Gordon Ramsay's Great British Pub Food Read Online Free PDF Page B

stripped
    3 large garlic cloves, peeled and thinly sliced
    2 tsp caster sugar
    sea salt and black pepper
    small bunch of basil, leaves only, roughly chopped
    300ml hot chicken or vegetable stock (see page 243)
    1–2 tsp good-quality balsamic vinegar
    Marrow is popular with gardeners but much less so with cooks, probably because its watery texture is something of a challenge. Roasting the vegetable concentrates the flavour and makes it a natural partner for roasted tomatoes in this summery soup. Serve it simply with a drizzle of good olive oil, or crumble some goat’s cheese on top and scatter over a handful of crunchy garlicky croûtons.
    Preheat the oven to 200°C/Gas 6. Halve the tomatoes and arrange, cut side up, on a baking tray. Peel, halve and deseed the marrow, then cut into 1.5cm cubes and spread out on another baking tray. Drizzle both generously with olive oil, then scatter over the thyme leaves, garlic, sugar and some salt and pepper. Toss the marrow cubes to ensure that they are well coated. Roast the tomatoes and marrows for 30–40 minutes, until they are soft and slightly caramelized, giving the marrows a stir halfway through.
    As soon as they are cooked, purée the vegetables in a blender with the basil leaves and hot stock; do this in two batches if necessary and make sure you tip in all the flavourful juices. For a very smooth texture if preferred, pass the puréed soup through a fine sieve.
    Transfer the soup to a pan and reheat gently. Taste and adjust the seasoning with a little balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper. Serve in warm bowls drizzled with a little olive oil.
London particular
SERVES 4-6
    1 smoked ham hock, about 1kg, soaked in plenty of cold water overnight
    1 large onion, peeled and halved
    1 large carrot, peeled and cut into 3 pieces
    1 celery stick, trimmed and cut into 3 pieces
    1 tsp white peppercorns
    1 bouquet garni (1 bay leaf, few thyme or parsley sprigs, tied together)
    11/2-2 litres water
    300g dried split green peas, soaked overnight sea salt and black pepper
CROÛTONS
    1 day-old thin French stick
    4 tbsp olive oil
    30g butter
TO GARNISH
    flat-leaf parsley leaves
    During the industrial revolution, London was often blanketed in a thick heavy fog—referred to as a ‘pea souper’ and this is how this soup acquired its name. It is typically made with boiled unsmoked gammon, but we prefer to use a smoked ham hock to give the soup an intense and smoky base flavour. The croûtons add a contrasting crunch, but you can omit them if you prefer.
    Drain the ham hock, rinse under cold running water and place in a large pan. Add the onion, carrot, celery, peppercorns and bouquet garni, then pour in the water to cover. Bring to a simmer and skim off the scum and froth that rises to the surface. Simmer gently, topping up with boiling water as necessary, for 21/2-3 hours until the ham is tender and comes away from the bone easily.
    Lift out the ham and let cool slightly. Strain the stock and return to the pan. Drain the split peas, add to the pan and simmer for 11/2-2 hours until soft. In the meantime, shred the ham and discard the bone.
    Purée the soup using a hand-held stick blender (or a regular blender) until smooth. Return to the pan to reheat. If the soup is too thick, add a little boiling water to dilute; or, if it is not thick enough, simmer until reduced to the required consistency. Taste and adjust the seasoning. Return the ham pieces to the soup and reheat just before serving.
    To make the croûtons, cut the French stick into small bite-sized pieces. Heat the olive oil and butter in a small frying pan. When hot, add the bread pieces and toss in the foaming butter and oil for 3 minutes or so, until golden brown and crisp. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain well on kitchen paper.
    Divide the hot soup among warm bowls and scatter a few croûtons and parsley leaves on top. Hand the rest of the croûtons round separately.
Fennel and roasted red pepper soup
SERVES 4
    4 red peppers
    1 large