Saturday, November 20, 2010

Soup!

I love to make soup when the weather turns cold! I don't really enjoy them that much for dinner, as I usually need something a little more substantial, but I love taking them for lunches all week long. My regular soup last winter was a mix of carrot, onion and celery, with minced turkey for some protein, crushed tomatoes and a healthy dose of rosemary. I would never blend it But this year for some reason, blended, "cream of" soups are calling my name - here are some that I have made recently!



Honeyed carrot soup from the BBC Good Food website
 (thanks to H for getting me onto this website, it is fantastic!)

This soup is so delectable, easy and cheap, you should make it this weekend! The honey adds a lovely sweetness, that reminds me of the honeyed carrot side dish my Mum would often make. I made this fairly thick and actually had to thin it with a little water when I heated it at work, but this actually works well for transporting the soup - less sloshiness and risk of spilling!



Green pea soup with lime
(modified from this recipe)

Quite different from the recipe, but it was my inspiration. Using frozen peas makes this soup super quick and super cheap. I thought it needed a little something towards the end, so I added a couple of squeezes of lime. It brightened the flavour (though seemingly dulled the colour) and really made it different (as compared to perhaps the usual pea soup with mint, or the even more usual pea and ham flavour combination)

And un-photographed

Smitten Kitchen's Cream of Tomato soup

One word - wow. I could be wrong, but I don't think Australians really eat a lot of the tomato soup and grilled cheese combo which is quite popular with Americans and reminiscent of childhood rainy day lunches. I could be completely converted though - this tomato soup is amazing (even though I skipped a couple of steps and cut corners to make it faster).

I am thinking, thinking now about what else I can make as single vegetable soups - the idea of a cream of onion soup is intriguing, as is trying to make a fruit based, winter-appropriate warm soup (cream of apple?)

Any suggestions?

3 comments:

Not Quite Nigella said...

I agree, I prefer something more for dinner (unless it's one of those hearty soups) but they're perfect for lunch! :D

Miss Kitty-Cat said...

Thanks for your lovely comment on my blog. I really appreciated your kindness. It was very sweet of you.

It's so not soup weather over here. I miss cold Christmas - it just doesn't feel like Christmas without the cold weather! Although after the spring we have had I shouldn't really complain - it's been miserable!

I do love soup as lunch too - I adore thai inspired pumpkin soups with lemongrass, chilli and some roasted ground cumin and coriander. Delish!

Anonymous said...

Looks sooooo yummy. :) You haven't posted anything in a while... are you busy with the holidays? Oh, and guess who? :p