Broccoli and Stilton Soup

Leaf by Catherine Phipps While I have something of a weakness for the greedy obsessiveness of a single-subject cookbook, the truth is Leaf is a single-subject cookbook in name only; its subtitle is advisedly ‘Lettuce, greens, herbs, weeds - 120 recipes that celebrate varied, versatile leaves’. I want to stress this, as Leaf is so full of richly varied recipes I am hungry to cook, from herb butters, vinegars and sauces, to robust dishes and both elegant and cosy desserts. Don’t be misled by title: it is not a book of salads! Earmarked already (with pink post-its to match the gorgeous cover) are Panisse with Green Mayonnaise; Kimchi Omelette Sandwich; Braise of Kale and Mushrooms with Sage and Apple Dumplings; Radicchio Risotto (a particular favourite of mine); a glorious Beef Ragù; a lusciously sticky Pear and Rosemary Upside Down Cake. But the recipe I had to share with you is the Stuffed Savoy Cabbage Leaves (included in said stuffing: black pudding and chickpeas).

Carrot, Red Lentil, and Spinach Soup I've gotten a lot of positive feedback on my last post about sharing my favourite go-to recipes for every day. This is another recipe I make all the time, and it's so great for 1. when I haven't gotten groceries for three days, 2. when my budget is low, or 3. when I'm starving and need a quick and easy dinner that isn't pasta. It can be finished in about half an hour, including prep time, which is just chopping carrots, onions, and garlic.

Spiced and Fried Haddock With Broccoli Puree This recipe could hardly be easier, and requires no complication, nor any effort to keep it simple. Good fish, lightly dredged in spiced flour then flash-fried, is an old-fashioned pleasure, and one to be savoured. Here I use gluten-free flour in preference to regular plain flour to coat the fish. I had wanted the slight grittiness of rice flour, but had none in the house, and gluten-free flour (which I did have) contains rice flour and worked fabulously.

“Loaded” Potato Soup Turn a childhood favorite, the fully loaded baked potato, into a hearty, warm bowl of soup — all fixings included. Fiber-rich cauliflower makes the soup more filling with less calories. And with both bacon and broccoli, this creamy soup is nutritious and packed with flavor. The potato peels are left on for added nutrition and less prep. Ingredients Oxtail With Milk Stout and Marjoram There is something about the tender viscosity and deep, rich flavour of slow-cooked oxtail that makes it, for me, the dream stew. I know its fattiness is not for everyone, but I love the way it feels as if I’ve put on beef lip gloss after eating a big bowl or two of it. And talking of fat, I favour beef dripping to cook it in, but if you need to use oil, nothing will go wrong. I should add that the cooking times below can be regarded as a minimum.

Slow Cooker Black Bean Soup Oh, the simple joy of cozying up next to a bowl of hearty black bean soup! Ours is slow cooked and bold with onion, peppers, garlic, chile and a dash of cumin. Black beans are a protein-fiber powerhouse: they deliver folate, potassium and other B-vitamins to boot. Spiced and Superjuicy Roast Turkey Turkey cooking times tend to seem quite short if you are used to the "standard" formula for calculating cooking times for poultry. However we have all been overcooking turkeys for years and complaining how dry and sawdusty they are. The table below gives my suggested timings for turkey. The timings in the table are for a free-range turkey - these tend to have more fat than a lean mass-produced bird and the marbling of fat in the free-range turkey tends to conduct the heat faster meaning that it cooks more quickly.

Recipe: Hearty Chicken & Corn Chowder For a hearty chowder that’s not thickened with flour, simply puree a portion of the soup in a blender. Blending also gives the soup a creamier texture without added milk or cream. And without the milk or cream, this soup will reheat easily without separating in a microwave if lunch portions are frozen and thawed. Hearty Chicken & Corn Chowder Ingredients 1 tablespoon butter1 medium (110 grams) onion, chopped2 medium (80 grams) celery stalks, chopped2 garlic cloves, minced1 (32-ounce or 910-gram) container reduced-sodium chicken broth2 Yukon Gold potatoes, diced (about 2 cups)2 cups (280 grams) fresh or frozen corn kernels1 tablespoon fresh thyme or 1 teaspoon dried thyme1/2 teaspoon salt1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper2 cups (280 grams) rotisserie-cooked chicken breast, shredded 4 sprigs thyme for garnish, if desired

Slow-Cooked Black Treacle Ham Nothing will ever take the place of my Ham in Coca-Cola from Bites – in my heart or on my table – but this slow-baked ham is a revelation of a different sort. The meat is astonishingly tender and carves into thin slices with ease; there is also very little shrinkage, and no wrangling with large joints of meat in boiling liquid. I always like a ham for the holidays - hot, it is spectacular, and it is helpful, after, to have cold ham to bring out alongside cold turkey (and for general sandwich duty), and this is the way to cook it to make your life easier. And if the 12–24 hours’ cooking doesn’t suit you, you can cook it for 5 hours in a 180°C/160°C Fan/gas mark 4/350ºF oven instead, before proceeding with the glaze. The juices that collect from the first step of cooking are gorgeously flavoured, but very intense.

Spicy zucchini soup Spicy zucchini soup This zingy soup may be prepared ahead of time and reheated just before serving. Or, in the dog days of summer, you may prefer to serve it cold. You can control the zinginess by deciding to use cayenne pepper, or not. As for the broth, it’s not absolutely necessary. Chestnut and Pancetta Salad I've been making this salad in one guise or another since the 90s; indeed, the recipe is to be found in How To Eat, where the salad leaf I proposed was escarole. Unfortunately, it is not easy to find in the UK, but the salad works well with radicchio or any bitter, robust leaf; here I've simply opened and shaken out a couple of packets of bagged salad. Anything goes: this is such a simple arrangement, and a glorious combination of contrasts: between salt and sweet; crisp and almost fudgily dense. In the old days, when I started making this, it was one of my favourite first courses. Now, I'm happy with it as a meal in its entirety; in which case it will easily - with some good bread on the side - feed 4. And you can easily halve it for quick supper or lunch for two, which I do often, and then eat it all myself very happily.