MUSSELS SOUP

This is one of my favourite soups. And mussels are a good source of iron, so it is good to feed them to children.
You need:
- about 750 gr mussels (don't worry too much about the precise quality)
- 300 ml white wine ( I also do this some times with 'manzanilla', a light Spanish sherry, which is wonderful to cook with and goes really well with sea food and also with pork)
- an onion (chopped finely)
- one leek (chopped finely)
- a clove of garlic (grated)
- three tablespoons of olive oil
- 250 ml water.
- a pinch of saffron
- 150 ml double cream
- a pinch of parsley


Clean well the mussels (discard any that are open and do not close after tapping them before you cook them, and also any that remain closed after you cook them). While you are cleaning the mussels, fry the onions and leek in the olive oil over slow heat so that they get soft but not golden (15 to 20 minutes). If you worry that they might burn just add a tablespoon of water.

Put the mussels in a separate pan, add the white wine and let the muscles cook over high heat until they all open up. Take the mussels off their shells. Reserve the wine (it is a good idea to get it through a colander in case there was any sand in the mussels)

Go back to the pan with the onions. Add the mussels and parsley. Dissolve the saffron into the white wine. Add it all to the onions and mussels and add also also the water. Let it all bubble up for 5-8 minutes.

As you take it off the heat, add the cream and blitz it all with a hand held mixer.

Serve it immediately. I sometimes reserve some of the mussels, chop them and add them to the soup for texture. You can also serve this with a slice of grilled crusty bread and alioli. Or just serve it like that with bread - it is delicious so it does not need anything else.

NISCALOS WITH POTATOES

This is a very typical dish from my region: 'niscalos con patatas'. Niscalos are saffron milk mushrooms. They are delicious orange mushrooms that grow up in pine tree forests, especially amongst the 'pino albar' variety. The village close to mine, Pedrajas de San Esteban, produces most of the pine nuts for the country - or at least the non imported ones... - to the point that the whole area is called 'Land of Pineforests'  or 'Tierra de Pinares". During the months of late October and early November that is how we spend our afternoons; wondering in the 'pinares' picking up 'niscalos'.  If you get big ones you can just grill them ('a la plancha') with a touch of garlic. But if you get little ones the best way to eat them is with potatoes in a thick soup.

I bought the niscalos for this dish in the Fruteria Vazquez of Madrid as I was rushing to the airport from a meeting there. You can see the picture of the wonderful fruteria in our Instagram account (miriam-gonzalez-durantez). It is one of those traditional shops where (if it wasn't for the price) you could just buy it all in one go.

For this recipe you need:
- three tablespoons of olive oil
- half a green pepper (diced very thinly)
- a leek (chopped very thinly)
- 4 medium size potatoes (in bite-size chunks)
- a bay leaf
- a quarter of a teaspoon of parsley (chopped thinly)
- two cloves of garlic (chopped very thinly)
- 80 gr of ham  (serrano of a similar variety chopped into small cubes)
- niscalos (as many as you can get, but around 500 gr for 5 people)
- water (around 700 ml)
- half a glass of white wine

The most important thing is to clean the niscalos really well as any bit of sand will just ruin the dish (and your teeth!)

In a deep pan heat the oil. Add the garlic, leek and free pepper and wait for 3-4- minutes (over medium heat) until the vegetables get soft. Then add the niscalos (if they are big just cut them into bite size chunks). Wait for another 2-3- minutes and add the potatoes. Let it all fry for a further 2 minutes. Add the paprika, parsley and ham. Then the bay leaf and after 2 minutes add the water (it should just barely cover the niscalos). When the water is boiling (you should see the bubbles) add the wine. Let it all simmer for 20 minutes and serve. This dish is better the day after you have cooked it.

and these are the niscalos:

FISH SOUP WITH MAYONNAISE

This soup is divine. I had never cooked it before this summer, but it has become a regular at my home.  The recipe is from Concha in Malaga, who kindly shared it with me after the Daily Mail made a fuss about my Made in Spain book and my recipe for mayonnaise there  https://www.amazon.co.uk/Made-Spain-Recipes-stories-country/dp/147363900X ) I have actually received a recipe for a chocolate cake with mayonnaise as well - but I had not had the courage to test it yet!

Anyway, back to the soup, it is a really basic, almost humble, fish soup - the kind soup that fishermen would cook in Spanish fishing villages, with a really wholesome taste. You can make it with any white fish. We did it with monkfish, that works particularly well. But you can also try with hake, haddock or cod. My children love it.

You need:

- 2 large potatoes.
- 300 gr white fish (either monkfish or cod, hake, haddock…)
- 2 white fish bones (just ask the fishmonger for these - they will normally give them to you for free)
- a bay leaf
- an onion
- 300 gr prawns (this is optional but it gives a nice variety of textures to the soup)
- 1 egg (room temperature)
- 180 ml olive oil
- 2 tablespoons of lemon juice
- salt
- 1.5 l water

Boil the potatoes (peeled and cut in half), onion (cut in half), fish bones and bay leaf in the 1.5 l of water with salt for around 25 minutes. Seven or eight minutes before you are going to take this fish stock off the heat add the white fish. And after a couple of minutes add the prawns. As soon as the fish and prawns are cooked (it really is a matter of a few minutes only) take the stock off the heat. Take the potatoes, white fish and prawns out and reserve them (after cutting them in mouth bite chunks). Discard the onion and bay leaf, get rid of any foam at the top of the stock and pass it all through a sieve.

White the stock is boiling, make a mayonnaise with the egg and the olive oil. The easiest is to make this with a hand blender following our recipe for two minutes mayonnaise (i.e put the egg and olive oil in a tall beaker, put the hand blender into the beaker and blend for a minute without moving it at all, then move it up slowly). As soon as the mayo is ready add the lemon juice and a bit of salt.

Let the fish stock cool down a little. Then take half a glass of the fish stock and pour it over the mayo (in the beaker), mix it well with a balloon whisk. The pour this mixture over the fish stock and mix well again.  You can use as much or as little mayo as you wish - the more mayo, the ticker the soup. If you like a thiner soup (as we do) use only half of the mayo.

When you are going to serve the soup put some potato and fish chunks as well as a couple of prawns on each plate. Then pour the liquid on top.

This soup is best warm but not hot. The only rule to remember is that once you mix the mayo with the fish stock you should never-ever boil the soup. If you boil it, the mayo will split and you will end up with scrambled soup - not good!

 

VICHYSSOISE

I have been showing my kids the difference between condense milk (a sinful pleasure) and evaporated milk. What triggered their interest was the comments from a major somewhere in Indonesia that instant noodles and tinned milk was making children gay, as if that was a problem. At least we can conclude that there are majors who say seriously stupid things all over the world. This is one of the recipes that I often make with evaporated milk. You need:

- two courgettes (peeled and cut in thick slices)
- 2 leeks (chopped thinly)
- 25 gr butter
- one tin (410gr) of evaporated milk
- two measurements of the tin of water
- salt

Melt the butter in a pan. Add the leeks, cover them with a lead and wait for ten minutes (over low heat) until they become very soft. Then add the courgettes and wait for a further 8 minutes. Increase the heat, add the salt, milk and water and let it boil. As soon as you see bubbles, lower the heat and let it all simmer for 12-15 minutes. Blend the soup. If you want to eat it as a vichyssoise the let the soup cool down and serve it very cold. I also serve it warm some times and it tastes great.

AJO BLANCO

This is a very easy cold soup from the South of Spain. Very garlicky, but very good.

You need:
- 200 gr almonds (raw and without skin. If you can only find almonds with skin then put them in a bowl with boiling water for 4-5- minutes and you will be able to peel them easily)
- half a glass of (good) olive oil
- 2 glasses of water
- a clove of garlic ( if you are brave try with 1.5 cloves, but children may find it too strong)
- a teaspoon of salt
- 1.5 tablespoons of red wine vinegar
If you like the soup thick and do not mind the carbohydrates add a slice of stale bread (without the crust). And if you like it thinner just add more water.

Blend all the ingredients together. Let the soup cool down in the fridge for an hour of so.

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WATERCRESS SOUP

I love watercress and serve it so often when it is in season that my children have learned to love this soup as well.  We make it with courgettes, which is healthier than the traditional recipe with potatoes, but tastes just as good.

Though most watercress soups call for stock, please do not use any of it. Watercress has a fabulous distinctive yet subtle flavour - you want this soup to taste of watercress, not of chicken or anything else.

You need:

- one onion - chopped

- a clove of garlic (in slices)

- 2 courgettes (peeled and cut into thick slices)

- 2 tablespoons of olive oil

- 300 gr watercress (worth chopping it bit as otherwise watercress has the obnoxious habit of wrapping around the blender blades)

-1.3 l boiling water

- salt

- a tablespoon of creme fraiche

Put the oil in a pan, add the onion and garlic and let it fry for 8 minutes (medium heat). Add the courgette and salt and wait for another 8 minutes. Add the boiling water and simmer for 10 minutes, add the watercress and let it simmer for a further 4 minutes. Take it off the heat, add the creme fraiche and blend. 

This soup should not be too thick. It is impossible to predict the quantities as it depends on how big your courgettes are - if you see the soup is too thick just add a bit more water.

CAULIFLOWER SOUP

This is one of my favourite soups for winter. Very easy to make. Good for lunch and also a nice starter for dinner parties. You need:
- one cauliflower (around 1-1.2 kg)
- 1.5 onions ( diced)
-750 ml water
- 700 ml milk (we always use semi-skimmed but you can use any other kind)
- salt
- 100 gr of serrano or parma ham (cut it into thin short stripes) - needless to say that this is better if the ham is iberico...
- 50 gr of hazelnuts (chopped)
- olive oil (4 tablespoons)

Preheat the oven at 200 degrees. Clean the cauliflower, cut it into florets, mix it well with 2.5 tablespoons of olive oil and salt and put it into a roasting tin (it has become fashionable to coat vegetables in oil by putting them into a plastic sealable bag - but coating them with your hands takes no time at all, so why bother with the bag?). Roast the cauliflower for 20-25 minutes until the edges are brown.  When this is done fry the onion in the remaining olive oil for 8-9 minutes, add the roasted cauliflower and wait for a couple of minutes. Then add the water and milk, a bit more salt and let it all simmer ( without boiling)  for 10 minutes. If it boils you may get some curds, but do not worry because the taste will be still great. Blend it all with a hand held blender (we like this soup rather thick but if you prefer it thin then add a bit more water with milk).

Before you are going to serve the soup heat the ham on a frying pan (do not add any oil) for a minute or so. Then put the hazelnuts on the pan until they get golden (one minute to a minute and a half). Sprinkle the ham and hazelnuts over the soup before you serve it and add a drizzle of olive oil if you wish (not needed for taste, but it looks prettier) .

Children can help easily with it all. Mine like this for lunch, except for the hazelnuts - but regardless of my children's taste, hazelnuts, ham and cauliflower are a superb combination.

TIGER's MILK

It you have tried the ceviche you should definitely try this recipe. It has a real kick and it is claimed that it makes you become a tiger (I'll leave it at that). Particularly recommended for any non-tiger mums who have recently been put in the spotlight.  It is the revival of the  'Blame the Mum' club (from non tiger mums to muslim mum). My children  - and, regardless of the type of mum you are, I bet you that also yours…- have been members of that club pretty much since they were born!

You need:
- 150 ml of the leftover liquid of ceviche
- 150 ml fish stock (you do this just by boiling fish bones and an onion for 30 minutes - just ask a fishmonger to give you a few bones. it is best if you do it with flat white fish. After 30 minutes get rid of the bones and sift through  colander)
- the juice of an orange
- 6 leaves of celery (the leaves, not the stalk)
- 200 gr red onion
- a spring onion
- the juice of a lime
- a teaspoon of coriander leaves
- a red chill
- 6 raw prawns (much better if shelled) - you can also substitute the prawns for 120 g of white fish.
- sea salt

Boil the prawns (2-3- minutes in hot salty water). Take the shells off and mix the prawns, heads (squeezing them a bit) and shells with the orange and lime juice and a pinch of sea salt. Let them rest for 5 minutes in the fridge.  Take the heads and shells off. Put the juice, prawns, ceviche liquid, fish stock, celery leaves, onion, spring onion, coriander leaves and chilli in a blender and blend until smooth. Put back into the fridge until you serve it (it only lasts for a few hours). If you find it is too strong then add a few ice cubes.

You can serve it as a cold soup in bowls. Or in glasses as an aperitif (in which case it is good to shift it through sieve so that the liquid is smooth).

BUTTERNUT SQUASH AND SWEET POTATO SOUP

This is a Thai flavoured soup. You need:
- 350 gr butternut squash and sweet potatoes (diced - some supermarkets sell this already diced)
- 1 onion (diced)
- half a teaspoon grated garlic
- a teaspoon grated ginger
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- juice of half a lime
- salt
- 1 tin of coconut milk
- water
- coriander

Heat the oil, add the garlic and ginger and let it fry for a minute. Then add the onion (medium heat) and wait for 3-4 minutes until it gets soft. Add the butternut squash and sweet potatoes and let it fry for 3 minutes. Add the salt and then the coconut milk. Fill in the tin with water and add it to the pan. Let it all simmer for 15-17 minutes until it gets soft. Blend it all with a hand-held blender. Add the lime juice and the coriander just before you are going to serve it.

My children prefer this without the ginger.

CHICKPEAS WITH TOMATO

This is a really good dish for a really cold day. You need:

- 100 g of chorizo (cubed)
- 60 g of serrano ham or bacon (cubed) - this is better with ham
- a tin of chickpeas (400 gr)  - you can also boil the chickpeas yourself, but this naturally adds time.
- a glass of water
- an onion (sliced thinly)
- a garlic clove (minced)
- half a glass of tomato sauce (see our recipe - you can also do this with chopped tomatoes from a tin)
- a teaspoon of parsley (chopped thinly)
- 5 piquillo peppers (cut them in thin stripes)

Heat the chorizo and ham/bacon in a pan under low heat (do not add any oil as they will release a lot of fat - if you are on a January diet then get rid of a bit of the fat they release with a spoon). After three minutes add the onion and let it fry gently for 5-6 minutes until it gets golden. Then add the tomato and minced garlic (if you are using tinned tomatoes let it bubble for 5 minutes, but if you are using sauce there is no need to wait). Add the chickpeas (do not add the brine - I actually wash the chickpeas to get rid of the brine salt, but you may not feel this is necessary). Then add the water and peppers and let it all simmer for 15-20 minutes so that you send end up with a gooey stew. Since the bacon and chorizo are salty I do not think this needs any salt, but if you wish then add some. Sprinkle with the parsley just as you are going to serve it.

You can prepare the day before you are going to eat it. Children find it very easy to help with this dish, as indeed it is a simple dish.

PUMPKIN SOUP

This is the first time the picture has been made by my youngest son. In fairness, the overall result is so-so as he managed so kick the plate a few times with the camera and smudge the cream (boys!)  but he was rightly most proud that you could see the detail in the pumpkin seeds.

You need:
-500 kg pumpkin ( you can also do this with butternut squash)
- half a red pepper (diced)
- 2 tablespoons of oil
- 3 onions (sliced thinly)
- a pinch of nutmeg
- 600 ml water
- a tablespoon of balsamic vinegar
- 2 handfuls of pumpkin seeds
- 2 tablespoons of single cream

Heat the oil in a pan, add the onion and fry over low heat for 5 minutes, then add the pumpkin (diced) and the red pepper and fry it all for 10 minutes under medium heat. Add the water, nutmeg, and salt and let it it simmer for 20 minutes. Add a tablespoon of balsamic vinegar and lt it simmer for a further 4 minutes. Blend with a hand blender. As you are going to serve it add the two tablespoons of cream. Toast the pumpkin seeds by frying them for 2-3 minutes in a pan over medium heat (watch carefully as they burn easily) and scatter them over the soup just as you are going to serve it.

I like this soup very thick, but if you are serving it to children then use 800 ml of water as they seem to prefer it when it is a bit more liquid.

PORRUSALDA

This is a very simple (and very cheap) Basque recipe. This is its vegetarian version, though it is even better is you add salt cod to it (not easy to get it in the UK)

You need:
- 5 leeks (in thick slices)
- three potatoes (in medium size chunks)
- 3 carrots (in thick slices)
- half an onion (chopped thinly)
- 750 l water
- a pinch of sweet paprika
- olive oil (2 tablespoons)
- salt

Heat the olive oil in a pan. Fry the onion (low heat)  for 5 minutes until it is translucent. Then increase the heat to medium and add the leeks. Fry for another 7 minutes. Add the carrots and potatoes and continue frying it all for 8 more minutes. Add the salt, paprika and then the water and let it all simmer for 25 minutes (do not stir it or you will break the potatoes).

Do not be tempted to add stock as the whole point of this is that you taste the leeks. This is actually something good for the children to learn: a tomato soup should taste of tomatoes, a leek soup of leeks, a potato soup of potatoes, not of chicken or any other vegetables…the current obsession to add stock to everything and make it 'packed full of flavours' is fine for a special meal at a restaurant but absurd at home. Keep the flavours clean and they'll learn to recognise what they eat.

ONION SOUP

Another French classic that children love in the winter. You need:

- 500 gr onion (sliced thinly)
- a table spoon of olive oil
- 50 gr of butter
- a pinch of thyme leaves (we used dry thyme)
- a bay leaf
- a glass of white wine
- two teaspoons of sugar
- a tablespoon of flour
- bread (sourdough or baguette): one slice per person
- grated cheese (around 250 gr)
-water (around 750 ml)
-salt

Heat the butter and olive oil in a frying pan and fry the onions over medium to high heat for 5 to 7 minutes. You really should use a frying pan for this, as if you try to do this in a soup pan the onions will not fry properly ( they will produce moist and therefore they will 'boil' instead of fry)The trick is to get the onions golden-brown (keep watching the onions while they fry as it is really easy to burn them). Then add  the sugar and flour and mix well. Add the white whine and wait for 2-3- minutes until it starts to evaporate. Transfer it all to a soup pan, cover with water, add the thyme, bay leaf and salt and let it all boil over low heat for 40 minutes.

Before serving the soup, toast the bread. Put the soup in the bowls, add the bread on top and then sprinkle generously with the grated cheese. Put the bowls under the grill  and wait until the cheese gets golden (3-4 minutes, depending on the strength of your grill) Serve immediately.

It is a bit difficult to get the children to help much on this as slicing onions is no fun (supermarkets now sell sliced onions  though). Also, be careful if they help you to put the bowls under the grill (in fact, put the bowls on a tray or you will burn yourself).

MUSHROOM SOUP

Since my children finally approve of mushrooms we have revived an old recipe for mushroom soup. You can do this with any sort of mushrooms really. We did it with porcini, which makes the flavour more intense, simply because we had friends for lunch and wanted to make something a bit more special, but it tastes very nice too with fresh mushrooms only (we used chestnut mushrooms but white cup mushrooms work well too). You need:
- 500 gr mushrooms (sliced)
- 30 gr porcini
- water (for the porcini) - 2 glasses
- 2 onions (diced)
- 1 clove of garlic (sliced)
- olive oil ( 3 table spoons)
- a knob of butter
- a sprinkle of chopped parsley
- 1 bay leaf
- 750 ml stock (or water if you do not have any stock)
- 3 tablespoons of creme fraiche
- salt

Heat the oil and butter in a deep pan. Pour two glasses of boiling water over the dried porcini and let them rest until they become soft)  Add the onions and garlic and let it cook over slow heat until they become soft and translucent. Add the sliced mushrooms, then the porcini (without the water)  and the parsley and let it all cook for 10-15 minutes. Add salt, the bay leaf and the stock and let it all boil for 20-25 minutes. Add the creme fraiche and mix with a hand held blender. We fried slices of mushrooms and served the soup with them on top.

SPINACH SOUP

Yes I know, we have a bit of a 'soup thing' lately, but after getting soaked watching/playing rugby, a soup is nice.

You need:
- 2 onions (diced)
- a garlic clove (sliced thinly)
- 350 gr spinach
- a little bit of lemon juice
- 600 ml boiling water
- olive oil
- salt
- creme fraiche: a generous tablespoon and more to serve it  (if you like it - you can also serve it with parmesan cheese on top, or fry some lemon zest in olive oil and add a few drops)

Heat the oil and fry the onions and garlic over low heat until they become translucent. The add the spinach and lemon juice. After 5 minutes add the boiling water, creme fraiche and salt. Let it boil for 5 minutes and blend it.

 

TOMATO SOUP

Another favourite with my children. You need:
- 1 kg tomatos
- 1 l water (you can use stock of course, but stock over-complicates home cooking and it also masks the vegetables flavour)
- two onions
- olive oil: three table spoons
- one teaspoon of balsamic vinegar
- salt

Preheat the oven at 200 degrees. Cut the tomatoes in quarters and the onions in eights. Put them on a roasting tin and add the salt, oil and balsamic vinegar. Roast for 45 minutes until the edges get dark. Boil the water and add it to the roasting tin  - scrap the burned bits with a wooden spoon (as you would do to prepare gravy). Put it all in a pan and blitz it with a hand held blender (or in a food processor). You can add more water if you find it too thick.

If the result is too acidic (it really depends on the quality of the tomatoes) you can add a quarter of a teaspoon of sugar.

You can serve it with parmesan shavings, with croutons, you can also blitz a few leaves of basilic with olive oil and pour a few drops on top.... we like it on its own.

CUCUMBER SOUP

You need:

- 2 cucumbers
- 1 clove of garlic
- salt
- 3 tablespoons of olive oil
- 300 ml of yogurt
- one and a half handfuls of pine nuts or walnuts
- one glass of water
- dill


Reserve a quarter of one of the cucumbers and cut it into small cubes. Put all the other ingredients except the dill into a bowl and blitz them (with a hand held blender - you can also do this in a food processor). This tastes better when it is cold, so leave the soup in a fridge for an hour or so. When you are going to serve it, sprinkle the diced cucumbers and dill on top.

COURGETTES SOUP

This is not only very easy to make but also a good 'skinny dish' - and children like it too.
You need:
- 5 courgettes (cut into not too small chunks. We peel them only because the children prefer this not to be 'too green' but if you do not mind the colour then leave some or all of the skin in)
- 2 leaks, cut into not too thin slices
- a table spoon of oil
- 500 ml of boiling water (you can alter the amount of water depending on how thick you like this soup to be)
- salt

Heat the oil in a deep pan (under high heat). Add the leaks and fry for 5 minutes, then add the courgettes and the salt and fry for another five minutes. Then add the water, reduce the heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Finally blend the soup with a hand held blender (or in a food processor). Serve on its own or with parmesan cheese.

BUTTERNUT SQUASH AND COCONUT SOUP

The children liked this soup. They hated the coriander though (both its flavour and its greenness). As you can see in the picture I probably over-did it with the coriander anyway.

You need:
- 300 gr butternut squash (cubed)
- one can of coconut milk
- 1 teaspoon red that curry paste
- half a clove of garlic (grated)
- half a teaspoon of grated ginger
- 2 tablespoon sunflower oil
- salt
- one tablespoon fish sauce
- 3 spring onions (cut into thick slices)
- juice of one lime
Optional for garnish: a few cooked prawns cut into chunks.
Very optional: coriander leaves (chopped)

Heat the oil. Over low heat fry the grated ginger for a few seconds, then add the grated garlic. Add the red curry paste and after a few seconds add the spring onions. After a minute or so add the butternut squash and the fish sauce. Let it fry for a couple of minutes and add the coconut milk and the salt. Let it boil and then simmer for 10 to 15 minutes. Add the lime juice and the prawns and coriander leaves if using them.
If you like textures in the soup you may want to add a few boiled chickpeas too.

'BOLITAS' SOUP

This soup is heaven. The smell when you are cooking it will make anybody go hungry. We call it 'bolitas' soup because in Spain it is normally prepared with pasta shaped as tiny balls, a bit like cous-cous. It is my children's favourite soup. We cannot find the little balls in the shops o we do it with pasta shaped like 'little stars' which is great too.

You need:
- the left overs from a roast chicken (or a chicken thigh and leg)
- 200 gr 'serrano' ham (it is not worth spending a lot on this so just ask for any left overs of a ham in the supermarket  - the bone is actually very good for this)
- one onion
- one leak
- one carrot
- 6 green beans (you can miss this if you wish)
- one bay leave
- one handful of chickpeas
- one quarter of a pepper ( preferably green, but red is fine too)
- a little bit of parsley (half a teaspoon)
- salt
- water (1.5 l)
- pasta shaped like starts.

Put all the ingredients but the pasta into a pan with the water. Bring it all to the boil and then lower the heat to its lowest setting and let it all simmer for 2 hours (if you do this with a pressure cooker one hour will be enough).

Get the soup though a colander and dismiss all the solid bits (if you have used proper chicken rather than left overs you can use it in a chicken salad) This liquid keeps for a week or so in the fridge.

Whenever you want to use it, bring the liquid back to the boil (if you find the taste too strong you can solute it with water), add the pasta (a handful for two persons) and let it boil for 8-10 minutes until the pasta is soft.