Lamb shank curry soup

Tags

comfort food, curry, Lamb, lamb shanks, puff pastry, Soup, stew

This is a very hearty and tasty soup which is made extra special as it is hidden under a blanket of crispy, fluffy and buttery puff pastry with just the shank bone peeking out. The smell of the spices when you break the crust is simply amazing. This is a recipe that lends itself very well to you playing around with the quantities to suit your taste, more curry, less curry, more liquid or more stewlike.

Serves 4

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons butter
4 lamb shanks
1 heaped tablespoon curry powder (depends on your preference-I use 2)
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 leeks, white parts only, finely chopped
4 garlic cloves, crushed
3 cm / 1 inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and finely grated
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
1 teaspoon fresh rosemary, chopped
1 tablespoon cumin
1 tablespoon coriander seeds
1 tablespoon fresh ground black pepper
1 tablespoon salt
1¼ L / 5 cups good beef stock (homemade is best)
1 lemon cut in half
1 large apple, peeled and sliced (granny smith works well)
700g / 1½ lbs baby potatoes, quartered
2 rolls of ready puff pastry
Fresh cilantro/coriander roughly chopped
1 beaten egg

Method:
Preheat the oven to 150C/300F
Melt the butter over medium high heat in a large ovenproof dish with a lid
Add the lamb and brown the shanks on all sides
Place the lamb on a plate
Reduce the heat to medium low
Add curry powder and cook while stirring for 1 to 2 minutes
Add oil, onion, leeks, garlic and ginger and cook for 3 minutes
Add the thyme, rosemary, cumin, coriander, salt, pepper, beef stock, lemon and apple and stir well
Return the lamb to the dish and bring to a boil
Cover with a lid and place the dish in the oven for 2 hours
Add the potatoes and check if enough liquid – you can add a bit of hot stock if needed
Cover and return to the oven for another 45 to 60 minutes
Remove dish from oven and increase the temperature to 200C/400F
Portion the soup into 4 ovenproof large soup bowls discarding the lemon and place 1 shank in each with the bone sticking up
Sprinkle on some fresh cilantro
Unroll your puff pastry and cut out 4 circles a bit larger than the tops of your bowls
Brush some beaten egg on the rim of your bowls and place the pastry over the bowl allowing the bone to poke through the top
Press with your fingers on the edge of the pastry to help the pastry stick to the bowl and seal the edges
Brush the tops with the remaining egg
Cook for about 20 to 25 minutes until golden
Serve immediately
Bon appétit !

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Cauliflower soup with smoky bacon

Tags

appetiser, appetizer, bacon, cauliflower, comfort food, Soup, starter

I recently made this soup for a weeknight dinner for Stuart and myself and posted a photo on my Instagram and Facebook pages.  By the following morning, I was inundated with requests for the recipe and thus begins my return to blogging.  It is so easy to make but looks like you spent hours slaving over a hot stove.  Perfect starter to a fancy meal or just dinner for two with some crusty bread.  Prep takes about 20 minutes and cooking time 40 minutes.
Serves 6

Ingredients:
6 slices bacon
400g/14oz potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 large cauliflower, broken into florets
1 branch of celery, sliced thinly
1 medium onion, peeled and diced
1 leek, white part only, cut into thin slices
2 cloves of garlic, crushed
Parsley
1 bay leaf
80g/3oz freshly grated parmesan
3 tablespoons thick crème fraîche
1,5L/3 pints chicken stock
6 tablespoons olive oil
2 pinches nutmeg
Salt and freshly ground pepper

Preparation:
Preheat oven to 200°C/400°F
Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a sauté pan over medium heat
Add the celery, onion, leek and garlic and cook for 3 to 4 minutes, do not let it colour
Add the potatoes, 3/4 of the cauliflower, stock, bay leaf and nutmeg
Bring to the boil, lower heat and allow to simmer for 20 minutes until veggies cooked
Remove the bay leaf
Add the crème fraîche and parmesan
Salt and pepper to taste and keep warm
Place the remaining 1/4 cauliflower on a baking sheet, drizzle with 1 to 2 tablespoons olive oil
Roast for 15 minutes
Add the bacon, cut into small pieces, to the hot baking sheet and return all to the oven for 5 minutes
Using a stick blender, purée the soup for a few minutes
Pour the soup into preheated soup bowls, add a few pieces of roasted cauliflower and some crispy bacon to each bowl
Add parmesan, sprinkle with parsley and drizzle with olive oil

Bon appétit ! 

Tomato soup with gnocchi

Tags

gnocchi, Pasta, Soup, tomato

Winter is fast approaching here in the Dordogne and the days are much shorter and cooler. It does not snow here, at least not very often. The last decent snow was about 5 years ago according to the locals and that was real snow, 5 days where many could not leave home, no power, no heat, due to the lines down. We do not get snow here so when we do, we are not quite prepared to deal with it. Very different from the time I lived in Denmark for 18 months. But, I like to think my pantry is well stocked to withstand me not being able to leave for at least 10 to 14 days; my husband would argue that it is stocked to keep us going for at least a month. But, I would need heat and gas and electricity.

One of the meals that I might make is this soup. Great tasting and easy. Plus the gnocchi gives this soup some real substance. In a very comfort-food-like way. Which also helps with the cold. Now, all I need is snow….

Serves 4

Ingredients:

soup
30 ml / 2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, peeled and diced
1 garlic clove, crushed
Tomatoes, 2 x 410 g cans of chopped tomatoes
5 tablespoons tomato paste or 1 x 80 g can
100 ml dry white wine
1 tablespoon sugar
Grated rind and juice of 1 lemon, preferably organic
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Basil, about 1/2 cup, fresh and roughly chopped
500 ml vegetable bouillon
Parmesan, freshly grated

gnocchi
500 g / 1 lb floury potatoes, baked and cooled (see below)
30 g / 1/4 cup flour, plus extra for dusting
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg, beaten

Preparation: 

gnocchi
To bake the potato, using a fork, prick the skin of the potato all over
Wrap the potato in foil and bake at 175 C /350 F until tender, about 1 hour
Cut the baked potato in half and scoop the flesh into a large bowl; discard the skin
Using a fork mash the potato and salt together until smooth (better yet, use a potato ricer) you want it to be as smooth as possible
Mix in 3 tablespoons of the egg (reserve the remaining egg for another use or discard)
Sprinkle the flour over the potato mixture
Stir until the mixture forms a dough
Knead until smooth, about 1 minute
On a lightly floured work surface, divide the dough into 4 equal pieces
Roll each piece between your palms and the work surface into a 1 cm / 1/2″ diameter rope (about 50 cm  / 20″ long)
Cut the dough into 2 cm / 1″ pieces
Roll each piece of dough over a wooden paddle with ridges or over the back of a fork to form grooves in the dough
Set aside

tomato soup

Heat the oil, over medium heat, in a large casserole or pot
Add the onion and cook until soft but not coloured
Add the garlic and cook about 1 minute
Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, wine, sugar, lemon rind and juice
salt, pepper, basil and bouillon
Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 30 minutes
Allow to cool slightly then purée it using an immersion blender (or a food processor for a smoother texture)
Return the soup to the heat
Add the gnocchi to the soup and cook until they rise to the surface of the soup (this will indicate that they are cooked)
Ladle the soup in warmed soup plates or bowls and sprinkle with Parmesan
Enjoy!