To me there is nothing better than a one-pot meal in winter — and it's at its best if it's served as they do in some parts of Europe, at the table — straight from the pot.

I am particularly partial to this dish, even though I am never quite sure whether it's a soup, pasta dish, or a stew. All I do know is that Canja com Hortela, as it is called in Portugal, is a wonderfully rich combination of all three.

Besides being absolutely delicious, it's also easy to make and really inexpensive. And when it comes to a winter warmer this dish is right up there with a good homemade thick soup, a good stew or a spicy curry.

This dish is rich and complex enough, so you don't need any side dishes or trimmings other than chunks of fresh, crusty bread, some real butter and a bottle or two of wine of your choice.

Interestingly enough, in Portugal there are two schools — one says you must have white wine with this, the others say no, red wine does the job much better. I'll leave it up to you to decide.

For four portions you need:

  • 1 whole chicken

  • Zest of ½ lime or lemon

  • 1 cup fresh parsley, coarsely chopped

  • 1 large onion, peeled, coarsely chopped

  • 2 cloves

  • 3 carrots, sliced

  • 2 sticks of celery, coarsely chopped

    • (The above are all used in the initial cooking process)

  • 2 carrots, peeled and sliced into strips

  • 3 leeks sliced into rounds

  • 2 chorico sausages (from most supermarkets)

  • 2 tablespoons fresh mint, finely chopped

  • 1 packet tagliatelle pasta

    • Instructions:

    Cut the chicken in half and place in a large pot with the parsley, sliced carrots, celery, cloves, chopped onion and the lime zest and cover with water.

    Bring to the boil, add salt and black pepper and simmer for 70-80-minutes, or until chicken is tender.

    Remove the chicken and set aside to cool, then remove the meat from the carcass, discarding the skin and bones.

    Break or slice meat into pieces, but not too small.

    Strain the soup stock and place in a clean pot (there are two schools of thought: you can either discard the vegetables the chicken was cooked with, or rinse them and add them back to the stock).

    Add the leeks, carrot strips and cook over medium heat for 10 minutes. Add the Chorico sausage and cook for another five minutes and reduce heat to a simmer Add the chicken pieces to warm though.

    In another pot boil the pasta in salt water until done but still firm (al dente).

    Strain the pasta and add it to the soup.

    Test for seasoning and sprinkle with the chopped mint just before serving.

    Two optional extras: In some parts of Portugal they also add a dash of paprika and a clove or two, three of peeled, crush garlic to this soup. I use both — and it's superb!

    Wine recommendation:

    Mike of Wine Concepts recommends:

    Leopards Leap Shiraz 2006 — R45: A lovely dark fruit aromas with whiffs of campfire smoke follows onto a palate of spicy pepperiness.