I haven’t made soup for a very long time, for no particular reason, but I used to make it almost every day. I made some yesterday, prompted because I was trying to reorganise our cupboards and came across a hoard of beans and lentils. We seem to have amassed a lot of tins and dried goods – we’re not hoarding, not preparing for some catastrophe, we’re just forgetful shoppers who never remember what we need and pick up random items.
It was a very simple soup – I just poured several bags of different pulses into a big pan, added stock and let it cook for a couple of hours. The next day I blended some of it, added more stock and seasoning and we ate it with toast (not on toast, that would have been silly and soggy!) I’d forgotten how nice soup is, I think when I had a fad for it I made it so often we became somewhat blasé and maybe somewhat bored. Maybe we’ve regained our appetite and interest so I’m guessing I’ll start making it again and we’ll have it for lunch more regularly.
I’m not sure I will make the soup from this recipe in the old handwritten cookery book my friend lent me – mostly because my husband doesn’t like cucumber (yes, cucumber) but also I don’t like cold soup, and second also, I don’t think the idea of cucumber soup appeals to me:
Iced cucumber soup
- 1 cucumber, peeled and chopped into small pieces
- 1 spring onion, chopped
- 1 pint chicken stock
- sprig of mint
- arrowroot
- ½ pint single cream
- green colouring
- seasoning
- add spring onion to stock, cover and simmer for 15 mins
- add cucumber and mint and simmer till tender
- blend arrowroot with the cream
- sieve the spring onion, cucumber, mint (I think it must mean pass through a sieve)
- stream cream and arrowroot blend into sieved vegetables, stir well and reheat
- add green colouring and seasong and chill well before seasoning
I am not convinced! I am pretty sure I won’t ever try this and if i did, I’m also pretty sure it would be quite weird and not to my taste!
Lois Elsden 