Day 9 Winter Warmer

Every year a friend of mine gives me a pumpkin and I have to turn it into soup which we share.  Not quite sure who gets the best deal!!! She gave me the pumpkin last week and I just left it in the bag until I was ready to use it. So, yesterday, I thought I'd better make the soup as I was going swimming with my friend and she could easily take her half home. Imagine my surprise when I took the pumpkin out of the bag it wasn't her usual home grown variety but shop bought from Morrisons. When I tackled her about it she promised to do better next year and go back to growing!!

I combined two recipe's (made up my own really LOL) and the soup turned out fine, my friend went home, happy, with her jug full. I've just had a bowl for lunch and although I shouldn't say it, it tasted good and it was warming on a chilly day. My friend wouldn't dare to contradict this in case I decided not to make it next year!!!!

Just in case you are wondering why we started this tradition. When we went on a trip to New England, we had pumpkin soup when we were in Boston and we enjoyed it so much we decided to make it when we got home.

I have previously posted both recipes 2006
2007

Minestrone Soup

On my recent Dublin trip, Beccy made a lovely Minestrone Soup. I decided to give it a try myself and this is the result.


Recipe:

Parsnip*
2-3 pints stock
2-3 sticks celery(sliced)*
2 medium carrots(diced)*
1 large onion (sliced)*
2-3 tablespoons oil
2 leeks sliced
2 Rashers fat bacon (cut into small pieces) or lardons* (I used lardons)
1-2 cloves garlic (crushed)*
1/4 of small cabbage (shredded)
1 small can tomatoes OR 2 rounded dessert spoonfuls Tomato Puree(I used the puree)
Bouquet garni
Salt & Pepper

Parmesan Cheese (grated garnish)

Method:

Fry veg and bacon (indicated by*) gently for 5 mins.

Pour stock into the pan and bring to the boil

Add leeks, tomato puree, seasoning, and Bouquet garni and simmer 30 mins.

Add shredded cabbage (I also added some broken up wholemeal spaghetti)

Continue cooking gently tell all veg is cooked and you have a good flavour.

Top with grated Parmesan before serving.

Serve with crusty bread to make a filling tasty meal.

I actually fried the lardons separately because I forgot to add them to the veg when I was frying. This meant I was able to drain off the fat; not sure if this altered the flavour of the soup! It is a very substantial soup and I think it is going to be one I make regularly from now on. I wonder if Embee will like it!

Archives:
2008: Beach Bums

Le Creuset

For a long time now I have been wanting a large Le Creuset pan. Everytime I go to the shops I linger longingly, looking at various colours and then I look at the price and move on. To be fair EmBee has offered to but me one but I don't quite feel that I can justify the cost because the real reason I want it is for making No Knead Bread. You may remember this bread was all the rage this time last year. I kept seeing pictures of this delicous looking bread popping up on lots of the blogs I read. Having tasted Beccy's and seen the photos of Sam's I wanted to get in on the act. Time has passed and when I happened to mention to Sam that I still wished I had a Le Creuset I couldn't believe my ears when she said "I've got two stored in your loft". Whaaaat ..... all this time I could have borrowed one of these pans and I didn't even remember there was one in the house!!

Just for those who don't know the history....
When Sam moved to the states we packed up most of the content of her London flat into boxes and brought it down here and stored it in our loft and in bedrooms. I'm not sure but there must be twenty plus boxes full of Sam's memories. This is after all the things we shipped out to her.


Sam and Fred went up into the loft and found the Le Creuset pans and a few of other things she wanted to take back with her (together with her new wardrobe this was enough for an extra bag). BUT she decided that I could have the large Le Creuset pan and she would have the small one. It's not my favourite colour as it's green but I'm not complaining and you are now wondering if I've made the bread yet!

The answer is no but I have used it, first to make chicken stock which then became a tasty chicken vegetable soup and here are the photos to prove it.
I will be making the bread in the near future and when I do I'll be sure to let you know how I get on

Archives:
October 5th 2006: Animal Farm