Xoc - Alex has alerted us to the fact that winter is the time of sherry just as it is the time of soup. A bottle of sherry to drink while you cook, and if you don't end up losing your fingers in the food processor while blending the soup (I'll just check that the blades are firmly atta- zzzzzzzzt!) then you'll be fine.
I love making soup, especially on Sunday nights. I generally use any ingredients I prefer that day out of the following groups:
Veg: onion, leek, celery, carrot, potato, parsnip, squash, etc.
Legume: dried lentils, barley, etc. or tinned beans like cannelini, kidney, etc.
Vege stock: just a couple of stock cubes and water
Flavourings: tomato paste, garlic, chili, paprika, Italian herbs, cumin, a dash of curry powder, all good.
Throw it all in a pot and simmer for an hour or two. Don't forget to drink the sherry while you wait.
I generally prefer nice stodgy soups with lots of lentils and veges, but here are a couple of slightly less boring ones from the Loomis catalogue:
Minestrone
Ingredients
1 onion, finely chopped
1 carrot finely chopped
1 stick celery, finely chopped
1 courgette, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 potato, finely chopped
Some small pasta shapes or broken vermicelli
1 tin red kidney beans, rinsed
2 tsp tomato paste
1 tin chopped tomatoes
1 vegetable stock cube
Hot water, about 1.5 - 2 litres
Olive oil
2 tsp paprika
3 tsp Italian herbs
Spinach (optional)
Directions
1. Fry onion, carrot, celery, courgette and garlic in a little olive oil for a few minutes.
2. Add remaining ingredients, except pasta and red kidney beans. Simmer with lid on for 20 minutes.
3. Add beans and pasta. Simmer with lid on for 20 mins.
4. Optional: I often chop some baby spinach leaves and put them in each bowl before pouring the soup on top and mixing through. It wilts and mixes in nicely, whereas if you cook it in the pot it turns to mush.
And let's not forget the perfect winter hangover cure:
Miso Soup
Ingredients
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 chilli, finely chopped
Olive oil
½ block tofu, cut into ½ inch cubes
5 spring onions, finely chopped
1 red pepper, finely chopped
Some broccoli florets, cut small
Handful of French beans, cut small
Some small pasta, or broken vermicelli
Splash of soy sauce
Hot water, enough to fill 2 bowls
2 tsp miso paste per bowl
Directions
1. Fry garlic, chilli, tofu and vegetables in a little olive for a few minutes.
2. Add remaining ingredients, except miso paste. Simmer until noodles are cooked, about 10 minutes.
3. Put the miso paste in each bowl and dissolve in a little hot water.
4. Serve soup into each bowl and mix in with the miso paste. |
So much more elegant.