T SCHOOL RECIPE OF THE DAY

This soup was inspired by a recipe I found while researching Welsh cawl.  A summer recipe, rather than the traditional winter one, it makes the most of light summer produce from the kitchen garden. The original recipe had cucumber in it. I cannot abide warm cucumber so I didn’t use it here. I felt it was begging for the sweet, salty flavor of bacon and it does actually go really well with the light broth and tender green vegetables.

You can use whatever you can find, but the types that I have chosen here balance perfectly. The recipe uses only a tiny bit of celery; another thing that I cannot abide, but it brings a subtle savory edge to the broth. A deeply flavored chicken broth is a must. I made my own with a whole chicken and nothing else but water in the pan. You get a load of flavor from a whole chicken, and cooked chicken meat always comes in handy. In this day in age, I find that we easily turn our noses up at boiled chicken as it just isn’t something that we grew up with. I’m not sure how I imagined it to be, but it is simply soft and well flavored chicken meat that can be used in lettuce wraps, or served with veggies and  yogurt.

Little gem lettuce is non-negotiable, as are peas; either fresh or frozen is fine. Make sure that the soup never comes to a rolling boil and finish it off with lots of fresh parsley. It is better served very warm rather than piping hot.

Servings: 4

Cooking Times

• Preparation Time: 10 minutes
• Cooking Time: 20 minutes
• Total Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients

• 4 slices bacon, chopped
• 1 leek, washed well and finely shredded
• 1 stalk celery, very finely diced
• 1 litre good quality chicken stock
• 100 g peas, fresh or frozen
• 1 little gem lettuce, finely shredded
• 4 tbsp fresh parsley, finely chopped
• flaked sea salt
• freshly ground black pepper

Procedure

1. Heat a little oil in a large saucepan over a medium heat.

2. Add the bacon, beans, celery and leek. Add a pinch of salt then stir for about 10 minutes. You do not want any colour on the ingredients, but they should be sweated down and releasing their aromas.

3. Add the chicken stock, peas and lettuce. Bring to a simmer and turn down the heat. Let it cook for about 10 minutes.

4. Add the parsley and a good grind of pepper. Check the seasoning and adjust as necessary.

5. Serve warm in warmed bowls.

Healthy, guilt free eating the T School Way!  Bon Appetit everyone!