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Not-chicken soup

Not Chicken Soup for web

This is a soup for the soul: chicken soup without the chicken, and with no apology.

A warming, refreshing bowl of food to nourish new beginnings. Particularly good when you are feeling off-colour.

Serves
4
Not Chicken Soup for web

Ingredients

For the soup

  • Olive oil
  • 1 medium onion, quartered and thinly sliced
  • 1 leek, finely sliced
  • 3 bulbs of fennel, trimmed and finely sliced, fronds reserved
  • 3 celery stalks, chopped into 1cm pieces, leaves reserved
  • 1 medium carrot, peeled and chopped into 1cm pieces
  • 8 medium garlic cloves, very thinly sliced
  • 2 tbsp ginger, peeled and grated
  • 1 lemon
  • ¾ tsp white pepper, plus more to taste
  • 50g leftover pasta

For the tofu

  • 200g tofu, sliced into roughly 1cm sticks
  • 3 tbsp soy sauce

To serve

  • Fennel fronds and celery leaves
  • Extra virgin olive oil

  1. Cook the onion, leek, fennel, celery and carrot

    Heat a little olive oil in a large soup pot over a medium heat. Add the onion, leek, fennel, celery and carrot, then turn the heat down to low and cook gently for 20-30 minutes, or until everything is very soft and sweet, without browning too much. Keep a little jug of water close to the pan and add a splash of water if it looks like it’s going to stick.

  2. Add garlic + ginger

    Add the garlic and ginger, cook for another couple of minutes, then squeeze in the juice of the lemon.

  3. Bring to the boil + simmer

    Add the peppercorns and 2 litres of water, plus a good pinch of sea salt (or you can use vegetable stock if you want a fuller flavoured soup). Bring to the boil and simmer for 20-30 minutes.

  4. Fry the tofu

    Meanwhile, toss the tofu in 2 tbsp soy sauce. Heat a pan with a little olive oil and fry until crisp. Once the tofu is golden and crispy, add the final tablespoon of soy sauce and toss quickly in the hot pan: the soy should stick to the tofu and give it a rich stickiness. Remove from the heat.

  5. Add the pasta

    Your soup should now be about ready. Add your pasta: if it’s long noodles then break them up as you add them: cook for another 8 minutes (or as long as your pasta takes to cook). Finally, taste, and adjust with more salt, water or even a squeeze more lemon, if needed. Ladle the soup into shallow bowls and top with the tofu, some fennel fronds and celery leaves, plus a good drizzle of olive oil.

  6. Taste + serve

    Finally, taste, and adjust with more salt, water or even a squeeze more lemon, if needed. Ladle the soup into shallow bowls and top with the tofu, some fennel fronds and celery leaves, plus a good drizzle of olive oil.

Additional information

As featured in

Anna jones The Modern Cooks Year book cover

The Modern Cook’s Year

An essential addition to every cook’s bookshelf, The Modern Cook’s Year will show you how to make the most of seasonal produce, using simple, hugely inventive flavours and ingredients. Divided into six seasons, the cookbook contains over 200 delicious vegetarian recipes interspersed with tips on everything from seasonal music playlists to flowers to look out for in each month of the year.

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