Comfort Soup (Could feed 6-8), excuse the poor pic!3 large potatoes
2-3 large carrots
2 large parsnips
1 medium size swede
1 large onion
a handful of greens, washed and chopped
1 tablespoon of oil
2 pints of good chicken stock
Half pint of extra creamy full fat milk
Peel and chop into small rough cubes all of the vegetables.
Sweat the potatoes and onions in a little oil. Then add the rest of the veg and the chicken stock. Boil for 10 minutes, then reduce to a simmer for further 20 minutes. Puree the soup with a stick blender then add the creamy milk,it may need a little more, you could put more milk or more stock or just water. Heat through, season if you wish, and serve with some good bread.
I love this soup because it's so easy. Also peeling and chopping veg can be quite therapeutic (if you're in the mood), which makes it comforting in itself before you've even started to eat it.
Hubby is out tonight so I'm having some friends round for a bite to eat. I think I may do some mini toad in the holes, not sure what else. Off to ponder my cookery books. If I wasn't on a cookery book diet then I'd probably buy some more. There seems to be a real glut of very good books on British food. Rightly so, we do have some wonderful dishes that we should be shouting from the rooftops about!
British Cuisine is something to be proud of not ashamed of. As I've said before, we have our own wonderful foods and then we're open enough to embrace other cultures and their cuisines. I think I mentioned this before when Sam of Becks and Posh held her fantastic event 'Fish and Quips', where she asked the world to prove why English food is not a joke. That was one of my first blogging events and I was staggered as I still am today just how lovely the food blogging community is. I remember being a little in awe that THE Sam responded to my e-mail too and that I was allowed to be included in the event. Err, hello?? I realise now that's what blogging events are about and that it's not some exclusive club that you have to be wearing the right clothes for, or be in with the right people to join in... Of course I still think Sam is rather cool and having just read her post from this Monday, it's an example of why I still think that.
Not sure how or why I went off on this tangent today. Call it therapy. I'm watching the clock for when I can go and pick up Small. The house is feeling super empty. Little said "There used to be 6 in this family and now there are only 5." That could change, yesterday I phoned up about some puppies. I warned Hubby not to be surprised if he came home and found a puppy here. He said "Don't you mean, don't be furious?" I said "Well both, don't be surprised or furious."
