Fry up some finely chopped onion and garlic in olive oil with some smoked paprika, a pinch of chilli powder, dried thyme and fresh basil. Add a jar of passata and a cup of veggie stock made with half a stockpot cube. Simmer for 15 minutes then serve up topped with a spoonful of cream, some chopped pine nuts and fresh chopped basil
I tend not to eat Soup. Although how anyone can eat a liquid I am not sure. But several years ago I went into a local pub for a meal & they had cabbage soup on the menu. Cabbage is one of my favourite vegetables, so I just had to have some & it was lovely. Thick, creamy & it tasted wonderful.
In my 20’s I spent a few months working in Spain. And they serve a Tomato soup which tastes so different to ours. It’s thick & like liquidised tomatoes. Our tomato soup tastes viel. And since that summer I do very occasionally buy a couple of tins of peeled tomatoes & make my own soup by liquidising them.
This is one of my favourites that someone put on a forum years ago, it’s very nice
peeled and chopped onion
crushed garlic
peeled and chopped ginger
4 sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped
2 stems lemon grass, bruised and chopped
400ml can coconut milk
Hot water
Juice of one lime
Fry up the onion, garlic, ginger and lemon grass for 5 minutes.
Then add the sweet potatoes and cook for about 3 minutes
Add enough water to cover all the veg then simmer it for about 20 minutes
Then put in the coconut milk and liquidise it until it’s nice and smooth
two chicken legs
fried bacon lardons
three potatoes
I large carrot
half a sweetheart cabbage (braised)
one chopped onion (braised until well browned)
one chicken stock cube
slowcooked for hours until the chicken is really tender
Pork spare ribs are also a very nice base ingredient for a hearty stew
I make a very yummy tomato soup using 8-10 tomatoes chopped with 1 onion and a third of a pack of butter - cover with boiled water and slow cook until tomatoes are full cooked and butter has completely melted
Separately boil two chicken legs with one sliced carrot, I stick celery and on peeled and chopped parsnip, chicken stock, salt to taste
Once the tomato mix is ready puree with a blender, remove the celery, parsnip and chicken bones/gristle (but leave cooked chicken) and pour in the tomato mixture into the broth. Serve with boiled rice. You can add a sprinkle of fresh dill and a swirl of cream if you are feeling decadent.
A very nice soup today - brussels sprouts, chopped carrot, potato, parsnip, butter-braised onion & leek, 2 cubes of kallo organic chicken stock, 1/2 cup of red lentils (rinsed). The original recipe recommended chopped celery, cream, no onion and a sprinkle of fresh parsley, but I did my own thing and it was very hearty and yummy.
I hadn’t thought of cooking a soup with brussels sprouts before, but they are just fabulous as an ingredient and healthy too.