Sophie Grigson - The First-Time Cook

TURNIPS: if they are young and small there is no need to peel. Older chunkier turnips have older thicker skin, so it’s best to remove it. Cut what remains into 2cm (3/4in) cubes.

FENNEL: trim off the stumps of the stalks, which tend to be stringy. Cut a thin slice from the base, and if the outer layer is damaged and browned, discard that too. Quarter from base to stalk end, then slice each quarter.

CELERY: wash and slice, removing as many strings as possible.

LEEKS: slice off the tougher dark green leaves, and trim off the roots. Make a cut through the centre of the leek, from the leaf end, down its length for around 7.5cm (3in), and then make a second cut, the same length, at right angles to it. Fan this end of the leek out under running water to clean out any trapped particles of earth. Shake off excess water. Now slice the leek into rings about 5mm (1/4in) thick.

Chowders are big, hearty soups, quick to make and a delight to eat. Essential items are potatoes, carrots, celery, bacon and milk, and from then on you can extemporise. Fish of some sort is usual in a chowder – it was, after all, originally a fisherman’s on-board meal – but not absolutely critical (see below). Smoked haddock gives a particularly fine flavour (buy the undyed, pale honey-tan fish, not the garish yellow), while a handful of shrimps or prawns lifts it above the ordinary.

Serves 4 as a main course, 6 as a starter

BASE INGREDIENTS

1 onion, chopped

30g (1oz) butter

4 rashers back bacon, cut into small strips

AROMATICS

1 bay leaf

2 tablespoons chopped parsley

MAIN INGREDIENTS

2 large carrots, peeled and thickly sliced

2 celery stalks, thickly sliced

1 green pepper, deseeded and cut into postage-stamp squares

2 medium-sized potatoes, peeled and cut into 1cm (1/2in) cubes

30g (1oz) plain flour

250g (9oz) skinned smoked haddock fillet

110g (4oz) peeled, cooked shrimps or prawns

LIQUIDS

600ml (1 pint) milk

150ml (5fl oz) water

SEASONINGS

salt and pepper

DRESSING UP

a handful of freshly grated Cheddar cheese

1Fry the onion and bacon gently in the butter in a large saucepan until the onion is translucent and soft.

2Now add the aromatics, using only half the parsley, and all the vegetable main ingredients. Stir around, then sprinkle over the flour, a little salt (not too much as both the bacon and the haddock may be salty) and plenty of pepper. Stir again for some 30 seconds or so to make sure the flour is more or less evenly distributed.

3Now add a third of the milk and stir well, before adding the remaining milk, the water, and some more salt and pepper if needed.

4Bring up to the boil, stirring frequently to prevent catching (i.e. burning) on the base. Turn the heat down low and simmer very gently for around 15–20 minutes until the vegetables are all tender. Stir frequently to prevent catching. If the mixture seems too thick, add a little more milk or water.

5While the soup simmers, cut the smoked haddock fillet into chunks about 2.5cm (1in) square, discarding any bones you may come across. Stir the haddock and the shrimps or prawns into the chowder and simmer for a further 3–4 minutes until the haddock is just cooked through.

6Sprinkle with the remaining parsley and plenty of cheese. Make a meal of this one, serving it in deep generous bowlfuls with warm bread.

This time, you’ve decided, you’re going for the full works. Entertaining proper, with starter, main course and pudding. Any time-challenged cook (and that’s most of us these days) needs a bevy of almost effortless starters up their sleeves for occasions like these. Starters that will look good, taste fabulous, and take the edge off hunger during the wait for the main course. This is where the deli counter, be it at the supermarket or a proper delicatessen shop, comes into its own, able to provide the makings of a superb first course that demands little more effort on your part than a spot of arranging on pretty plates.

It’s worth pointing out, too, that any of these ideas below would also make a nifty light lunch. All you need do to flesh them out is add a couple of salads: maybe a green salad or a tomato salad, and a potato salad (see pages 188–89 and 191).

The one important thing to remember with these simple starters is that they all need to be served at room temperature (except for the grilled goat’s cheese, which obviously needs to be served hot), not straight from the fridge, as cold kills the taste of so many foods. So, lay them out at least half an hour before eating and cover with clingfilm until your guests congregate near the table.

All around the Mediterranean, people love to start a meal with a selection of little dishes to get the gastric juices flowing. One up from a picnic, this mini-feast can consist of no more than two or three items, or stretch to a sea of bits and bobs to nibble on. The point is that they should all have lively, vivid flavours, so a selection will usually include cured meat or fish, cheese, and pickles of one sort or another. Now that our supermarkets stock so many Mediterranean ingredients, it is incredibly easy to put together the same sort of starter here, and the brilliant thing is that it requires next-to-no effort on the part of the provider.

It’s almost impossible to be precise about quantities here, as so much depends on the rest of the meal, the appetites of your guests, and how many different bits and bobs you put on the table. As a rough guide, make sure that there is enough of each item for everyone to get a decent taste. The more different items you have, the less you need of each one. Provide plenty of bread as well, and don’t worry.

You have two options here. Option Ais to make up individual platefuls of hams and cheeses and whatever for each of your guests. That way no-one is going to squabble over the last slice of Parma ham. And if you are worried that quantities may be a little skimpy, you can pad each plateful out with a small handful of rocket or watercress or other salad leaf, or even just an artful sprig or two of fresh parsley, basil or other herb if you happen to have some to hand.

Option B, which happens to be the one that I prefer, is to lay your collection of delicacies out on serving plates or platters and arrange them in the centre of the table so that everyone can help themselves. This way everyone can take what they like and ignore what they don’t without feeling embarrassed. And it’s wonderful how a bit of passing this or that around can get the conversation flowing, and invoke a cheery atmosphere.

In the south of France, they do the pick’n’mix starter with much grace. A classic hors d’oeuvre selection may include pâtés and cured hams, or delicious pungent dips and spreads.

TapenadeBuy a jar of this blend of olives, capers and anchovies. Pile it into a pretty little bowl, and finish with a sprig of parsley.