The Big Book of Wheat-Free Cooking: Includes Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free, and Reduced Fat Recipes

1 tablespoon cold pressed extra virgin olive oil and some extra for serving

85g/3oz chopped pancetta, or diced streaky, rindless smoked bacon (not for vegetarian or reduced fat option)

1 large carrot, peeled and diced

1 onion, diced

2 celery sticks, diced

2 slim leeks, sliced

2 small red chillies (strength according to taste), chopped

1 teaspoon chopped rosemary

14 sage leaves, shredded

2 bay leaves

750ml/3 cups or I bottle good-quality tomato pasta sauce

1 litre/4 cups cold water (use some to rinse out the tomato sauce bottle)

1 tablespoon allergy-free vegetable bouillon powder

2 large garlic cloves, crushed

150g/1¾ cups wheat-free pasta* (#litres_trial_promo) (macaroni or small-sized pasta)

110g/1½ cups French beans, cut into thirds

110g/¾ cup frozen peas

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

15g/½oz fresh parsley, chopped

If using canned beans, rinse them thoroughly and drain. If using dried beans, rinse them in cold water then cook in unsalted boiling water for about 1½ hours until just soft.

Heat the oil in a large heavy pan, add the pancetta or the bacon if you are using it, and cook for a few minutes until it turns golden. Add the carrot, onion, celery, leeks, chillies and herbs. Alternatively, just heat the oil and add the vegetables, chillies and herbs.

Continue to cook for about 3 minutes until the vegetables colour, then add the tomato sauce, water, bouillon powder and garlic, and cook for another 5 minutes. Stir in the borlotti beans and simmer for 30 minutes. Halfway through the cooking time, bring a pan of water to the boil and cook the pasta until al dente, drain and add to the soup.

Meanwhile, cook the French beans and the peas together in boiling water until just cooked through, drain and add to the soup. Season to taste with salt and pepper, sprinkle with the parsley and serve piping hot with a swirl of olive oil.

If the soup doesn’t have enough liquid just add some more water or stock (bouillon), as it is a very adaptable soup and can expand to suit a sudden influx of guests!

Gingered Chicken Soup

Singles or couples could halve the quantities and enjoy this soup over several days. As with all chicken and stock dishes, allow it to get cold and then keep it chilled in the refrigerator until you need it. You can reboil the soup and add fresh bean sprouts, so it is a very good stand-by. You can also freeze this into portions and use for a quick lunch or appetizer.

A boiling chicken is the best thing for chicken soup, but they are increasingly hard to find. An ordinary roasting bird will be fine, but you must remove the meat after an hour or it will be too dry.

Serves 10

Stock (bouillon)

1 boiling chicken, or an ordinary medium-sized roasting chicken, about 1.5kg/3lbs

2 litres/8 cups water plus I litre/4 cups for topping up

Pinch of sea salt and 1 teaspoon black peppercorns

1 tablespoon cold pressed extra virgin olive oil

6cm/2in piece root ginger, peeled and cut into chunks

1 large onion, coarsely chopped

2 tablespoons Thai fish sauce* (#litres_trial_promo)

Soup

6cm/2in piece root ginger, peeled and grated

Pinch of sea salt

1 garlic clove, crushed

1 small chilli (hot or mild according to taste), finely chopped

300g/5 cups bean sprouts

8 spring onions (scallions), finely chopped

15g/½oz fresh coriander (cilantro) leaves, finely chopped

Optional

Soy sauce* (#litres_trial_promo) to serve

Put the chicken into a large pan and add the water, salt and peppercorns. Bring to the boil over a high heat. In a frying pan (skillet), heat 1 tablespoon of oil and stir in the ginger and onion until they begin to colour slightly, and then add them to the chicken. When the water is boiling, add 1 tablespoon of the Thai fish sauce, turn the heat down and leave the chicken to simmer. Remove the chicken after an hour and, when it is cool enough, pick off the meat and shred it coarsely. Put the carcass back into the pot and simmer for another 2 hours.

Strain the stock (bouillon) into a bowl and discard the carcass. When the stock (bouillon) is cold, cover and refrigerate it for at least 3 hours or overnight. You will then be able to skim off the layer of fat.

You can make this stock (bouillon) 1 day in advance; just make sure the shredded chicken meat is kept in an airtight container in the refrigerator or it will become dry. When you want to make the soup, bring the stock (bouillon) to the boil and let it simmer, adding the shredded chicken, another tablespoon of fish sauce, the grated ginger, salt, garlic and chilli. Stir in the bean sprouts and cook for 1 minute.

Serve the soup in warm bowls and top with the coriander (cilantro) and spring onions (scallions). As some people like to sprinkle their soup with soy sauce, serve it separately.