SOUP ~ FROM WHAT YOU HAVE TO HAND

Good Morning to you,

.... and where was I on Thursday?

Actually, I have to tell you, I was having lots of fun celebrating Gloria, my sister-in-law's, 60th birthday.

I say I, when I should really say, the whole family were celebrating Gloria's birthday.

When I visited Gloria on Thursday morning, she was surrounded by gifts and flowers and so many birthday cards, that it would have been impossible to count them all.... and if memory serves me well, I don't think she had one repeat card. The mantelpiece and window sills were covered in a mixture of small, medium and large sized birthday cards.... they looked so lovely.

.... and in front of the fire place floated two huge balloons, in the shape of 60.  The floating balloons were huge and when Gloria stood beside them, they towered over her.

After we hugged and I gave her our birthday gift and card, she showed me the many lovely gifts she had received from friends and family. We then decided to take a walk around her garden.  I was especially keen to see Gloria's new vegetable plot which had been planted in raised beds at the bottom of her garden.  She showed me the huge variety of vegetables she was growing and I was excited to see she had one of my favourites, beetroot pushing its way through the soil.  Gloria knows I love freshly roasted beetroot and promised to share some with me when they were ready to be harvested. I definitely had a twinkle in my eye when she offered me beetroot as even beetroot bought from the market does not compare with freshly harvested beetroot from the garden.

We then walked around her flower garden and I had a lovely time. Before I left to return home, Gloria gifted me with 3 lettuces, which were pulled from the soil that very morning.

We said our goodbyes and I said I was looking forward to celebrating her birthday later that day when the family were meeting up, at a fabulous Turkish restaurant, which we all love.

The restaurant was perfect because it was so family friendly.  Our family group ranged from 9 years to 90 years and every age in between. There was something delicious for everyone.  I have to tell you the starter of filo pastry with soft cheese and spinach was fabulous.

By the end of the meal I was so full, that I thought I would not be able to eat anything the following day. I'll tell you how full I was, I refused dessert.  Yes honestly, now you know about me and my sweet tooth, I love desserts, but even I could not face another mouthful.

Now notice I wrote 'I thought I would not be able to eat anything the following day'. Well I was wrong, because I woke up the following morning and I was so hungry. I don't know about you, but I find if I eat a meal late in the evening, for some reason, the following day, I feel ravenous.  Which seems silly, because you would think that as I was full to the brim the previous evening, my tummy would be saying 'please no more food'.

So I decided I would not indulge this supposed hunger, no, I would be sensible and make some soup. Actually, it turned out to be a good idea, because as it was the end of the week,  I needed to check my fridge to see what 'bits and pieces' were left and what I needed to use up.

I often make soup with left overs, as it is a great way to use up food.

.... and my leftovers turned into,

should I call it carrot soup, or should I call it carrot, tomato and rice soup? I don't think so as this soup was made up of food I had to hand, some fresh and some which I had frozen as left overs, I decided, 'Soup ~ From What You Have To Hand' would be a good title.... after all that is what the soup is made up of.

Now the problem with sharing this soup is that technically, nothing is weighed, as I have used leftovers.  So I have given you a rough guide to the amounts I used.

INGREDIENTS 

YOU WILL NEED

TO MAKE 

SOUP ~ FROM WHAT YOU HAVE TO HAND

6 tomatoes (mine were frozen)

1 large mugful of frozen rice

3 medium sized carrots

1/2 onion

1 tablespoon of olive oil

1 litre of chicken stock

sea salt to taste

HOW 

TO MAKE

SOUP ~ FROM WHAT YOU HAVE TO HAND

Boil a kettle of water.

Place the frozen tomatoes into a Pyrex jug or bowl

and

pour over the boiling water.

(You will see my jug wasn't large enough for 6 tomatoes, so I removed the skins of 4 and then the other 2)

After a few minutes you will see the skins begin to release themselves from the tomato flesh.

Using a slotted spoon, remove a tomato from the water and peel away the tomato skin. Yes it really is that easy.  The tomato will remain frozen, but it will thaw during the cooking process.

Continue until all the tomato skins have been removed.

Peel and chop the carrots.

Peel and chop the onion.

Place 1 tablespoon of olive oil into a medium sized

pan and add the chopped onion.

Cook until translucent.

Add the chopped carrots,

the frozen rice,

and the tomatoes.

Pour the chicken stock into the pan.  

Bring to the boil and simmer for 30 minutes.

When cooked, allow the soup to stand for 10 minutes.

Using a hand held blender, blitz the soup

until it is smooth.

Taste for seasoning and add salt.

Then all there is left to do,

is pour the soup into a dish

and

Enjoy.

In case you are wondering why I used only half an onion. Well, that is what I had left after making a quiche and I needed to use it up.

The rice was frozen as it was not eaten after I made a chilli at the weekend.  What I would say is, if you are nervous about reheating frozen rice, then add half a large mug of uncooked rice as it will cook whilst the soup is simmering. When blitzed, the starch from the rice helps to thicken the soup.

The frozen tomatoes were some which I knew we wouldn't be using, so I just popped them whole, into a freezer bag and placed them into the freezer, for such a time, when I would use them.

If you find your soup has not thickened enough, just return the pan to the heat and simmer gently, without the lid, until you have the consistency you enjoy.

With a little thought, nothing should be wasted.  I know it isn't always easy, but I see food in my fridge and freezer as money.  It has been spent.... and I would never throw money away.

.... and as Ivy and Phyllis would say, 'Waste not Want not'.

Oh before I leave you, I know some of my friends are experiencing a heatwave, especially in Greece, Cyprus, Italy and Spain and soup would be the last thing on your mind.... but here in Newcastle, it is unseasonally cold, so actually for us, soup is the perfect lunch.

Take care and I will see you next week.

As Always,

APPLE, LENTIL AND BACON SOUP

Good Morning to you,

Recently, I have heard it said, that people are running to the hills, waving their arms in the air, because there are very few, Cos lettuces, left on our supermarket shelves.

.... actually, I'm only joking about 'people running to the hills'.

Although, there are some folk who are really upset by the lack of Cos lettuce available to us this winter.

I have to say, I was surprised to learn, that as a result of this, a certain supermarket had decided to limit  the amount of lettuce people could buy. Do you know, I really don't remember this happening before.

There has always been a plentiful supply of lettuce, as each year we import them from Spain, but during last year's growing season,  Spain experienced some very unseasonal weather.... it seems they had far too much rain, which has ruined this year's crop of lettuce. So rather than being plentiful, this winter, there is a scarcity of Cos lettuce. 

I had noticed when I returned from Chicago, that Cos lettuce had rocketed in price.  What had previously cost 56p was now costing £1.57p. I did not know the reason at the time, but as a canny shopper, I decided I was not going to buy lettuce, at the newly inflated price. I would much prefer to keep the money in my purse.

The way I see it is, salad produce, during the winter time, is a luxury and not a necessity.  Yes it's nice to enjoy a salad during the winter, but if salad produce is not available, then I will eat something else.

It seems we have become so used to eating what we want, when we want. That when produce is not available, people get very upset.

I decided to speak to Phyllis, my mother, about the problem to see what her reaction was.

She said, she really didn't know what all the fuss was about, because when she was a young married wife, lettuce wasn't available to buy during the winter months, so she never thought she was missing out. Phyllis also said, she felt we should revert to seasonal eating, which I have to say, I totally agree with, as eating fruits and vegetables which are in season, is much more of a pleasure, because they have not travelled far. She also added, that it was cheaper on the purse to buy seasonal food, because seasonal foods tended to be cheaper.

Phyllis carried on to say, that she remembered as a child, picking walnuts, apples and plums, with her brothers and sisters, from the trees in the family garden. She said that they were always so excited, to experience that first juicy bite, of the new seasonal fruit.

.... and isn't that what seasonal eating is all about. The anticipation of fruits and vegetables coming into season. When we lived in Cyprus, the fruits and vegetables were always full of flavour, because we ate seasonally. We knew in late October, early November, the fig tree would be ready to yield its fruit and I was always beyond excited to eat that first fig.

I admit, I have become a little lax since I returned to England.  I do buy a lot of seasonal food, but I also buy unseasonal foods such as mangoes and avocado which have travelled for miles, only to find, when eaten, I am disappointed with the flavour. When we ate mangoes in India, oh my goodness, the flavour was out of this world, I really enjoyed each bite, but invariably, I find, only 1 out of 5 mangoes, which I buy here in England, will taste anything like the mangoes I ate in India.

So I thought I would ask Phyllis if she had any idea as to what was in season at the moment, as I was curious to see if she could remember.  I really shouldn't have doubted her, because she named the following,

Parsnips, Swede, Brussels Sprouts, Carrots, Savoy Cabbage, White Cabbage, Cauliflower, Leeks, Onions, Potatoes and Turnips.

She said she always buys the fruits and vegetables which are in season.  Yes, she does buy salad in the winter, but that is because it is available and a good price.

Maybe, like Phyllis, it is time we did the same and returned to seasonal eating.

What do you think?

.... and there is nothing more seasonal, when it is cold, than,

a nice bowl of warming soup, such as this Apple, Lentil and Bacon Soup.

I had a few odds and ends which I needed to use up so I decided, as I often do, with odds an ends, to turn them into a soup.

So it's on with the pinnie and the music I am listening to is,

a track from the Mike Wheeler Band album, Turn Up.  

A Blind Man Can See

Do you remember I mentioned last week that we had been to The House of Blues in Chicago, to watch the Mike Wheeler Band and how marvellous they were.

If you enjoy listening to blues music, then there are many Utube clips of the Mike Wheeler Band for you to enjoy.

.... and Edith, this is especially for you, because I know how much you love Blues Music.

INGREDIENTS

YOU WILL NEED

TO MAKE

APPLE, LENTIL AND BACON SOUP

Serves 4

150g red split lentils

1 large tart, eating apple such as a Granny Smith

2 slices of bacon

2 tablespoons of olive oil

1 large onion

3 large carrots

1 litre of chicken stock

1 bay leaf

Freshly ground black pepper

HOW TO 

MAKE

APPLE, LENTIL AND BACON SOUP

~ Finely chop the onion.

~ Place the olive oil into a medium sized saucepan.

~ Add the chopped onions.

~ Cook until translucent.

~ Whilst the onions are cooking, peel and chop

    the carrots into chunks. 

    (Don't worry if the chunks are not uniform

     in size as we will blitz

 the soup when it has cooked.)

~ Peel and core the apple and cut into chunks. 

~  When the onions are translucent, add the

~  carrots

~  apple

~  lentils

~  chicken stock

and

~ the bay leaf.

~  Half cover the saucepan with a lid,

 and bring to the boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 40-45 minutes, or until the carrots, apples and the lentils are cooked.

~  10 minutes before the end of the cooking time, place the bacon under a grill and cook until the bacon is crispy.  

~   Cut into pieces. I use scissors for this as I find it makes the job a lot easier.

~   When the soup has cooked, remove the bay leaf.

~   Using a hand held blitzer, carefully blitz the soup whilst it is still in the saucepan.  Be very careful when doing this, as the soup will be extremely hot.

~  Ladle the soup into a bowl and add a sprinkle of freshly ground black pepper.

~  Add the previously cut strips of bacon

and

Enjoy.

Soups are a wonderful, money saving meal and they are so healthy.

You will have noticed that I did not add any salt.  The reason for this was, the bacon contains salt and also I had used 2 stock cubes, which already contain salt, so no extra salt was needed.

I would recommend that you do a taste test, as you might find you prefer extra salt.

Also, just as an added thought, if you find the soup is becoming too thick, whilst it is simmering, then please don't worry, just add some water to thin the soup a little.

Now, I feel sure you are wondering who Edith is, well let me tell you. Edith writes the blog,

Iris Under My Tree

Pop over and say hello, as I feel sure she would love to meet you.

Take care and I will catch up with you next Thursday.

This week I will be joining,

Mary From The Boondocks for Inspiration Friday

and

Linda from Life and Linda for Dishing It & Digging It Link Party

As Always,  

PARSNIP SOUP WITH A TOUCH OF CURRY

Good Morning to you,

On Monday morning I went about my usual routine.

I opened the shutters, put the kettle on, then switched on the radio, to hear a David Bowie record playing, then another and then another.... which I thought was very strange.

When the final record finished playing, the radio broadcaster went on to say, what an utter shock it was, that the music icon, David Bowie, had passed away, at the age of 69 years.

I was shocked as well and I felt very sad, but I'm not sure why, after all, I never knew David, he was not someone who was close to me, so why the sadness. 

On reflection, I think it was because I have enjoyed his music on and off throughout the years.  He was unique. He was not afraid to change, to re-invent himself, as he did so many times. 

In the early '70s, when he became Ziggy Stardust, fans, both male and female, used to go to his concerts dressed up as Ziggy.  The hair, the makeup and the clothes were so distinctive. If you saw someone with a lightening bolt painted on their face, you knew that he was a fan of David's. I think his style showed people that it was alright to be individual, it was ok to be different, that we don't all have to be the same. It's fine to be just who you are.

When David gave his final performance as Ziggy Stardust, I remember fans were heartbroken.  Here was a man who was riding high with his alter ego, but he wasn't afraid to let him go.

I remember Phyllis saying when her music idols passed away, how sad she was, and being young I never really understood, but I do now.  

I thank, with all my heart, the incredibly talented singers and musicians, who on a daily basis, enrich our lives with their wonderful music and lyrics.

.... and whether you are a David Bowie fan or not, there is sadness, knowing someone has passed, who, touched so many lives and brightened so many days.

So 'Let's Dance' while we make,

Parsnip soup with a touch of curry. The curry powder adds a little zing and along with turmeric, lifts this soup from being a little pale and uninteresting, to more colourful and interesting.... a little like Ziggy Stardust.

So it's on with the pinnie, and quite honestly, there is only one man's music I can play today and of course that is,

David Bowie.  I downloaded Let's Dance today, so along with the other 29,317,954 people 'Let's Dance' even if it is only for the duration of this song.

So while I dance my own personal dance, I will gather my ingredients.

INGREDIENTS

YOU WILL

NEED

TO MAKE

PARSNIP SOUP

 WITH A TOUCH OF CURRY

Serves 6

750g  parsnips

2 large leeks

2 medium sized potatoes

1 level teaspoon of turmeric

1 level tablespoon of curry powder

2 tablespoons of olive oil

1 litre of chicken stock

sea salt

black pepper

HOW 

TO MAKE

PARSNIP SOUP 

WITH A TOUCH OF CURRY

Slice the leeks,

wash

and drain.

Pour

the olive oil into a medium sized saucepan

and 

add the sliced leeks.

Make sure the leeks are dried

otherwise they will spit and spatter.

Using a low heat

cook until soft.

Whilst the leeks are cooking,

peel and cube 

the potatoes

and set aside for the moment.

Peel and cube

the parsnips

and again 

set aside for the moment.

When the leeks have softened,

add the

curry powder

and

the

turmeric

and stir for a minute.

Be careful with the turmeric

because it will stain.

When you can smell the spices,

add

the

cubed parsnips

and the

cubed potatoes

and stir until everything is coated.

Add 

the chicken stock

and 

stir the ingredients together.

Bring to the boil

and then

place a lid on the pan

and simmer

for

30 minutes

or until the vegetables are soft.

Using a handheld blender,

blitz the soup until it becomes smooth.

Season with

sea salt

and freshly ground black pepper.

Ladle into your favourite soup bowl,

(the following is optional)

add a tablespoon or so of cream

and some

little croutons

and 

just

enjoy.

Now when you blitz the soup, you will find it might be a little too thick, don't worry, there are a couple of options. You can thin the soup with a little more stock, or, you can add milk or cream.  On the occasions where I have added milk, I found that it gave a creamier flavour.

Soup is a perfect winter meal and I always make enough so that I can freeze a couple of portions, hence the fact that this recipes serves six. It makes life easier, on those very busy days, which we all have, I can take the soup from my freezer and with the snap of my fingers, I have a quick and easy lunch on the table in no time.

Take care and I will see you next Thursday.

This week I will be joining,

Carol from Art and Sand for Share Your Cup

and

Laurie from My Husband Has Too Many Hobbies for Snickerdoodle Sunday

As always,

RECIPE FOR LENTIL SOUP WITH CUMIN, GINGER AND GARLIC

Good Morning to you,

Have you ever felt the need to practise the way you smile?

Have you even thought about the way you smile? 

Well my answer to both questions, is no. I have never practised my smile,  and I have never really thought about how I smile.... I just smile.... it's a part of me.

.... aah but there lies the quandary. It seems that as I've got older, my smile has changed. Apparently, nowadays when I smile, I scrunch up my eyes..... who would have thought it.

The giver of this information is my lovely daughter, Danielle. So to see if she was right, I stood in front of my mirror and smiled and there they were those scrunched up eyes... yes, it is official, I certainly do scrunch my eyes when I smile.

Now why on earth do I do that..... I really have no idea.... and when did it happen.  When did the eyes go from wide open to half asleep.... and more to the point, why had I never noticed.

I don't know about you, but  I am very critical when I see myself in photographs and between you and me, I have sometimes thought to myself "Is that really me, I thought I looked much better when I looked in the mirror this morning". 

So Danielle decided, it was time we rectified the scrunched up eyes.

So there we were.... still in our pyjamas, curled up in our arm chairs practising our smiles.  

Now Danielle has her smile down to a tee.... but then she has been the keeper of the information I am about to share. I can't help but wonder, without this information, would Danielle have drifted through life unaware that she smiled with her eyes half closed. Probably not, as the younger generation are more self aware when it comes to photos.

So Danielle put me through my paces and when she felt I had practised enough,  it was time to put into practise what I had learnt. 

Well, when my first effort was photographed and I looked at the result, I burst out laughing. I looked like a rabbit who had been caught in a cars headlights. I looked hysterical, I would go so far as to say I looked like I had been given an electric shock..... but minus the frizzy hair.... not a good look I might add... so that photo was deleted.

I began to think, my scrunchy eyes were a much better look, but Danielle did not give up, she persevered until I perfected the look.... well sort of, I like to think I perfected the look.... but I don't think I really did.

.... and where did this advice come from.  Well it appears that this is the advice given by the super model Tyra Banks.... and she knows a thing or two when it comes to photographs.  Now here comes the fun part, this is what you have to do.

Turn your head to the side, open your eyes wide, then lower the eyelids slightly and turn to the front, ready for your photograph to be snapped.... oh yes and don't forget to smile.... which is what I did. I was so focused on the eyes, I forgot about the mouth.... hence the many dreadful photos.  By all accounts, follow these instructions and you will always have gorgeous photos.... or if you are like me, probably 30 photos which are dreadful..... yes we practised that much.  It was so much fun.  At one point George came into the room to check what was happening because we were laughing so much.  When we told him what we were doing, we invited him to join us..... and do you know, he smiled, with scrunched up eyes I might add, and turned around and walked out of the room. Now why on earth would he not want to practise his smile.... could it be because he doesn't care what his smile looks like when he is photographed.... mind you, he does have a lovely smile.

So the upshot is, Danielle continues to have lovely photos..... but me, not so much.... but I will continue with my lessons. You never know, there may be 1 out of 100 photos which will be acceptable. Thank heavens we don't have our photos developed any more, we can just delete the awful ones.... now that saves us a small fortune doesn't it, as we don't have to waste our money by developing awful photos.

.... or maybe, I will just return to my old ways and smile with my scrunched up eyes.... at which point I will have to say, sorry to Tyra and Danielle.

.... but I make no apologies for what I am making today.

spicy lentil soup with cumin, ginger, garlic and curry powder. This soup has a little heat, but not too much, it just leaves in its wake, a lovely warm glow.

So it's 'on with the pinnie', and the music I am listening to this morning is,

Simon and Garfunkel's album, Wednesday Morning, 3am, which I have listened to since I was a teenager. Back then I loved folk music, well I still do. There is just some music which travels with you through your life time and which you never tire of.... and for me this is one of those albums. Do you know, I was just working out how long I have been listening to this record and it's 47 years.... goodness me.

I feel sure none of these tracks need an introduction, but I have decided not to choose the obvious, such as 'Sound of Silence' or ' The Times They Are A-changing', instead I have chosen,

Wednesday Morning 3am

for you to listen to.

So while I gather my ingredients, I am listening to

Bleecker Street

INGREDIENTS

YOU 

WILL NEED

TO MAKE

LENTIL SOUP

1 tablespoon of olive oil

1 large onion

3 cloves of garlic

1 tablespoon of fresh ginger

1 tablespoon ground cumin

1 tablespoon curry powder

1 400g tin of tomatoes

1 400g tin of Bijoux Verts Puy lentils

850 ml of chicken stock

1 bay leaf

1 teaspoon of sea salt

1 teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper

HOW

TO MAKE

LENTIL SOUP

Finely chop the onion.

Place the olive oil into a large saucepan

and

add the chopped onions.

Cook over a medium heat

until the onions are golden in colour.

Whilst the onions are browning.

Peel and grate the garlic

and

set aside for the moment.

Using a teaspoon

remove the skin from the ginger

and then

grate.

When the onions are golden, 

add

the grated garlic and the grated ginger.

also 

add the ground cumin to the pan

and

the curry powder.

Move around the pan for a minute or two

or until you can smell the 

aroma of the spices.

Chop the tomatoes

then

add to the saucepan.

Stir the ingredients together.

Add the chicken stock

the

bay leaf

and

bring to the boil.

Reduce the heat to a simmer,

then place a lid partially on the saucepan.

Simmer for 30 minutes.

Add the puy lentils

and bring back to the boil.

Then

remove the pan from the heat.

Season with sea salt

and

freshly ground black pepper.

Carefully remove half of the soup
 and blitz with a hand held blitzer. 
Before I owned a blitzer, I used
 a potato masher.... there is 
always an alternative.

Return the blitzed soup to the pan and stir.
  Now then, if you can wait for
 20 minutes or so, then do so, because you
 will find as the soup cools, it will thicken....
 and if you can wait until the following
 day, the flavours of the soup will be enhanced.

.... and then, all there is left to do, 

is

enjoy.

If you find, the first time you make this lentil soup it has a little too much spice for you, then don't worry, 

just add a tablespoon of Greek yoghurt to your bowl of soup.... give it a little stir and the yoghurt will quieten down the flavours.

Then maybe, just maybe, someone special will say,

Thank you.

Take care and I will see you next Thursday.

This week I will be joining,

April for The Hearth and Soul Hop Link Party

and

Leslie from Lamberts Lately