Chicken Noodle Soup, Well Being & Happiness

Steaming, spicy, warming bowl of goodness

London has just plummeted in temperature and now is the time for warming & comfort-giving food.  Food which gives us a glow and enhances well being.  

As I write I hear on the radio David Cameron talking about how well being could be evaluated.  I say a bowl of chicken noodle soup is a definition of well being and happiness, and we would all be better off if everyone was drinking it.  (Vegetarians would have a meat free option of course).  

This chicken soup is also topical as we are in European Waste Reduction Week . Virtually all the ingredients for this soup were scraps plus a minor contribution from the store cupboard.  The basis of the soup is of course chicken stock, principally made from scraps and leftovers of the chicken carcass. 

This soup is dedicated to using up your leftovers, national well being and happiness.

A raid in the cupboard and fridge to find a few bits

This is an idea for soup, and of course can include anything.

• 1 shallot diced finely
• 2 cloves of garlic chopped
• 1 small thumb of ginger peeled and sliced
• 2 chilis (depending on how hot you wish), supplemented with a few dried
• 1 lime
• 2 star anise
• 2 small carrots
• A quarter of slightly worse for wear pointed cabbage
• A few leaves of mint
• A small bundle of noodles (you could add pasta)
• 750ml of chicken stock (so much the better when it's from a carcass)
• 2 Tablespoons sunflower oil
• Some shredded chicken meat 
• Seasoning

1. Heat oil in pan and add the shallots for 2 minutes, then add the garlic, chili and ginger, fry for a minute.
2. Add the carrots and stir fry for a minute or two.
3. Add the chicken stock and bring to a boil, turn down to simmer for 10 minutes.
4. Add the finely shredded cabbage and when the stock is simmering, add the noodles and cook until soft. Add the shredded chicken to warm through.
5. Serve with chopped mint and squeeze of lime juice.

Smile and be warm and happy.

Stuffed Mushrooms

My favourite part of Christmas cooking is using up the left overs. With heaps of herbs, vegetables, cheeses, hams and all the unusual ingredients we all buy in abundance at Christmas. I had lots of portabello mushrooms to use up and simply mixed up handfuls of herbs with garlic, some chili and parmesan.

With a palate cleansing crispy salad, this was a welcome meal after the sumptuous meals of the last few days.

• 6 portabello mushrooms of flat open gill mushrooms
• 3 fat cloves of garlic
• 3 big handfuls of herbs (I used tarragon, parsley, dill, sage, thyme)
• 1 lemon grated and the juice
• 1 red chilli
• 50gms grated parmesan
• 50gms very roughly chopped stale bread
• olive oil
• seasoning

1. Cut the stalks off the mushrooms and chop finely.
2. In a bowl mix all the ingredients after chopping everything very finely.
3. Add olive oil so that you form a dryish paste and then spread onto the mushrooms and drizzle lightly on top.
4. Bake in hot oven (200C) for about 40 minutes, until the mushroom base feels soft when tested with a knife.