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Recipes from Magic Soup, by Nicole Pisani and Kate Adams

Magic Soup, by Nicole Pisani and Kate Adams, chicken soup for the soul.
Magic Soup, by Nicole Pisani and Kate Adams, chicken soup for the soul.supplied

Chicken soup for the soul

Serves 2

4 chicken legs or 2 large chicken thighs, skin on and bone in
½ tsp ground turmeric
1 tsp fennel seeds
a pinch of chilli flakes
1 tbsp groundnut oil
olive oil, for frying
about 500ml hot chicken stock
4 dried or fresh curry leaves
2 garlic cloves, bashed, with skin on
2 bay leaves
a few strips of unwaxed lemon zest
50g fresh peas
50g beansprouts

Magic Soup, by Nicole Pisani and Kate Adams, Widow's Soup.
Magic Soup, by Nicole Pisani and Kate Adams, Widow's Soup.supplied
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For the eggs:

300ml vegetable oil
3 eggs
50g plain flour
70g panko breadcrumbs

In a large mixing bowl, toss the chicken pieces with the turmeric, fennel seeds, chilli flakes and groundnut oil. Leave to marinate for 30 minutes.

<i>Magic Soup</i>, by Nicole Pisani and Kate Adams.
Magic Soup, by Nicole Pisani and Kate Adams.supplied

Heat the oil in a large pan, add the curry leaves and stir for a few seconds to infuse the oil. Remove the leaves with a slotted spoon. Add the chicken pieces to the pan and brown on all sides, then pour in the hot stock, garlic, curry leaves, bay leaves and lemon zest. Simmer gently for 45 minutes to one hour, or until the meat easily falls off the bone.

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Meanwhile, boil two of the eggs for six minutes (start timing when you add the eggs to boiling water). Cool them under cold running water, then peel. Put the flour in a wide shallow bowl and season, beat the remaining egg in a second bowl, then tip the breadcrumbs into a third bowl.

Heat the oil to 160C. If you don't have a thermometer, you can test the oil by carefully dropping in a small cube of bread, which should bubble immediately; if it drops to the bottom, the oil isn't hot enough. Dip each boiled egg in the flour, then the beaten egg, then the breadcrumbs. Gently lower them into the oil with a slotted spoon and fry for about five minutes, or until crispy. Carefully remove them from the oil and drain on kitchen paper.

Magic Soup, by Nicole Pisani and Kate Adams, Widow's Soup.
Magic Soup, by Nicole Pisani and Kate Adams, Widow's Soup.supplied

Remove the chicken pieces from the soup and take the meat off the bones. Return the meat to the soup along with the peas and beansprouts. Divide the soup among the bowls and top with an egg.

Italian wedding

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Serves 4

Magic Soup, by Nicole Pisani and Kate Adams, Italian Wedding Soup.
Magic Soup, by Nicole Pisani and Kate Adams, Italian Wedding Soup.supplied

For the meatballs:

½ white onion, finely chopped
400g turkey or chicken mince
40g dried breadcrumbs or panko crumbs
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
2 tbsp light olive oil
flaky sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the soup:

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Magic Soup, by Nicole Pisani and Kate Adams, chicken soup for the soul.
Magic Soup, by Nicole Pisani and Kate Adams, chicken soup for the soul.supplied

800ml chicken stock
40g oregano leaves, plus extra to garnish
1 head radicchio, shredded
2 eggs
grated Parmesan cheese, to serve

To make the meatballs, combine all the ingredients in a large mixing bowl and season with salt and pepper. Roll into small balls about 2.5cm in diameter. Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan, add the meatballs in batches and fry until brown on all sides, then remove and set aside.

In a large pan, bring the chicken stock to the boil. Add the meatballs and simmer for 20 minutes, or until cooked through, before adding the oregano and radicchio. Whisk the eggs in a bowl. Stir the soup in a circular motion and while stirring, pour the eggs into the soup in a thin stream. Use a fork to gently create ribbons with the egg. Serve immediately with extra oregano leaves and grated Parmesan cheese.

Widow's soup

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Serves 4

1 tsp unsalted butter
1 onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 potato, cubed
2 carrots, cubed
1 kohlrabi (use fennel if you can't find it), cubed
1 small cauliflower, broken into florets
2 celery stalks, sliced
1 tbsp tomato puree
1.2 litres hot chicken or vegetable stock
80g shelled broad beans, cooked
80g peas
a handful of fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
flaky sea salt
ricotta cheese, to serve
thyme leaves (optional)

Melt the butter in a large saucepan, add the onion and garlic and cook gently until soft. Add the potato, carrots, kohlrabi, cauliflower and celery and saute for two minutes. Combine the tomato puree with a little hot stock and add it to the vegetables. Add enough stock to cover the vegetables, bring to the boil, reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for 10-15 minutes, until vegetables are just cooked. Taste and season with salt if needed.

Add the beans and peas and allow to heat through for a couple of minutes before adding the parsley. To serve, place a spoonful of ricotta in each serving bowl, then ladle the hot soup over the top and garnish with some thyme leaves if you like.

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