Nothing beats cooking to lift your spirits. Today we make a big deal out of haddock, potatoes and milk.
Soup is even better when you make it into a whole meal. From a pea soup with Morto sausage to a soup with half-salted pork knuckle, there is something to fill and warm the stomach for a dinner without going out.
a Scottish district
Another interesting thing about soup is that it makes you travel without leaving the kitchen, because it comes from all latitudes around the world: borscht from Eastern Europe, Vietnamese pho, Italian minestrone, Moroccan harira, Japanese miso, American corn soup, not to mention the Balkan and Turkish Balat tripe soup cures hangovers.
Always a lover of soups with fish swimming in them, smoked fish too, today we invite you to take a trip to Cullen, a Scottish town located on the North Sea coast. There, fishermen traditionally prepare Cullen skink, a thick soup where smoked fish is mixed with potatoes. As explained very complete World tour (1), there are several variations of this recipe that can also be made with heavier cream.
Toasts
Six people will need 600 g of potatoes; 400 g of smoked haddock fillet or smoked haddock; 1 large onion; 1 liter of water; 60 ml of milk; 1 bouquet garni; ½ bunch of celeriac; salt and ground pepper.
Salt the fish for 40-50 minutes in a bowl of clean water. Peel and dice the potatoes. Peel and chop the onion. Place the fish fillets in a large saucepan filled with cold water, along with a bouquet garni and chopped onion. Bring to a boil, skim regularly, then cover and leave for fifteen minutes. Remove the fish and let it cool before removing the skin and bones. Coarsely chop and set aside. The water for cooking the fish is filtered and poured back into the pot with the potato cubes. Simmer for 20 to 25 minutes. Heat the milk. Drain the potatoes before mashing them with a fork or running them through a vegetable grinder. Mix the cooking water and boiling milk, then extend the puree. Not all the money will be used. Adjust the seasoning and add the chopped fish. Sprinkle with chopped chaburek before enjoying hot with slices of toasted bread.
(1) A world tour of soups, Christine Usher. Photographs by Francois Schemel. (Ed. Ouest-France, 2014, €11.90).