right consistency, the beaten whites will stand on the beater in a firm peak with a slightly drooping top.

It is the air beaten into the egg whites that makes the soufflé expand and rise, so it is important to fold them into the sauce as lightly as possible. Have the sauce warm (if you have made it ahead, stand the bowl in warm water). Stir a big spoonful of the whites into the base mixture to lighten it, then scoop the rest of the whites onto the surface and fold in, by cutting down through the mixture with a large metal spoon or rubber spatula. Folding in the whites should only take a minute or so. The mixture will blend a little more as you turn it into the soufflé dish.

Cooking times: A soufflé made with about 1½ cups sauce and 3–4 eggs in a 5–6 cup soufflé dish will take about 30 minutes to cook in a preheated moderately hot oven (190°C/375°F). It will rise well above the rim of the dish. At this stage the centre will be creamy, as some people prefer. For a well-cooked soufflé, leave for a further 5 minutes in oven.

A soufflé made with 5–6 eggs requires a 7–8 cup dish, and will take 40–45 minutes to cook.

To prepare a soufflé dish: For a savoury soufflé, grease the dish and dust with fine dry breadcrumbs or a mixture of breadcrumbs and finely grated Parmesan cheese. For a sweet soufflé, grease, then dust the dish with a little caster sugar. Remove excess crumbs or sugar by turning the dish upside-down and tapping it lightly on the table.

For a high cold soufflé to stand above the rim of the dish, cut a strip of foil or greaseproof paper wide enough to be doubled and come 8 cm (3 in) above the dish and long enough to fit around the dish with an overlap of 8–10 cm (3–4 in). Fold over to make a double strip. If a smooth effect on the soufflé is desired, brush one side of the strip with oil. Tie the strip around the dish, oiled side in, and fold at the bottom so that it stands like a collar above the edge.

Cold dessert soufflé: The charm of a cold soufflé, apart from its delectable flavour and airy texture, is its spectacular appearance. Its height above the top rim of the dish in which it is set is the clue to its fragile lightness.

The size of the soufflé dish determines the height of the finished soufflé. Sizes vary from individual serving dishes through 12, 15, 18 cm (5, 6, 7 in) diameter and larger. They are usually made with straight sides in ovenproof earthenware, and invariably have a fluted outside and indented rim.

A 3-egg soufflé is made in a 15 cm (6 in) dish, while a larger 6-egg Sweet Sherry Soufflé is made in a large 18 cm (7 in) dish.

CHEESE SOUFFLÉ

45 g (1½ oz) butter
3 tablespoons flour
1 cup warm milk
½ cup grated Gruyère, Emmenthal or similar Swiss cheese
1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese
½ teaspoon salt
freshly ground black pepper
pinch cayenne
pinch nutmeg
4 egg yolks
5 egg whites
½ teaspoon cream of tartar

Prepare a 5–6 cup soufflé dish or 4 individual 1-cup soufflé dishes. Place a baking tray on a shelf in the centre of a preheated hot oven (200°C/400°F). Melt butter in a saucepan, stir in flour and cook over low heat for 1 minute. Remove from heat, cool a little, and blend in milk, stirring until smooth. Return to heat and stir until boiling, then take from heat and stir in cheeses, salt, pepper, cayenne and nutmeg. Beat in egg yolks, one at a time. Whisk egg whites with cream of tartar until stiff but not brittle and fold into cheese mixture. Pour mixture into prepared soufflé dish, tap bottom of dish lightly on work surface to expel any large air pockets, and smooth top of soufflé. Quickly run a spoon around the top of the mixture about 2.5 cm (1 in) from the edge to make soufflé rise evenly in a ‘crown’. Immediately place dish on baking tray in oven, close door gently, and turn oven down to moderately hot (190°C/275°F). Bake soufflé for about 24 minutes (18 minutes for small soufflés) until it is well puffed up, golden-brown on top and just firm. Have a heated serving platter ready and a warmed serving spoon and fork. Place soufflé dish on platter, and take immediately to table. To serve, pierce top lightly with spoon and fork held vertically, and spread soufflé apart. Include some crust and some creamy centre with each serving. Serves 4.

VARIATIONS

HERB SOUFFLÉ: Follow recipe for Cheese Soufflé, folding in 1 golden shallot or spring onion, finely chopped, and 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh herbs, such as chives, parsley, marjoram, oregano, in any combination, with the cheese and seasonings. Bake as described.

CHEESE AND MUSHROOM SOUFFLÉ: Follow recipe for Cheese Soufflé. Sauté 6–8 mushrooms, sliced, in a little butter. Half fill prepared soufflé dish with soufflé mixture, scatter over mushrooms and fill with remaining mixture. Top with mixture of grated Parmesan cheese and buttered crumbs and bake as described.

SPINACH SOUFFLÉ: Follow recipe for Cheese Soufflé but use 2 tablespoons grated Swiss cheese, 1 tablespoon grated Parmesan and ½ cup finely chopped cooked spinach as the flavouring. Measure the spinach after cooking, squeezing as dry as possible and chopping.

CHICKEN SOUFFLÉ

3–4 golden shallots or spring onions, chopped
60 g (2 oz) butter
3 tablespoons flour
1½ cups warm milk
½ teaspoon dried marjoram
1 teaspoon chopped parsley
salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 egg yolks
¾ cup chopped cooked chicken meat
5 egg whites

Prepare a 6-cup soufflé dish. Place a baking tray on a shelf in the centre of a preheated hot oven (200°C/400°F). Cook shallots or spring onions in butter for 1–2 minutes. Add flour and cook, stirring, for a few minutes. Remove from heat and add warm milk, herbs, salt and pepper. Return to heat, bring slowly to the boil and boil for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove sauce from heat and cool slightly. Beat in egg yolks one at a time. Add chicken. Beat egg whites with pinch of salt until stiff. Lightly fold into chicken mixture, then pour into prepared dish. Immediately place dish on baking tray, close oven door, and turn oven down to moderately hot (190°C/375°F). Bake soufflé for about 35 minutes. Serves 4.

VARIATIONS

Replace chicken with ¾ cup of any of the following: canned tuna, drained and flaked; diced cooked lobster, prawns or crab; finely chopped cooked brains or sweetbreads.

VANILLA SOUFFLÉ

45 g (1½ oz) butter
1 tablespoon flour
1 cup warm milk
¼ teaspoon salt
½ cup sugar
piece vanilla bean
4 egg yolks
5 egg whites

Prepare a 6-cup soufflé dish and sprinkle inside with sugar. Melt butter in saucepan, blend in flour and cook for 1 minute. Remove from heat and gradually add milk. Add salt, sugar and vanilla bean. Return to heat and cook, stirring constantly, until thick and smooth. Allow to cool. Remove vanilla bean. Beat in egg yolks one at a time. Beat egg whites until stiff and fold into vanilla mixture.

Pour into prepared dish and run a spoon around top about 2.5 cm (1 in) from edge. Stand dish in roasting tin of hot water and bake in a preheated moderately hot oven (190°C/375°F) for 15 minutes. Reduce heat to moderate (180°C/350°F) and cook for a further 25 minutes. Serve immediately with fruit sauce. Serves 6.

VARIATIONS

CHOCOLATE SOUFFLÉ: Chop 60 g (2 oz) cooking chocolate finely and melt over hot water. Add to Vanilla Soufflé mixture before egg yolks, then proceed as above.

COFFEE SOUFFLÉ: Follow recipe for Vanilla Soufflé, but substitute ½ cup strong black coffee for ½ cup of the milk.

ALMOND SOUFFLÉ: Follow recipe for Vanilla Soufflé, but add ½ cup ground almonds before the egg yolks and substitute ¼ teaspoon almond essence for the vanilla. Sprinkle with shredded almonds before baking.

ICED VANILLA SOUFFLÉ

1 vanilla bean, or ½ teaspoon vanilla essence
2 cups milk
3 eggs, separated
cup sugar
1 tablespoon powdered gelatine
2–3 tablespoons water
½ cup cream, whipped
1 punnet (250 g/8 oz) strawberries, hulled
caster sugar to taste
dash Kirsch
shaved chocolate or whipped cream to decorate

Prepare a 5-cup soufflé dish (p.597). Split vanilla bean if using and scald with milk. Cream egg yolks with sugar and pour on milk. Return to saucepan and stir over low heat, without boiling, until thickened. Strain, cool and add vanilla essence if using. Soften gelatine in water, then dissolve over hot water and add to custard. Stir over ice until beginning to set. Fold in cream. Stiffly beat egg whites and fold in. Put a small tall oiled jam jar or bottle in centre of prepared dish. Pour mixture into dish. Chill until set. Before serving remove jar and fill centre of soufflé with whole or sliced sugared strawberries flavoured with Kirsch. Carefully peel off collar and decorate sides with shaved chocolate or whipped cream. Serve 5–6.

SWEET SHERRY SOUFFLÉ

1 tablespoon powdered gelatine
½ cup cold water
1½ cups sweet sherry
6 eggs, separated
¾ cup caster sugar
1¼ cups cream, whipped
1 scant tablespoon lemon juice
9–10 Savoy or sponge finger biscuits
extra whipped cream to decorate

Prepare a 7–8 cup soufflé dish. Soften gelatine in cold water for 5 minutes, then dissolve over hot water. Stir in sherry and cool, then chill for 30 minutes or until mixture begins to thicken. Meanwhile, beat egg yolks until frothy. Add ¼ cup sugar gradually and beat until mixture is thick and lemon-coloured. Add sherry mixture to egg yolks and combine well. Fold in whipped cream. Beat egg whites until foamy. Add remaining sugar gradually, beating constantly, then add lemon juice and beat until mixture is stiff but not dry. Fold into sherry mixture gently but thoroughly. Spoon about half mixture into dish and stand biscuits at equal intervals round edge, pushing them down to the bottom. Spoon in remaining mixture. Chill until firm. Remove collar from dish and serve decorated with whipped cream. Serves 12.

STRAWBERRY SOUFFLÉ

1 punnet (250 g) (18 oz) strawberries, hulled
1 tablespoon powdered gelatine
¼ cup cold water
4 eggs, separated
¾ cup caster sugar
1¼ cups cream, whipped
pinch salt
few drops red food colouring

Prepare a 5–6 cup soufflé dish or 6 individual 1-cup dishes. Sieve strawberries or blend to a purée. Soften gelatine in cold water, then dissolve over hot water. Put egg yolks with ½ cup sugar in top of double saucepan and cook over simmering water, stirring constantly, until slightly thickened. Stir in gelatine and cool, stirring occasionally. When cold, mix in strawberry purée. Fold in cream. Beat egg whites with salt until they hold soft peaks. Gradually add remaining sugar and continue beating until mixture is shiny and holds a definite peak. Fold into strawberry mixture very gently and add a few drops of red food colouring. Pour into prepared dish or dishes and chill until firm. Remove paper collar before serving. Serves 6.

LIQUEUR SOUFFLÉ (BENEDICTINE OR GRAND MARNIER)

5 eggs, separated
½ cup caster sugar
¾ cup brandy
½ cup sherry
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon Benedictine or Grand Marnier
1½ tablespoons powdered gelatine
½ cup water
1¼ cups cream, whipped

Prepare a 6–7 cup soufflé dish. Beat egg yolks with sugar until thick and light. Stir in brandy, sherry, lemon juice and liqueur. Soften gelatine in water, then dissolve over hot water and add to mixture. Fold in cream. Stiffly beat egg whites and fold in. Pour into prepared dish and chill until firm. Remove collar before serving. Serves 8–10.

SOUPS

Originally, soup was basic sustenance – a pot of warming nourishment that brought the family together. Soup was a meal in itself: with a generous chunk of bread and a warm hearth to enjoy it by, it revived many a flagging body and spirit. These hearty soups are still with us today: Scotch broth, minestrone, bouillabaisse, pea and ham bone, chowder and many more, the recipes unchanged by time.

More sophisticated concepts of dining have altered the role of soup. Restaurant chefs have created lighter and more delicate soups for their customers; fond mothers have created soups to nourish a sick and ailing child or more robust ones for the family; home cooks have sought soups to star at a dinner party. Whether you want to make a soup that is a meal in itself, a first course for a family meal, a luxury one for a dinner party, or a chilled soup to tempt jaded appetites on a hot summer’s day, you will be able to find a recipe, for there is a soup for almost any occasion.

Although soup does not necessarily need to be made from stock, and very few households these days have a stock pot simmering on the stove all day, it is good to have stock either in the refrigerator or the freezer ready to turn into soup with freshly cooked vegetables. See Stock for stocks used in soup-making.

Stock cubes can be used but they tend to be salty and give a ‘sameness’ to soups. Liquid packaged stocks now available are useful.

Canned consommé is quite expensive, whereas home-made stock is usually made from ingredients which are very cheap or would otherwise be discarded, and a home-made stock, when made correctly, is nutritious in itself. Canned consommé does have its place, though. When time is short, it is a comforting thought to go to the cupboard and make a lovely soup with this as a base. A touch of sherry, a few herbs, a handful of diced or julienne (matchstick) vegetables, and you have a delicious soup.

Soups can be divided into several categories – consommés and clear soups; cream soups, usually made with softened vegetables as the base; fish soups; nutritious pulse soups made from dried beans, peas or lentils; quickly made soups that take only minutes to prepare; hearty soups, which are often served as a complete meal; and chilled soups, refreshing to serve on a hot summer’s day.

Consommés and clear soups

The term ‘consommé’ is generally used these days to describe any clear soup. A good consommé starts with a good rich bouillon cleared of fat, then made crystal-clear, and any existing fat cleared by clarification. Beaten egg whites and lean minced beef, or, in the case of chicken bouillon, egg whites and chicken backs, are added to the simmering bouillon. As the egg whites and meat cook, they attract and hold the tiny particles of fat and other matter that cloud the soup. When this mass of solids is discarded you have a sparkling, clear consommé. Serve with a garnish and, if liked, a dash of sherry or Madeira, and you have the perfect start to a meal.

CONSOMMÉ DOUBLE

A consommé made with strongly flavoured clear stock, having a rich brown colour. It may be served hot or cold and jellied, and is usually garnished. It becomes double when the basic soup is clarified with additional beef. Good consommé ‘jels’ naturally on cooling.

6 cups cold Brown Stock
2 egg whites, lightly beaten
2 egg shells
250 g (8 oz) finely minced lean beef
¼ cup dry flor sherry

To clarify consommé:Remove any fat from stock, then place stock in a saucepan with egg whites, egg shells and beef. Bring slowly to the boil, whisking occasionally with a wire whisk. Allow liquid to rise in pan as it reaches boiling point, then draw pan aside. Boil up carefully once more, taking care not to break crust which will form on top. Draw pan aside, lower heat and then simmer soup very gently for 30 minutes. This slow simmering will extract all flavour from meat. Strain through a colander lined with butter muslin, holding back egg white crust with a spoon, and then at the end sliding it out onto cloth. The consommé should now be clear. If not, filter it again through egg white on cloth into a clean bowl. Return to heat and add sherry and garnish. Serves 6.

NOTE: A little sherry can make a consommé, but too much can break it. Use a good dry flor sherry – 1–2 teaspoons for each serving according to your taste. Sherry-flavoured consommé is excellent on its own, but it is often garnished and takes its name from the particular garnish.

VARIATIONS

CONSOMMÉ ROYALE: Break up 2 eggs with a whisk or fork but do not make them frothy. Add 4 tablespoons cream and season with salt and white pepper. Pour into a small mould or cup and steam or poach this custard for 20 minutes or until set. Allow to cool completely, then turn out and slice into strips or cut into shapes. Add to the hot Consommé just before serving.

CONSOMMÉ CHIFFONADE: Parboil finely shredded tender sorrel or lettuce leaves in boiling salted water for 1 minute and drain them. Add to the hot Consommé just before serving.

SPICED TOMATO CONSOMMÉ

This is similar to the classic consommé madrilène, which is a clear soup strongly flavoured with tomato. This version is lightly thickened and has a well-spiced flavour.

1 medium onion, finely chopped
30 g (1 oz) butter
8 cups strong chicken stock
1 × 425 g can tomatoes
1 large bouquet garni containing strip lemon rind
salt and freshly ground black pepper
½ cup dry sherry
1 tablespoon arrowroot
2 tablespoons water or chicken stock
lemon juice
cream and chopped chives to garnish

Soften onion in butter in a saucepan, and add stock, tomatoes and bouquet garni. Season with salt and pepper. Cover and simmer for 40 minutes, then rub through a sieve. Rinse out pan, add sherry and boil to reduce by half. Stir in sieved soup. Dissolve arrowroot in water or stock and add to soup. Bring to the boil, stirring until thickened. Add a few drops of lemon juice. Adjust seasoning, and serve in cups with a spoonful of cream swirled into each one and a sprinkling of chopped chives. Serves 8.

NOTE: The soup may also be served iced with a slice of lemon in each cup. In this case, omit the cream.

BORSCH JULIENNE

A light, ruby-red soup. Serve chilled as a first course or, should the weather change, you can serve it hot.

4 cups strong beef stock
4 beetroots, peeled and grated
1 cup red wine
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 bay leaf
3 egg whites, beaten
1 beetroot, cooked, peeled and cut into fine julienne (matchstick) strips
¾ cup sour cream
grated rind 1 lemon
salt
pinch cayenne

Put stock into a heavy saucepan. Add grated beetroot, wine, tomato paste, bay leaf and egg whites. Cook over a moderate heat, whisking constantly, until mixture comes to the boil, then draw aside and leave for 10 minutes. Strain through a fine damp cloth and place in refrigerator until cold. Add juliennes of beetroot. Season sour cream with lemon rind, salt and cayenne. Serve soup in bowls and offer cream separately. Serves 6.

Cream soups

These delicious soups are made with the simplest of ingredients, and their tender, melting qualities appeal to many people who are quite indifferent about eating vegetables.

Cooking the chopped vegetables in a little butter until soft is an important step in making cream soups, but care has to be taken not to brown the vegetables or the colour and flavour of the finished soup will be spoilt. The easiest way to soften the vegetables is to melt the butter in the saucepan, add the vegetables and toss well; then place on top a double circle of greaseproof paper, pushing it well down over the vegetables, cover the saucepan and cook over very gentle heat for about 15 minutes, shaking the pan occasionally.

The addition of cream gives a very smooth texture to the finished purée, but do not overdo it. With cream especially, it’s no use imagining that if a little is good, more will be better. Too much ‘softens’ the flavour of the vegetables and, of course, adds to the calories. Sour light cream, which has fewer calories than regular cream, can also be used.

Use about 2–3 teaspoons cream, yogurt or sour light cream to each plate of soup.

GREEN VELVET SOUP

2 large, dark green cucumbers
2½ cups chicken stock
30 g (1 oz) butter
1½ tablespoons flour
1 cup warm milk
1 teaspoon chopped fresh dill, or ¼ teaspoon dried
salt and freshly ground white pepper
¼ cup cream
snipped fresh dill or chives to garnish

Peel cucumbers thinly, so that green beneath skin is left on. Halve lengthways, scoop out seeds and cut into pieces. Pureé in a food processor or blender until smooth, adding a little stock to help if necessary. Pour into a jug, add remaining stock and set aside. Melt butter in a large saucepan, stir in flour and cook gently for 1 minute. Remove from heat, cool a little, and stir in milk. Blend smoothly together, then return to heat and stir until boiling. Add cucumber mixture, dill, salt and pepper. Stir in cream. Reheat gently until piping hot. Serve in heated bowls, garnished with dill or chives. Serves 6.

WALNUT SOUP

125 g (4 oz) peeled walnuts, chopped
1 clove garlic, crushed
4 cups beef or chicken stock
¾ cup cream
salt and freshly ground black pepper

Using a mortar and pestle, food processor or blender, process walnuts with garlic and a little of the stock until quite smooth. Add to remaining stock. Heat cream to boiling point in a large saucepan, then stir in walnut mixture. Heat gently and season with salt and pepper. Serve hot or chilled. Serves 6.

NOTE: Peeled walnuts are the secret to this recipe. Peeled walnuts can be bought in cans or at a good Chinese grocer. If you have to prepare them yourself, cover the walnuts with water, bring slowly to the boil, simmer for a few minutes, then drain and peel.

DANABLU SOUP

This soup can be made with your choice of blue cheese.

155 g (5 oz) Danablu (Danish blue cheese)
30 g (1 oz) butter
2 tablespoons flour
4 cups chicken stock
1 cup cream

Garnish

¾ cup cream, whipped
3 tablespoons chopped parsley

Mash cheese with a fork. Melt butter in a saucepan, add flour and cook for 1 minute, stirring. Gradually stir in stock and cook, stirring constantly, until slightly thickened. Beat together mashed cheese and cream, and add to soup, beating with a wire whisk. Bring to the boil. Serve in soup plates or small bowls. Garnish each with a spoonful of whipped cream, sprinkled with chopped parsley. Serves 6–8.

CREAMY ONION SOUP

125 g (4 oz) butter
4 large white onions, finely sliced
1 clove garlic, crushed
2 cups chicken stock
2 cups milk
1 cup very thin, raw vermicelli or noodles, broken into small pieces
3 egg yolks, beaten
½ cup cream
pinch nutmeg
salt and freshly ground white pepper
½ cup grated Cheddar cheese
chopped parsley to garnish

Heat butter in a large, heavy saucepan and gently cook onions and garlic until very soft but not brown. This will take at least 20 minutes, and they should be stirred often to prevent sticking. Push mixture through a sieve, or pureé in a blender or food processor. Return to saucepan, add stock and milk and bring to the boil. Add vermicelli and simmer gently for about 5 minutes or until vermicelli is cooked. Pour a little hot soup into egg yolks and stir well, then add to remaining soup. Cook over a very low heat, stirring constantly with a whisk, until thickened. Add cream, nutmeg, salt and pepper, and stir in cheese. Do not allow to boil. Serve in hot soup bowls, sprinkled with a little chopped parsley. Serves 4–6.

CREAM OF CAULIFLOWER SOUP

An excellent winter soup, this is good chilled as well as hot.

4 cups water
1 small cauliflower, broken into small florets
60 g (2 oz) butter
3 tablespoons flour
2 cups chicken stock
¼ teaspoon nutmeg
salt and freshly ground white pepper
2 egg yolks
cup cream
finely chopped parsley or snipped fresh dill to garnish

Bring water to the boil in a saucepan. Drop in cauliflower florets and cook for about 10 minutes. Drain, reserving cooking liquid. Reserve about 2 cups cooked florets, and sieve or pureé remainder with 1 cup reserved liquid in a blender or food processor. Melt butter in a saucepan, blend in flour and cook, stirring, until a pale straw colour. Remove from heat and add remaining reserved cooking liquid and stock, stirring until the mixture is smooth. Add cauliflower pureé, return to heat and stir until boiling. Simmer for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add reserved cauliflower florets, nutmeg, salt and pepper and simmer for a further 5 minutes. Beat egg yolks with cream. Stir in a ladle of hot soup, then add this mixture to remaining soup, stirring. Heat gently without boiling, then pour into a heated tureen or bowls and sprinkle with parsley. Or chill and serve sprinkled with parsley or dill. Serves 6.

POTAGE CRESSONIÈRE (WATERCRESS SOUP)

60 g (2 oz) butter
1 clove garlic, chopped
1 onion, chopped
2 potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced
1 tablespoon salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 cup water
1 bunch watercress
2 cups milk
2 egg yolks
½ cup cream

Heat butter in a large saucepan. Add garlic and onions and cook, covered, for about 5 minutes or until tender. Add potatoes, salt, pepper and water. Cover and bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes or until potatoes are almost tender. Discard thick hairy stems from watercress. Cut remaining watercress stems into short lengths. Coarsely chop leaves. Add all the watercress stems, half the leaves and the milk to potato mixture and continue cooking for 15 minutes. Purée in blender or food processor. Return to saucepan and reheat. Beat together egg yolks and cream. Add a ladle of hot soup, mix well, and stir into remaining soup. Cook gently, stirring constantly, until slightly thickened. Garnish with remaining watercress leaves and serve immediately. Serves 4–6.

CREAM OF BROCCOLI SOUP

1 onion, sliced
1 carrot, sliced
1 small stick celery with leaves, sliced
1 clove garlic
½ cup water
2 cups coarsely chopped cooked broccoli
1 teaspoon salt
generous pinch cayenne
½ cup cooked macaroni
2 cups chicken stock
½ cup cream
sour cream to serve

Place onion, carrot, celery, garlic and water in a saucepan, bring to the boil and simmer, covered, for 10 minutes. Add broccoli, salt, cayenne and macaroni. Purée in a blender or food processor. With motor running, add stock and cream. Alternatively, sieve broccoli mixture and stir in stock and cream. Chill and serve topped with sour cream. Serve 4–6.

CREAM OF FRESH MUSHROOM SOUP

Raw mushrooms are pureéd then merely reheated giving a true fresh mushroom taste.

5 cups chicken stock
1 clove garlic, crushed
250 g (8 oz) large mushrooms
60 g (2 oz) butter
1 egg yolk
½ cup cream
2 button mushrooms, thinly sliced
Croûtons to serve

Heat stock and garlic. Roughly chop large mushrooms. Place about one-third in a blender or food processor with one-third of the butter and stock. Purée until smooth then transfer to a saucepan. Purée remaining mushrooms, butter and stock in 2 batches. Heat mixture gently until very hot; season with salt and pepper. Beat egg yolk with cream until blended. Stir in a little hot soup then pour this mixture back into the saucepan. Heat gently, stirring, until soup becomes glossy and thickens slightly. Do not boil. Serve immediately garnished with mushroom slices. Pass croûtons around separately. Serves 6.

CREAM OF PIMIENTO SOUP

1 small onion, chopped
2 canned pimientos, chopped
45 g (1½ oz) butter
3 tablespoons flour
1½ cups chicken stock
1½ cups milk
¾ cup grated cheese
salt and freshly ground black pepper
½ cup cream

Sauté onion and pimientos in butter until onion is tender but not brown. Blend in flour, then gradually add stock and milk and cook, stirring, until thickened. Add cheese and stir until melted. Season with salt and pepper. Swirl in cream. Serves 4.

CREAM OF TOMATO SOUP

5–6 medium, ripe tomatoes, peeled and chopped
1 tablespoon chopped onion
½ teaspoon celery seeds
½ bay leaf
2 cloves
60 g (2 oz) butter
¼ cup flour
3 cups warm milk
1½ teaspoons salt
freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons tomato paste

Place tomatoes in saucepan with onion, celery seeds, bay leaf and cloves and simmer gently for 15 minutes or until tomatoes are very soft. Stir occasionally. Meanwhile, melt butter in another saucepan, add flour and cook for 1 minute, stirring. Add milk and cook, stirring vigorously with a whisk, until thickened and smooth. Season with salt and pepper and add tomato paste. Press tomato mixture through a sieve. There should be about 2 cups. Reheat tomato pureé, then gradually add to soup base, stirring. If mixture curdles, whisk until smooth. Serves 6.

CREAM OF CARROT SOUP (POTAGE CRÉCY)

30 g (1 oz) butter
4 medium carrots, sliced
1 onion, sliced
3 cups hot chicken stock or water
salt
generous pinch cayenne
6 tablespoons cream
chopped parsley to garnish

Melt butter in saucepan, add carrots and onion and cook gently for about 10 minutes or until softened. Add 2 cups chicken stock or water and bring to the boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 10 minutes. Rub through a sieve or pureé in a blender. Return soup to pan and heat gently with remaining stock. Season with salt and cayenne, then swirl in cream. Sprinkle with chopped parsley before serving. Serves 4.

Fish soups

Not eaten as much as they should be, fish soups can be very welcome additions to our menus – whether as a hearty chowder, a light delicate bisque or a luxury soup like oyster chowder.

Home-made fish stock is no trouble to make – and what is more, the ingredients are virtually free! Your fish merchant will often give you the bones and skins of the fish he has been filleting or will sell you a couple of bream or snapper heads for very little. They will make an excellent foundation for many different soups. See also Stocks.

OYSTER CHOWDER

An American favourite.

2 medium potatoes, peeled and diced
1 carrot, finely chopped
2 sticks celery, chopped
6 cups milk
1 tablespoon chopped onion
salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons flour
60 g (2 oz) butter
24 fresh oysters, removed from shells
2 tablespoons chopped parsley

Cook potatoes, carrot and celery in a small amount of boiling salted water in a large saucepan until tender. Drain. Add milk, onion, salt and pepper to vegetables and bring to the boil. Cream flour with half the butter to make a paste and add, in small pieces, to boiling mixture. Cook, stirring, until thickened. Cook oysters, with their liquid, in remaining butter until edges curl. Add to soup and serve immediately, sprinkled with parsley. Serves 4–6.

FISH CHOWDER

4 fish heads, or bones from 4 fish (any kind saved when fish were cooked for a meal)
2 cups water
1 small onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, crushed
2 tablespoons chopped green pepper
2 tablespoons butter or olive oil
2 cups chopped peeled ripe tomatoes
2 potatoes, peeled and finely diced
½ cup chopped celery
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon salt
teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
250 g (8 oz) fish fillet, cut into strips
1 tablespoon chopped parsley

Rinse fish heads or bones and simmer in water for 10 minutes. Strain broth and discard heads or bones. Sauté onion, garlic and green pepper in butter or oil until onion is transparent. Add reserved broth, tomatoes, potatoes, celery, bay leaf, salt and pepper. Simmer until potatoes are tender. Add fish strips and parsley and cook gently for 5–8 minutes. Discard bay leaf. Serves 4.

MARYLAND CRAB BISQUE

1 onion, finely chopped
60 g (2 oz) butter
2 cups crabmeat, picked over to remove bits of shell and cartilage
½ teaspoon salt
freshly ground black pepper
3 cups milk
1 cup cream
2 tablespoons Scotch whisky
few drops Tabasco sauce
chopped chives to garnish

Sauté onion in butter until transparent. Stir in crabmeat, salt and pepper and cook over low heat for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Scald milk, add to crab and cook for 5–10 minutes. Add cream and, when the mixture is piping hot, stir in whisky and Tabasco. Serve immediately, sprinkled with chopped chives. Serves 6.

ITALIAN CLAM SOUP

¼ cup olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1 clove garlic
3 anchovy fillets, chopped
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
½ cup dry red wine
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1½ cups warm water
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 × 290 g can clams, drained
1 teaspoon chopped fresh oregano
8 thin slices Italian bread, fried in olive oil

Heat oil in a large saucepan, add onion and whole garlic clove and fry until brown. Discard garlic. Add anchovies, parsley and wine to oil and cook for 5 minutes. Stir in tomato paste, water, salt and pepper and cook for 3–4 minutes. Add clams and oregano and cook for 2 minutes longer. Place 2 slices fried bread in each soup dish and pour hot soup over them. Serves 4.

BOUILLABAISSE

An Australian version of this classic Mediterranean soup.

3 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2 tablespoons chopped celery leaves
1–2 cloves garlic, crushed
good pinch saffron powder
4 tomatoes, peeled and chopped
2 cups water
¾ cup dry white wine
salt and freshly ground black pepper
pinch cayenne
1.5 kg (3 lb) mixed seafood, such as fish steaks or fillets, cubed
1½ cups shelled cooked prawns and sliced lobster (optional)
squeeze lemon juice
chopped parsley to garnish

Heat oil in heavy saucepan, add onion and cook until translucent. Add celery leaves, garlic and saffron, then tomatoes. Cook, stirring occasionally, until it is reduced to a pulp. Add water and wine. Season with salt, pepper and cayenne. Simmer for 5 minutes. If too thick, add a little more water. Add raw seafood and cook gently; the fish will take about 5–8 minutes, but cooked prawns and lobster need only to be heated through. Squeeze lemon juice over and serve garnished with chopped parsley. Serves 4–6.

Dried bean, pea and lentil soups

Dried beans, peas and lentils make nourishing and inexpensive soups, and should be served frequently by budget-minded people. Although the proteins they contain lack some of the essential amino acids, this can be rectified by serving cheese, milk or eggs separately, or adding a little meat to the soup.

Beans vary in cooking time according to variety and age, and are usually soaked in water overnight before cooking. If you have forgotten to soak them, a quick method to tenderise them for cooking is to cover with cold water, bring to the boil and simmer for 2 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand, tightly covered, for 1 hour; this is the equivalent of 8 hours’ soaking. Or you can use canned beans.

Remember that 1 cup beans, peas or lentils will expand to 2½ cups after cooking – this equals 2 × 300 g cans.

See also Pulses: Dried Beans, Peas and Lentils.

HARICOT BEAN SOUP

Haricot beans are cooked to the stage where they are soft but not disintegrated to make a thick bean purée. The celery, leeks and tomato should also be very soft, so that they can easily be pushed through a sieve. An egg yolk liaison binds the soup.

1 cup dried haricot beans, soaked overnight and drained
5 cups water
1 bouquet garni
1 medium onion
1 clove garlic
4–5 sticks celery, finely chopped
2 leeks (white part only), or 2 onions, finely chopped
60 g (2 oz) butter
4 large tomatoes, chopped
salt
2 egg yolks
Garlic Croûtons to serve

Cook beans in the 5 cups water with bouquet garni, whole onion and garlic for about 1 hour or until tender. Cook celery and leeks or onions in half the butter until soft but not coloured. Add tomatoes and cook gently for about 10 minutes. Discard whole onion, garlic and bouquet garni from beans. Combine beans and liquid with vegetables and rub through a sieve or purée in a blender. Return to pan. Season with salt and bring to the boil, stirring. Beat egg yolks with 2 tablespoons hot soup. Add to remaining soup with rest of the butter. Reheat but do not allow to boil. Serve with garlic croûtons. Serves 6–8.

ITALIAN BEAN SOUP

1 cup dried haricot beans, soaked overnight and drained
1 bouquet garni
salt
1 tablespoon oil
60 g (2 oz) pickled (salt) pork or bacon, finely chopped
1 onion, finely chopped
1 stick celery, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, crushed
2 tomatoes, peeled and chopped
1 teaspoon salt
freshly ground black pepper
8 cups hot water
1 cup elbow macaroni
grated Parmesan cheese to serve

Place beans in a large saucepan with fresh water to cover. Add bouquet garni, cover and simmer for about 1 hour or until tender. Season with salt at end of cooking time. Drain. Heat oil in saucepan, add pork or bacon, onion, celery and garlic and sauté until golden. Add tomatoes with salt, pepper, hot water and cooked beans. Simmer for 5 minutes. Add elbow macaroni and cook for a further 8–10 minutes or until macaroni is tender, adding more water if necessary. Serve hot with a bowl of Parmesan cheese handed separately. Serves 6–8.

YELLOW SPLIT PEA SOUP

An English speciality.

500 g (1 lb) yellow split peas
10 cups water
1 ham hock
3 onions, chopped
2 carrots, diced
handful celery leaves
few parsley stalks
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon chopped fresh summer savory (if available)
salt and freshly ground black pepper
Croûtons to serve

Soak split peas overnight in the water. Next day, put in a large pan and add remaining ingredients. Bring slowly to the boil, cover and simmer gently for 2–3 hours or until peas are very tender. It may be necessary to add more water during cooking to maintain right consistency. To serve, remove hock, celery leaves, parsley and bay leaves and adjust seasoning. Take any meat from hock, chop and return it to the soup. Serve with croûtons. Serves 8–10.

DHAL SOUP

60 g (2 oz) ghee or butter
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tablespoon ground coriander
5 cm (2 in) cinnamon stick
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon ground fenugreek
¼ teaspoon chilli powder, or to taste
1 cup red lentils
6 cups water
2 tablespoons tomato paste
salt
lemon juice
Croûtons to serve

Heat ghee or butter in saucepan and gently fry onion and garlic until golden. Add spices and cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Add lentils and water with tomato paste and salt. Simmer, covered, for 30 minutes. Remove cinnamon stick. With a wooden spoon, mash some lentils against side of pan, so you have a thickened soup with some whole lentils in it, or purée in a blender until smooth. Add lemon juice, adjust seasoning and serve with croûtons. Serves 6.

LENTIL AND LEMON SOUP

1 cup red lentils
6 cups water
salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 rashers streaky bacon, rind removed, diced
3 potatoes, peeled and diced
1 tablespoon lemon juice

Put lentils into a large saucepan with the water, and add a large pinch each of salt and pepper and the bacon. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer, covered, for 1½ hours or until lentils are soft. Add diced potatoes and simmer for 20 minutes longer or until potatoes are soft. Mix well so potatoes thicken soup, then add lemon juice. Serve very hot. Serves 6.

PEA SOUP

A Canadian recipe, good with crisp, butter-fried Croûtons or sour black bread.

1 cup yellow split peas
6 cups cold water
250 g (8 oz) pickled (salt) pork, finely chopped
1 large onion, chopped
2 sticks celery, chopped
2 medium carrots, chopped
¼ cup chopped parsley
salt and freshly ground black pepper
½ teaspoon ground allspice

Soak peas overnight in water to cover. Next day, boil in soaking water for 10 minutes and drain. Return peas to saucepan and add the cold water and remaining ingredients. Cover pan and simmer over very low heat for 2–3 hours or until peas have become a mush. Adjust seasoning. Serves 6.

Quickly made soups

There are times when you want to supplement a meal with another course, or decide at the last minute to make a soup. Perhaps the avocado you planned to use is now overripe, or you have more tomatoes than you can use in salads. Here are some soups that can be made in minutes even without home-made stock. A few cans of beef or chicken consommé, stock cubes or packets, or some of those interesting packets of Japanese soups, are all useful to have on hand for such emergencies, and in some of the recipes no stock is needed – just a few vegetables.

ITALIAN EGG DROP SOUP

In many different parts of the world, egg is added to clear broth to make a light, nourishing soup. This Italian version has a fluffy, creamy texture – with cheese for extra flavour.

6 cups beef or chicken stock
salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 eggs, separated
4 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
nutmeg

Heat stock in a large saucepan and season with salt and pepper. Beat egg whites until they form soft peaks; beat yolks lightly. Combine whites and yolks with cheese and a few gratings of nutmeg. When soup boils, stir in egg mixture, then remove from heat and serve immediately. Pass a basket of crusty bread. Serves 6.

CLEAR SOUP WITH RAVIOLI

7 cups beef stock
½ cup dry white wine or vermouth
3 tablespoons tomato paste
1 bay leaf
salt and freshly ground black pepper
24–30 frozen ravioli (about ½ 500 g/1 lb packet)
grated Parmesan cheese to serve

Place stock, wine or vermouth, tomato paste and bay leaf in a large saucepan and blend together. Heat until soup boils, then season with salt and pepper. Add ravioli to pan and simmer for about 20 minutes or until tender. Remove bay leaf and ladle soup into bowls. Sprinkle with a little grated Parmesan cheese and serve with extra Parmesan. Serves 6.

MEATBALL AND SPINACH SOUP (CHINESE)

Soup

8 cups beef or chicken stock
1 leek or 8 spring onions, finely sliced
1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh ginger
2 tablespoons Chinese rice wine or medium dry sherry
6 tender spinach leaves, finely sliced
salt and freshly ground black pepper

Meatballs

250 g (8 oz) lean minced beef
4 shallots, finely chopped
1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh ginger
½ teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon cornflour
1 tablespoon light soy sauce
1 egg

Place soup ingredients in a large saucepan. Bring to the boil and simmer for 5 minutes. To make meatballs, mix ingredients and form into small, marble-size balls. Drop into simmering soup and cook for a further 6–8 minutes or until meatballs are cooked through. Serves 6.

ZUPPA ALLA PAVESE

A simple chicken broth is enriched with egg, Parmesan cheese and toasted bread to become a soup fit for a king: this soup was served to King Francis I of France by an enterprising Italian farmer’s wife. His Royal Highness enjoyed it so much he declared:‘What you have given me is a king’s soup!’

90 g (3 oz) butter
6 thick slices Vienna bread
6 eggs
salt
½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
6 cups boiling chicken stock

Melt butter in a frying pan and sauté bread until golden. Place bread slices in heated soup bowls. Carefully break an egg into each bowl. Sprinkle each with a little salt and grated cheese. Very carefully ladle a cup of boiling stock into each bowl. Keep stock over heat while working so that it remains hot enough to poach eggs in the bowls. Serve immediately. Serves 6.

QUICK VEGETABLE SOUP

You can use any combination of vegetables for this soup, whatever is on hand. It is one of the simplest and quickest soups to make as it doesn’t require stock. It is ready as soon as the vegetables are tender. This soup is a meal in itself.

2 tablespoons oil
2 cloves garlic, crushed or finely chopped
3 onions, chopped
1 leek, sliced
250 g (8 oz) streaky bacon, rind removed, diced
½ head broccoli, sliced
2 carrots, diced
2 white turnips, diced
4 potatoes, peeled and diced
½ Savoy cabbage, shredded
250 g (8 oz) green beans, cut diagonally into 2 cm (¾ in) slices
9 cups hot water
salt and freshly ground black pepper
chopped parsley

Heat oil in large saucepan, add garlic, onions, leek and bacon and cook very gently until onion is soft but not brown. Add remaining vegetables and cook, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes. Add hot water, bring to the boil, then lower heat and season with salt and pepper (remembering that the bacon may be salty). Simmer for about 20 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Lastly add some chopped parsley. Serve with fresh crusty bread. Serves 8–10.

SOUP OF A THOUSAND INFANTS

This Portuguese soup gets its charming name from the egg, herbs and breadcrumb drops whisked through it.

4 cups chicken stock
1 egg, lightly beaten
¾ cup fine fresh breadcrumbs (process in a blender, then push through a sieve)
¼ cup finely chopped parsley
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme, or ¼ teaspoon dried
juice ½ lemon
salt and freshly ground black pepper

Bring stock to the boil in a saucepan. Meanwhile, mix together egg, breadcrumbs, parsley and thyme. Drop the mixture by spoonfuls into boiling stock, beating constantly with a wire whisk. Stir in lemon juice, season with salt and pepper to taste and serve at once. Serves 4.

TEN-MINUTE TOMATO SOUP

750 g (1½ lb) tomatoes, peeled and chopped
1 clove garlic, crushed
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
3 tablespoons olive oil
3 cups chicken stock
salt and freshly ground black pepper
pinch sugar

Place tomatoes in saucepan with garlic, parsley and olive oil. Cook gently for about 5 minutes. Add stock, salt, pepper and sugar and cook for a further 5 minutes. This soup can be eaten hot or chilled. Serves 4–6.

BEETROOT SOUP

3 beetroots, peeled and shredded
½ onion, finely chopped
4 cups chicken stock
2 tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped
pinch nutmeg
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1–2 sweet and sour gherkins, chopped
sour cream to serve (optional)

Place beetroot in a heavy saucepan with onion and ¾ cup chicken stock. Cover and cook gently for about 5 minutes. Add tomatoes with remaining heated stock and bring to the boil. Season with nutmeg and – only if necessary – salt and pepper. Add gherkins. Serve with a swirl of sour cream, if liked. Serves 6.

Hearty soups

Some soups are almost a meal in themselves. It is a mistake to serve such soups as part of a substantial three-course meal. Their role is quite different. Serve them for weekend lunches or suppers, followed by a crisp green salad and a piece of fruit, and you have a nourishing and satisfying meal.

Many of these soups are old traditional recipes, brought up to date, and made more in keeping with today’s healthy approach to eating by using a good stock that is prepared in advance, and then only quickly and lightly cooking vegetables. This way you get the maximum nutrition, the minerals drawn out from the long, slow cooking of the bones, and the vitamins retained in the quickly cooked vegetables. Soups taste better for this treatment.

In almost all of these soups a generous handful of parsley or a choice of fresh herbs added to the soup plate on serving can only be an added bonus.

MUTTON BROTH

A Scottish soup. Serve with fresh crusty bread.

750 g (1½ lb) scrag neck of mutton or lamb
8 cups water or White Stock
1 tablespoon salt
½ cup chopped celery
2 carrots, diced
1 parsnip, diced
1 turnip, diced
2 onions, diced
freshly ground black pepper
chopped parsley

Remove as much fat as possible from mutton or lamb and cut meat into small pieces. Cover the meat and bones with the water or stock and bring slowly to the boil. Remove scum, then add salt and simmer for 1 hour. Add diced vegetables and pepper. Continue cooking gently, covered, for another hour. Remove bones, cut any pieces of meat off bones and return these to the broth. Skim to remove any fat using absorbent paper towels if necessary, adjust seasoning to taste and serve sprinkled with parsley. Serves 8.

PORTUGUESE CHICKEN SOUP WITH MINT

1 × size 20 roasting chicken, or 2 kg (4 lb) chicken pieces
1 large onion, finely chopped
1 teaspoon salt
8 cups water, chicken stock or vegetable cooking liquid
3 tablespoons rice
cup lemon juice
6 tablespoons chopped fresh mint
sprigs fresh mint and lemon slices to serve

Put chicken or pieces, onion and salt in a very large saucepan. Add water, stock or vegetable cooking liquid and bring slowly to the boil. Simmer for about 1 hour for a whole chicken, less for chicken pieces. They should be tender without being overcooked. Using a slotted spoon remove chicken to a plate and allow to cool. Add rice to the broth and simmer for about 20 minutes. Meanwhile, skin and bone chicken and cut flesh into thin strips. Add meat to broth with lemon juice and mint. Reheat gently and serve in heated bowls over sprigs of mint. Garnish each serving with lemon slices. Serves 6–8.

MEAT AND VEGETABLE SOUP

1 tablespoon oil
30 g (1 oz) butter
1 kg (2 lb ) meaty soup bones
2 onions, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
½ turnip, chopped
1 ripe tomato, peeled and chopped
2 sticks celery, chopped
½ cup parsley sprigs
2 teaspoons brown sugar
3 beef stock cubes, crumbled (optional)
8 cups water
salt and freshly ground black pepper
¾ cup shelled peas (fresh or frozen)
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
toast points to serve

Heat oil and butter in a large, heavy saucepan. Add bones and brown over medium heat. Remove bones. Add chopped vegetables and cook for 5 minutes, stirring several times. Add parsley sprigs, sugar, stock cubes, if using, and water. Season lightly with salt and pepper, return bones to the pan and simmer gently, covered, for 2½ hours. Take bones out, remove meat and dice. Return the meat to saucepan with peas. Simmer uncovered until peas are tender, for about 10 minutes for fresh peas or 3 minutes for frozen. Adjust seasoning and stir in chopped parsley. Serve soup with toast points. Serves 8–10.

CHICKEN CORN SOUP

1 × size 20 roasting chicken, cut into pieces
8 cups water
1 tablespoon salt
¼ teaspoon saffron powder
125 g (4 oz) noodles
2 cups fresh corn kernels, cut from cob
freshly ground black pepper
chopped parsley
2 hard-boiled eggs, chopped

Cover chicken with water in a saucepan, add salt and saffron and bring to the boil. Lower the heat, cover and simmer for about 2 hours or until tender. Remove chicken from stock and take meat from skin and bones. Chop meat and return to stock. Bring back to the boil. Add noodles and corn and cook until the noodles are tender. Season with salt and pepper, and stir in a little chopped parsley and the eggs. Serves 6.

HERBED PUMPKIN SOUP

60 g (2 oz) butter
1 large onion, finely chopped
1.5 kg (3 lb) pumpkin, peeled, seeded and chopped
1 tablespoon flour
5 cups boiling water
1 chicken stock cube
1 cup hot milk
1 tablespoon butter, or 3 tablespoons cream
salt and freshly ground black pepper
nutmeg
2 tablespoons chopped mixed fresh herbs (parsley with a little oregano, thyme)
Croûtons to garnish

Melt butter in a heavy saucepan and add onion and pumpkin. Cover and cook over a low heat for about 10 minutes. Sprinkle flour over vegetables and cook over moderate heat for about 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Combine water and stock cube, add to pan and simmer, covered, until tender. Cool slightly, then sieve, or purèe in blender with a little milk. Gradually stir in hot milk and simmer gently for about 5 minutes. Just before serving, and for a richer soup, swirl in butter or cream. Season with salt, pepper and a little nutmeg, and stir in herbs. Serve hot, garnished with croûtons. Serves 6.

POT HERB SOUP

1 leek, sliced
1 cup shelled fresh peas
3 cups chicken stock
6 sprigs fresh chives
6 sprigs fresh chervil
6 sprigs parsley
30 g (1 oz) butter
1 tablespoon flour
½ cup milk
salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 spring onions, finely chopped
2 egg yolks
¼ cup cream

Cook leek and peas in 2½ cups stock until tender. Meanwhile, finely chop chives, chervil and parsley. Melt butter in a saucepan, add flour and cook for 1 minute, stirring. Bring milk and remaining stock to the boil, then add to butter-flour mixture, stirring vigorously with a whisk. Season with salt and pepper. Add leek and peas with liquid in which they were cooked, spring onions and herbs, and mix well. Beat egg yolks with cream and add to the soup. Cook gently, stirring constantly until thickened, but do not let it boil. Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve hot. Serves 6.

POTATO SOUP WITH GRUYÈRE AND PARMESAN CHEESE

4 large potatoes, peeled and diced
3 cups chicken stock
1½ cups milk, scalded
pinch nutmeg
salt and freshly ground white pepper
cup grated Gruyère or Emmenthal cheese
cup grated Parmesan cheese

Cook potatoes in boiling stock for about 20 minutes or until very tender. Purée potatoes and stock in a blender or rub through a sieve until very smooth. Stir in milk, nutmeg, salt and pepper and simmer until heated through. Divide soup among 4 flameproof bowls and sprinkle each with 2 tablespoons Gruyère or Emmenthal cheese then 1 tablespoon Parmesan. Place under a preheated grill for about 2 minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbling. Serves 4.

LYONS VELVET (ONION SOUP LYONNAISE)

45 g (1½ oz) butter
1 tablespoon oil
750 g (1½ lb) onions, finely sliced
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons flour
6 cups boiling beef stock
½ cup dry white wine or vermouth
freshly ground black pepper
4 eggs
155 g (5 oz) Swiss cheese, finely grated
2 tablespoons brandy
6 slices dry, crustless toast to serve

Heat butter and oil in a large, heavy saucepan and cook onions gently for 25–30 minutes or until very soft, stirring occasionally. Be careful not to let them burn. Sprinkle salt and flour into pan and stir over medium heat for 2 minutes. Remove from heat and blend in boiling stock. Add wine, season with pepper and strain soup into a large earthenware bowl. (Save the onions to use in a meat loaf, scrambled eggs, etc.) Tip soup back into pan and reheat. Beat eggs, until light in bowl that has been heated with soup, and stir in cheese. When soup is boiling, pour slowly into bowl, beating all the time. The boiling liquid will partially cook eggs, and soup will turn thick and creamy. Still beating, add brandy and blend into soup. Have ready slices of dry toast in 6 deep, heated bowls, and ladle soup over. Serve immediately. Serves 6.

FRENCH ONION SOUP

45 g (1½ oz) butter
1 tablespoon oil
4–5 onions, finely sliced
1 tablespoon salt
2 tablespoons flour
8 cups boiling beef stock
½ cup dry white wine or dry vermouth
freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons brandy (optional)
slices French bread and 1 cup grated Swiss, or ½ cup Parmesan cheese, to garnish

Melt butter in a large heavy saucepan, add oil and cook onions gently for 20–30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Be careful not to burn onions. Sprinkle in salt and flour and stir over moderate heat for 3 minutes. Remove from heat and blend in boiling stock. Add wine. Season with pepper. Return to heat, cover and simmer for 30–40 minutes, skimming occasionally.

To prepare garnish, put bread in one layer in shallow baking tin. Bake in a preheated moderately slow oven (160°C/325°F) for about 30 minutes or until crisp and lightly coloured. If desired, bread can be brushed with a little olive oil halfway through cooking, and after baking, each slice rubbed lightly with cut clove of garlic.

Just before serving soup, adjust seasoning and stir in brandy. Pour into heated soup tureen or soup cups over bread slices. Serve cheese separately. Serves 6–8.

VARIATION

FRENCH ONION SOUP GRATINÉE: Follow recipe for French Onion Soup. Put prepared bread into a heatproof deep casserole dish, soup tureen or individual heatproof bowls and top with 125 g (4 oz) Swiss cheese, cut into fine slivers. Pour boiling soup over. Sprinkle 3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese over and put under a preheated hot grill until cheese melts and browns lightly. Serve immediately.

LEEK AND POTATO SOUP (POTAGE BONNE FEMME)

30 g (1 oz) butter
2 leeks, finely sliced
salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 medium potatoes, peeled and diced
3 cups chicken stock
1 cup hot milk
little extra butter
Croûtons or chopped parsley to garnish

Melt butter in a heavy saucepan, add leeks and cook over a low heat until soft but not brown. Season with a little salt and pepper, then add potatoes. Stir in chicken stock. Cover and simmer gently for about 30 minutes or until potato is tender. Blend in hot milk and a little extra butter. Adjust seasoning. Serve hot garnished with croûtons or chopped parsley. Serves 6.

VARIATION

POTAGE PARMENTIER: Follow recipe for Leek and Potato Soup, or use any left over, then sieve or purée in blender or food processor fitted with a steel blade (this should be done a few cupfuls at a time). Reheat and serve hot, sprinkled with parsley or croûtons.

GOULASH SOUP

Make this hearty soup the day before eating. It is often served in the crowded beer halls in Munich, Germany.

60 g (2 oz) speck or bacon, cut into strips
1 large onion, finely chopped
1½ tablespoons paprika
500 g (1 lb) shin of beef, cubed
1 teaspoon salt
freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons vinegar
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 tablespoon caraway seeds (optional)
1 clove garlic, crushed
½ teaspoon dried marjoram
8 cups beef stock
3 medium potatoes, peeled and diced

Heat speck or bacon strips in a large pan until fat runs. If speck or bacon is very lean, add a little oil. Add onion and cook until it is golden. Sprinkle with paprika and stir for 1 minute, then add beef and brown very lightly. Stir in salt, pepper, vinegar and tomato paste. Simmer for 3–4 minutes, then add caraway seeds, garlic, marjoram and stock. Bring to the boil, cover and simmer over a very low heat for 45 minutes or until meat is almost tender. Add potatoes and cook for a further 20 minutes or until potato is tender. Adjust seasoning before serving. Serves 6.

Chilled soups

These seem to have a special charm on hot summer days – and, of course, they have the added bonus for the cook in that they can be prepared in the morning, left in the refrigerator ready to be served … and should the weather turn chilly, most of them can be heated gently.

Take care when seasoning cold soups – they may need a little extra salt before serving. Cream soups shouldn’t be too thick; they should be of a pleasantly flowing consistency.

Finely chopped fresh herbs give a pretty finish to a chilled soup, and a wonderful perfume as well. Add a swirl of cream or sour cream to chilled creamy soups before serving.

CREAM OF CURRIED PEA SOUP

1 cup shelled peas (fresh or frozen) 1 onion, sliced 1 carrot, sliced

1 stick celery with leaves, sliced
1 potato, peeled and sliced
1 clove garlic
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon curry powder
3 cups chicken stock
1 cup cream
whipped cream to serve

Place vegetables, garlic, salt, curry powder and 1 cup stock in a saucepan and bring to the boil. Cover, reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Sieve or purée in a blender, then stir in remaining stock and cream. Chill, and serve topped with whipped cream. Serves 6.

VICHYSSOISE

A classic cold soup that can be served hot.

60 g (2 oz) butter
4 leeks, finely sliced
salt and freshly ground white pepper
4 medium potatoes, peeled and diced
6 cups chicken stock
2 cups hot milk
1 cup cream
sour cream and snipped chives to garnish

Melt butter in a saucepan, add leeks and cook over a low heat until soft but not brown. Season with a little salt and pepper, and add potatoes. Stir in stock. Cover and simmer for about 30 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Blend in hot milk. Allow soup to cool, then sieve or purée in a blender or food processor. Chill. Stir in cream. To serve, top with a spoonful of sour cream if liked, and sprinkle with finely snipped chives. Serves 6–8.

CUCUMBER BUTTERMILK SOUP

2 small cucumbers, peeled, seeded and diced
3 cups buttermilk
salt and freshly ground black pepper
dash Tabasco sauce

Place cucumbers in a bowl, cover with ice cubes and soak for about 2 hours. Drain cucumbers thoroughly. Add buttermilk, seasoning and Tabasco. Chill well. Serves 4.

ICED LEBANESE SOUP

1 large green cucumber, peeled, seeded and diced
salt and freshly ground black pepper
½ cup strong chicken stock
½ cup tomato juice
3 cups plain yogurt
½ cup cream
600 g (1¼ lb) small cooked prawns, shelled and de-veined
1 clove garlic, halved
1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint and 1 hard-boiled egg, finely chopped, to garnish

Place cucumber on a plate set at a slight tilt (put a wooden spoon under one side) and sprinkle lightly with salt. Leave aside for salt to draw out some juice from cucumber. Mix stock, tomato juice and yogurt together until well combined and smooth, and stir in cream. Rinse cucumber, drain well and add to soup with prawns. Season with salt and pepper and chill thoroughly. Adjust seasoning again just before serving. Rub chilled soup bowls or tureen with cut clove of garlic, ladle soup in and sprinkle with chopped mint and hard-boiled egg. Serves 6.

BALKAN CHLODNIK

This chilled soup is something like a Russian borsch, but with intriguing additions which include chopped prawns, eggs and beer. With buttered rye bread or pumpernickel, it’s almost a meal in itself.

2 large beetroots
2 cups chicken stock
250 g (8 oz) cooked prawns, shelled, de-veined and chopped
3 hard-boiled eggs, chopped
1 cucumber, peeled, seeded and chopped
1 lemon, thinly sliced
½ tablespoons snipped chives
1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill or parsley
1 cup sour light cream
1 cup beer
salt and freshly ground black pepper
chopped fresh dill or parsley to garnish

Cook beetroots in boiling salted water to cover until tender. Drain. Peel and chop beetroots, and combine with chicken stock in a large bowl. Add remaining ingredients, stir well and chill. At serving time, place an ice cube in 6 bowls and ladle chilled soup into bowls. Sprinkle with chopped dill or parsley. Serves 6.

CHILLED CURRIED ZUCCHINI SOUP

90 g (3 oz) butter
750 g (1½ lb) zucchini, chopped
1 cup chopped spring onions
2 teaspoons curry powder
1 tablespoon ground cumin
2 cups chicken stock
3 cups buttermilk
salt and freshly ground black pepper
½ carrot, ½ zucchini and 2 radishes to garnish

Melt butter in a large saucepan and add zucchini and spring onions. Cover and cook over a low heat for 10 minutes, shaking pan occasionally and checking that vegetables do not colour. Add spices and cook for 2 minutes, stirring, then stir in stock. Pureé mixture in a blender or food processor. Pour into a large bowl, stir in buttermilk and season with salt and pepper. Chill for 4 hours. For garnish, slice vegetables thinly on a slant. Chill in iced water for at least 1 hour, then pat dry. Divide soup among chilled bowls, and garnish with vegetables. Serves 6.

COLD VEGETABLE SOUP

A variation on the Spanish gazpacho, a lovely beginning to a meal, summer or winter.

4 tomatoes, peeled and chopped
1 cucumber, peeled and diced
1 onion, finely chopped
1 red or green pepper, cored, seeded and chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
½ cup fresh white breadcrumbs
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
3 cups chicken stock
2 tablespoons olive oil
leaves fresh basil or coriander (Chinese parsley)
salt and freshly ground black pepper
½ cup cream

Mix together tomatoes, cucumber, onion, pepper, garlic and breadcrumbs. Add vinegar, stock, oil and 3 basil leaves or a few sprigs coriander. Season with salt and pepper. Cover and marinate for 12 hours or overnight in refrigerator. Purée in a blender or food processor and strain through a sieve. Stir in cream and adjust seasoning. Serve very cold, topped with thin strips of basil or chopped coriander. Serves 4–6.

BEETROOT AND ORANGE SOUP

4–5 beetroots, peeled and grated
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon dried thyme
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 bay leaf
6 cups water
2 cups canned vegetable tomato juice
1 cup orange juice
2 tablespoons powdered gelatine
sour cream and 2 tablespoons snipped chives to garnish

Combine grated beetroot, salt, thyme, pepper, bay leaf and water in a large saucepan. Bring to the boil and simmer for 20 minutes. Strain mixture into a large bowl, pressing hard on solids. Reserve 1 cup cooked grated beetroot. Heat vegetable tomato juice in saucepan and stir in beetroot liquid, orange juice and reserved grated beetroot. Take out ¾ cup liquid and sprinkle gelatine over it. When spongy, stir into hot liquid until dissolved. Transfer mixture to a large bowl and cool, then chill, covered. Break up with a fork. Serve in chilled bowls garnished with a dollop of sour cream and a sprinkling of snipped chives. Serves 8.

COLD TOMATO SOUP

3 cups tomato juice
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 × 425 g can tomatoes, chopped, with their juice
4 spring onions, chopped
2 sticks celery, chopped
1 teaspoon curry powder
freshly ground black pepper
grated rind ½ lemon
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme, or pinch dried
½ cup sour light cream
chopped parsley

Mix together all ingredients except sour cream and parsley. Chill well, covered. To serve, spoon chilled soup into 6 bowls, swirl a little sour cream into each and sprinkle with chopped parsley. If liked, 1–2 ice cubes may be put into each bowl before adding soup. Serves 6.

RØD GRØD MED FLØDE (FRUIT SOUP WITH CREAM)

Fruit soup is often served as a dessert in Denmark, but it makes a perfect light first course for a rich meal. It’s easy to make with canned rhubarb, canned plums or cherries.

2 × 450 g cans rhubarb
4 cups water
¼ cup lemon juice
2 tablespoons arrowroot or cornflour
sour cream to serve

Sieve rhubarb and its syrup, or purée in a blender or food processor. Mix purée with water and lemon juice in a saucepan and bring to the boil. Mix arrowroot or cornflour with a little water to make a thin paste. Stir in a little hot soup, then pour this back into saucepan, stirring constantly until soup boils and thickens. Cover and allow to cool, then chill. Serve chilled, with a spoonful of sour cream swirled into each bowl. Serves 8.

CHILLED CUCUMBER SOUP

30 g (1 oz) butter
1 small onion, chopped
1 large green cucumber, seeded and diced
1 cup watercress sprigs or shredded outside leaves of lettuce
1 medium potato, peeled and diced
2 cups chicken stock
2 sprigs parsley
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
¼ teaspoon dry mustard
1 cup cream

Garnish

chopped chives
diced cucumber
diced radish

Melt butter in saucepan and cook onion gently until soft but not brown. Add all remaining ingredients except cream and bring to the boil. Simmer for about 15 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Sieve or pureé soup in blender or food processor. Adjust seasoning and chill, covered, until required. Before serving, stir in cream and sprinkle with chopped chives, cucumber and radish. Serves 6.

ICED PEPPER SOUP

A nutritious, refreshing soup that can be made in a few seconds.

2 large peppers, cored, seeded and diced
2 cups chicken stock
2 tablespoons lemon juice
salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 cloves garlic, chopped
¼ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
sour cream to serve

Place peppers in a blender or food processor with 1 cup stock, lemon juice, salt, pepper, garlic and Worcestershire sauce. Pureé until fairly smooth, then add remaining stock. Adjust seasoning. Chill well. Serve topped with sour cream. Serves 2–3.

CHILLED BUTTERNUT SOUP

1 onion, sliced
60 g (2 oz) butter
750 g (1½ lb) butternut pumpkin, peeled, seeded and chopped
4 thin slices lemon, seeds removed
¼ cup flour
6 cups warm chicken stock
salt and freshly ground white pepper
1 cup cream
lemon juice

Cook onion gently in butter in large saucepan until soft. Stir in pumpkin and lemon slices, sprinkle with flour and stir over low heat for 3 minutes. Remove from heat and cool a little, then add chicken stock, stirring until smoothly blended. Return to heat and stir until boiling. Season lightly with salt and pepper and simmer, partially covered with a lid, for 1 hour. Discard lemon slices. Purée mixture in a blender and pour into a bowl. Allow to cool, then chill, covered, for at least 4 hours. Stir in chilled cream and lemon juice, and adjust seasoning. Serves 6–8.

ICED SPINACH SOUP

1 onion, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, crushed
30 g (1 oz) butter
1 × 250 g can spinach, drained, or 1 × 250 g (8 oz) packet frozen spinach, thawed
4 cups chicken stock
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 cup cream
snipped chives to garnish

Sauté onion and garlic in butter until transparent. Add spinach, chicken stock, salt and pepper. Bring to the boil and simmer for about 8 minutes. Chill. Just before serving, adjust seasoning and add cream. To garnish, sprinkle with snipped chives. Serves 4–6.

NOTE: When fresh spinach is available, use it instead of canned. Rinse 1 bunch spinach, remove white stalks and roughly chop leaves. Place in large saucepan, cover and steam, in water left on leaves after rinsing, for about 5 minutes, shaking pan to prevent burning. Drain well, then chop spinach or purée in a blender or food processor.

CHILLED MELON SOUP

1 large rockmelon, peeled, seeded and diced
20 g ( oz) butter
1 tablespoon sugar
grated rind and juice ½ lemon
¼ teaspoon ground ginger
¼ teaspoon nutmeg
¼ teaspoon salt
1½ cups water
½ cup sweet white wine
few sprigs fresh mint and melon balls to garnish

Place diced melon in saucepan and add butter, sugar, lemon rind and juice, ginger, nutmeg and salt. Cook over gentle heat, stirring occasionally, for about 10 minutes or until melon becomes soft and pulpy. Sieve or pureé mixture in a blender. Stir in water and wine and chill for at least 3 hours. Adjust seasoning, and serve garnished with mint and melon balls. Serves 4.

CHILLED PUMPKIN SOUP

½ 5 kg (2½ lb) pumpkin, peeled, seeded and cubed
4 cups chicken stock
1 cup chopped onion
¾ cup chopped spring onions (white parts only)
1 cup cream
salt and freshly ground black pepper

Garnish

6 thin slices red-ripe tomatoes
½ cup cream, whipped
¾ cup finely chopped spring onions (green parts only)

Combine pumpkin, chicken stock, onion and spring onions in a large saucepan. Bring to the boil and simmer until pumpkin is tender. Sieve or pureé mixture in a blender or food processor. Cool. Stir cream into soup and season with salt and pepper. Pour soup into 6 chilled cups and float a thin slice of tomato on each serving. Spoon whipped cream onto each slice and sprinkle with green part of onions. Serves 6.

SOY SAUCE

The pungent, salty brown sauce that is essential to Chinese, Japanese and Southeast Asian cooking. The best is brewed from naturally fermented soya beans and can be distinguished by the thick head of foam, like that on stout, which forms and remains for some time if the bottle is vigorously shaken.

Different types of soy sauce, some salt-reduced, are available. Chinese soy sauce can be dark or light; both types are used in cooking, and the light sauce, which is the thinner and saltier of the two, is also used as a table condiment. Japanese soy sauce (shoyu), lighter again, should always be used in Japanese dishes. It is used as an ingredient and as a dip at the table. Indonesian soy sauce (ketjap manis) is thick and sweet with a salty tang.

All types of soy sauce are available from Asian food stores. When a recipe calls for ‘soy sauce’ without further qualification, it is usually best to use a light Chinese or Japanese one.

SOYA (SOY) BEAN

See Pulses: Dried Beans, Peas and Lentils.

SPAGHETTI

See Pasta.

SPARERIBS

There are two types of pork spareribs. The first are cut from the belly area, giving meaty slices with layers of fat and lean and some small, cross-cut bones; the second are the rib bones, together with what little meat joins them after outer cuts have been removed.

Beef spareribs, often called short ribs, are cut from the lower end of the set of ribs. They have a fairly high proportion of bone but are quite meaty.

Spareribs may be sold in individual slices or joined in a set. They are good barbecued or grilled, often served with a spicy American-style or Chinese sauce; the spareribs are usually pre-baked or boiled in order to melt off excess fat.

Many people like to eat spareribs with the fingers, so be sure to supply plenty of paper napkins. Ribs can also be baked, and pork spareribs can be braised for wonderful, hearty Middle European dishes with sauerkraut, apples and sometimes potatoes, dumplings, sausages or other meats.

SPARERIBS WITH SAUERKRAUT

2 kg (4 lb) meaty pork spareribs
1 × 820 g can sauerkraut, drained
1 large onion, finely chopped
2 teaspoons caraway seeds (optional)
dry white wine
1 large apple, peeled, cored and sliced
6–8 medium new potatoes
1 kg (2 lb) knackwurst, frankfurts, thickly sliced cooked ham, smoked pork chops or a mixture
salt

Cut spareribs into individual portions. Rinse sauerkraut under cold running water, drain and squeeze dry in a cloth. Heat a large, heavy flameproof casserole and brown spareribs slowly in their own fat. Remove ribs. Add onion and sauerkraut and brown in fat remaining in pot. Return ribs to casserole, burying them in sauerkraut. Add caraway seeds, if using, and enough white wine just to cover. Cover tightly, and bring to simmering point. Cook for 1½ hours. Add apple, potatoes and meats, burying them in sauerkraut. Cover again and cook for 1 hour longer or until meats are very tender.

Alternatively, the dish can be cooked for 40 minutes longer, cooled and reheated next day for about 1 hour in a moderate oven (180°C/350°F). Add salt before serving. Serves 6–8.

BAKED SPARERIBS WITH RAISINS

1 kg (2 lb) pork or beef spareribs
2 teaspoons salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 onion, finely chopped
½ cup finely chopped celery
60 g (2 oz) butter
1 egg
¾ cup water
6 cups fresh bread cubes
1 cup raisins
¼ teaspoon dried sage
¼ teaspoon dried thyme or marjoram

Cut spareribs into individual portions. Place in saucepan, cover with water and add 1 teaspoon salt and the pepper. Bring to the boil and simmer gently for 45–60 minutes. Drain and pat dry with paper towels. Sauté onion and celery in butter until soft. Beat egg and water in a large bowl, then stir in bread cubes, raisins, herbs, remaining salt and cooked onion mixture. Mix thoroughly and spread in a large baking tin. Put the spareribs on top and bake in a preheated moderate oven (180°C/350°F) for about 1–1½ hours or until crisp and tender. Serves 4.

SPECULAAS

These are special crisp biscuits rich in butter and flavoured with brown sugar, spices and rum made especially for Saint Nicholas’ Eve in Holland. Sometimes the biscuits are in the shape of small rectangles sprinkled with almonds, and sometimes the biscuit mixture is pressed into elaborate moulds in the shape of men and women or Saint Nicholas himself.

SPECULAAS

3¼ cups flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon nutmeg
½ teaspoon ground aniseed
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon ground ginger or white pepper
250 g (8 oz) butter
1½ cups firmly packed brown sugar
3 tablespoons rum or brandy
1 egg white to glaze
125 g (4 oz) slivered blanched almonds to decorate

Sift together 3 cups flour, baking powder, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, ground aniseed, salt and ginger or pepper. Beat butter with brown sugar until mixture is light and fluffy. Stir in rum or brandy. Gradually add flour mixture, stirring until well combined, then form dough into a ball. Knead dough on a board sprinkled with remaining ¼ cup sifted flour. Roll out dough into a rectangle about 5 mm (¼ in) thick. With a sharp knife or cutter cut dough into 6 × 3 cm (2½ × 1½ in) rectangles. Place on a buttered baking tray, brush with lightly beaten egg white and decorate with slivered almonds. Bake in a preheated moderately hot oven (190°C/375°F) for 12 minutes or until browned and firm. Cool on a wire rack and store in an airtight tin. Makes about 40.

SPICE

The word covers a wide variety of aromatic and pungent seasonings used to flavour savoury and sweet dishes. There are hot spices, sweet spices and spicy-sweet spices. They are not gathered from any one part of a plant or tree but from whichever part is most aromatic and most pungent: for example, cinnamon bark is exactly that, and vanilla beans are the pods of a type of orchid. Seeds, buds, berries, roots and pods all provide spices with which we are familiar.

The addition of spices to vinegars for use in salad dressings, to fresh or dried fruits, or to creams and custards, gives a remarkably subtle aroma and flavour to simple dishes. Delicious home-made preserves, such as pickled onions or eggs, use pickling spices to flavour the preserving vinegar.

Characteristic spices impart vastly different flavours and aromas to the foods of Asia, China and the Middle East, yet they are indispensable, too, when used in baking our homely cakes, breads and biscuits.

Spices lose their value as a flavouring agent if they are stale, so purchase in very small quantities and store away from the light in small airtight containers. Use all spices as soon as possible after purchase.

Pickling spice: Usually made from mustard seeds, bay leaf, allspice, cinnamon stick, coriander seeds and black peppercorns. Sometimes fresh ginger, chilli and mace are added. The proportions vary in different recipes but excellent mixtures of pickling spice can be bought, ready-packaged for use, by spice companies.

Middle East spice mix (baharat): This is the ground spice mix used in the Gulf States and generally throughout the Middle East. It may be made up and used to flavour meatballs and kebabs, and many Middle Eastern sauces, soups, curries and seafood dishes.

Za’atar: A dry spice mix with walnuts from Iraq, used as a dip for bread previously dipped in olive oil. Use it to sprinkle over meat, chicken or vegetable dishes. Sumac, used to make za’atar, is a souring agent often used in the Middle East. Lemon juice or grated lemon rind may be used instead.

See also individual names of spices; Garam Masala; Onion: Spiced Pickled Onions.

SPICE CAKE

¼ cup sugar
¾ –1 cup mixed dried fruit
2 teaspoons mixed spice
90 g (3 oz) butter
¾ cup water
2 cups self-raising flour, sifted
1 tablespoon treacle or golden syrup
1½ teaspoons bicarbonate of soda
2–3 tablespoons warm milk

Place sugar, mixed fruit, spice, butter and water in a saucepan and heat gently, stirring, until sugar dissolves. Bring to the boil and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and cool slightly. Fold in flour with treacle or syrup and bicarbonate of soda dissolved in warm milk. Pour into a greased and lined 18 cm (7 in) round cake tin. Bake in a preheated moderate oven (180°C/350°F) for 1 hour. Turn out and cool on a wire rack.

PFEFFERNUSSE (SPICE BISCUITS)

These sweet spicy-flavoured biscuits keep well for up to 6 weeks in an airtight container.

4 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon ground allspice
a grinding of black pepper
1 teaspoon cinnamon
cup honey
1 cup golden syrup
¾ cup sugar
45 g (1½ oz) butter

Sift together flour, baking powder, cloves, allspice, pepper and cinnamon. Place honey, golden syrup and sugar in a large, heavy saucepan. Stir over low heat until sugar dissolves, then bring to the boil, without stirring. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from heat, and stir in butter. Add flour mixture, one-quarter at a time, beating well until smooth. Place teaspoons of mixture on 2 greased baking trays, leaving about 2.5 cm (1 in) between each biscuit. Bake in a preheated hot oven (200°C/400°F) for 10–15 minutes or until light brown. Cool on a wire rack. Makes about 30.

SPICED APPLES

8 cups sugar
1 teaspoon salt
5 cups white vinegar
12 cloves
10 cm (4 in) cinnamon stick
1 teaspoon whole allspice
1.5 kg (3 lb) small firm apples, weighed after peeling, coring and slicing

Combine sugar, salt, vinegar, and spices tied in a muslin bag, in a large heavy saucepan. Bring to the boil. Add sliced apples and simmer very gently until tender. Discard spice bag. Using a slotted spoon, lift out apple slices and pack in sterilised jars. Boil syrup steadily until thick and pour over the fruit. Seal jars and store in a cool dark place. Makes about 4 × 500 g (1 lb) jars.

NOTE: For sterilising jars and storing preserves see Jams.

SPICED PRUNES

Serve as an accompaniment to roast pork or cold meats.

500 g (1 lb) dessert prunes
1½ cups cold black tea
1 cup sugar
2 cups mild white vinegar
4 cloves
8 cm (3 in) cinnamon stick

Put prunes in a bowl, cover with tea and soak overnight. Combine sugar, vinegar and spices in a heavy saucepan. Bring to the boil and boil steadily for 15 minutes. Remove from heat. Pour prunes and tea into another pan and simmer for about 15 minutes or until soft. Drain, reserving 1 cup tea, and pack prunes into sterilised jars. Add reserved tea to spiced vinegar and pour over prunes. Seal jars and store in a cool, dark place. Leave for 24 hours before using. Makes about 3 × 250 g (8 oz) jars.

NOTE: For sterilising jars and storing preserves see Jams.

SPICY FRUIT NUTS

oil for frying
2 cups raw cashews
2 cups blanched almonds
4 cups raw peanuts
1 tablespoon salt
2 teaspoons Garam Masala
2 teaspoons chilli powder

Heat oil in a deep frying pan and fry nuts, in batches of about 1 cup at a time, over medium heat until golden-brown and crisp. Drain on crumpled paper towels. Place fried nuts in a bowl and add salt, garam masala and chilli powder. Mix well to coat nuts thoroughly. Cool completely before storing in an airtight container. Makes 6 × 250 g (8 oz) jars.

SPICED CANNED PEACHES

2 × 425 g cans peach halves
1 cup sugar
¾ cup cider vinegar
1 tablespoon cloves
1 tablespoon whole allspice
10 cm (4 in) cinnamon stick

Drain syrup from peach halves into a heavy saucepan. Add sugar, vinegar, and spices tied in a muslin bag. Boil for 10 minutes, then add peaches and cook for 5 minutes or until peaches are heated through. Remove spice bag. Pack peaches in hot sterilised jars and fill with hot syrup. Seal and store in a cool, dark place. Makes about 4 × 250 g (8 oz) jars. Good with cold ham.

NOTE: For sterilising jars and storing preserves see Jams.

BUTTERED SPICED BEETROOT

8 small whole beetroots, cooked and peeled, or 1 × 425 g can baby beetroots, drained
60 g (2 oz) butter
pinch salt
freshly ground black pepper
½ teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground ginger
¼ cup firmly packed brown sugar
juice 1 lemon

Dice beetroots. Combine remaining ingredients in a saucepan, and stir over gentle heat until butter melts. Add beetroot and stir until heated through. Serve hot with pork, ham steaks or hamburgers. Serves 4.

HOT SPICED WINE PUNCH

2 bottles burgundy or claret
thinly pared rind 1 small orange
thinly pared rind 1 lemon
8 cm (3 in) cinnamon stick
½ whole nutmeg, crushed
6 cloves
2 tablespoons sugar, or more to taste

Combine all ingredients in a large saucepan. Bring to just under boiling point, then turn off heat and stand for 10 minutes. Strain into mugs and serve hot. Serves 10–12.

NOTE: If you prefer a sweeter drink, stir in more sugar before serving.

SPICED BEEF LOAF

1 kg (2 lb) finely minced steak
90 g (3 oz) rashers bacon, rind removed, minced
½ teaspoon dried basil
½ teaspoon ground allspice
½ teaspoon salt
6 black peppercorns, crushed
1 clove garlic, crushed
2 tablespoons port, sherry or red wine
2 teaspoons red wine vinegar

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and mix very thoroughly. Cover, refrigerate and leave for at least 3 hours or overnight. Pack into a 21 × 15 cm (8½ × 6 in) loaf tin. Stand tin in a baking dish filled with enough water to come halfway up sides and cook in a preheated moderately slow oven (160°C/325°F) for about 1½ hours. If top of loaf begins to brown too much, cover loosely with foil. Leave to cool in tin. To turn out, run a knife around edges and invert tin onto a serving platter. Cut into thin slices and serve with spiced fruit, chutney or a mustardy sauce. Serves 6–8.

BAHARAT

3 tablespoons black peppercorns
1½ tablespoons coriander seeds
1½ tablespoons crumbled cinnamon stick or cassia
1½ tablespoons whole cloves
2 tablespoons cumin seeds
1 teaspoon cardamom seeds
1 whole nutmeg
3 tablespoons paprika

Place peppercorns, coriander seeds, cinnamon stick or cassia, cloves, cumin and cardamom seeds in a blender and grind to a powder. Grate nutmeg and blend into spices with paprika. Store in airtight jar.

ZA’ATAR

2 tablespoons sesame seeds
1 tablespoon coriander seeds
1 tablespoon cumin seeds
½ cup walnut halves
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 teaspoons sumac powder or 1 teaspoon grated lemon rind

In a heated dry frying pan dry-roast the sesame seeds until they pop and turn golden-brown, shaking the pan constantly. Remove to a mortar or blender. Toast the coriander and cumin seeds in the same way and add to the sesame seeds. Toast the walnuts until light golden and add to the spices. Using a pestle or with the motor of the blender grind the seeds, spices and nuts to a fine powder, being careful not to overwork or let the oils be released. Add cinnamon, salt and pepper to taste and the sumac or lemon rind. Mix well then pile the mixture in a shallow bowl. Serve alongside a bowl of extra virgin olive oil and pieces of pita or good crusty bread.

HONEY SPICED SPONGE ROLL

3 eggs
½ cup caster sugar
½ cup arrowroot
1 tablespoon flour
½ teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon mixed spice
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
½ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
1 tablespoon honey (at room temperature)

Honey cream filling

90 g (3 oz) butter
2 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon water

Beat eggs until thick. Gradually add sugar and continue beating for about 10 minutes or until mixture is thick and will hold its shape. Sift together 3 times the arrowroot, flour, cinnamon, mixed spice, cream of tartar and bicarbonate of soda. Lightly fold into egg mixture, then add honey, mixing gently until evenly distributed. Turn into greased and lined 30 × 25 cm (12 × 10 in) Swiss roll tin and gently shake to spread mixture evenly. Bake in a preheated moderately hot oven (190°C/375°F) for 15–20 minutes. Turn out onto a tea-towel which has been lightly dusted with caster sugar. Quickly peel off lining paper and trim edges. Roll up immediately in tea-towel from a short side. Allow to cool.

To make honey cream filling, beat butter until light, then add honey 1 tablespoon at a time. Add water and continue beating until the mixture is smooth and creamy. Unroll cake and spread over filling. Roll up again. (If serving as a dessert, roll cake beginning with wider side, and cut into diagonal slices.) Serves 8.

CINNAMON LAYERED CAKE

1½ cups sugar
½ cup mixed chopped nuts
1 tablespoon cinnamon
125 g (4 oz) butter
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 cups flour
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
¼ teaspoon salt
1 cup sour cream

Combine ½ cup sugar with the nuts and cinnamon and set aside. Cream butter with remaining sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, vanilla and lemon juice, beating well. Sift flour with baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and salt and add alternately to butter mixture with sour cream. Pour half the batter into a greased and bottom-lined 23 cm (9 in) square cake tin. Sprinkle with half the cinnamon mixture and over it spread the remaining batter. Sprinkle rest of cinnamon mixture on top. Bake in a preheated moderate oven (180°C/350°F) for 35–40 minutes or until a skewer inserted in centre comes out clean. Serve warm on its own or with whipped cream flavoured with cinnamon.

SPINACH

If you ask in an Australian greengrocer’s simply for ‘spinach’, you are likely to get silverbeet, which has larger and tougher leaves than true spinach. True spinach, with thin, tender, arrowhead-shaped leaves, is usually sold as ‘English spinach’.There is also an Italian spinach, similar to the English type but a little stronger in flavour, which is often available at Italian greengrocers. The three vegetables are similar in flavour and can be used in the same way.

Here, the word ‘spinach’ will be used to cover all types, and instructions and recipes may be applied to any one. Any can serve as an excellent accompanying vegetable, as a bed for other foods such as eggs and fish, as the basis of a soufflé, tart filling, mould, salad or stuffing, or as partner to other vegetables, pasta, rice, cheese, meats, seafood and poultry in scores of savoury dishes. Baby spinach leaves are used in salads or folded into hot pasta or rice. Spinach in a dish is often given the name ‘florentine’ (alla fiorentina in Italian), a tribute to the skill with which the Italians raise this vegetable and the imagination with which they use it.

Choose spinach which is bright, intense green and unwilted. The ends of the stems should be un-withered. Since it shrinks greatly in cooking, allow 250 g (8 oz) raw spinach per person. Cut stems short and store unwashed in a plastic bag in the refrigerator crisper until required. Stems can be stored separately, then boiled and served with cheese sauce as a vegetable in their own right.

Basic preparation: If spinach is young and tender, cut off stems at base of leaves. If it is more mature, fold each leaf inwards and pull off stem towards the tip. Wash, immediately before cooking, by plunging up and down in several changes of cold water until there is no grit to be seen in the bottom of the sink or bowl. Shake to remove most of the water.

To cook: Unless it is to be served en branche (whole), chop coarsely. Drop into a heavy saucepan, season with salt, pepper and grated nutmeg and cover tightly. Do not add water. Cook on low heat, lifting the lid and stirring frequently until steam has formed and spinach has begun to wilt, then cook, covered, for 1–2 minutes more. Spinach is cooked when it is wilted and tender.

Drain in a colander, refresh under cold running water, then squeeze well to remove as much moisture as possible. This preparation may be carried out ahead of time and the spinach refrigerated, covered, until required. It can be reheated gently in butter to be served as a vegetable, or used as directed in recipes.

SPINACH EN BRANCHE

1 kg (2 lb) spinach
30 g (1 oz) butter
salt and freshly ground black pepper
nutmeg
lemon juice

Cook spinach as described above, leaving leaves whole, and press dry. Melt butter in a wide, heavy saucepan, add spinach and heat gently, separating leaves gently with a fork. Season with salt, pepper, nutmeg and a few drops of lemon juice and serve very hot. Serves 4.

VARIATION

CHOPPED BUTTERED SPINACH: Follow recipe for Spinach en Branche, but chop leaves coarsely before cooking, then chop finely after squeezing dry.

ITALIAN SPINACH

1 large bunch spinach, coarsely shredded
2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
salt
¼ teaspoon cayenne
coarsely grated Parmesan cheese

Place washed spinach in large saucepan and cook, covered, for 2–4 minutes – toss or turn spinach over occasionally to speed cooking. Drain well. Then heat 1 tablespoon butter and olive oil in a frying pan. Add garlic, salt, cayenne and spinach and toss lightly. Place in a flameproof serving dish and sprinkle with cheese and remaining butter, melted. Brown quickly under a preheated hot grill. Serves 4.

PURÉE OF SPINACH

1 kg (2 lb) spinach, cooked and squeezed dry
45 g (1½ oz) butter
salt and freshly ground black pepper
nutmeg
lemon juice
triangular Croûtes (p. 132, optional)

Sieve spinach or purée in a food mill or food processor. Melt butter in a saucepan, add spinach purée and stir over a low heat until all surplus moisture has been driven off. Season with salt, pepper, nutmeg and a few drops lemon juice, and serve domed up in a heated dish, surrounded by triangular croûtes, if desired. Serves 4.

VARIATION

PURÉE OF SPINACH WITH CREAM: Follow the recipe for Pureé of Spinach, but also stir in ¼ cup cream after moisture has been driven off, and cook for 2–3 minutes longer before seasoning.

SPINACH AND RICE (SPANAKARYZO)

A Greek way with spinach.

1 cup rice
1 medium onion, finely chopped
cup olive oil
2 cups boiling water
1½ teaspoons salt
500 g (1 lb) spinach, cut into strips, or baby spinach leaves

Sauté rice and onion in olive oil, stirring occasionally, for 15 minutes. Add boiling water and salt. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes. Add spinach and mix thoroughly. Cover and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, for 15 minutes. Serves 4.

SPINACH AND HERB TERRINE

625 g (1¼ lb) minced pork
1 kg (2 lb) English spinach
3 rashers bacon, rind removed, diced
125 g (4 oz) cooked ham, diced
125 g (4 oz) cooked tongue, diced
4 eggs, beaten
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
3 tablespoons finely chopped parsley
1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil
1 tablespoon chopped fresh chervil
½ teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary
2 teaspoons salt
¼ teaspoon cayenne
freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons butter
125 g (4 oz) chicken livers, cut into 1 cm (½ in) pieces
½ cup cream
250 g (8 oz) fresh pork back fat, cut into thin strips

Place minced pork in a bowl. Cook washed spinach for 2 minutes and drain. Chop finely and add to pork with bacon, ham, tongue, eggs, onion, garlic, herbs, salt, cayenne and pepper. Mix well. Melt butter in a saucepan. Add chicken livers and cook until lightly browned. Stir into pork with cream. Place pork fat strips on a board and stretch with back of a knife until they are 3 mm ( in) thick. Use most of the strips to line a 6-cup terrine. Spoon pork and spinach mixture into terrine. Use all the mixture, even if it comes above sides of terrine – it will shrink as it cooks. Cover top with remaining pork strips, tucking them into sides of mixture. Cover with foil, or seal a lid with a flour-and-water paste made from 1 cup flour mixed with 4 tablespoons water. Place terrine in a baking dish of hot water and bake in a preheated moderate oven (180°C/350°F) for 1½ hours. Take from oven, remove lid and place a weight on top. Leave until cool and set. Serve in thin slices. Serves 8–10.

NOTE: If no chervil is available, use extra parsley.

SPINACH AND BACON SALAD

6 rashers streaky bacon, rind removed, cut into strips
1 teaspoon olive oil
500 g (1 lb) young spinach, rinsed, dried and chilled

Dressing

3 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon wine vinegar
pinch sugar
salt and freshly ground black pepper

Fry bacon in olive oil until golden. To make dressing, whisk all ingredients together. Toss spinach with the dressing in a salad bowl. Pour hot bacon and fat over salad and serve at once. Serves 6.

CREAM OF SPINACH SOUP

6 cups chicken stock
2 medium potatoes, peeled and sliced
2 medium onions, sliced
1 medium bunch spinach
good pinch nutmeg
salt and freshly ground black pepper
½ cup cream or evaporated milk

Bring stock to the boil in a large saucepan. Add potatoes and onions; cover and cook for 20 minutes. Reserve 1 spinach leaf for garnish, and roughly chop remainder. Add to pan and cook for another 10 minutes, uncovered. Pureé soup in a blender or food processor, return to saucepan and season with nutmeg, salt and pepper. Thin with a little water if necessary, stir in cream or evaporated milk and reheat to boiling. Serve in heated bowls, garnished with reserved spinach, finely shredded. Serves 6.

SPONGE CAKE

See Cakes.

SPRING ONION

See Shallot and Spring Onion.

SPRING ROLL

Variations of spring rolls exist throughout Southeast Asia, their popularity extending to many countries of the Pacific. Spring rolls may be large or small, eaten as snack food or as part of a meal, their fillings differing from region to region. However, all share some characteristics: wafer-thin wrappers encasing a delectable filling, each one, whether large or small, being rolled up and deep-fried until crisp and golden.

Spring rolls are usually served with a dipping sauce, which again varies from region to region. Preparation of spring rolls is simpler now that we can buy freshly made or frozen wrappers from most good supermarkets, delicatessens or health food stores. There are usually about 20 wrappers per packet. See also Rice Paper Sheets.

SPRING ROLLS (CHINESE)

250 g (8 oz) pork fillet, shredded
1 tablespoon dry sherry
¾ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cornflour
½ cup oil
½ cup shredded leek or spring onions
1 cup shredded canned bamboo shoots
¼ cup shredded dried Chinese mushrooms, soaked in warm water for 30 minutes and drained before shredding
2 cups bean sprouts
2 tablespoons soy sauce
8 × 20 cm (8 in) spring roll wrappers, ready-made fresh or frozen
beaten egg
oil for deep-frying

Mix together pork, sherry, ½ teaspoon salt and cornflour. Heat half the oil and sauté pork mixture for about 2 minutes. Remove from pan and place in a bowl. Add remaining oil to pan and sauté leek or spring onions, bamboo shoots, mushrooms and bean sprouts for about 2 minutes. Remove from pan and place in bowl with pork mixture. Add remaining salt and soy sauce and mix all ingredients together. Allow filling to cool before using. When ready to assemble, remove wrappers from freezer and allow to thaw until pliable to prevent tearing when separating the delicate layers. Lay on a flat surface and keep wrappers covered with a clean tea-towel as you work so they do not dry out. Place 2 tablespoons filling on lower half of each spring roll wrapper. Brush left and right edges with beaten egg. Fold bottom edge up, left and right edges over, and roll up. Brush top edge with egg and press to seal. Heat the oil to 185°C/360°F or until a bread cube turns golden-brown in 1 minute. Deep-fry rolls for about 5–8 minutes or until crisp and golden. Drain on crumpled paper towels and serve immediately. Makes 8.

SINGAPORE CHINESE SPRING ROLLS

6 dried Chinese mushrooms, soaked in warm water for 30 minutes and drained
3 tablespoons peanut oil
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 clove garlic, crushed
½ teaspoon finely grated fresh ginger
250 g (8 oz) boneless pork, finely chopped
250 g (8 oz) green prawns, shelled, de-veined and chopped
2 cups finely shredded Chinese cabbage
1 cup shredded giant white radish
12 water chestnuts, chopped
1 cup chopped canned bamboo shoots
125 g (4 oz) bean sprouts
6 spring onions, finely chopped
1 tablespoon light soy sauce
1 tablespoon oyster sauce
½ teaspoon salt
3 teaspoons cornflour
1 packet frozen spring roll wrappers
beaten egg
oil for deep-frying

Remove stems from mushrooms, and finely chop the caps. Heat peanut and sesame oils in a wok or large frying pan and fry garlic and ginger for a few seconds. Add pork, increase heat and stir-fry about 1 minute. Mix in vegetables, sauces and salt. Mix cornflour to a thin paste with a little cold water. Tilt pan so liquid gathers at one edge and add cornflour paste to liquid, stirring until thickened. Stir through mixture. Remove from heat and cool completely. Put 2 tablespoons filling on lower half of each wrapper. Brush left and right edges with beaten egg. Fold bottom edge up, left and right edges over, and roll up. Brush top edge with egg and press firmly to seal. Heat oil to 185°C/360°F or until a bread cube turns golden-brown in 1 minute. Deep-fry rolls for about 5–8 minutes or until crisp and golden. Drain on crumpled paper towels and serve immediately, with chilli sauce for dipping. Makes about 16.

NOTE: Dried mushrooms and fresh Chinese vegetables (Chinese cabbage, white radish) can be purchased at Chinese greengrocers. Water chestnuts and bamboo shoots are available canned at most good supermarkets, delicatessens and health food stores.

CHICKEN SPRING ROLLS (VIETNAMESE)

30 g (1 oz) transparent noodles, cooked in water for 10 minutes, drained and cut into 2.5 cm (1 in) pieces
250 g (8 oz) chicken breast meat, skinned and cut into thin strips
1 tablespoon dried wood ears, soaked in warm water for 30 minutes, drained and finely chopped
2 spring onions, finely chopped
125 g (4 oz) crabmeat
½ teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
1 packet frozen spring roll wrappers, each cut in half to form 2 rectangles
beaten egg
oil for deep-frying
shredded spring onions to garnish

Nuoc cham sauce

2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 fresh red chilli
5 teaspoons sugar
juice and pulp ¼ lime or lemon
cup nuoc mam
cup water

Combine noodles, chicken, mushrooms, spring onions, crabmeat and pepper. Place 3–4 teaspoons of filling on lower half of each spring roll wrapper. Brush left and right edges with beaten egg. Fold bottom edge up, left and right edges over, and roll up. Brush top edge with egg and press to seal. Set aside while making sauce.

To make nuoc cham sauce, pound garlic, chilli and sugar using a pestle and mortar, or mash with back of a spoon. Add lime or lemon juice and pulp, then nuoc mam and water. Mix well to combine ingredients.

Heat oil to 185°C/360°F or until bread cube turns golden-brown in 1 minute. Deep-fry rolls for 3–4 minutes or until crisp and golden. Drain on paper towels and serve immediately, garnished with shredded spring onions. Serve with nuoc cham sauce. Makes 20.

NOTE: Wood ears are mushrooms. Nuoc mam is fish sauce. Both are available from Asian grocery stores.

SPROUTS, BRUSSELS

See Brussels Sprouts.

SPUMONE

An Italian moulded ice cream, usually consisting of an outer coating of ice cream, and a filling of whipped cream, contrasting flavoured ice cream or liqueur-soaked fruits, and served sliced. A delicious and less elaborate version is based on a zabaglione mixture (see Zabaglione) that is moulded and served in wedges.

Spumone makes a festive centre piece, and can be made and frozen days ahead of serving time. It may be moulded in a metal loaf tin or cylinder.

To assemble: Soften the ice cream to be used for the outer layer and spoon about three-quarters of it into the base and sides of the chilled metal mould. The layer should be about 2 cm (¾ in) thick. Cover the mould and freeze until solid. Remove from freezer, spoon in the filling and top with the remaining quarter of ice cream (softened).Cover securely and freeze.

To unmould: Remove from freezer, rub the mould with a cold damp cloth, uncover and invert onto a chilled serving platter. If the spumone sticks, a hot cloth rubbed over the mould should help to release the cream.

Decorate with whipped cream, fruit and nuts, if desired.

SPUMONE COPPELIA

3 cups Chocolate Ice Cream, softened
5 cups Hazelnut Ice Cream (see Note), softened
¼ cup whole hazelnuts
whipped cream to decorate (optional)

Line bottom and sides of an 8-cup chilled loaf tin with 2 cups chocolate ice cream. Cover mould with foil and freeze. When frozen, fill centre with hazelnut ice cream, then cover with the remaining softened chocolate ice cream. Cover mould and freeze for at least 3 hours. Unmould onto a chilled serving platter, decorate top with hazelnuts and rosettes of cream if liked. Serve sliced. Serves 8–10.

NOTE: Make hazelnut ice cream by combining 5 cups slightly softened Vanilla Ice Cream with 1 cup finely ground hazelnuts.

SPUMONE ZABAGLIONE

3 egg yolks
2 teaspoons water
3 tablespoons caster sugar
½ cup Marsala or similar sweet wine
¾ cup cream

Combine egg yolks, water, sugar and wine in top of a double saucepan or heatproof bowl. Whisk until lukewarm over a pan of hot, not boiling, water, then remove from heat and continue beating until mixture is foamy and slightly thickened. Whip cream until it holds soft peaks and fold into egg mixture. Pour into a 4-cup mould, cover with foil and freeze for 3–4 hours. Unmould onto a chilled serving platter, and cut into wedges to serve. Accompany with fresh strawberries, raspberries, peaches, apricots or crisp biscuits. Serves 4.

SQUAB

See Pigeon.

SQUASH

The American name for certain members of the gourd family. In Australia it is usually applied to the creamy or golden pie-shaped variety called custard squash, to their tiny, bright green relations called patty pan or button squash, and to the yellow crook-necked squash which is rather like a large zucchini. All these squashes are thin-skinned, with juicy flesh, and should be eaten when they are young and tender.

Butternut squash (also called butternut pumpkin) and acorn squash have harder rinds and firm, dryish flesh; in Australian terms, this brings them into the category of pumpkins rather than squash. For preparation and cooking see Pumpkin.

When buying squash, look for small, firm, unblemished ones whose skins have a sheen. Store in the refrigerator crisper and use within 1–2 days.

Basic preparation:Wash the squash and lightly trim the stem end and, if necessary, any little brown mark at the other end. Leave whole, halve or slice according to the recipe. Peel large custard squash thinly; young ones should not need this.

Squashes beyond the baby stage may have developed slightly bitter juices; to remove this, ‘dégorge’ (see Eggplant) by sprinkling salt on cut surfaces and leaving in a colander to drain for 20 minutes. Rinse under cold running water and dry before using.

To cook: Squash may be boiled, steamed or sautéed.

Boiled squash: For firm-tender, brilliant green patty pan squash, drop them into a generous amount of fast-boiling salted water and boil for 4–8 minutes, depending on size. Drain in a colander and run cold water over squash to stop cooking and set the colour. Reheat gently in butter when required, and season with pepper and lemon juice.

Steamed squash: This is a good way to cook custard or crook-necked squash. Leave whole or cut up. Cook, tightly covered, in about 1 cm (½ in) of salted water, or in a steamer over boiling water, until tender. Time will depend on size of squash pieces. Serve with butter, pepper and lemon juice, or a sauce such as Mornay, Poulette or Fresh Tomato.

Sautéed squash: Slice thickly and dégorge as described. Heat enough butter to cover the bottom of a frying pan generously, and when foaming add squash. Cook, stirring and tossing frequently, for 3–4 minutes or until just tender.

Ways to serve squash:

• Add shredded spring onions to sautéed squash.

• Sprinkle with chopped fresh herbs, or dried herbs with chopped parsley, before serving.

• Add fresh breadcrumbs (about ¾ cup to 500 g/1 lb squash) as you sauté the squash.

• Sprinkle with grated cheese or crumbled crisply fried bacon before serving.

BAKED STUFFED CUSTARD SQUASH

4 custard squashes, about 10 cm (4 in) across, or 2 larger ones, steamed

Stuffing

2 rashers streaky bacon, rind removed, chopped
30 g (1 oz) butter
1 small onion, chopped
90 g (3 oz) mushrooms, chopped
2 tablespoons chopped green or red pepper
1 tomato, peeled, seeded and chopped
1 cup cooked rice
salt and freshly ground black pepper

Cut a lid off each steamed squash and scoop out some flesh with a sharp spoon, discarding any large seeds. Chop this flesh and drain in a sieve. Turn the squash shells upside-down to drain.

To make stuffing, gently fry bacon in a dry frying pan until fat runs. Add butter and fry onion, mushrooms and pepper until soft. Stir in tomato and rice and season with salt and pepper. Fill squash with stuffing, replace lids and place in a buttered ovenproof dish. Brush squash with melted butter and bake in a preheated moderate oven (180°C/350°F) for 20–30 minutes. Serves 4.

SQUASH AND TOMATO MEDLEY

For those who enjoy vegetables lightly cooked with a natural fresh flavour.

500 g (1 lb) zucchini
2 tablespoons olive oil
300 g (10 oz) patty pan or button squash
1 clove garlic, crushed
salt and freshly ground black pepper
¼ cup chopped parsley
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme or oregano
1 punnet cherry tomatoes, halved
¼ cup water

Cut the zucchinis into chunks and the squashes through the middle. Heat the oil in a heavy frying pan. Add the garlic, squash and zucchini, and cook over a moderate heat, tossing the pan frequently, for about 3 minutes. Take care not to let the garlic burn. Season with salt and pepper and add the herbs, tomatoes and water. Cover and simmer for about 5 minutes or until just tender. Serves 4–6.

SQUASH, FRUIT

Fresh fruit squash is deliciously refreshing, topped with iced water and soda water. Squash is made with sweetened fruit pulp and/or juice, usually from citrus fruits.

Commercial squash is sold in concentrated form to which water is added for serving. The components of the drink are usually specified on the label by law and may consist solely of chemicals.

ORANGE SQUASH

6 (or more) oranges
3 cups sugar
3 cups water
30 g (1 oz) citric acid

Lightly grate rind from the oranges and squeeze juice. There should be 2 cups juice, so if necessary squeeze more oranges. Add grated rind to sugar and water in a saucepan and heat until sugar dissolves. Add orange juice and citric acid, mix well and bottle. If you wish to keep squash longer than a week, use special ginger beer preserving bottles available from kitchenware shops and sterilise in simmering water for about 30 minutes. Serve topped with crushed ice, iced water or soda water and float an orange slice on top. Makes 6 cups.

SQUID (CALAMARI)

The fine delicate flavour of squid has been known for many centuries to people living around the Mediterranean. The squid is related to the octopus and cuttlefish, but the flesh is more tender and sweet; they are all cephalopods.

Squid can be bought from fishmongers fresh and ready-cleaned, and frozen; squid freezes very well, with little loss of flavour or texture. When buying fresh squids choose those with firm flesh that is white and almost translucent. The edible parts are the tentacles and the sac-like body.

See also Fritto Misto.

Basic preparation: Pull out the head and tentacles from the body. Remove the eyes, ink sac and parrot-like beak at the base of the tentacles and discard. Cut the fins off the body. Then remove the skin by rubbing it off the body and tentacles with your fingers (dip your fingers in salt to act as an abrasive). Remove any remaining yellowish deposit and the long internal quill-like bone, which resembles hard cellophane. Wash the squid thoroughly in cold running water and dry well before using according to your recipe.

To cook: Squid can be fried, baked, grilled or stewed but, as with all seafood, must not be overcooked or the flesh will become tough.

Pan-fried squid: Cut prepared squid into thin slices. Place in a dish with oil, salt and pepper to season and let stand for 1 hour, turning occasionally. Heat a heavy frying pan, drop in squid slices and cook gently for 3–4 minutes, adding a little more oil if necessary. Serve with lemon wedges.

Grilled squid: Cut prepared squid into pieces. Place in a dish with oil, salt and pepper to taste and let stand for 1 hour, turning occasionally. Place squid under a preheated medium grill and cook for 4–5 minutes on each side, brushing occasionally with oil. Serve with lemon wedges.

Squid Fried in Piquant Sauce: Pan-fry squid as above with the addition of 3 cloves garlic, peeled, and ½ fresh chilli or ¼ teaspoon chilli powder. When tender, remove garlic and chilli. Combine 1 tablespoon each of breadcrumbs, chopped parsley and butter and toss over squid, stirring over a high heat for 1 minute. Serve with lemon wedges.

STUFFED BABY SQUID

12–18 baby squids, cleaned
1 clove garlic
4 anchovy fillets
3–4 sprigs parsley
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup fresh breadcrumbs
salt and freshly ground black pepper
2–3 teaspoons olive oil
lemon wedges to serve

Cut tentacles from squids and chop them as fine as possible with garlic, anchovies and parsley. This may be done in a blender, food processor or mincer. Combine eggs, breadcrumbs, salt, pepper and olive oil and work into a paste. Add the squid mixture. Stuff squid bodies with this mixture and sew up openings with strong thread. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and brush with oil. Cook under a preheated moderate grill for 15 minutes, turning occasionally and basting with oil. Serve very hot, with lemon wedges to garnish. Serves 6.

VARIATION

SQUID IN TOMATO SAUCE: Make stuffing as described, using tentacles from 6 large cleaned squids. Spoon stuffing into 6 squids. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a heavy shallow pan and fry 1 medium onion, finely chopped, and 2 cloves garlic, crushed, until soft. Stir in 1 × 425 g can tomatoes, season well with salt and pepper and simmer for 15 minutes. Add stuffed squids, cover and simmer gently for 1–1¼ hours. Serves 6.

BABY SQUID WITH PARSLEY

When you can get the tiny squids or cuttlefish, try them this way. Do not overcook or they will become tough.

1 kg (2 lb) baby squids, cleaned
¼ cup olive oil
2 cloves garlic, bruised
salt and freshly ground black pepper
½ cup chopped parsley
juice ½ lemon
triangular Croûtes to serve

Cut squids into rings, or lengthways into 4. If liked, the tentacles may also be cooked. Heat oil gently with garlic cloves until they begin to brown; discard garlic. Add squids, season with salt and pepper and cook over a brisk heat for 1–2 minutes. Sprinkle with parsley and lemon juice and serve very hot, with triangular croûtes. Serves 4.

CALAMARI (FRIED SQUID)

This is a dish often found in Italian restaurants, and is one of the simplest but most delicious ways of serving squid. Serve as a starter or as a main course with salads.

500 g (1 lb) squid, cleaned
1 egg
½ cup milk
flour
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 cup fine, dry breadcrumbs
oil for deep-frying

Cut squid tentacles into pieces about 8 cm (3 in) long, and cut body into rings. Beat egg with milk in a shallow dish. Dredge squid in flour, seasoned with salt and pepper, then dip in egg mixture, and roll in breadcrumbs. Heat 8–10 cm (3–4 in) of oil in a deep-fryer to 200°C/400°F. Fry the squid in oil for about 2 minutes or until golden. This should be done in several batches; do not overcrowd the pan. Drain on paper towels, sprinkle with salt and serve with Sauce Tartare. Serves 6.

DEEP-FRIED SQUID

4–6 squids, cleaned
½ cup flour
salt and freshly ground black pepper
oil for deep-frying
lemon wedges to serve

Cut squid tentacles into pieces about 8 cm (3 in) long, and cut body into rings. Season flour with salt and pepper and roll squid pieces in it. Heat oil in a deep-fryer to 185°C/360°F or until a bread cube turns golden-brown in 40 seconds. Deep-fry squid for 2–3 minutes or until golden-brown. If necessary fry in several batches to avoid overcrowding pan. Drain on paper towels and serve immediately, with lemon wedges. Serves 4–6.

STEAK DIANE

A superb dish of tender fillet steak, flamed in brandy and sherry, the delicious pan juices forming the sauce. Steak Diane is a popular restaurant dish, well worth trying at home when you are dining à deux. Have all the ingredients ready before you begin cooking as this will take only 1–2 minutes. Make the dish for two people only as no more than two steaks can be successfully sautéed at the one time in the average sauté or frying pan.

STEAK DIANE

2 × 1 cm (½ in) thick fillet steaks
salt and freshly ground black pepper
60 g (2 oz) butter
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon brandy
2 tablespoons dry sherry
1 tablespoon finely chopped parsley

Trim all fat from steaks and beat to flatten until 5 mm (¼ in) thick. Season with salt and pepper. Heat butter in a large frying pan and when it is foaming add steaks. Sauté for about 40 seconds (rare) or for about 1 minute (medium) on each side. Add garlic and allow it to cook for 30 seconds. Stir in the Worcestershire sauce. Heat brandy and sherry until warm, seat alight and pour over steaks. Shake pan until flames die down. Remove steaks to a heated serving dish and sprinkle with parsley. Give sauce a good stir and pour it sizzling hot over steaks. Serve immediately. Serves 2.

STEAK TARTARE

The classic raw beef mixture that is popular in much of Europe. Traditionally, it is served topped with a raw egg yolk for the diner to mix through the beef, and with small bowls of chopped onion and capers. Steak tartare also makes excellent appetisers as well as cocktail or larger open-face sandwiches. Beef for steak tartare should not be minced, but scraped with a metal spoon or chopped in a food processor to give very fine-textured juicy meat.

STEAK TARTARE

500 g (1 lb) lean round steak
¼ teaspoon dry mustard
dash Worcestershire sauce
few drops Tabasco sauce
salt and freshly ground black pepper
chopped parsley
4 egg yolks
finely chopped onion and capers to serve

Scrape meat with edge of a metal spoon until it become a fine mince, discarding any fat or gristle as you go. To prepare in a food processor, remove all fat and gristle first, cut lean meat into pieces and then process, using steel blade, until it is almost smooth. Lightly mix the steak with mustard,Worcestershire sauce, Tabasco, salt and pepper. Shape into 4 patties and place on individual serving plates. Cover surface of meat with chopped parsley, pressing it on lightly, and mark a trellis pattern with a knife. Chill well before serving. At serving time, make an indentation in top of each patty with a soup spoon and place a raw egg yolk in it. Serve with separate bowls of chopped onion and capers. Serves 4.

VARIATIONS

STEAK TARTARE BALLS: Follow recipe for Steak Tartare, but mix 1 egg yolk, 1 teaspoon grated onion, 2 tablespoons finely chopped capers and 1 tablespoon finely chopped parsley through meat with seasonings. Roll mixture lightly into 2.5 cm (1 in) balls and roll in finely chopped parsley. Chill well before serving. Makes about 40.

STEAK TARTARE SANDWICHES: Make steak mixture as for Steak Tartare Balls. Mound on rounds of lightly buttered French bread to serve as appetisers, or larger Italian bread for a sandwich meal. Cover with parsley and mark a trellis pattern with a knife. Makes about 20 small or 8 large sandwiches.

STEAK AND KIDNEY PUDDING/PIE

The perennial favourite, steak and kidney pudding or pie, with rich, thick peppery gravy, has travelled far beyond its origins in Sussex, and can be found on the tables of English-speaking people across the world. It is good, hearty fare, ideal for serving on cold winter nights, and remains a nourishing, economical dish for family and friends.

The basic steak and kidney mixture can be steamed in a suet crust, when it is called steak and kidney pudding, or it can be baked with a puff or flaky pastry crust, when it is known as a pie. Many people also enjoy steak and kidney topped with a sponge mixture, or with some parsley dumplings steamed with the meat during the last half-hour of cooking.

A few bottled oysters or sliced mushrooms make a superb addition to steak and kidney, enriching the dish sufficiently for serving at even the smartest of dinner parties.

BASIC STEAK AND KIDNEY

1 kg (2 lb) chuck or blade steak, cut into 2.5 cm (1 in) cubes
½ –1 calf kidney, or 2–3 sheep kidneys, cored and chopped
1 tablespoon flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
½ teaspoon mixed dried herbs
½ cup water
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce (optional)
¼ teaspoon nutmeg (optional)

Sprinkle meats with flour, salt, pepper and herbs. Spoon into a heavy saucepan and pour water over. Cover tightly and simmer very gently over low heat for about 2 hours, or in a preheated moderately slow oven (160°C/325°F) for about 1½ hours or until meat is tender. If necessary add a little more water. When cooked, stir in Worcestershire sauce and nutmeg, if using. Serves 4–6.

NOTE: Steak and kidney may be steamed instead. Combine the ingredients in a pudding basin. Cover with 2 thicknesses of greased greaseproof paper or foil and tie with string. Put into a large saucepan with boiling water coming halfway up sides of basin. Steam for 3½ –4 hours or until meat is tender, replenishing water in pan as it evaporates with more boiling water.

VARIATION

STEAK AND KIDNEY WITH DUMPLINGS: Follow recipe for Basic Steak and Kidney. About 30 minutes before cooking is finished, add 6–8 Fluffy Herb Dumplings. Cover casserole or saucepan and cook for a further 20–30 minutes or until dumplings are swollen and tender. Do not lift lid of pan during first 20 minutes of cooking.

STEAK AND KIDNEY PUDDING

1 quantity Suet Pastry
1 quantity uncooked Basic Steak and Kidney (above)

Roll out about one-third of suet pastry dough on a lightly floured work surface to make a round 30 cm (12 in) in diameter and about 5 mm (¼ in) thick. Use to line a 4-cup pudding basin, draping dough loosely over a rolling pin to help lift it into the basin. Gently press dough into basin, being careful not to stretch or tear it. Roll out remaining dough into a round about 18–20 cm (7–8 in) diameter. Spoon uncooked steak and kidney mixture into pastry-lined basin, filling it to within 1 cm (½ in) of top. Mound meat a little in centre. Trim any excess dough from rim of basin and brush dough rim with cold water. Place round of dough on top, trim off excess and crimp edges all around rim to seal tightly.

Place a lightly greased round of double thickness greaseproof paper or single thickness foil over top of pudding, turning edges down all around to a depth of about 5 cm (2 in). Dip a clean tea-towel in cold water and wring it dry. Spread it flat, sprinkle with flour and shake to remove excess. Place towel over top of pudding, floured side down, and tie securely with the string about 4–5 cm (1½ –2 in) under rim. Knot 4 corners of cloth over top. Place basin in a large pan of fast-boiling water to come three-quarters up sides of basin. Cover and boil steadily over moderate heat for 3½ –4 hours. As water evaporates pour in more boiling water to maintain same level. To serve, remove towel and paper or foil then pin a folded napkin round basin. Serve straight from basin. Serves 4–6.

NOTE: If the pudding seems a little dry after cutting, pour in a small amount of boiling water to augment the gravy.

STEAK AND KIDNEY PIE

1 quantity Basic Steak and Kidney, cooked and cooled
1 × 375 g (12 oz) packet frozen puff pastry, thawed
egg yolk, beaten with a little water, to glaze

Spoon cooked steak and kidney mixture into a round or oval pie dish just large enough to hold it, mounding it up in the centre. Roll out pastry dough on lightly floured board to 2.5 cm (1 in) larger all round than top of dish. Cut off a strip of dough all round, 2.5 cm (1 in) wide, and place strip around edge of dish. Brush with a little egg glaze and cover with dough round or oval. Press onto strip to seal and trim edge. Cut an air vent in centre of dough lid. Decorate with pastry rose and leaves. Chill for 30 minutes. Brush with egg glaze and bake in a preheated hot oven (200°C/400°F) for 20–30 minutes. Reduce heat to moderate (180°C/350°F) and bake for a further 30–40 minutes. It may be necessary to cover pastry with foil to prevent over-browning. Serves 4–6.

NOTE: ½ quantity home-made Puff Pastry or ¾ quantity Flaky Pastry may be used instead of commercial pastry.

VARIATIONS

STEAK AND KIDNEY PIE WITH OYSTERS: Follow recipe for Steak and Kidney Pie. After cooking, carefully insert a funnel into centre vent and push in 1 bottle oysters, drained (you may have to halve them first).

STEAK AND KIDNEY PIE WITH MUSHROOMS: Add 125 g (4 oz) mushrooms, sliced, to Basic Steak and Kidney mixture before cooking.

STEAK AND KIDNEY SPONGE

This light and tender sponge topping absorbs the delicious flavours of the steak and kidney mixture.

1 quantity Basic Steak and Kidney, steamed
1 cup self-raising flour
½ teaspoon salt
2 eggs, separated
1 cup milk
60 g (2 oz) butter, melted

After steaming steak and kidney mixture, leave basin standing in saucepan of hot water while you prepare topping. Sift flour and salt into a bowl and make a well in centre. Beat egg yolks and stir in milk. Pour into flour mixture, add butter and stir until smooth. Beat egg whites until stiff and fold into mixture. Spoon sponge mixture carefully over steak and kidney mixture in basin so meat is completely covered. Add more boiling water to saucepan to come halfway up sides of basin if necessary. Put lid on saucepan and boil steadily for about 20 minutes. Serve immediately, with a napkin tied around sides of basin. Serves 4–6.

NOTE: Steak and kidney may be cooked in a saucepan or casserole, as described in basic recipe, if preferred. Turn into pudding basin afterwards and proceed as above.

STEAMBOAT

A spectacular Chinese meal of meats and seafood cooked at the table by the diners themselves. The name refers to the traditional cooking vessel, a Mongolian fire pot whose base holds hot coals (available from Chinese grocery stores). A fondue set may be substituted. The pot of simmering stock is set in the centre of the table with the foods and sauces arranged round it. Guests use small strainers to lift their choice of food into the stock, and when cooked, it is plucked out of the strainer with chopsticks, dipped into sauce and eaten. After the meat and seafood are eaten, noodles and vegetables are cooked in the remaining stock and served in soup bowls as a last course.

STEAMBOAT

Stock

1 kg (2 lb) chicken soup bones
10 cups water
4 slices fresh ginger
5 spring onions, coarsely chopped
2 cloves garlic, bruised
1 teaspoon salt
4 black peppercorns

Meats and seafood

4 chicken fillets (skinless, boneless half-breasts)
250 g (8 oz) pork fillet
250 g (8 oz) beef or Scotch fillet
250 g (8 oz) chicken, lamb or calf liver
250 g (8 oz) firm-fleshed white fish fillets, skinned and any bones removed

Noodles and vegetables

500 g (1 lb) Chinese cabbage, cut into 8 cm (3 in) strips
250 g (8 oz) transparent noodles (rice vermicelli), soaked in boiling water for 30 minutes and drained
500 g (1 lb) fresh, crisp English spinach or silverbeet, shredded
handful snow peas (if available)
125 g (4 oz) bean curd, thickly sliced
assorted sauces (see recipe)

To make stock, simmer all ingredients together in a saucepan for 2–3 hours. Strain, cool, then chill. Skim fat from surface.

To prepare meats and seafood, remove any fat from chicken breasts and pull out white tendon which runs down underside of each half-breast. Remove gristle and fat from pork and beef. Remove sinews and membrane from livers.

Wrap all meats and fish separately in plastic wrap and place in freezer to become firm before slicing. Slice meats and fish as thinly as possible into pieces about 8 × 2 cm (3 × ¾ in), keeping slices in order as they are cut. Arrange on plates and cover.

Drop cabbage into boiling water for 1 minute, then drain and refresh under cold water.

If you are using a fire pot, light about 20 heat beads in a fireplace or barbecue and burn for about 15 minutes until a white ash forms on the surface. Transfer with tongs to grate of fire pot, pushing them well in.

Meanwhile, bring prepared stock to the boil. If using a fondue set, light burner and set pot over it. Pour stock into pot and place on a thick board in centre of table. Arrange meats, fish and sauces round it, garnishing plates with a little green spinach or cabbage. Provide a plate, a strainer, chopsticks, a soup bowl and a spoon for each guest. Guests now cook and eat meats and fish as described earlier. When they have done so, drop prepared noodles, vegetables and bean curd into pot, adding a little more stock or water if necessary. Cook for 1 minute, then ladle into soup bowls. Serves 6–8.

For dipping sauces, choose from soy sauce, Chinese chilli sauce, hoisin sauce, Chinese barbecue sauce, Chinese lemon sauce (all available at Chinese stores) or one of the following: soy sauce mixed with a little chilli sauce; soy sauce with a little chilli sauce and Chinese sesame oil.

STEAMED PUDDING

See Desserts and Puddings.

STOCK

The importance of stock cannot be overestimated in flavouring sauces, casseroles, soups, gravies and many other savoury dishes. Stock is not difficult to make; it is simply the flavourful liquid obtained from simmering together the bones, trimmings and flesh of meat, chicken or fish with vegetables, seasonings and water. The liquid is then strained through a fine strainer or cheesecloth and chilled, so that the fat which rises to the top can be easily removed. Slow cooking and skimming the surface of the stock when if first comes to the boil are important, because they help to give a clear stock.

The success of good stock depends on its distinctive flavour. Whether beef, chicken or fish, it should taste of that food, and only a few vegetables should be cooked with the meat or bones so that their flavour does not intrude. Make sure the butcher gives you beef bones for beef stock – lamb does not give the same richness. Lamb or mutton stock has its place, and excellent Scottish soups are made from them, but beef and lamb together do not combine well.

Veal is used for white stock, and the Chinese make a light stock with pork bones or a combination of pork and chicken. Each type of meat with its bones has a use.

Stock will keep in the refrigerator for 1 week, if protected by the layer of fat that would otherwise be removed, or 6 months in a freezer. Particles of meat or vegetables in the stock will reduce the storage time, so care should be taken when straining. It is a good idea, especially if you make a lot of soup, to make a large pot of stock and refrigerate or freeze it for later use.

Although not all soups are made from stock, carefully made stock is so essential to good cooking that it’s well worth making. The ingredients are cheap and easily obtainable. Consider the pressure cooker and crock-pot (electric slow cooker) as modern aids to stock-making. Basic stocks are referred to in the recipes throughout this book and here is how to make them.

Stock or bouillon cubes, canned beef or chicken consommé may be used to replace stock in recipes. These tend to have a ‘sameness’ about them, though, that reflects in the dishes in which they are used. They do have their place, however. Some butchers and delicatessans sell good stock. These are packaged in pouches and are considered most acceptable by good home cooks – they are certainly very convenient. Homemade stocks, however, are the first choice for special soups and sauces; commercial stocks are suitable for simple soups.

To clarify stock: Remove fat from cold stock, then place stock in a saucepan with 2 egg whites, lightly beaten, and the 2 egg shells. Bring slowly to the boil, whisking occasionally with an egg whisk. Allow the liquid to rise in the pan as it reaches boiling point, then lower the heat, and simmer very gently for 20 minutes.

You will find that as the egg whites cook they attract and hold any remaining particles of fat and residue that might cloud the stock. Strain through a colander, lined with butter muslin, and you have a clear liquid ready to use as the basis of many delicious soups.

Brown Stock: For this you use the same ingredients and method as for Beef Stock but the bones and vegetables are first browned to give a richer colour to the stock. Place the bones in a roasting tin with the carrot and onion, and roast in a hot oven (200°C/400°F) until a good, rich, brown colour; place them in a large saucepan.

Rinse out the roasting tin with a little water, scraping any brown sediment from the bottom, add to the bones and proceed with the recipe for Beef Stock.

White Stock: This is made as for Chicken Stock (below) but veal bones (knuckle is ideal) are used in place of the chicken, or half veal and half chicken. If using veal bones, save the bone from a shoulder or ask the butcher for a veal knuckle, sawn in two to fit your saucepan.

See also Yabbies: Shellfish Stock for Yabbies.

CHICKEN STOCK

This stock is used for white sauce as well as soups.

500 g (1 lb) chicken bones (carcase, backs or wings)
about 6 cups cold water (enough to cover bones)
1 teaspoon salt
1 carrot, halved
1 teaspoon black peppercorns
1 bouquet garni (1 stick celery, 3 sprigs parsley, 1 sprig fresh thyme, 1 bay leaf)

Place bones in a large, heavy saucepan and add remaining ingredients. Bring to the boil, carefully skimming surface. Cover pan and simmer very gently for 3–4 hours. Strain through a fine sieve and cool. Refrigerate until needed, then remove fat which has risen to top of stock, leaving flavoured jelly underneath. This stock keeps for 1 week in refrigerator. Makes about 4–5 cups.

NOTE: Use fresh bones for clear, well-flavoured stock. Your poultry supplier often has a bag of bone pieces (carcases, wing tips, etc.) at a very reasonable price, or you may use necks and backs. Giblets, if available, may also be added to the stock, except the chicken liver, which is inclined to give a bitter taste.

BEEF STOCK

This stock is used in brown sauces and soups. Clarified, it is also used in clear soups.

1 kg (2 lb) beef bones (shank, marrow bone or rib bones or a combination)
500 g (1 lb) shin of beef, chopped
1 carrot, thickly sliced
1 onion, thickly sliced
2 teaspoons salt
about 12 cups cold water (enough to cover bones)
1 teaspoon black peppercorns
1 bouquet garni (2 sticks celery, 4 sprigs parsley, 1 sprig fresh
thyme, 1 bay leaf)

Put bones into a large saucepan, then add remaining ingredients. Bring slowly to the boil, skimming surface well, then simmer very gently, half covered, for 4–5 hours (very slow simmering for a long time is the secret of well-flavoured stock). Strain through a fine sieve, cool, then chill or freeze. Remove surface fat before using. Makes about 9–10 cups.

FISH STOCK

This stock is used in many fish sauces and soups, and can be frozen or will keep well in the refrigerator for 1 week.

1 fish head and bones (a snapper head is ideal)
5 cups cold water
1 cup white wine, or juice 1 lemon with enough water to make 1 cup
1 teaspoon white peppercorns
1 bouquet garni (1 stick celery, 3 sprigs parsley, 1 sprig fresh thyme, 1 bay leaf)

Place all ingredients in a large saucepan and bring to the boil. Skim the surface, then simmer gently for 20 minutes. Strain through a fine sieve or cheesecloth. Makes about 5½ cups.

NOTE: For the best flavour, fish stock must be simmered, never boiled. Instead of a snapper head, you can use 2–3 heads of smaller fish, or bones and trimmings left after filleting fish. You will need about 500 g (1 lb) altogether.

CHINESE-STYLE STOCK

A stock which combines chicken with pork bones gives a very delicate flavour which is characteristic of Chinese soups. Pork rib bones are good ones to use, and your butcher will save these for you if you give a little notice.

500 g (1 lb) chicken bones
500 g (1 lb) pork bones
1 carrot, halved
1 onion, halved
1 slice fresh ginger
2 spring onions, chopped
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon white peppercorns
5 cups water (or enough to cover bones)

Put bones into a deep saucepan and add remaining ingredients. Bring to the boil, skimming surface, then simmer very gently for 2–3 hours. Strain and cool, then chill or freeze until needed. Makes about 4 cups.

VEGETABLE STOCK

Use in place of beef or chicken stock in soups, sauces and casseroles.

1 onion, chopped
1 leek, white part only, chopped
3 stalks celery, chopped
1 parsnip or turnip
1 piece ginger (walnut-size), finely chopped
1 bouquet garni
12 peppercorns
2 teaspoons coarse salt
8 cups water

Put all the ingredients in a large saucepan or stockpot. Bring to the boil, lower the heat and simmer, partially covered, for about 1 hour. Pour the liquid through a colander set over another container, pressing the vegetables against the sides of the colander to extract the juices; discard the solids. Pour through a strainer, cool and refrigerate. Makes about 7 cups.

STOLLEN

One of the most popular German fruit breads. Various stollen are made for Christmas, a time of great rejoicing, and the most famous was developed in Dresden. Its rather dry dough holds together the lovely fruit and nut treats of Christmas – almonds, raisins, currants and brightly coloured glacé fruits. It is customary to bake two at a time – one for the household and one to give away. Stollen improves on keeping and once it becomes over-dry, it is almost as good to eat cut into slices and toasted back to freshness.

STOLLEN

2 strips candied angelica, cut into 1 cm (½ in) dice
cup raisins
½ cup currants
½ cup glacé cherries, halved
cup chopped mixed candied peel
cup rum
5 cups flour
large pinch salt
cup warm milk
45 g (1½ oz) compressed yeast
185 g (6 oz) butter
½ cup caster sugar
2 eggs, lightly beaten
½ cup blanched slivered almonds
melted butter, caster sugar and sifted icing sugar

Place angelica, raisins, currants, cherries and peel in a bowl and pour rum over. Toss well and allow to stand for 2 hours or preferably overnight. Sift flour and salt into a bowl. Place warm milk in another bowl, add yeast and butter and stir until yeast is dissolved. Mix in sugar and eggs. Make a well in centre of flour, pour in yeast mixture and mix until smooth, commencing with a wooden spoon and then finishing off with the hand. When dough leaves sides of bowl, turn onto a lightly floured board and knead until smooth and elastic – this may take 10–15 minutes. Place dough into a clean greased bowl, cover with a damp cloth and leave to rise in a warm place for 50–60 minutes or until doubled in bulk.

When risen, knock dough down and shape into a square. Drain rum-soaked fruits, dry well on paper towels and toss in a little flour. Spoon into middle of dough square with almonds. Fold dough over fruits, and knead fruits lightly into dough. Return to greased bowl, cover and leave in a warm place to rise for 30–45 minutes. Knock dough down and turn onto floured board. Halve dough. Roll out each portion into an oval about 2 cm (¾ in) thick. Brush with melted butter, and sprinkle with a little caster sugar. Fold each portion’s long edges inwards, overlapping the centre with each edge by about 2.5 cm (1 in). Press edges gently to keep in place.

Lightly flour hands, taper ends slightly and pat sides to mound stollen in centre. The finished loaves should be about 8 cm (3 in) wide. Place on a greased baking tray. Brush with a little butter and let rise in a warm place for about 1 hour or until doubled in bulk. Bake in a preheated moderately hot oven (190°C/375°F) for about 45 minutes or until golden-brown and crusty. Cool on a wire rack. Dust heavily with sifted icing sugar before slicing and buttering. Makes 2.

NOTE: Dry yeast can be used; see Yeast Cookery.

VARIATION

POPPY SEED STOLLEN (MOHNSTOLLEN): Omit all fruits, using almonds only. When each portion of dough is rolled into a flat oval, brush with melted butter and fill each with half of following mixture: 250 g (8 oz) poppy seeds, ground and simmered in 1 cup milk with cup raisins for 5 minutes; cup chopped mixed candied peel; ½ cup sugar; ½ teaspoon cinnamon; 1 tablespoon rum; few drops rose water. Fold and bake as for Stollen.

STRAWBERRY

Once called ‘strayberry’ because it propagated itself by runners, the strawberry was known to epicures in Roman times. Today’s varieties are no doubt much changed but let us be thankful for those experiments which have given us a berry not only beautiful in shape and colour but delicately perfumed and refreshing.

Nothing compares with the flavour and fragrance of ripe strawberries. They have enough natural sweetness not to need sugar but this is really a matter of choice. They are wonderful on their own but take to other ingredients extremely kindly – cream, sprinkled with red wine or orange juice, fresh cream and, oddly enough, freshly ground black pepper. And when the time is ripe for an old-fashioned Loving Cup, fill 2 wine glasses with chilled demi-sec Champagne, place a dish of sugar-strewn strawberries close by – and the rest is up to you.

STRAWBERRIES SARAH BERNHARDT

2 punnets (500 g/1 lb) strawberries, hulled
3 tablespoons caster sugar
cup Cointreau
vanilla ice cream
2 slices glacé pineapple, finely sliced

Cream

1 cup cream
sugar
1 tablespoon Cointreau

Place strawberries in a bowl, reserving 6 of the best for decoration. Sprinkle with caster sugar and the Cointreau and chill for a few hours, covered. Place a scoop of vanilla ice cream into 6 individual dishes, sprinkle with glacé pineapple and spoon over strawberries. Mask dessert with whipped cream which has been sweetened and flavoured with Cointreau. Decorate each portion with a whole strawberry. Serves 6.

STRAWBERRIES ROMANOFF

8 pieces lump sugar
2 oranges
6 tablespoons Curaçao
2 punnets (500 g/1 lb) strawberries, hulled
1 cup Crème Chantilly

Rub lumps of sugar over skins of oranges until they are well impregnated with flavour of rind. Crush sugar and mix with Curaçao. Add strawberries and macerate in a covered container in refrigerator until serving time. Arrange strawberries in a bowl in a pyramid shape. Put crème chantilly into a piping bag with a rose piping tube and decorate strawberries. Serves 6.

VENETIAN STRAWBERRIES

Believe it or not, the pepper enhances the strawberries’ delicate flavour.

2 punnets (500 g/1 lb) strawberries, hulled
4 tablespoons caster sugar
freshly ground black pepper
1 cup demi-sec Champagne

Place strawberries in a bowl. Sprinkle with sugar and allow to stand for 10 minutes. Grind some black pepper over them, then pour over Champagne. Stir carefully to combine the flavours. Serves 6.

STRAWBERRIES IN THE SNOW

2 punnets (500 g/1 lb) strawberries, hulled and sliced
½ cup caster sugar
2 tablespoons Kirsch (optional)
4 egg whites
1 cup cream

Sprinkle strawberries with 1 tablespoon caster sugar and the Kirsch, if using. Allow to macerate for about 15 minutes. Beat egg whites stiffly and gradually beat in remaining sugar. Whip cream stiffly. Fold egg whites into cream, then gently and carefully mix with macerated strawberries. Spoon into a large bowl or individual dishes and serve chilled. Serves 6.

NOTE: A few whole ripe strawberries may be used for decoration.

STRAWBERRIES WILHEMINE

strawberries
Kirsch
caster sugar
orange juice
Crème Chantilly to serve

Macerate some fine large strawberries in Kirsch, caster sugar and orange juice. Serve with crème chantilly.

STRAWBERRY FOOL

Next to strawberries, sugar and cream, this must be the easiest and one of the nicest strawberry desserts. It may be frozen for a delicious strawberry ice cream.

strawberries (enough to make 2 cups purée), hulled
¼ cup caster sugar
1 cup cream

Crush strawberries or purée in a blender. Sweeten with sugar. Whip cream until thick and fold into purée. Serve well chilled. Serves 4–6.

BAKED STRAWBERRY SOUFFLÉS

1 punnet (250 g/8 oz) strawberries, hulled and sliced
½ cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons Kirsch
5 egg whites
whipped cream to serve

Sprinkle sliced strawberries with 2 tablespoons sugar and the Kirsch, and macerate for 1 hour. Butter 6 small soufflé dishes and use 2 tablespoons sugar to coat sides and bottom. Beat egg whites until stiff, then gradually beat in remaining sugar to form a stiff meringue. Drain strawberries and fold through the meringue, then spoon into dishes. Stand in a baking tin and add enough hot water to come halfway up sides of dishes. Bake in a preheated moderate oven (180°C/350°F) for 15–18 minutes or until puffed and lightly browned. Serve at once, with whipped cream. Serves 6.

STRAWBERRIES À LA RITZ

2 punnets (500 g/1 lb) strawberries, hulled
sugar
1 punnet (250 g/8 oz) raspberries
¾ cup cream
candied violets or slivers candied angelica to decorate

Place two-thirds of the strawberries in a glass serving bowl and sprinkle with sugar to taste. Sieve remaining strawberries with raspberries or purée in a blender or food processor. Spoon purée over whole strawberries and chill until serving time. When ready to serve, whip cream and spread over fruit, masking it completely. Decorate with candied violets or slivers of angelica. Serves 4.

NOTE: If fresh raspberries are not available, use frozen raspberries.

STROGANOFF

This superb dish of strips of fillet beef, that is lightly sautéed and finished off with sour cream, is said to have been created for a Russian count (Stroganoff) as a light after-theatre supper dish. There are several schools of thought on how it is made and served. One is that it contains only beef, seasonings, a touch of tomato paste, sour cream and, just before serving, a hint of grated raw onion, and is then served with straw potatoes as texture contrast. The accompaniment has to be ready at the same time as the stroganoff, which should take only 15 minutes from start to finish. Triangles of hot buttered toast are another acceptable accompaniment.

A second popular version of the dish includes sautéed onions and mushrooms and is often served at dinner parties, accompanied by rice.

The two versions are given below, the first just right for a little after-theatre supper for two. For those who have come to enjoy onions and mushrooms in their stroganoff as a main course, the quantities have been increased to cater for four.

It is not recommended making stroganoff for a crowd; the large quantity of meat tends to weep and alter the freshness of the dish. The exception is, of course, when being made in a professional kitchen with very large sauté pans.

BEEF STROGANOFF (1)

1 × 375 g (12 oz) fillet steak
salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 teaspoons flour
30 g (1 oz) butter
2 teaspoons tomato paste
cup sour cream
1 teaspoon grated onion

Carefully trim away any fat and sinews from steak.

Cut into slices about 5 mm (¼ in) thick, and then into strips about 5 cm (2 in) long and 5 mm (¼ in) wide. Season well with salt and pepper and toss in flour. Heat butter in a heavy frying pan. When foam subsides, add beef strips. Fry briskly over high heat for 3–4 minutes, keeping pieces of meat on the move by shaking pan. When meat is brown, lower heat and add tomato paste and sour cream. Stir gently to get up brown crusty bits from bottom of pan and to coat meat with creamy sauce. Adjust seasoning. Transfer to a small saucepan and place in a larger saucepan of boiling water to keep warm and mellow for about 5 minutes. Just before serving, stir in grated onion. Serve on heated plates with buttered toast points or crisp straw potatoes. Serves 2.

NOTE: Packaged straw potatoes will do. Spread out on a baking tray and crisp in a preheated hot oven (200°C/400°F) for about 5 minutes, while making the stroganoff.

BEEF STROGANOFF (2)

1 × 750 g (1½ lb) fillet steak
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon flour
60 g (2 oz) butter
2 medium onions, finely sliced into rings
250 g (8 oz) button mushrooms, finely sliced
1 tablespoon tomato paste
cup sour cream

Prepare strips of steak as in Beef Stroganoff (1) (above). Season well with salt and pepper and toss in flour. Heat 30 g (1 oz) butter in a heavy frying pan and fry onion rings for about 10 minutes or until just coloured. Remove to a plate with a slotted spoon. Add mushrooms to pan and fry for a few minutes or until softened. Remove to plate with onions. Add remaining butter to pan and heat. Fry beef strips over high heat for 3–4 minutes, shaking pan to keep pieces of meat on the move. Return onions and mushrooms to pan and shake over medium heat for 1 minute to heat through. Season generously with salt and pepper. Add tomato paste and sour cream and cook for a few minutes longer, stirring gently to combine ingredients. Serve at once, or keep warm by transferring mixture to a saucepan and standing in a pan of hot water for 10 minutes with lid on. Serve with straw potatoes, buttered noodles or boiled rice. Serves 4 as a main course or 6 as a first course.

STRUDEL

A delicate filled pastry which is usually associated with Austrian cooking, but is also claimed as a national specialty by other parts of the former Austro-Hungarian Empire. Strudel is one of the best and most famous of desserts or, with a savoury filling, a handsome lunch dish or entrée – a wonderfully crisp, tender and flaky construction of paper-thin pastry layers rolled round a filling.

True strudel pastry is fascinating but time-consuming to make. Filo pastry sheets or puff pastry, rolled as thinly as possible, can be substituted with good results.

See also Apple:Quick Apple Strudel.

STRUDEL PASTRY

Strudel pastry should be made with high-gluten bread flour so that it will be strong enough to be stretched without tearing. The process of gently pulling and stretching the dough to paper thinness is easier if 2 people work from opposite sides. Be sure to take off any rings, which may tear the dough, before you begin. Have the strudel filling ready before stretching dough – once stretched, it should be used within 5 minutes or it will become brittle.

1½ cups bread flour
¼ teaspoon salt
1 egg
½ cup lukewarm water
2 tablespoons white vinegar
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
melted butter

Sift flour and salt into a bowl. Beat egg until frothy, stir in water, vinegar and oil and add to flour. Mix with a wooden spoon until smooth, then turn dough out onto a lightly floured work surface. Knead thoroughly, scraping dough off surface as necessary with a knife. As you knead, keep lifting dough and slapping it down hard on the surface. It will be sticky at first but as you continue it will become elastic, smooth and shiny, leaving the hands clean. Kneading will take about 15 minutes and dough should be beaten 100–150 times. Shape it into a ball and cover with a warm bowl. Leave for 20 minutes. Meanwhile, cover a table with a cloth that hangs over edges. Flour cloth well. Brush top of dough with melted butter and lift it onto the floured cloth. Roll out to 3 mm ( in) thickness. Now slip your closed fists, thumbs tucked in and palms downwards, under dough. Working from centre, lift and pull it out gently by pulling your hands apart. Work towards edges and move round table so that dough is evenly stretched on all sides. If dry patches appear in the dough, brush with melted butter to keep them supple. If dough tears, pinch it together. When dough is as thin as paper, brush generously all over with melted butter and trim off thick edges with scissors. This quantity of dough will make one large strudel to serve 10–12. Fill and bake as directed in recipe.

APPLE STRUDEL

6 large cooking apples, peeled, cored and thinly sliced
½ cup caster sugar
1½ teaspoons cinnamon
½ cup sultanas
2 teaspoons grated lemon rind
1 quantity Strudel Pastry (above)
melted butter
1 cup fresh breadcrumbs fried in butter

Mix apples, sugar, cinnamon, sultanas and lemon rind together and set aside. Brush stretched-out strudel dough with melted butter and sprinkle with fried breadcrumbs. Spoon the apple mixture in an 8–10 cm (3–4 in) wide line along one side, to within 5 cm (2 in) of the edges. Fold near edges of pastry over filling, and roll up, starting from filling end, by lifting the cloth to make the dough roll over and over on itself. Lift strudel onto a greased baking tray, curving it into a horseshoe if too long for the tray. Brush with more melted butter. Bake in a preheated very hot oven (230°C/450°F) for 10 minutes, then reduce heat to hot (200°C/400°F) and bake for a further 20 minutes or until strudel is crisp and brown. Brush several more times with melted butter while cooking, and again after removing from oven. Serve warm, cut into wide diagonal slices. Serves 10–12.

NOTE: Strudel should be served freshly baked, as the pastry toughens when cold. However, it can be frozen unbaked and then baked straight from the freezer. Remove from freezer wrapping and place on a greased baking tray. Bake as directed in recipe, but allow an extra 15–20 minutes’ baking time after reducing heat to hot (200°C/400°F).Test by inserting a fine skewer into the centre; tip should be hot when withdrawn. Cover strudel loosely with foil if pastry is over-browning before filling is cooked through.

CHEESE STRUDEL

1 quantity Strudel Pastry
1 cup fresh breadcrumbs fried in butter
melted butter

Filling

60 g (2 oz) butter
grated rind 1 lemon
cup caster sugar
375 g (12 oz) creamed cottage cheese
2 teaspoons flour
1 egg
½ cup sultanas, soaked in 2 tablespoons rum or brandy

To make filling, cream butter with lemon rind and sugar, beating until mixture resembles whipped cream. Rub cottage cheese through a sieve, or purée in a food processor until smooth. Using a wooden spoon, work cheese and flour into butter mixture. Beat in egg, and stir in fruit. Sprinkle stretched-out strudel dough with breadcrumbs, then spoon filling in a line along one side to within 5 cm (2 in) of the edges. Fold near edges of dough over filling and brush edges with melted butter. Roll up, starting from filling end, by lifting cloth to make dough roll over and over on itself. With the last roll, roll strudel onto a greased baking tray; curve it into a horseshoe if it is too long for tray. Brush with more melted butter. Bake in a preheated hot oven (200°C/400°F) for 20 minutes, then reduce heat to moderate (180°C/ 350°F) and bake for a further 10 minutes. Brush several more times with melted butter while cooking. Strudel is done when pastry is as crisp as parchment and golden-brown. Serve warm. Strudel can be made ahead and re-warmed in a low oven. Serves 8.

SAVOURY FISH OR CHICKEN STRUDELS

These strudels are made with filo pastry. The recipe makes 2 strudels which can be cut into 5 servings each – nice for a lunch or small buffet party. Can be frozen once baked.

90 g (3 oz) butter
6 spring onions, finely chopped
4 tablespoons flour
2 cups warm milk
salt and freshly ground white pepper
¼ teaspoon nutmeg
6 hard-boiled eggs, coarsely chopped
750 g (1½ lb) fish fillets, poached, drained and flaked, or 2 cups cooked chicken meat, chopped
¼ cup finely chopped parsley
½ cup grated cheese
½ teaspoon Dijon mustard
16 sheets filo pasty
melted butter

Melt butter in a heavy saucepan, add spring onions and cook gently for 3 minutes. Stir in flour and cook for 1 minute. Remove from heat, cool a little and add warm milk, stirring until smoothly blended. Return to heat and stir until boiling. Season to taste with salt, pepper and nutmeg. Allow to cool, then mix with chopped eggs, fish or chicken, parsley, cheese and mustard.

Make one strudel at a time. Remove 8 sheets filo from packet, unfold onto a dry tea-towel and cover with another dry tea-towel and brush lightly with melted butter. Top with another sheet, butter it, and so on with the remaining sheets. Spoon half the filling in a line along one long side of stacked pastry, to within 5 cm (2 in) of edges. Fold near edges of pastry over filling and brush edges with melted butter. Using the tea-towel to help, gently roll up strudel from filling end. With the last roll, roll strudel onto a greased baking tray. Brush with melted butter. Make another strudel in the same way. Bake the strudels in a preheated hot oven (200°C/400°F) for 20 minutes, then reduce heat to moderate (180°C/350°F) and bake for a further 10 minutes. Brush several more times with melted butter while cooking. Strudel is done when pastry is as crisp as parchment and golden-brown. Serve hot, cut into wide slices.

Strudels can be made ahead and reheated in a preheated moderate oven (180°C/350°F), covering them loosely with foil if tops are browning too much. Serves 10.

NOTE: Flaked canned salmon may be used instead of poached fish fillets to make the filling.

STUFFING

Stuffings are made with a wide variety of ingredients – breadcrumbs, sausage and other minced meats, fruit, herbs and rice. As well as adding an interesting flavour, a stuffing can help the cook by holding the food in shape, keeping it moist and making it go further.

It is important to mix and handle stuffings lightly so as not to compact them, and to leave room for the stuffings to expand during cooking and stay light. If some stuffing is left over after filling food, cook it separately in a greased baking dish.

It is best to cook onion and garlic lightly before adding them to a stuffing, as this improves their flavour and aids digestion. You should also pre-cook pork or sausage mince until it changes colour, to make sure that it will cook through. Always stuff poultry just before cooking; this is a safety measure.

Make fresh breadcrumbs for stuffings, using bread that is 2–4 days old, by pulling it apart very lightly with your fingers or with two forks. Do not put bread through a mincer, as the stuffing will be too compact. Of course, if you have a blender or food processor, beautiful crumbs can be made in a trice.

BASIC BREADCRUMB STUFFING

1 small onion, chopped
1 stick celery with leaves, chopped
90 g (3 oz) butter
1–2 teaspoons poultry seasoning or dried sage
½ teaspoon salt
freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons chopped parsley (optional)
5 cups bread cubes or crumbs
water, milk or chicken stock (optional)

Sauté onion and celery in butter until soft but not brown. Combine with poultry seasoning or sage, salt, pepper, parsley, if using, and bread cubes or crumbs. If a moist dressing is desired, add enough liquid barely to moisten crumbs. Makes sufficient for 2 chickens or 1 small turkey.

VARIATIONS

CHESTNUT STUFFING: Follow recipe for Basic Breadcrumb Stuffing, reducing quantity of breadcrumbs to 3½ cups, and adding 1 cup boiled, coarsely chopped chestnuts. To prepare chestnuts, cut a cross in flat side of each shell. Boil in water to cover for 20 minutes or until tender. Shell, peel and chop. (Alternatively, use canned.)

MUSHROOM STUFFING: Cook 250 g (8 oz) sliced mushrooms with onion, then proceed as for Basic Breadcrumb Stuffing.

GIBLET STUFFING: Simmer giblets in water until tender. Chop and measure. Substitute for an equal amount of the breadcrumbs, then proceed as for Basic Breadcrumb Stuffing.

SAUSAGE STUFFING: Crumble 125–185 g (4–6 oz) sausage mince and brown in a frying pan. Remove sausage and sauté onion and celery in part sausage fat and part butter. Add all to crumbs and proceed as for Basic Breadcrumb Stuffing.

APPLE, PRUNE AND NUT STUFFING

90 g (3 oz) butter
1 onion, finely chopped
2 cooking apples, peeled, cored and finely diced
4 cups cubed day-old bread
1 cup chopped stoned prunes
¼ cup chopped walnuts
½ cup pine nuts
½ cup chopped parsley
1 teaspoon chopped fresh sage, or pinch dried
salt and freshly ground black pepper

Melt butter in a heavy frying pan and sauté onion until soft and golden. Add apples to pan and cook for 3–4 minutes or until apple is soft. Meanwhile, lightly toast bread cubes in a preheated moderately slow oven (160°C/325°F) for 10 minutes or until crisp. Remove apples and onion with a slotted spoon and place in a bowl with prunes. In the same pan, lightly fry walnuts and pine nuts until golden. Combine nuts with the apple mixture and bread cubes, and fold through the parsley and sage. Season with salt and pepper, and use at once. Makes sufficient for a goose or large duckling.

MUSHROOM RICE STUFFING

Use for fish, tomatoes, peppers and marrow.

2 rashers streaky bacon, rind removed, chopped
30 g (1 oz) butter
1 tablespoon finely chopped onion
90 g (3 oz) mushrooms, finely chopped
1 cup cooked rice
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
2 tablespoons chopped mixed fresh herbs, or 1 teaspoon dried
salt and freshly ground black pepper
lemon juice

Gently fry bacon over medium heat until fat runs. Add butter, onion and mushrooms and fry until soft. Stir in rice, parsley and herbs, and season with salt, pepper and lemon juice. Makes sufficient to stuff 4 tomatoes or peppers, or 1 large fish or marrow.

HAM AND SPINACH STUFFING

This stuffing is superb with veal.

½ bunch spinach
salt and freshly ground black pepper
nutmeg
1 cup finely chopped cooked ham
1 small onion, finely chopped
30 g (1 oz) butter
1 cup fresh breadcrumbs

Place spinach in a heavy saucepan with a little salt, pepper and nutmeg. Cover the pan and cook for 3–4 minutes until softened, shaking occasionally to prevent sticking. Drain well and, when cool enough to handle, squeeze out as much water as possible with your hands. Chop spinach finely and place in a bowl with ham. Season with salt and pepper. Cook onion gently in butter until soft and golden. Add to spinach and ham with a pinch of nutmeg and breadcrumbs and mix ingredients lightly together with a fork. Adjust seasoning. Makes sufficient to stuff a shoulder of veal for roasting or a breast of veal for braising.

SAUSAGE OR MEAT STUFFING

Use for turkey, chicken and veal.

1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 tablespoon butter
500 g (1 lb) minced pork or sausage mince
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
1 teaspoon dried sage
good pinch ground mace
1 cup fresh white breadcrumbs
salt and freshly ground black pepper

Cook onion in butter until soft, then add meat and cook, stirring and breaking down lumps with a fork, until meat changes colour. Remove from heat and lightly mix in remaining ingredients. Cool before using. Makes sufficient to stuff breast of 1 × 6 kg (12 lb) turkey, or 2 chickens or boned shoulders of veal.

HERB STUFFING

Use for fish, poultry or meat.

1 small onion, finely chopped
30 g (1 oz) butter
2 cups fresh breadcrumbs
1 tablespoon chopped fresh herbs, or 1 teaspoon dried (see Note)
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
1 teaspoon grated lemon rind
½ teaspoon salt
freshly ground black pepper
1 egg, beaten
stock (chicken or fish) or water

Cook onion gently in butter until golden. In a bowl, mix together breadcrumbs, herbs, parsley, lemon rind, salt and a generous amount of pepper. Add onion and butter, egg, and enough stock or water to moisten stuffing very lightly. Do not overmix, just stir through with a fork. Makes sufficient to stuff a chicken, a large whole fish or a shoulder of lamb.

NOTE: Use sage or savory for duck or goose; lemon thyme for fish, chicken or veal; mint for lamb.

BALTIMORE OYSTER STUFFING

2 tablespoons bacon fat
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
2 teaspoons snipped chives
5 cups stale bread cubes or crumbs
1 teaspoon chopped fresh marjoram or thyme
1 teaspoon salt
freshly ground black pepper
25 bottled or fresh oysters, drained

Melt bacon fat, add parsley and chives and cook until wilted. Add herb mixture to bread with marjoram, salt and pepper. Lightly mix in oysters. If stuffing seems too dry, moisten with a little oyster liquor. Makes sufficient for 2 chickens or 1 × 3 kg (6 lb) turkey.

MANDARIN STUFFING FOR GOOSE

250 g (8 oz) chestnuts
60 g (2 oz) butter
½ cup diced celery with leaves
3 mandarins
1 × 250 g (8 oz) packet prepared bread stuffing
½ teaspoon poultry seasoning
3 cups cooked rice
½ cup chicken stock or water

Cut a cross in flat side of each chestnut. Boil in water to cover for 20 minutes or until tender. Shell, peel and chop. There should be about 1 cup. Melt butter in a frying pan, add celery and cook over medium heat for about 10 minutes. Meanwhile, peel mandarins, removing white membranes. Cut segments in half and remove seeds. Combine the mandarins, bread stuffing, chestnuts, poultry seasoning, rice and stock. Add cooked celery and butter and mix together lightly with a fork. Makes sufficient for 1 × 4.5 kg (9 lb) goose.

NOTE: Canned chestnuts may be used instead of fresh. Just drain and chop.

PEACH AND ROSEMARY STUFFING

This is an unusual stuffing that goes well with lamb or chicken.

1 cup fresh white breadcrumbs
1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary, or ½ teaspoon dried
4 canned peach halves, or 2 fresh peaches, chopped
½ egg, beaten
salt and freshly ground black pepper

Combine all ingredients. Makes sufficient to stuff a 2 kg (4 lb) boned shoulder of lamb.

POTATO AND PARSLEY STUFFING

Use as a stuffing for duck or chicken. For a goose or small turkey, double the quantities.

1 tablespoon beef dripping
1 onion, chopped
250 g (8 oz) pork sausage mince
1 cup freshly mashed potatoes
salt and freshly ground black pepper
½ cup chopped parsley

Melt dripping in a frying pan and fry onion until pale golden. Stir in sausage mince, breaking it up as it cooks and browns. Remove pan from heat and mix in potatoes, salt, pepper and parsley. Cool before using. Makes sufficient for a chicken or duckling.

RICE STUFFING WITH HERBS

Use as a stuffing for vegetables such as red or green peppers, tomatoes, cucumbers, squash, marrow or wrapped in cabbage or vine leaves. It is also excellent as a stuffing for roast chicken.

1 cups long-grain rice
45 g (1½ oz) butter
1 onion, chopped
4 rashers streaky bacon, rind removed, chopped
salt and freshly ground black pepper
6 tablespoons chopped mixed fresh herbs (chervil, tarragon, dill, mint, parsley and chives)

Cook rice in boiling salted water until almost tender; drain. Melt butter in a frying pan and cook onion until translucent. Add bacon and fry, stirring, until lightly coloured. Remove from heat and stir in rice, salt and pepper. Stir in herbs. Makes about 3 cups.

SUCCOTASH

Americans learned to make succotash from the Native Americans, who cooked corn and beans in a pot together. In winter succotash was made with dried corn and beans, while in summer the fresh vegetables were used. Today canned or frozen corn and beans make suitable substitutes. Serve succotash hot, well seasoned with plenty of pepper, as a side dish for roast pork, poultry or beef, or with ham steaks.

SUCCOTASH

1 cup canned baby lima beans, drained
1 cup canned sweetcorn kernels, drained
salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
pinch cayenne
½ teaspoon sugar
30 g (1 oz) butter
chopped parsley

Rinse lima beans and corn under cold running water. Place in a saucepan with salt, pepper, cayenne, sugar and butter. Heat very gently, stirring now and again, until piping hot. Sprinkle with chopped parsley to serve. Serves 4.

SUCKLING PIG

See Pork.

SUET

The firm, white fat around lamb and beef kidneys. Beef suet is the kind you will usually find, and is the one to use when a recipe calls for suet. It can be bought in solid form from the butcher, or grated and packaged, usually with a little added flour, ready to use. To prepare butcher’s suet, chill it first to make it firmer, then remove membrane and grate or chop finely. A little flour from the recipe sprinkled on the suet will help to keep it from sticking to the knife.

BOILED PLUM PUDDING

This is not as heavy as the usual pudding and has no spices, but develops a marvellous flavour after 2 weeks’ maturation. This is the pudding of Dickens’ England.

155 g (5 oz) raisins, coarsely chopped
125 g (4 oz) stoned dates, coarsely copped
155 g (5 oz) sultanas
125 g (4 oz) currants
90 g (3 oz) chopped mixed candied peel
¼ cup brandy
4 cups self-raising flour
1 teaspoon salt
250 g (8 oz) beef suet, grated
1 cup caster sugar
½ cup treacle
1½ cups water
extra brandy to serve

Soak fruit and peel in brandy overnight. Sift flour and salt into a large mixing bowl. Rub suet into flour until mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Stir in sugar, brandy-soaked fruit and treacle mixed with water. Mix thoroughly to a firm batter. Rinse a large pudding cloth in boiling water, remove (using rubber gloves) and wring out well. Sift flour over and shake off any excess. Turn pudding mixture into centre of cloth and gather cloth firmly around pudding. Secure cloth tightly with string. Tie ends of pudding cloth around a wooden spoon and rest wooden spoon on edges of saucepan with pudding hanging into pan without touching bottom. Pour boiling water into pan to cover the pudding and place a lid on top. Steam for 1 hour. By this time, pudding will have taken shape and wooden spoon may be removed. Steam for a further 1½ hours. Hang pudding in a dark, dry place for at least 2 weeks to mature. On day it is to be eaten, steam pudding for a further 1–1½ hours. Unwrap and turn onto a heated platter. Heat some brandy, set alight and pour flaming over pudding, taking it immediately to the table. Serve with vanilla ice cream, whipped cream or Hard Sauce. Serves 8–10.

NOTE: Do not worry if a little mould forms on the cloth while the pudding is maturing. Just wipe it off if possible and boil pudding as instructed in the recipe. Never, never place the pudding in a clean cloth. This will let the water in as soon as you boil it, ruining your pudding.

SUGAR

A sweet substance extracted from many plants, chiefly sugar cane, sugar beet, sugar maple and various species of palm.

Types of sugar:

Cane sugar: Different varieties of cane sugar have somewhat different applications. Despite the preference for raw sugar by health food enthusiasts there is no significant difference between raw and refined sugars; the only difference is taste. Raw sugar, brown sugar and syrups are higher in mineral content than white sugar but shouldn’t be regarded as an important food source of any nutrient other than carbohydrate.

Ordinary white granulated sugar: The most common sugar, used as an everyday sweetener. It is the best to use in the making of syrups and toffees as it gives the clearest results.

Caster sugar: A fine white sugar, best for creaming and beating cake and icing mixtures and where a less grainy result is wanted.

Brown sugar: Sugar that is refined further and then coated with a film of molasses. Brown sugar can replace white in any recipe where the flavour will not be harmed by a note of molasses.

Icing sugar: A powdered sugar with grains so fine as to be almost intangible. Pure icing sugar is used to make icing for fine ‘piped’ decoration of cakes as well as a firm covering. Soft icing mixture is pure icing sugar with cornflour, which helps keep the grains soft. It is used in icings and frostings where a soft finish is required.

Demerara sugar: The least refined sugar we can buy. Centrifuges spin the raw sugar, much like a clothes dryer, and force the liquid off the crystals. This is how white sugar is made. Demerara sugar still has much of the molasses left in the crystals, giving it a distinctive rich flavour which is excellent for baking, making chutneys and desserts. New to the Australian market but well known in the United Kingdom, it is produced in Mauritius.

Cubed or loaf sugar: Dates from the time before we had the technology to crystallise sugar, when sugar was sold in large hard chunks (it still is in some parts of the world).When sugar was needed a small tool was used to chip away at the rock of sugar. After a time sugar refineries began to cut these loafs into smaller and smaller chunks, eventually producing the sugar cube we know today. It is a convenient product for adding to hot drinks and for rubbing over citrus rind to add flavour to a dish.

Palm sugar: Made from the sap of many types of palm, it is used in various Asian foods. Available in Asian stores, it is dominant in the cuisines of Southeast Asia. Palm sugar is now widely used in preserving, snacks, cakes, drinks and sweetmeats.

Beet sugar: In Europe and the US, sugar made from sugar beet is common. The sugar beet plant is a root crop that grows underground. When fully grown, a sugar beet weighs 1–2 kg (2–4 lb) and produces about 3 teaspoons of sugar. Sugar beets are white in colour, and quite sweet when eaten raw. Sugar made from sugar beets is identical to that made from sugar cane; however, sugar and molasses (the kind for human consumption) come only from the processing of sugar cane.

SUKIYAKI

Perhaps Japan’s most famous dish: beef and vegetables cooked with soy sauce and sake at the table. An electric frypan is ideal for the purpose. The cooking time is brief and the food is cooked and eaten in several batches. To cut the beef into paper-thin slices, wrap first in plastic wrap and place in freezer until firm enough to slice easily.

SUKIYAKI

2 onions, finely sliced
6 spring onions, cut into 5 cm (2 in) lengths
1 eggplant, finely sliced
125 g (4 oz) Chinese cabbage, cut into 6 cm (2½ in) strips
6 dried mushrooms, soaked in warm water for 30 minutes, drained, stalks removed, sliced
125 g (4 oz) bean sprouts
1 × 225 g can bamboo shoots, drained and cut into wedges
1 kg (2 lb) beef or Scotch fillet, cut into paper-thin slices
60 g (2 oz) beef suet, chopped
light soy sauce
sugar
1–2 tablespoons sake or dry sherry
1 cup beef stock
125 g (4 oz) bean curd
60 g (2 oz) rice vermicelli, cut into 10 cm (4 in) lengths
eggs, soy sauce and boiled rice to serve

Arrange vegetables and beef in separate rows on a platter. Heat a large iron pan or electric frypan. Rub with some suet, then fry fat for about 5 minutes or until pan is well greased. Remove any remaining pieces of suet. Sauté batch of onions and spring onions for 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Add batch of remaining vegetables, soy sauce and sugar to taste and wine, then moisten with stock. Add some bean curd and cook over high heat for 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Push all ingredients to side of pan, add batch of beef and cook, stirring, for 3 minutes, adding some vermicelli for the last minute. The guests help themselves from pan, to which more meat and vegetables are added for second helpings. Before cooking second helping add more suet. Traditionally, each diner breaks a raw egg into their bowl, beats it lightly with chopsticks, adds a little soy sauce if liked, and then dips hot food in it before eating, but some prefer to omit this step. Serve with boiled rice. Serves 6–8.

SULTANA

A variety of seedless, white grape once grown only in Smyrna, Turkey. Today sultanas are grown in many parts of the world where they are dried either naturally in the sun or artificially. In North America seedless white raisins, or sultanas, are classified as part of the raisin variety of grape.

Sultanas have become among the most well loved of all dried fruits, and most are now available washed, packaged and ready for use. Some can be bought in bulk and these, too, are usually ready-prepared; if not, remove any stalks or grit, rinse and dry well on paper towels before using.

Sultanas are nutritious and delicious eaten as a snack on their own. Children love to find a little packet of sultanas in their school lunch-boxes or mixed with a little salad of grated carrot and cheese. Sultanas also appear in many cakes, biscuits, puddings and in some savoury dishes, particularly those containing rice.

Store sultanas in an airtight container after opening the pack, and buy only as many as you need at the time to keep them at their peak. To hold in top condition for longer than a week or two, store in refrigerator or freezer.

See also Fruit, Dried and Candied.

SULTANA RICE

2 cups water
1 teaspoon salt
1 slice lemon
¼ cup sultanas
1 cup long-grain rice
2 tablespoons chopped parsley

Place water in saucepan and bring to the boil. Add salt, lemon slice and sultanas and sprinkle in rice. Return to the boil and stir once or twice, then turn heat as low as possible, cover pan and steam gently for 20–25 minutes. Do not lift lid or stir during steaming time. Remove from heat, fork through rice to allow steam to escape and fold in parsley. Serve with pork, poultry, ham and veal dishes. Serves 4.

TURKISH SULTANA COMPOTE

2 cups sultanas
½ cup warm water
½ cup honey
grated rind 1 lemon
½ cup pine nuts
1 cup plain yogurt to serve

Soak sultanas in cold water to cover for 1 hour. Drain. Boil together warm water and honey for 2–3 minutes. Stir in sultanas and lemon rind. Simmer over gentle heat for 10 minutes, skimming with slotted spoon if necessary. Stir in pine nuts. Chill thoroughly before serving with yogurt. Serves 4–6.

SULTANA AND CASHEW PILAU

Serve as an accompaniment to spiced chicken or lamb dishes.

60 g (2 oz) ghee, or ¼ cup oil
1 onion, finely chopped
2 cups long-grain rice
salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 cups boiling chicken stock
½ cup cashew nuts
½ cup sultanas

Melt half of the ghee or oil in a heavy saucepan, add onion and cook gently until golden. Stir in rice, season with salt and pepper and cook gently until rice becomes coated with ghee or oil and turns translucent. Pour boiling stock over rice, stir once and return to the boil. Lower heat, cover and simmer very gently for about 20 minutes or until liquid is absorbed and rice is tender. Remove lid and cook for 2 minutes more. Heat remaining ghee or oil and fry cashews and sultanas for 2–3 minutes, stirring constantly. Turn contents of pan into rice and fork through. Serves 8–10.

SULTANA BREAD

3 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
185 g (6 oz) butter
¾ cup caster sugar
1¼ cups sultanas
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
about ½ cup milk

Sift flour and baking powder into a large mixing bowl. Rub in butter with fingertips, then add sugar and sultanas. Make a well in centre. Lightly mix eggs and vanilla and pour into well. Mix with a fork to a soft dough, adding milk as necessary. Spoon into a greased and lined 23 × 12 cm (9 × 5 in) loaf tin, spreading evenly. Bake in a preheated moderate oven (180°C/350°F) for 1½ hours. Reduce temperature to moderately slow (160°C/325°F) after baking for 1 hour if loaf is getting too brown. When baked a skewer inserted in centre will come out clean. Serve sliced and buttered.

SULTANA CAKE

This cake is beautifully moist and will keep for up to 10 days when stored in an airtight container. It is excellent for lunch-boxes, picnics, with tea or coffee, or simply to have on hand to offer guests when they drop in.

250 g (8 oz) butter
1 cup sugar
3 eggs
cup milk
1½ cups sultanas
3 tablespoons almonds, blanched and chopped
3 tablespoons chopped mixed candied peel
3 cups flour
1½ teaspoon baking powder

Beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs and mix well. Stir in milk gradually, then add sultanas, almonds and peel. Fold in flour and baking powder sifted together. Spoon into a greased and bottom-lined 20 cm (8 in) round or square cake tin. Bake in a preheated moderately slow oven (160°C/ 325°F) for about 1½ hours or until a skewer inserted in centre comes out clean. Turn out onto a wire rack and cool.

SULTANA SPICE CAKE

1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 cup sultanas
1¼ cups water
125 g (4 oz) butter
1 teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon nutmeg
½ teaspoon ground allspice
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt

Combine sugar, sultanas, water, butter and spices in a heavy saucepan. Bring to the boil and boil for 5 minutes. Allow to become completely cold. Sift flour, bicarbonate of soda, baking powder and salt, and stir into boiled mixture. Pour into a greased and lined 21 × 15 cm (8½ × 6 in) loaf tin or a 20 cm (8 in) ring tin. Bake in a preheated moderate oven (180°C/ 350°F) for 50–60 minutes or until a skewer inserted comes out clean. Turn out onto a wire rack, carefully remove lining paper and cool.

SULTANA FINGERS

Easy-to-make biscuit bars that require no cooking.

125 g (4 oz) butter
1 cup sultanas
½ cup sugar
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
250 g (8 oz) milk arrowroot biscuits, finely
crushed
¼ cup crushed mixed nuts
Chocolate icing
1 cup icing sugar
2 tablespoons cocoa powder
30 g (1 oz) butter, melted
1 tablespoon hot water
½ teaspoon vanilla essence

Place butter, sultanas and sugar in a large saucepan and bring slowly to the boil, stirring to dissolve sugar. Remove from heat and cool slightly, then add egg and vanilla, beating well. Add biscuit crumbs and blend together thoroughly. Press mixture into a well-greased 28 × 19 cm (11 × 7½ in) lamington tin.

To make chocolate icing, sift icing sugar and cocoa together, add remaining ingredients and mix well until smooth and glossy. When biscuit mixture is cold, spread with chocolate icing and sprinkle with chopped nuts. Leave until icing is set then cut into 2.5 cm (1 in) fingers before serving. Makes about 20.

SULTANA SESAME BISCUITS

125 g (4 oz) butter
½ cup sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon cinnamon
½ cup toasted sesame seeds
½ cup sultanas
1 cup wholemeal flour, sifted

Cream butter with sugar until light and fluffy. Add egg and beat well. Stir in remaining ingredients and blend well. Spread mixture in a greased 28 × 19 cm (11 × 7½ in) lamington tin. Bake in a preheated moderate oven (180°C/350°F) for 20 minutes. Remove from oven, cut into fingers and allow to cool in tin. Makes 24.

NOTE: To toast sesame seeds, heat a dry frying pan until moderately hot, add sesame seeds and stir for 1–2 minutes until toasted and golden-brown.

SUMMER PUDDING

One of the loveliest fruit puddings of the world is English summer pudding. Humble white bread is used as a container for the delicious, ripe berry fruits of summer. The pudding is weighted, chilled, unmoulded and served with thick cream. Individual summer puddings make a lovely finale to any summer dinner party. Make summer pudding with fresh or frozen raspberries, loganberries, red or blackcurrants, boysenberries, blackberries or strawberries.

SUMMER PUDDING

½ loaf thick sliced white bread, slightly stale, crusts removed
500 g (1 lb) strawberries, hulled
500 g (1 lb) raspberries or other berry fruit of your choice (fresh or frozen)
¾ cup sugar
thick cream to serve

Use most of bread slices to line bottom and sides of a greased 6–8 cup pudding basin. Cut slices to fit basin and overlap bread to ensure there are no spaces through which fruit juice can escape. Place fruit in a saucepan with just water clinging to it from rinsing. (Frozen fruit is not rinsed.) Sprinkle sugar over. Cover and cook very gently for 3 minutes or until sugar has dissolved. Leave to cool. Fill bread-lined basin with cold fruit, adding enough fruit juice to soak surrounding bread. Reserve remaining juice. Cover top of pudding with more bread slices cut to fit, place a plate on top and weight with a couple of cans. Chill overnight. Unmould pudding onto a deep serving platter, pour reserved juice over and serve with thick cream. Serves 6–8.

NOTE: You may omit the strawberries and substitute other berry fruits if you wish.

VARIATION

INDIVIDUAL SUMMER PUDDINGS: Line 6 × 1-cup individual soufflé dishes with bread (you may need to use more bread than in above recipe) and proceed as above. Weight each dish with small plates, saucers or several thicknesses of foil with a can on top. Chill overnight. Serve as above. Serves 6.

SUNDAE

A concoction of ice cream with sauce, syrup, fruit, whipped cream, chopped nuts, grated chocolate – the combinations limited only by your imagination and degree of nonchalance about digestion or waistline. The name and the dish are attributed to the ingenuity of an American who complied with a law forbidding the sale of ice cream sodas on a Sunday by simply omitting the soda water and calling the new dish after the day. Serve a sundae in a long, shallow dish, in a tall glass or, for a grand effect, in a brandy balloon.

BANANA SPLIT

2–3 scoops vanilla ice cream
1 banana, halved lengthways
hot Chocolate Sauce
whipped cream
chopped nuts
1 glacé cherry
1 cream wafer biscuit

Arrange ice cream along a shallow dish. Place half banana on each side of ice cream. Spoon over chocolate sauce, decorate with whipped cream and nuts and top with a cherry. Serve at once, with a wafer cream biscuit pushed into one end. Serves 1.

TRIPLE STRAWBERRY SUNDAE

4–6 strawberries
½ cup whipped cream
1 scoop strawberry ice cream
2 scoops vanilla or chocolate ice cream
1 langue de chat or other crisp finger biscuit

Strawberry sauce

6–8 strawberries, hulled
1 tablespoon caster sugar

To make sauce, mash strawberries with caster sugar. Chill well.

Reserve one large, perfect, unhulled strawberry for decoration. Also take out about 2 tablespoons whipped cream and set aside for decoration. Hull and slice remaining strawberries and fold into remaining cream. Arrange 1 scoop each strawberry and vanilla or chocolate ice cream in a dish or glass. Pile strawberry and cream mixture on top, then remaining scoop of vanilla or chocolate ice cream. Spoon sauce over and decorate with reserved cream and strawberry. Serve with langue de chat or other biscuit. Serves 1.

HOT MARSHMALLOW SUNDAE

3 scoops coffee or chocolate ice cream
2 halves canned or fresh pears or peaches, or 4 halves apricots
¾ cup hot Marshmallow Sauce
slivered, toasted almonds

Arrange ice cream and fruit in a dish or glass. Pour over hot sauce and scatter with almonds. Serve immediately. Serves 1.

SUPREME OF CHICKEN (SUPRÊME DE VOLAILLE)

A boneless, skinless half-breast of chicken, often sold in poultry shops as a ‘chicken fillet’.

Supremes are wonderfully versatile morsels, easy to turn into a speedy dinner for one or even a stylish dinner party dish. They can be cooked in the oven so that they remain white, for serving with a delicious sauce, or can be sautéed to a delicate golden-brown. They can also be beaten flat and cooked in the same way as Chicken Schnitzel or rolled round a stuffing.

Basic preparation: Cut and pull out the white tendon that runs down the underside of the meat. Trim edges neatly, then flatten and shape the supremes with your hands. To beat a supreme flat, place it between 2 sheets of greased greaseproof paper and beat gently with a cutlet bat, rolling pin or the flat side of a meat mallet, to a thickness of 5 mm (¼ in).

SAUTÉED SUPREMES OF CHICKEN

4 supremes chicken
seasoned flour
2 tablespoons oil
60 g (2 oz) butter
lemon wedges or Pan Sauce (below) of your choice to serve

Turn the supremes in seasoned flour and pat off excess. Heat oil in a frying pan, add butter and, just as it begins to turn brown, add supremes, flat side down. Sauté on moderately high heat for 3 minutes, turn and sauté other side for 2 minutes. Press chicken with your finger. If it feels springy, it is ready. If still soft and yielding, cook for 1 minute longer and check again. Be careful not to overcook; if cooked until there is no springiness, supremes are overdone and will be tough and dry. Remove to a heated serving dish and serve with lemon wedges, or keep hot for 1–2 minutes while making one of the following pan sauces, or one of the Pan Sauces on pp. 566–7. Serves 2–4.

WHITE-COOKED SUPREMES OF CHICKEN

4 supremes chicken
½ teaspoon lemon juice
salt and freshly ground white pepper
60 g (2 oz) butter
1 quantity hot Sauce Suprême, Poulette, Bercy, Mushroom or other sauce of your choice to serve (See Sauces)
bouquet of fresh watercress or parsley sprigs to garnish

Rub supremes with lemon juice and season lightly with salt and pepper. Heat butter in a flameproof casserole or baking dish large enough to take the supremes in one layer. When butter is foaming, add supremes and turn over quickly so that they are coated with butter. Lay a piece of buttered greaseproof paper over chicken, cover dish and place in a preheated hot oven (200°C/400°F). Cook for 6 minutes, then press chicken with your finger. If it feels springy, it is ready. If still soft and yielding, cover, cook for 1 minute longer and check again. Be careful not to overcook; if cooked until there is no springiness, supremes will be overdone and will be tough and dry. Remove supremes to a heated serving platter and mask with sauce. Garnish with a bouquet of watercress or parsley and serve immediately. Serves 2–4.

NOTE: If preferred, supremes can be served with any of the pan sauces below, using butter and juices remaining in the dish.

Pan sauces to serve with supremes of chicken

FINES HERBES SAUCE

30 g (1 oz) butter
2 teaspoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons finely chopped mixed herbs (parsley, chives, tarragon, chervil)

After removing supremes, add butter to pan in which supremes were sautéed and heat. When foaming, add lemon juice and herbs. Remove from the heat, swirl sauce in pan to combine ingredients and pour over supremes.

SHALLOT AND WINE SAUCE

1 tablespoon finely chopped golden shallots
¼ cup port or Madeira
½ cup brown beef stock
salt and freshly ground white pepper
1 tablespoon chopped parsley

After removing supremes, add shallots to fat remaining in pan and sauté on moderate heat for 1 minute. Stir in port or Madeira and stock and boil on high heat until reduced by half. Season with salt and pepper, stir in chopped parsley and pour over supremes.

MUSHROOM CREAM SAUCE

30 g (1 oz) butter
1 small leek or onion, finely chopped
8 button mushrooms, thinly sliced
cup cream
salt and freshly ground white pepper

After removing supremes, add butter to the pan in which they were sautéed and heat. When butter is foaming, add leek or onion and mushrooms. Sauté on fairly high heat, stirring once or twice, for about 3 minutes. Stir in cream and boil until sauce thickens a little. Season to taste with salt and pepper and spoon over supremes.

COGNAC CREAM SAUCE

2 tablespoons Cognac
cup cream or Crème Fraîche
1 tablespoon dry sherry
salt and freshly ground white pepper

Cook supremes for only 2 minutes on each side. Leave them in the pan, pour over cognac and set alight. When flames subside, add cream or crème fraîche and dry sherry. Allow to boil up; season to taste with salt and pepper. Pour over supremes and serve immediately.

SWEDE, TURNIP

See Turnip and Swede.

SWEET AND SOUR SAUCE

This famous Chinese sauce varies a little from region to region. It is often cooked as part of a dish such as sweet and sour pork, but the sauce below can be prepared separately to use as a dip for meatballs, fried wonton and other hot hors d’oeuvre.

SWEET AND SOUR SAUCE FOR DIPPING

3 tablespoons soy sauce
3 tablespoons sugar
3 tablespoons vinegar
2 tablespoons tomato sauce
2 tablespoons dry sherry
1½ tablespoons cornflour mixed with 8 tablespoons cold water

Mix all ingredients, except cornflour and water, in a small saucepan and bring to the boil. Stir cornflour mixture again and pour into boiling liquid. Cook, stirring constantly until sauce clears and thickens. Makes about 1½ cups.

SWEET AND SOUR PORK

750 g (1½ lb) fairly lean boneless pork, cut into 2 cm (¾ in) cubes
½ teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon cornflour
4 tablespoons water
1 egg, beaten
1 medium onion
oil
1 green or red pepper, cored, seeded and cut into strips

Sauce

2½ tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons vinegar
2 teaspoons cornflour
1½ tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon sherry
1½ tablespoons tomato purée
5 tablespoons water

Sprinkle pork cubes with salt and rub meat between your hands to work salt in, then sprinkle with soy sauce and leave for 1 hour, turning meat over several times. Mix cornflour with water and beat in egg to make a batter. Add pork and mix well to coat pieces. Cut onion downwards into quarters, then eighths, and separate into petals. Mix sauce ingredients together and set aside. Deep-fry pork in hot oil for about 3 minutes. Drain and keep pork hot in a low oven. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a wok or frying pan and stir-fry onion for 1 minute, then add pepper and stir-fry for 1 minute longer. Lower heat, stir sauce mixture and pour in. Stir until sauce is clear and thickened. Add pork to pan and turn pieces gently in sauce for 30 seconds. Serve immediately with boiled or steamed rice. Serves 4–6.

SWEETBREADS

These are considered a delicacy by a great many people, and classic French cuisine includes a number of famous dishes based on sweetbreads.

Sweetbreads are an animal’s pancreas and thymus glands, usually taken from a calf. In appearance and texture, sweetbreads are very similar to brains and, like the latter, they must be given special soaking and blanching treatments before cooking.

Once prepared, sweetbreads may be cooked whole or sliced, pan-fried or coated in breadcrumbs and fried. They may also be braised, whole, with aromatic vegetables, herbs and wine and served with a rich mushroom sauce or a delicate creamy sauce. Creamed sweetbreads can be used to fill small savoury tartlets, vol-au-vent cases, croûstades or Crisp Bread Shells.

Basic preparation: Soak sweetbreads in cold water for several hours, changing water frequently. This will allow the blood and impurities to seep out. Then blanch by placing them in a large pan of fresh cold water, bringing it slowly to the boil and boiling for about 2 minutes. Drain and rinse them well under cold running water. The sweetbreads can then be trimmed of pieces of cartilage, ducts and skin. If they are to be sliced, they should first be pressed between two plates or boards.

Once prepared, sweetbreads can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 1 day before they are cooked as desired.

SWEETBREADS WITH POULETTE SAUCE

500 g (1 lb) prepared sweetbreads
1 onion, sliced
1 carrot, sliced
1 bouquet garni
veal or chicken stock
45 g (1½ oz) butter
2 tablespoons flour
1 egg yolk
cup cream
squeeze lemon juice
1 tablespoon finely chopped parsley
salt and freshly ground black pepper

Place sweetbreads in a saucepan with onion, carrot, bouquet garni and stock just to cover. Bring to the boil and simmer for about 45 minutes. Strain off 1½ –2 cups stock and reserve. Slice sweetbreads thickly and then keep warm. Melt butter in a clean saucepan, stir in flour and cook for a few seconds, then pour on reserved stock and bring to the boil, stirring constantly. Cook until sauce is of coating consistency. Beat egg yolk with cream, add to sauce and reheat without boiling. Add lemon juice, parsley, salt and pepper. Serve sweetbreads with sauce. Serves 6.

SAUTÉED SWEETBREADS

500 g (1 lb) prepared sweetbreads, thickly sliced
salt and freshly ground white pepper
flour
30 g (1 oz) butter
½ cup strong veal or chicken stock
finely chopped parsley

Season sweetbreads lightly with salt and pepper and lightly coat with flour. Sauté in foaming butter for 3–4 minutes each side, them remove to warmed plate. Deglaze pan with stock, reduce as desired and pour over sweetbreads. Sprinkle with finely chopped parsley. Serves 6.

VARIATIONS

Serve Sautéed Sweetbreads with a sauce such as Onion Sauce, Brown Butter Sauce or Fresh Tomato Sauce (See Sauces).

SWEETCORN

See Corn.

SWEET POTATO

Not a true potato but the tuber of a large, leafy plant which can be grown in any warm climate. Sweet potatoes can be either white or orange-fleshed, and take the shape of a large, fat sausage. Despite the name, sweet potatoes are quite different from potatoes in taste and texture. However, they can be cooked the same ways as potatoes, such as oven-baked in their skin, or boiled and peeled, then tossed in butter, or mashed.

CANDIED SWEET POTATOES

1 kg (2 lb) sweet potatoes
salt
90 g (3 oz) butter
½ cup lightly packed brown sugar
½ cup water

Cook sweet potatoes in boiling salted water until tender but still firm. Peel, then cut into halves or quarters. Heat butter, sugar and water in a heavy saucepan to simmering point. Add potatoes and cook on top of stove over very low heat, turning occasionally, for about 15 minutes or until potatoes are delicately golden-brown on all sides. Serves 6.

GLAZED SWEET POTATOES

1 kg (2 lb) sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into even-size pieces
salt
60 g (2 oz) butter
1 tablespoon oil
1 tablespoon honey
pinch ground ginger

Drop sweet potatoes into pan of boiling salted water and simmer for 5 minutes. Drain. Melt half butter with oil in baking dish and stir in honey and ginger. Add sweet potatoes and toss in honey mixture. Dot with remaining butter. Bake in a preheated moderate oven (180°C/350°F) for 40 minutes or until tender. Brush potatoes with glaze in pan and turn occasionally during cooking. Serves 6.

SWISS ROLL

This impressive rolled sponge cake is baked in a shallow baking tin, spread with jam and rolled while still hot, or rolled, cooled and then spread with warm jam.

Some Swiss rolls are also flavoured with spices and honey, and, of course, there is the famous chocolate roll.

See also Chocolate: Chocolate Roll; Spice: Honey Spiced Sponge Roll.

SWISS ROLL

¾ cup self-raising flour
pinch salt
3 eggs
½ cup caster sugar
1 tablespoon hot water
3–4 tablespoons jam or lemon curd
caster sugar

Grease a 30 × 25 cm (12 × 10 in) Swiss roll tin and line with greased greaseproof paper, or make a paper case this size using thick greaseproof paper (see Chocolate Roll). Sift flour with salt. Place the eggs and sugar in a heatproof bowl and stand over a pan of gently simmering water, not boiling. Whisk together for about 10 minutes or until mixture is very thick and creamy. If using an electric mixer whisking over hot water is not necessary. Remove bowl from water and continue whisking mixture until cool. Fold in flour as lightly as possible with a metal spoon. Lastly, fold in hot water. Pour into prepared tin, shake into corners and spread evenly using a metal spatula. Bake in a preheated very hot oven (220°C/425°F) for 7–12 minutes or until pale golden and springy. Do not overcook as it makes rolling up difficult.

Quickly turn out the sponge onto a tea-towel well sprinkled with caster sugar. Carefully strip off lining paper. Trim off crisp edges with a sharp knife. Roll in towel and cool. Unroll sponge. Place jar of jam or curd in saucepan of hot water and when warm spread jam or curd over sponge, taking it almost to the edges. Lifting edges of sugared tea-towel nearest you, roll sponge into a neat firm roll. Stand roll on a wire rack with join underneath. Leave until cold, away from any draughts. Sprinkle with a little more caster sugar before serving. Serves 8.