Cooking for Friends. Gordon Ramsay

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       Alnwick soup

       I’ve used the core ingredients of the classic Alnwick stew to make this hearty soup. The broth is light and flavourful, and at the same time, the chunks of ham and vegetables are nourishing and satisfying. Eat with rye or seeded bread. Comfort in a bowl.

      SERVES 4-6

       Broth:

       2 smoked ham hocks, about 750g

       1 large onion, roughly chopped

       2 large carrots, roughly chopped

       2 celery stalks, roughly chopped

       1 bay leaf

       few sprigs of thyme ½ tsp black peppercorns

       To finish:

       2 large onions, roughly chopped

       2 large waxy potatoes, cut into bite-size chunks

       2 celery stalks, roughly chopped

       few sprigs of thyme

       generous handful of flat-leaf parsley, leaves chopped

      Cut off the rind and excess fat from the ham hocks, then place in a large pot. Cover with cold water and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and leave to simmer for 10 minutes. Pour off the water and the scum on top.

      Add the onion, carrot, celery, bay leaf, thyme and peppercorns to the pot to join the ham hocks. Cover with fresh water and bring to a simmer. Gently cook for about 2½-3 hours until the meat is tender and falling off the bone. Turn the hocks around halfway through to ensure even cooking. When ready, leave the hocks to cool in the liquid.

      Remove the ham hocks to a large bowl with a pair of tongs. Pull the meat off the bone and tear into bite-size chunks. Strain the stock into a clean saucepan and discard the vegetables, herbs and peppercorns. Add the onions, potatoes, celery and thyme to the strained stock and bring to a simmer. Cook for 30-40 minutes until the vegetables are soft. Add the ham pieces and simmer for another 10 minutes to warm through. Ladle into warm soup bowls and sprinkle with parsley to serve.

       Broccoli, stilton and pear soup

       A soup that’s the perfect starter for entertaining, both for its elegance and its ease of preparation. The broccoli soup can be prepared a day in advance, ready to reheat just before serving. It is best to peel and roast the pears to serve, but if you decide to prepare them earlier, put them in water with a squeeze of lemon juice to prevent them from turning brown, then drain and pat dry with kitchen paper before roasting so they caramelize nicely.

      SERVES 4

       2 large heads of broccoli, about 1kg

       800ml hot chicken or vegetable stock (see pages 258-9)

       100g stilton, crumbled

       2 firm but ripe pears

       25g butter

       handful of toasted flaked almonds, to garnish

      Cut the broccoli into florets, but do not waste the stalks. Peel off the tough skins from the stalks and roughly chop up the tender core.

      Bring the stock to the boil in a medium saucepan. Add the broccoli and cover the pan. Cook for 3-4 minutes until the broccoli is tender but still bright green. In 2 batches, blend the broccoli into a smooth soup, adding half the stilton as you do so. Return the soup to the pan. Taste and adjust the seasoning and reheat just before serving.

      Peel the pears and cut them in half lengthways. Remove the cores with an apple corer. Melt the butter in a pan and add the pear halves, cut-side down. Spoon over the foaming butter to baste as you cook the pears. Pan-roast them on one side for 1-2 minutes until they are golden brown around the edges, then flip them over to roast the other side. Cook for another 1-2 minutes, then remove to a plate and drain off the excess butter.

      Pour the soup into warm bowls and rest a pan-roasted pear half in the centre. Scatter over the remaining crumbled stilton and the flaked almonds. Serve at once.

       Conger eel bisque

       Conger eels are considered a delicacy by the French and Japanese, and rightly so. Here I’ve used the eel as a base for a flavourful fish soup. It’s rich, so serve it in small bowls as a starter with a few garlic croutes on the side.

      SERVES 4-6

       2kg conger eel fillets (get your fishmonger to remove the skin and cut the meat into

       boneless fillets) pinch of saffron strands olive oil, for cooking 1 fennel bulb, finely sliced

       1 carrot, chopped

       2 celery stalks, chopped

       1 shallot, chopped

       2 garlic cloves, crushed 2 star anise

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