Soup

I make my frozen pea soup with fresh mint in it. And I swear by my hand blender. I think I am on my fourth in about 30 years!

Yes, roasted garlic Cari, but do twice the amount . It just begs to be eaten on soft white home made bread as soon as it comes out of the oven!

M and S used to do a "green soup" maybe they still do. But it is a good inspiration. use frozen peas as the base and add anything green - spinach, parsley etc and liquids. An onion and a stock cube always help dont they.

That's how I make it Rosie. Faster than split dried peas and very fresh tasting.

Green pea soup made with frozen peas makes a lovely fresh tasting soup throughout the year. It changes each time I make it depending on what I've got in. Soften some onion / shallots / bunch of spring onions in butter or olive oil, stir in a potato chopped small and some chicken stock -homemade or cube. Simmer until potato is almost soft, throw in peas for 3 mins then blitz the lot. Hard to say how many peas. About 3/4 handfuls for two people? Warm through, add more stock if too thick and sprinkle with crisp bacon / shredded ham / croutons.

I swear by my cuisinart soup maker! It's so easy just rough chop the ingredients throw them in with liquid and stock cube . Switch on and it cooks stirs ans blends all in one jug.
You do have to pour it out yourself.

glamma you can use veg cubes. I often use chicken stock if I run out of other sorts, I think the only one I'd avoid in your recipe would be fish stock.

glamma, I can't see any reason why you shouldn't use veg stock - vegetarians must do!

I'm making my favourite spinach and watercress soup today (I use a hand blender too) and I will put some ginger in for a change as I love the heat it gives. I also make a Thai chicken soup with chilli,ginger and coconut milk, yummy!

I make a pan of soup every week even during the summer month's mr.glamma's favourite is cauliflower & blue cheese does anyone know if it is alright to use veg stock as opposed to chicken stock,? the only reason being is that I have a large amount of veg stock cubes to be used in my dry store cupboard.

I always make soup with the last of a chicken - boil up the carcass which has a bit of flesh still on it, add whatever. (whatever is low fibre, now).

Thanks; will definately give that a go. You can't imagine the mess I create just making a sandwich; the mess when I make soup is beyond belief [and, for some reason I always choose to do it late at night and am then faced with the carnage].

You have to make sure the blade bit of the hand blender stays under the surface of the liquid.

If it breaks the surface, soup does indeed go flying everywhere.

I used to use a standard blender and it was messy and time consuming ladelling the soup mixture out of the saucepan into the blender, maybe having to do it in three or four lots.

Now I just plunge the blender into the saucepan I have cooked the veggies etc. in.

Why doesn't it go all over the walls? I love home made soup but get fed up of cleaning the blender afterwards...I'll check out hand blenders. I put turmeric in some soup for my joints. Leek and potato soup gives me terrible wind .

I've just bought a hand blender and it has made soup making much easier.

I cook a large quantity and freeze some.

Just made cauliflower soup. Also like sweet potato.

Use lots of fresh ginger in everything.

I make a lot of soup, the favourites are leek & potato and lentil and bacon. Both freeze well too, so I make a fairly big batch and bung some in the freezer. We usually have it with those part baked baguettes that keep for ages.

I did look at soup makers, but the price was just ridiculous!

And the hand axe!

To go with the stake in your pocket and the bumper sized cross?

Sounds like good recipe to have before sitting with a certain judge who drives me mad!

Will it work without the garlic? Garlic doesn't like me ( bloating and emetic qualities). I made chicken, mushroom and left over soup yesterday, there"s half left and I've chillies and ginger in the cupboard.

Now we are entering "flu" season - this is my flu busting soup which should be taken every 2/3 hours over 24/48 hours......kills off fluey bugs dramatically:

Whole head of garlic cloves (chopped)
Red Onions (chopped)
Chillies (to taste and chopped)
Ginger (to taste and grated)

Soften the above in olive oil

Now add your own chicken stock, chopped celery, carrots, squash and any other vegetables you have that need using up!!

If you like or have shitake mushrooms, add these as well as they are amazing "healers".

Cook until vegetables are soft - only 25 - 30 minutes or so.

Put into blender until smooth - I add Coconut Milk as well to give it a creamy taste.

You will sweat!! It is delicious (make it as spicy as you want).....
Keep in a big pot in the fridge and just heat up what you need each time.
Works in our family every time.

Quite. A label saying "Use before it gets mouldy or soft spots" would be more appropriate.
Those ornamental gourds are the extreme end of this genetic spectrum, and they just dry out and last for decades I guess.

The butternut squash I have had in my cupboard for at the very least a month has a lable saying "use within 10 days of purchase." I am sure they used to have actual sell by dates on them. Given that they are virtually self designed to last for a long while this is utterly tupid! No wonder so much food goes to waste.

Wasn't meaning to criticise courgettes absent - but courgettes and some of their relatives are soft, juicy and only have a shelf life of a couple of weeks. They have a higher water content. "Winter squashes" like pumpkins and butternut squash keep for months. Not very squashy really. Higher carbohydrates and less water i suppose.

Oh i forgot with above "recipe" i would remove the skin of the pumpkin and possibly the carrots, depending on the carrots.