If, like me, you’re feeling a bit done in by too much food and fun over the holidays, the last thing you need is for winter proper to set in (the weeks before Christmas are just the prelude). But instead of vowing to diet or fast, why not just eat healthier food instead? Time at the kitchen stove warms you up faster than anything I know, and easy, filling and wholesome soups are just the thing to sustain us through the bleak midwinter months. Over the next few weeks, my recipes will be about affordable, often healthy and always delicious food, so tuck in with gusto – no pangs of guilt here, please.
Spiced parsnip soup with fried apple
The warming, exotic effect of the spices on this classic winter veg is a marvel. Top the thick soup with caramelised slices of apple and eat with buttery toast, and you have a great supper. Serves four to six.
3 large parsnips (about 400g)
50g butter
2 small onions, peeled and finely chopped
Salt
1 clove garlic, peeled and finely chopped
½ tsp peppercorns
1 clove
2 tsp coriander seeds
A few generous grindings of nutmeg
1 litre vegetable (or chicken) stock
2 tbsp Greek yoghurt, plus extra to serve
For the fried apples
25g butter
1 large or 2 small eating apples, cored and cut into 1cm-wide wedges
1 tbsp sugar
A few generous grindings of nutmeg
Peel the parsnips and cut into roughly equal bite-size pieces. Melt the butter in a heavy-bottomed pan, add the onions and a generous pinch of salt, and slowly sweat over a low heat for five minutes. Add the garlic and sweat for three to five minutes more, until soft and translucent.
Meanwhile, grind the peppercorns, clove and coriander seeds to a fine powder, then add the nutmeg. Stir the spice mix into the onions and fry, stirring, for two minutes. Add the parsnips and, once they’re coated in spices, pour in the stock. Bring to a boil and simmer for about half an hour, until the parsnips are completely soft.
Whizz with a stick blender or food processor until smooth (I love my stick blender, it really saves on washing up); or, if you prefer, leave in a few chunks for texture. Season to taste.
For the apples, melt the butter in a frying pan over a medium heat, swirling it around to coat the pan evenly. When it begins to sizzle, add the apples in a single layer, add the sugar and a pinch of salt, and fry for a couple of minutes on each side, until the apples begin to colour and soften. Add the nutmeg and fry for a minute or so more, until they are soft but still holding their shape.
Return the soup to simmering point and stir in the yoghurt. Check the seasoning, then pour into warmed bowls. Drop a spoonful of yoghurt and a few slices of apple on top of each, and serve at once.
Udon noodles with miso, smoked mackerel and savoy cabbage
This light broth is heady with the flavours of miso, smoky mackerel and soy, with a touch of sweetness from the honey. It is healthy, filling and totally yum. Serves two.
2 tsp vegetable oil
1 tsp grated ginger
1 garlic clove, peeled and grated
5 tbsp soy sauce, plus extra, to serve
4 tbsp mirin
1 tbsp honey
2 tsp sesame oil
2 smoked mackerel fillets, skin off
1 egg
150g udon noodles (or any other noodle)
5 tbsp miso paste, or to taste (the amount will depend hugely on the brand)
¼ savoy cabbage, very finely shredded
4 spring onions, finely sliced on the diagonal
Chilli oil or sauce, to serve
Prepare the mackerel first. Gently heat the vegetable oil in a saucepan over a medium heat, then add the ginger and garlic. After a minute of sizzling, take off the heat and add the soy, mirin, honey and sesame oil. Return the pan to the heat for just a second, to make sure it’s hot – don’t let it bubble – then add the mackerel in large flakes, tossing it gently in the sauce and trying not to break it up too much, then set aside.
Boil the egg gently for six minutes, then peel under cold running water – this helps to stop it cooking further. Add the egg to the warm mackerel pan, and spoon the sauce over it – the longer you now leave it there, the better.
Meanwhile, bring a pan of water to the boil and cook the noodles according to the instructions, and drain. At the same time, in another pan, bring 750ml water to the boil and stir in the miso paste until it dissolves. Drop in the cabbage and spring onions, and cook just until they wilt, then stir in the drained noodles. Transfer to bowls, then spoon the mackerel and its sauce on top. Set half the egg on top of each bowl, and serve with a little soy and some chilli oil or sauce at the table.
And for the rest of the week…
Use leftover yoghurt to make your own starter and help keep your digestive system happy in 2015. Roast excess parsnips with carrots and other winter veg in Moroccan spices (cinnamon, allspice, cloves), and serve with couscous for a quick weeknight meal. Use leftover cabbage with some tinned cannellini or borlotti beans to make ribollita (a gorgeous Tuscan vegetable and bread soup), or in a layered soup made with cabbage, stock, stale bread and good olive oil. The secret to this type of hearty Italian soup is to lace it with as much oil as you dare, and top with plenty of grated parmesan; a little chilli wouldn’t hurt, either.
Thomasina Miers is co-owner of the Wahaca group of Mexican restaurants.. Her latest book, Chilli Notes, is published by Hodder & Stoughton at £25. To order a copy for £20, go to bookshop.theguardian.com
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