Billy and the Epic Escape
By Jamie Oliver
50 mins
Not Too Tricky
serves 8
About the recipe
Sweet, smoky and herby, the soup was full of chunks of succulent veggies, along with beans and multicoloured grains that looked like rice. A slurp here, a nibble there and a bite of dumpling to finish.
Recipe From
Ingredients
2 cloves of garlic
2 small onions
2 fresh bay leaves
olive oil
2 carrots
2 sticks of celery or 1 leek
600g mixed green veg, such as courgettes, fennel, tenderstem broccoli, asparagus, chard, kale, peas, broad beans
1 vegetable stock cube
1 x 400g tin of quality plum tomatoes
2 x 400g tins of beans, such as cannellini, butter, haricot
100g random dried pasta or rice
400g potato gnocchi
Parmesan cheese or pesto, to serve
Top Tip
OPTIONAL SMOKY EXTRA
‘That, my friend, is a smoke float. What I do is I take my little tin boat here and fill it with all kinds of woody herbs and fruit-tree twigs, then I set light to them. Look at the smoke – it wafts up, curls around and comes back down, licking the simmering broth with its smoky herby flavours.’
To make Bilfred’s smoke float, find yourself a little metal bowl that you can float in the soup after you add the green veg. Pop a small slice of unsalted butter into the bowl, tear in 4 sprigs of woody herbs, such as rosemary, sage or thyme, then ask an adult to carefully set fire to the herbs. Cover the pan with a lid for the rest of the time, letting the herbs impart a wonderfully smoky flavour into the butter. Once the soup is done, carefully remove the metal bowl (it will be very hot!), serve up the soup, then pour a little smoky butter over each portion.
Jamie wholeheartedly believes that cooking is up there as one of the most valuable skills you can teach a child. Getting kids excited about food, where it comes from and how to cook it, gives them a better chance of being healthier and happier in the long run. When cooking with kids, use your common sense to determine what jobs they can help you with, depending on their age and skill level. It’s always good to start small, with jobs such as mixing and measuring, then progress to elements of a recipe, then go on to slightly trickier techniques over time. The more they cook, the better they’ll get. Make sure you supervise them when using heat or sharp utensils like knives and box graters, and teach them about the importance of washing their hands before they start, and after handling raw meat and fish, as well as other basic hygiene rules. Most of all, have fun with it, and encourage them to give things a go.
Method
- Peel and finely chop the garlic and onion, and place in a casserole pan on a medium heat with the bay and 1 tablespoon of oil, stirring occasionally.
- Peel the carrots, trim the celery or leek, then finely chop, adding to the pan as you go. Cook for 10 minutes, or until softened, stirring regularly.
- Meanwhile, prep your green veg, chopping courgettes and fennel into ½cm chunks, and finely slicing broccoli, asparagus, chard and kale.
- Crumble the stock cube into the pan, add a good pinch of black pepper and the tinned tomatoes, breaking them up with your spoon. Swirl some water around the tin and pour in, followed by the beans, juice and all.
- Pour in 800ml of water, bring to the boil, then add the pasta or rice and the green veg. Cover and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes, or until the pasta or rice is just cooked, stirring occasionally and adding splashes of water if needed. Gently add the gnocchi for the last few minutes to give you little dumplings.
- Season the soup to perfection, then divide between your bowls. Nice with a grating of Parmesan cheese or a dollop of pesto, to finish.
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