Chicken and vegetable egg lemon soup

Ingredients

• 250 grams of chicken each, poached
• 4 tablespoons butter
• 1 large potato diced
• 2 carrots diced
• 25g chopped fresh parsley
• 1 egg
• 4 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

Method

Remove and discard the skin from the chicken. Cut the meat off the bones and finely chop the meat.

Strain the reserved cooking liquid and pour 4 cups or one litre into a large pan.

Add the butter, potato and carrots, season with salt and pepper and bring to a boil. Cook over a medium heat for about twenty minutes, until the vegetables are tender.

Add the chopped chicken and parsley and heat through.

Whisk the egg and lemon juice together in a bowl, then gradually whisk in 4-5 tablespoons of the soup. Pour the egg lemon mixture into the pan and stir gently or shake the pan to distribute it. Do not let the soup boil. Remove the pan from the heat and serve.

Comments

Seemed pretty good to me but not so popular with the rest of the family - allegedly too sour.

White gazpacho

Ingredients

• 90g/ 3oz stale French bread
• 450ml/ ¾ pint water or milk
• 120g/ 4oz almonds, blanched and peeled
• 3 cloves garlic salt
• 150ml/ ¼ pint oil
• 2-3 tablespoons sherry vinegar

Method

Soak the bread in the water or milk, then liquidise with the almonds, garlic and some salt until fairly smooth. Gradually beat in the oil and then season well with the vinegar. Thin the soup down with more water if it seems too thick. Chill well before serving, with a little extra vinegar if liked.

Comments

Ajo blanco a la malagueña, also spelt as one word, ajoblanco. Peeled and seeded moscatel grapes are its traditional accompaniment when in season. Chunks of melon are good too.

Peel the almonds by blanching for one minute and then popping out of the skin - in fact very, very easy to do.

Not the same variety of taste as the red gazpacho so certainly use good quality olive oil. A more sophisticated, delicate alternative.

Zabaglione

Broccoli sauted with garlic and parsley

Shaved fennel salad