Rachel Allen - Recipes from My Mother

4. It’s a bit fiddly, but pick all the meat from the cooled oxtail bones and discard the bones and fat. This takes a little while but it is worth it. Pull the meat apart with your fingers then add the shreds to the casserole with the skimmed liquid and pearl barley and cook for 45 minutes over a medium heat. Taste and adjust the seasoning.

5. Stir in the parsley and lemon juice, then serve immediately.

Salmon, smoked haddock and pea chowder

SERVES 4–6

A chowder is a great way to make a little fish go a long way, and smoked haddock brings its own lovely richness. This is delicious served with Sue’s Oatmeal Bread.

50g (2oz) butter

120g (4oz) leeks, halved lengthways, then cut into 5mm (¼in) slices

150g (5oz) spring onions, green and white parts sliced, kept separate

600g (1lb 5oz) potatoes, cut into 1cm (½in) dice

1 litre(1¾ pints) light chicken, fish or vegetable stock

120g (4oz) smoked haddock fillet, cut into 1–2cm (½–¾in) chunks

200g (7oz) salmon fillet, cut into 1–2cm (½–¾in) chunks

100g (3½oz) peas

50ml (2fl oz) regular or double cream

3 tbsp chopped parsley

1. Melt the butter in a large pan and add the leeks, the white parts of the spring onions and the potatoes. Cook over a low heat for 10 minutes or until the leeks and spring onions are soft but not coloured.

2. Add the stock and bring it to the boil, then turn down and simmer for 15 minutes or until the potatoes are soft.

3. Add the smoked haddock, salmon, peas and the green parts of the spring onions. Cook for a further 5 minutes, then add the cream and chopped parsley and cook for a further 2–3 minutes. Serve piping hot.

Crab and sweetcorn chowder

SERVES 4–6

A chowder is more than just a soup, it’s a meal in a bowl, and this version with delicious sweet-salty crabmeat and corn is a keeper. Needless to say, the better the crabmeat, the more delicious this will be. If you can get hold of some brown crabmeat along with the white, the flavour will be even better.

30g (1¼oz) butter

200g (7oz) onions, cut into 1cm (½in) dice

2 garlic cloves, chopped

300g (11oz) potatoes, cut into 1cm (½in) dice

600ml (1 pint) hot chicken, fish or vegetable stock

200g (7oz) sweetcorn kernels

200ml (7fl oz) milk

150g (5oz) white crabmeat

pinch of cayenne pepper

1 tbsp lemon juice

2 tbsp chopped parsley

2 tsp chopped tarragon

50ml (2fl oz) regular or double cream

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

To serve

fresh bread

1. Melt the butter in a saucepan over a gentle heat, then add the onions and garlic with a little salt and pepper. Cover and allow to sweat until soft but not coloured. Add the potatoes and cook for a further 5–10 minutes, stirring occasionally so that they don’t brown.

2. Next, add the stock, sweetcorn and milk, and bring to the boil, then lower the heat and simmer until the potatoes are cooked through and are just beginning to thicken the soup.

3. Finally, add the crabmeat, cayenne pepper, lemon juice, chopped herbs and cream. Bring the chowder back up to a gentle simmer, then serve with lots of lovely bread.

Wild garlic soup

SERVES 6

A vibrant green soup that makes you feel good just looking at it, not to mention eating it! Use the wide-leaf wild garlic, ramson, or the three-cornered leek with the narrow leaves, both in season in spring. At other times of the year, or if you can’t get hold of any wild garlic, you can replace it with watercress, young nettles (wear gloves when harvesting – the sting will go once cooked!), spinach, kale or chard.

25g (1oz) butter

2 potatoes, diced

1 onion, chopped

1 litre(1¾ pints) chicken or vegetable stock

2 large handfuls of wild garlic leaves, roughly chopped

110ml (4fl oz) regular or double cream

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

To serve

crusty bread

1. Melt the butter in a large saucepan over a medium heat. When foaming, add the potatoes and onion, and toss in the butter until well coated, then season with salt and pepper. Turn the heat down, cover the pan and cook for 10 minutes or until the vegetables are soft, stirring regularly so that the vegetables don’t stick and burn.

2. Next, add the stock and bring to a rolling boil, then add the wild garlic leaves and cook for 2 minutes or until the leaves have wilted. Don’t overcook the soup at this stage or it will lose its fresh green colour and flavour.

3. Immediately pour into a blender and whiz until smooth, then return to the clean pan, stir in the cream and taste for seasoning.

4. Serve hot with crusty bread.

Beetroot soup with chives

SERVES 8–10

I remember my mum started making beetroot soup for dinner parties in the 1980s and back then I thought the vivid pink concoction was the epitome of chic. I still do, and love it that something so stunningly pretty can be that good for you.

900g (2lb) whole raw beetroot

25g (1oz) butter

225g (8oz) onions, chopped

1.2 litres (2 pints) chicken or vegetable stock

110ml (4fl oz) cream or milk, or a mixture

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

To serve

110g (4oz) sour cream or crème fraîche

2 tbsp finely chopped chives

1. Remove the leaves from the beetroot (use these for another recipe), then cut off most of the stalk, leaving about 2cm (¾in) still attached to the root. Leave the tails of the beetroot intact. Wash the beetroot carefully under a cold tap. Do not scrub them – simply rub off any dirt with your fingers. You don’t want to damage the skin or to cut off the top or tails, otherwise the beetroot will ‘bleed’ while cooking, losing important nutrients.

2. Place the beetroot in a saucepan and cover with cold water and a pinch of salt. Place over a medium heat and bring to a simmer. Cover, then continue to simmer for 30 minutes–2 hours, depending on the size and age of your beetroot. They are cooked when their skins rub off easily and a knife just slides into the centre.

3. While the beetroot cooks, melt the butter in a large saucepan over a low heat. When melted, add the onions and season with salt and pepper. Cover and cook for 8–10 minutes until soft but not coloured.

4. When the beetroot is cooked, rub off the skins and discard, then cut into chunks. Add to the onions with the stock. Bring to a rolling boil, then pour into a blender and whiz until it is quite smooth (be careful, beetroot will stain). Return to the pan over a medium heat, stir in the cream and/or milk, then taste and adjust the seasoning.

5. Serve hot, topped with a spoonful of sour cream or crème fraîche and a scattering of chives.

Almost-instant tomato and basil soup

SERVES 4

A delicious fresh-tasting soup that’s super-quick to make, this is like summer in a bowl. Like many soups, it can be frozen, too, for a taste of summer in any season!

25g (1oz) butter

125g (4½oz) white parts of spring onions, chopped (keep the green tops for another recipe)

1 garlic clove, chopped

400g (14oz) very ripe tomatoes, chopped or 1 × 400g tin chopped tomatoes