I have a spring in my step this week. A kind blog reader emailed in to show appreciation of our last post about using internet search engines:
"Great blog. I always have a look on Riverford's website for inspiration as you can put in an ingredient and it will come up with applicable recipes...Am hoping to make February soup month, so here goes!", Meg. Thanks so much for taking the time to email us, not least so we know we know that our witterings are relevant!
Meg's idea to dedicate February 'soup month' is a good one. It could be a way to further develop a basic skill, is a cost effective way to feed lots of people, and soup can come in many guises. What's that you are saying? 'Boring?' No way...and I will prove it by telling you my top tips for keeping everyone soup savvy...
1. there are loads of different kinds of soups: lumpy ones (leek and potato), smooth (cream of carrot), international (thai chicken noodle), hybrid (lentil and bacon/broths/chowder), and we haven't even mentioned my killer minestrone yet.
2. you can tart it up at the table (ooer!). Putting a variety of foods on the table for eaters means they can customise their bowl, and is a good conversation starter. Try grated cheese, posh oils, chopped celery leaves, fresh herbs, pesto loosened with olive oil, chopped mild chilli, toasted nuts, roasted vegetables, bread croutons, a big cheesey crouton.
3. serving soup with homemade bread is always a crowd pleaser. I haven't got time for a bread diversion here, but hope to get a guest blogger to share her tips soon.
4. buy a new vegetable you haven't used before and do an internet search, such as 'Jerusalem artichoke soup'.
5. buy a new spice mix. My crowd pleaser here is 'ras al hanout'. Someone once told me this is a 'bad housewives' spice in Morocco since it can make a success of any dish. It has lovely warm spices and rose petals. Use in a creamed soup of root vegetables.
If you are still in need of inspiration, take a leaf from Meg, and get a couple of foody websites on your 'favourites' bar, such as:
www.riverford.co.uk/recipes
www.rivercottage.net/recipes
www.bbc.co.uk/food
www.bbcgoodfood.com (the GoodFood magazine has good ideas too)
Get in touch if you have any ways that you make a success of soup in your household.
Lisa Reid
Friday 6 February 2015
Tuesday 3 February 2015
Lost Mojo
Boy, am I glad to see February: January is a long month after the expense and over indulgence of Christmas. Given that I've gone cold turkey on supermarket shopping and pay day is a long wait, I've been seeing how many meals I can make from what is lying around in the cupboards.
Before Christmas I had lost my cooking mojo, too frazzled with festivities to think most evenings, but now it's "Ready, Steady, Cook" every night as I attempt to rustle up something edible from that which is lurking in the darkest corners of my kitchen.
We're all hoarders when it comes to food. Out of date spices at the back of a drawer; bargain joints of meat lost in the bowels of the freezer. Most of us are sitting on a fortune of unused ingredients. I've been checking out the Love Food Hate Waste campaign for advice as I try to avoid chucking perfectly good food for lack of inspiration. (www.lovefoodhatewaste.com - they have a great newsletter available via email too) Dig out forgotten bits and pieces, add in a few locally bought fresh ingredients and it's amazing how many different cheap tasty dinners you can produce.
One family I know goes online to maximise their food supplies - they have discovered a few family favourites by typing a list of what is left in the fridge into an internet search engine and seeing what it suggests. Last night's squash, sweet potato and chestnut risotto was a hit. Today's lunch of carrot, parsnip, swede and lentil soup finished off the rest of the soggy veg lurking in the fridge. There is a recipe for the risotto listed at the bottom. Roasting root vegetables gives them colour and added depth of flavour which stops them being too bland in something like a risotto. We'd love to hear about your successes with leftovers. Why not tell us about them in the comments section?
Lisa Reid
Squash, sweet potato and chestnut risotto
serves 4
320g Arborio rice
1 small squash
1 large sweet potato
1 medium onion
Packet of ready to eat chestnuts/chestnuts leftover from Christmas defrosted
Vegetable stock
Chop and peel both the squash and potato, toss in oil, sprinkle with salt and roast in an oven for 40 mins until tender and crispy.
Meanwhile lightly fry the onions in some oil, add the rice and fry until translucent then gradually add the stock - stirring after each addition until the rice is cooked through.
Add the chestnuts to heat through.
Add the cooked potato and squash then serve with plenty of black pepper and grated cheese.
Before Christmas I had lost my cooking mojo, too frazzled with festivities to think most evenings, but now it's "Ready, Steady, Cook" every night as I attempt to rustle up something edible from that which is lurking in the darkest corners of my kitchen.
We're all hoarders when it comes to food. Out of date spices at the back of a drawer; bargain joints of meat lost in the bowels of the freezer. Most of us are sitting on a fortune of unused ingredients. I've been checking out the Love Food Hate Waste campaign for advice as I try to avoid chucking perfectly good food for lack of inspiration. (www.lovefoodhatewaste.com - they have a great newsletter available via email too) Dig out forgotten bits and pieces, add in a few locally bought fresh ingredients and it's amazing how many different cheap tasty dinners you can produce.
One family I know goes online to maximise their food supplies - they have discovered a few family favourites by typing a list of what is left in the fridge into an internet search engine and seeing what it suggests. Last night's squash, sweet potato and chestnut risotto was a hit. Today's lunch of carrot, parsnip, swede and lentil soup finished off the rest of the soggy veg lurking in the fridge. There is a recipe for the risotto listed at the bottom. Roasting root vegetables gives them colour and added depth of flavour which stops them being too bland in something like a risotto. We'd love to hear about your successes with leftovers. Why not tell us about them in the comments section?
Lisa Reid
Squash, sweet potato and chestnut risotto
serves 4
320g Arborio rice
1 small squash
1 large sweet potato
1 medium onion
Packet of ready to eat chestnuts/chestnuts leftover from Christmas defrosted
Vegetable stock
Chop and peel both the squash and potato, toss in oil, sprinkle with salt and roast in an oven for 40 mins until tender and crispy.
Meanwhile lightly fry the onions in some oil, add the rice and fry until translucent then gradually add the stock - stirring after each addition until the rice is cooked through.
Add the chestnuts to heat through.
Add the cooked potato and squash then serve with plenty of black pepper and grated cheese.
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