We had soup again today. I had some left over veg that needed to be used. This is really a note to self, so that I may reproduce the feat in the future — because it was delicious.
I had half a butternut squash and half a sweet potato in the salad drawer, along with an about-to-wrinkle yellow bell pepper. I roasted them in a tray with a couple of onions (peeled and chunked) and a bulb of garlic (sorry, Gill) – having drizzled all with good olive oil and seasoned with freshly ground sea salt and black pepper and a goodly sprinkle of both white and black cumin seeds.
When the veg were charred and tender, I de-skinned the squash and tipped all the vegetables into the Magimix and whizzed to a pulp. I deglazed the roasting pan with hot vegetable stock and blended the result into the soup. The result was a smooth and velvety golden purée.
The soup was reheated on the hob top. After discussion with Mr L, the kick was added via some preserved red chilli (the other option had been root ginger) and the balancing tang came from a tablespoon of natural yoghourt.
The soup was beautiful… smooth, sweet and smoky (ooh, Smokie…) , with a kick of heat and a little zing.
(I like a bit of Chris Norman, one of Bratfud’s best exports)
I had considered baking some pitta to go with the soup but as I still have both of last week’s loaves on the go, I made some croûtons from the plain white crusty cob.
After cubing the dry bread, I tossed the bread in a mixture of olive and hemp oils and seasoned them with salt, pepper, smoked paprika, garlic and oregano before baking to a golden brown tasty goodness.
I love main meal soups. After discussing with Mr L, we are planning to move to a 3-soups-a-week plan. It will help me to plan my shopping trips and ease my carrying burden when I go to town. It should also aid some weight loss and nudge us further in the 5 a day direction. I can also deploy the slow cooker, saving energy and effort and freeze down meals in advance, leaving more time for knitting or blogging or walks with the camera…
Although I love to invent my soups, I do also seek out tasty recipes. Do you have one to share? Tell us about your favourite soups in the comments.
My favourites include:
- Roasted red pepper and tomato – usually with basil and mascarpone
- Parsnip and Apple
- Leek and Potato
- Minestrone
- Carrot and Ginger
- Cullen Skink
Mr L’s favourite soup is Mulligatawny.
All very tasty, but an extension of repertoire would be good. I also need to learn to love soups without added dairystuffs.
I found this lentil soup recipe a while ago. It’s pinned to my fridge door with a magnet. I often make it – sans garlic of course. 😉
http://cruisenews.net/recipes/lentilsoup.php
It over-thickens if you use too much flour. In fact, the last few times I made it, I don’t think I’ve put any in at all.
Flour in a lentil soup would be distinctly odd. Then again, I looked at the recipe and, for a lentil soup, it is very short on the lentils so some thickening may well assist.
Of course the Queen of soups is Leek and potato. 🙂
If we are being regal, should that not be “Vichyssoise is the Queen of soups” ?
Leek and Potato is the soup I tend to make. I’m also partial to carrot and coriander.
My favourite soup to eat/drink is the sort of soup you get with every meal in Austria and Switzerland: a good, clear broth. I’ve not yet attempted the whole egg-white clarifying thing at home, but might do sometime.
I haven’t made a clarified soup in donkey’s years. My boss used to favour a tomato consommé every now and again for dinner parties. Nerve-wracking stuff. Leek and Potato is much easier and far tastier, I think.
I failed to add French Onion to my list. How could I have forgotten that?