Parsnip and Apple Soup with a hint of Ginger.

This soup recipe is low fat, healthy and easy to make. The ginger can be left out, if preferred, but my advice is to try it with, the heat it gives is lovely and comforting! I also use normal eating apples, like Windsor apples and Cox apples etc., the mixture of several kinds works the best. As for the stock for the soup, feel free to use any, home made or shop bought, vegetarian or chicken, it's up to you! Make a big batch of it and freeze some for later.

2 ltr of stock

2 stalks of celery

1 onion

a small piece of ginger 

4 medium apples

5 medium parsnips

2 potatoes

a splash of olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

a tsp of grated nutmeg

chopped parsley

Splash some olive oil in the saucepan. Sautee chopped celery and onions.

Wash and cube the parsnips and the ginger, add to the pan.

Sautee the vegetables for a little longer, then add the stock. Keep about half a cup of stock, just in case the soup turns up a bit too thick. Turn the heat up, bring the soup to the boil, reduce the heat and cook for about 15 min., during this time peel and chop the apples and potatoes.

Add the potatoes and apples to the soup and cook for a further 10-15 min., or until all the vegetables and the apples are cooked.

Spoon into a food processor or use a hand held blender and blend until almost smooth, I personally prefer to leave it a bit chunky. Transfer back into the saucepan , on a very low heat , add the remaining stock if the soup turned up a bit too thick. Season to taste and stir in the nutmeg and parsley. Serve as it is, if you are on a diet, or with bread and butter if not!

Enjoy!

Comforting Creamy Seafood Stew with Mashed Potatoes.

Wonderfully rustic, this dish is great when entertaining. You will not need to serve a starter , as this stew is very rich , just a little dessert afterwards should do it. Basically this is a deconstructed traditional fish pie. The thing I love about my recipe, is that I can put the stew and mashed potatoes and boiled eggs on the table, and everyone just helps themselves. No pressure , just relaxed dining.
I will not give here a mashed potatoes recipe, as , I'm sure , you all have your own favourites! I will , however, mention that with this particular stew I mix cheddar and grated nutmeg with the potatoes. Also, I would recommend to serve cooked eggs (hard or soft boiled) alongside this stew,cook as many as there are people around your table, maybe add a couple extra if you have big eaters!  And don't forget fresh crusty bread , so you can mop up the creamy sauce!
This quantity will easily serve 6 adults as a main dish. Remember , that you can use any fish/seafood combination that you like.
500 gr salmon fillet
300 gr smoked cod (or haddock)
300 gr raw prawns
1 white onion
2 cloves of garlic
a splash of olive oil
2 whole cloves
a generous splash of sherry
a knob of butter
1,5 cups of water
2 bay leaves
a tsp of wholegrain mustard
a small bunch of dill
a small bunch of parsley
1 big carrot
a handful of frozen garden peas
200 ml of double cream
salt and black pepper to taste
Get a deep sauce pan, splash some olive oil in it , chop onion and garlic , sautee them for about 3-4 min.

Stir in the butter, as soon as the butter has melted add the sherry.

Next step: throw in the cloves and stir in the mustard.

Chop the carrots and put them in the saucepan, pour the 1,5 cups of water over the onions and carrots. Reduce the heat to the minimum , cover the saucepan and cook for about 15-20 minutes, until the carrots are almost ready. While the carrots are cooking prepare the fish and prawns.

 Now turn the heat up to medium and put in the fish , the prawns, the frozen peas and the bay leaves. Cook for about 3 min, until the sauce is at the boiling point, then turn the heat down again.

 And the final step: stir in gently the cream and the herbs and cook for a further 5 min, make sure the fish and prawns are cooked before switching off. Be careful not to overcook.Season to taste.

Place on the table , serve with heaps of mashed potatoes!

Enjoy!

Autumn Vegetable Chicken Soup.

So the chill is in the air, the days are certainly getting  shorter and the hearty comfort food is here to stay for the next few months. I just love to make nice soups and serve them as a main meal with plenty of bread and butter. For this recipe I make the stock , but you can use a shop bought stock if desired, also it is a great way to use up the leftover roast chicken, or left out the meat all together and use a veggie stock! This recipe makes 6 adult size portions, also you can freeze it.
Stock:
1 small chicken (just over 1kg)
1 onion
1 small chunk of ginger (optional)
2 bay leaves
4-6 black peppercorns
around 2 ltr
Prepare the chicken,put onion , ginger, peppercorns, bay leaves in the saucepan and fill up with water , bring to the boil. Simmer for 2-3 hours.

When the stock is ready take out the chicken , separate the meat from the bones and skin, set aside. Strain the liquid. I ended up with just over 1,5 ltr of stock.

Soup:

2 white onions

3 cloves of garlic

a splash of olive oil

a knob of butter

200 ml of white wine

2 carrots

1 parsnip

half a celeriac

half a swede

1/8 of a big pumpkin (about 500 gr)

a cup of red split lentils (cooked)

a bunch of parsley (fresh or frozen)

a pinch of grated nutmeg

salt to taste

Heat up the olive oil in the saucepan , which you are going to use.Chop up the onions and garlic and brown them. Add the butter and wine , when the onions start turning golden.

Peel and chop all the vegetables and put them in the pot.

Feel up with the stock, bring to the boil and simmer until the vegetables are cooked.

At this stage either blend or mash the vegetables, leave it a bit chunky!

Put the soup back on the heat , stir in the chicken , lentils , parsley and nutmeg.

Bring to the boil, switch off and tuck in!

Enjoy!

Slow Roasted Lamb with Mint Yoghurt Sauce.

The autumn is undeniably here , so it is time for the comfort food. You will need a shoulder or a leg of lamb, the preference is yours (here I had a shoulder), the beauty of this dinner is that you can make most of it beforehand, and just whip up the mint yoghurt sauce before the serving.Great for relaxed entertaining. The lamb will be falling off the bone, and everybody will be making their own little wraps, just make sure you have plenty of hot pittas or lavash bread for everyone. I vary the accompaniments for the lamb, depending on the time and produce available. This time I served it alongside Moroccan Carrots(http://olitchkakitchen.blogspot.co.uk/2013/09/spicy-moroccan-style-carrots.html) and houmous with olive oil and Zaatar (middle eastern spices, available in many shops).If you are planning to serve this for lunch, get everything ready the night before, if you are making dinner , allow half an hour for preparations in the morning.
a leg/shoulder of lamb
juice of 1 lime
1 tbsp of salt
1 tbsp of ground pepper
1 tbsp of ground cumin
1 tbsp of ground paprika
1 tbsp of ground coriander
1 tbsp of ground ginger
4 tbsp of olive oil
a pinch of brown sugar
Mint Yoghurt Sauce:
300 gr of strained greek yoghurt
a handful of chopped mint
a handful of chopped parsley
a pinch of salt
a pinch of sugar
juice of half a lemon
half a cucumber , grated (optional)
a tbsp of good olive oil

Wash and pat dry with a paper kitchen towel your lamb, make a paste with the spices, salt, lime juice and olive oil.

Line the baking tray with plenty of kitchen foil, place the lamb in it, and rub the paste all over the meat(in fact, massage it in). Cover with foil and let it marinade either overnight or for 3-4 hours , if making in the morning.

Set the oven on gas mark 2/150C, place the lamb , still nicely wrapped in foil, in the oven and allow to cook for 5 hours. From time to time unwrap the meat and coat it with its own juice. After a few hours you will notice the meat will start to fall off the bone, so pop your pitta bread or lavash bread in the foil envelope and place it in the oven. Allow 5-10 minutes and switch off the oven, keep the bread and the meat in the oven while you set the table.The photo shows the final result.

I normally use a small blender to make the mint yoghurt sauce.Simply put the herbs in, then add the yoghurt , salt, sugar and lemon juice, whip it all up.

Mix in the cucumber and drizzle with the olive oil.

Next, get the houmous out and sprinkle the spice and olive oil over it.

Take the meat and bread out of the oven, set the table and enjoy!

Spicy Moroccan Style Carrots.

Myself and a number of my colleagues got addicted to the shop bought version of this. As well as it is utterly delicious , it is also a low calorie  choice , which is rather important , when travelling and not having access to a lot of healthy food. So I wrote down the ingredients, had a few trials at home , and here is the final result, which, in my opinion is the closest to the original taste.
500 gr of carrots, chopped
1 white onion
2 garlic cloves
2 tbsp of tomato puree
1 tbsp of ketchup
1 tsp (or less if don't like the heat) of harissa
1 tbsp of lemon juice
1 tbsp of ground cumin
1 tbsp of ground coriander
5 crushed peppercorns
a pinch of sugar
a pinch of salt
1 tsp of grated ginger
1 tbsp of white wine vinegar
a bunch of coriander (fresh or frozen) , chopped
a splash of olive oil
half a cup of hot water
Heat up the oil, chop the onion and the garlic and sautee , until soft and transparent. Add  the carrots, cook for about 10 minutes.

Add the lemon juice, the spices , tomato puree , ketchup, pepper, water, harissa. Stir well and cook for a further 15-20 minutes, or until the carrots are almost cooked.

At this point mix in the ginger, vinegar, salt to taste and chopped coriander. Cook for a further 5 minutes and allow to stand for a bit before serving. You can also preserve it for future use, just sterilize the jars , and keep it in a dark place in an airtight jar.

Enjoy!