Tag Archives: basic

Who Doesn’t like Celery

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Its the Weekend!

Here is a question for you. Why is it that during the week I can sleep through to the alarm. Yet on Saturdays and Sundays I am up with the bleeding larks? Now its a weekend and I can have a long lie in. Here I am then up early with the rest of the family having their deserved long lie in, the house is like a morgue this morning.

So I think that we are having Chilli tonight and so I begin the preparation for that hot and mincey delight for dinner now as it can grow in flavour throughout the day. At the same time my thoughts began to wander towards lunchtime. I check the veg draw and a large head of Celery jumps into view and so I begin….

Serves: 4

Approximate Calories: 382 (95.5 –  calories per serving) if you add the butter: Calories 522 – 130.5 per serving)

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon of rapeseed oil (other types of oil will do)
  • 1 or 2 cloves of garlic, crushed (to taste)
  • 1 onion, finely chopped
  • 1 medium potato, chopped
  • 1 whole celery (about 6-7 stalks), finely chopped
  • Optional (1 knob of butter)
  • 1 tsp of mixed herbs
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 1 vegetable stockpots (chicken or bouillon will do)
  • Add hot water to (level 1 or 2 in the soupmaker whichever suit you)

Method

  • Put all ingredients in the soup maker and set to smooth.
  • Alternatively put all of the ingredients into the pan and bring to the boil, then simmer for 20 minute’s or so, then blend when done until smooth.
  • For a thinner soup add more water, for a thicker soup add less water.
  • (Optional – serve with crusty bread or a bagel, don’t forget to add the calories for these if you have them).

PS The chilli was a total and delicious success

My Saturday Relaxer

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After a very busy week at work I fell into the pub at our Early Doors regular Friday meet up, to enjoy a few pints of Naked Ladies Ale, our local Twickenham brewery fare at the Three Kings.

I decided to make some soup on Saturday as a way to relax myself into the weekend proper. Lots of winter veg, chicken stock in good basic soup.  So my intention was to make it comforting and full of flavour, it also needs to be chunky to give us a warming texture to the soup. This approach alongside a New York Bagel, toasted or not, buttered or not its all up to you. Enjoy!

Twickenham Brewery Regular Ales

The Brewery

Twickenham Fine Ales was the first brewery in Twickenham since Cole’s Brewery closed in 1906. However it didn’t end there. Founded by Steve Brown in 2004, Twickenham has been at the forefront of the resurgence of breweries in London.  Using global hops from a early stage, and only the purest of ingredients, Twickenham produces a fine range of well hopped, award winning beers.

Serves: 4

Approximate Calories: 765 (192 calories per serving) 

Ingredients

  • 2 tsp of rapeseed oil (olive oil will do)
  • 3 potatoes
  • 1 medium carrot
  • 1 tbsp fresh fennel (2 tsp of dried fennel will do)
  • 3 small to medium onions
  • 2 garlic cloves
  • 2 leeks
  • 1 celery stick
  • 1 tbsp of oregano (or to taste)
  • 1 tsp of sweet paprika
  • 3 splashes of Worcester sauce
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 2 chicken stockpots
  • Add hot water to (level 1 in the soupmaker the higher one)

Method

  • Put all ingredients in the soup maker and set to smooth
  • Alternatively put all of the ingredients into the pan and bring to the boil, then simmer for 20 minute’s or so, then blend when done until smooth.
  • For a thinner soup add more water, for a thicker soup add less water.
  • Optional – New York Bagel – 230 calories (with butter add 35 calories – for 456 for the whole serving)

Squash, Potato and Carrot soup

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With so much squash in the fridge, I had another to use up, and a great response from my earlier effort I determined to use it for another squash soup. Having already used up the Red peppers I replaced these in the soup with carrots. This would help to keep the colour, as well as provide some flavour. I upped the potato count and dropped the lentils in favour of the onions.

We were set to soup and that’s what we did, flavour was good and the soup itself was thick and delicious

Serves: 4

Approximate Calories: 989 (247 calories per serving) 

Ingredients

  • 1 tbsp of rapeseed oil (olive oil will do)
  • 2 medium onions, chopped
  • 3 medium potato, chopped
  • 2 medium carrots,chopped
  • 1 whole squash, chopped
  • 1 cloves of garlic
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 2 vegetable stockpots
  • Add hot water to (level 1 in the soupmaker the higher one)

Method

  • Put all ingredients in the soup maker and set to smooth
  • Alternatively put all of the ingredients into the pan and bring to the boil, then simmer for 20 minute’s or so, then blend when done until smooth.
  • For a thinner soup add more water, for a thicker soup add less water.

Caldo Verde

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Following an episode of Rick Stein’s Long Weekend where he went to Lisbon in Portugal, I ended up wanting to try that famous Portuguese potato and cabbage soup. “Caldo Verde” is what I ended up making for my next venture into the soupy world.

Having been away myself in Europe, as mentioned in an earlier post, I was still itching to get back into the regular routine. I continued my routine by using cabbage in soup, something I rarely do as I am not a fan of it. However as I currently understand it, there is no definitive way to make this soup, so I did my best to create a Caldo Verde of my own.

Serves: 4

Approximate Calories: 574 (144 calories per serving) 

Ingredients

  • 2 tbsp of rapeseed oil (olive oil will do)
  • 3 garlic cloves chopped
  • 1 large onion chopped (2-3 medium if you like onions)
  • 3 medium potato , chopped
  • 3 cabbage leaves (or similar, I’m not entering the kale debate)
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • add hot water to (level 2 in the soupmaker the lower one)

Method

  • Put all ingredients in the soup maker and set to chunky
  • Alternatively put all of the ingredients into the pan and bring to the boil, then simmer for 20 minute’s or so, then blend when done until chunky.
  • For a thinner soup add more water, for a thicker soup add less water.
  • Optional (add fried and diced smoked bacon or the same using chorizo)

Purple Potato and Leek Soup

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Had some Violetta potatoes  in my fridge this week, I remembered a conversation with a friend to create a blue soup, so I experimented with these lovely looking purple potatoes and come up with a very basic soup. The Violette is a specialist variety of potato with a distinctive Blue skin and has Blue flesh inside the potato as well. Its very similar to Salad Blue 1900 ptotato.

As potatoes go they have a delicate sweet flavour, with a slightly floury flesh and they work very well in savoury dishes. They can be used in a mixed mash for a different look. The soup itself come out less colourful than purple, mainly die to the other ingredients, however its is still a delicious and comforting soup. This soup will be coming to work with us tomorrow.

Serves: 4

Approximate Calories: 1006 (251 calories per serving) 

Ingredients

  • 2 tbsp of rapeseed oil (olive oil will do)
  • 4 medium leeks chopped
  • 6 violetta purple potatoes chopped
  • 2 medium red onions chopped
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 2 vegetable stockpots
  • Add hot water to (level 2 in the soupmaker the lower one)

Method

  • Put all ingredients in the soup maker and set to smooth
  • Alternatively put all of the ingredients into the pan and bring to the boil, then simmer for 20 minute’s or so, then blend when done until smooth.
  • For a thinner soup add more water or use level 2 in the soupmaker the higher one, for a thicker soup add less water.