Asian Style Chicken Noodle Soup

Bearing in mind that Asian cookery is not my area of expertise, I have to say I was pretty happy with the way this soup turned out! Very fresh and light with lots of wonderful flavours going on. And best of all it's incredibly healthy! I make this soup at least once a week now.



1L salt reduced chicken stock
1 cup water
2 tbsp soy sauce3 cloves garlic, roughly sliced
2 inch piece ginger, roughly sliced
1 stalk lemongrass, cut into 1 inch pieces
Cracked black pepper1 skinless chicken breast (approx 200g)
1 bunch choy sum, cut into 2-3 inch lengths
1 handful snowpeas, halved
150g udon noodles
1 long red chilli, finely sliced for garnish

Pour the stock, water and soy sauce into a saucepan and add the garlic, ginger and lemongrass pieces. Season with pepper and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer, add the chicken breast and allow poach gently for 20 minutes, or until the breast is cooked through.

Meanwhile, place the noodles in a heatproof bowl and cover with boiling water. Set aside until noodles are tender and ready for use.

Once the chicken is cooked through, remove from the stock, allow to cool slightly then shred. Strain the stock to remove the garlic, ginger and lemongrass pieces.

To assemble the soup pile noodles in a large bowl, top with the fresh choy sum, snow peas and shredded chicken, then ladle over the hot stock. Garnish with fresh chilli and coriander.

Serves 2.

Spaghetti Bolognaise

So much for the low carb dinners.... oh well, it was cold last night and i didn't want to have to leave the house, so spaghetti it was! And yes, i do realise that it is not spaghetti in my photo, but i much prefer spirals because they grip the sauce. Spiral bolognaise just doesn't have the same ring to it though...

Olive oil
500g lean beef mince
1 onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 tin (400g) diced tomatoes
700ml tomato puree
2 tsp dried oregano
2 tsp dried basil
2 tsp dried parsley
1 tsp chilli flakes
Sea salt & cracked pepper
350g pasta (whichever type you prefer)
Percorino cheese to serve

Heat the oil in a large saucepan and saute the onions and garlic until tender. Add the mince, and using a wooden spoon break it up until it is lightly browned and there are no big lumps. Pour in the tinned tomatoes and tomato puree, mixing well.

Next add the herbs and season well with salt and pepper. Turn the heat to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally for about 1/2 an hour.

Meanwhile, cook the pasta. When the sauce is ready, stir a big spoonful through the cooked pasta, then divide into serving bowls. Top with a good helping of extra sauce and some grated or shaved pecorino cheese. (You can swap the pecorino for parmesan or romano if you prefer it).

Serves 4.