Rachel Allen
The St Patrick’s Day pudding parade
Serves 4-6 You will need:
• 35g butter
• 350g potatoes, peeled and chopped
• 150g onions, chopped
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 750ml chicken stock
• 250ml milk, or a mix of half milk and half cream (depending on how rich you want it)
• 4 x 1cm-thick slices of black pudding (see Rachel Recommends), peeled
• 1 tablespoon parsley pesto — see recipe, right
1 Melt 25g of the butter in a saucepan, add the chopped potatoes and the chopped onions, season with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, stir well, and cover with a butter wrapper or a piece of greaseproof paper. 2 Put the lid on the saucepan and sweat the vegetables over a low heat for 10 minutes, stirring every so often to prevent the potatoes sticking. Next, remove and discard the butter wrapper or greaseproof paper, whichever you are using, and add the chicken stock. Turn the heat up, bringing the liquid to the boil. Continue cooking until the vegetables are soft, which should take about another 2-3 minutes.
3 Add the milk, or the mixture of half milk and half cream, whichever you’re using, then liquidise the soup, and season to taste with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. You may need to add more chicken stock or milk to thin out the soup if it is too thick — it’ll depend on the potatoes that you’re using. The soup can be enjoyed straightaway, or it can be stored in the fridge for a couple of days, or frozen for another time.
4 Up to half an hour before you’re ready to eat, cook the black pudding. Place a small frying pan on a medium heat and place the remaining 10g of butter in it. Once the butter is melted and foaming, add the black pudding slices and cook them for about 6-8 minutes on either side, until the pinhead oats in the pudding look a rich golden colour on the outside. Using the tip of a wooden spoon, break up the pieces of black pudding into little nuggets, and cook for a minute more. Put them on kitchen paper and keep them warm until you are ready to serve.
5 To serve, place a ladleful of the hot soup into warm bowls, drizzle with a little of the parsley pesto and scatter the black pudding nuggets over the top.