Lunches

So the clocks have gone forward and I left the house on Sunday without a jacket. Spring is finally in the air. The chances to enjoy hearty, warming vegtable soup are almost gone so this is my last hurrah. It's vegtable soup; also known as clear the bottom of the fridge soup. I love making soup because its just do darned easy and quick, and nothing is more comforting. To be enjoyed with my cheats brown bread: I used the ready mix brown bread and added in a handful of toasted seeds and a handful of walnuts; hand crushed just before adding to the mixture, leaving nice big chunks to be crunched under melting butter.

Vegtable Soup

3 Cloves Garlic, sliced.
1 Onion, chopped roughly.
1 Pepper, deseeded, chopped.
1 Courgette, chopped.
1 Potato, peeled and chopped.
Handful of Red Lentils
Vegtable Stock
Glug of Olive Oil and knob of butter.
Any herbs you like. I used a generous amount of Oregano and Basil.

- Saute the onion and garlic in the Olive Oil and Butter (even a small amount makes a huge difference to the final taste; it imparts a richness that oil lacks). When these start to soften add the vegtables and saute for another minute or two.
- Pour over the stock; enough to cover the vegtables. Add the lentils and herbs and bring to the boil.
- I prefer smooth soups so once all the vegtables are cooked, blend it. Do a little taste test and amend the seasoning if you need to. Yum.