Soup

[mraltariel]

I made a vegetable soup yesterday for A to have for dinner (I was going out). I just  enjoyed the leftovers for my brunch today, despite the escapee bit of thyme from the bouquet garni which left irritating bits of stick for you to pick out as you ate it. Gah. That'll teach me (not) to rustically zizz it up a bit, rather than blitz it to a smooth

Comments

[communicator]

Have you tried those jelly stocks you can get now? They are easier to store than liquid, but taste better (I think) than powder and cube. Of course all my cooking is a compromise with speed.

[mraltariel]

I haven't? Do you know who makes them? Personally, I think speed is the most important in weekday cooking. If you have to spend more than about 10-15 minutes in the kitchen, it isn't a weekday dish.

Hence the quest for good stock-cupboard stock!

M&S do some good "stock cupboard" liquid stocks with a long shelf-life, that are quite good. They don't need to be kept in the fridge. And Waitrose have a good "cooks" range of things like stocks and japanese breadcrumbs and stuff.

[communicator]

Knorr; here is some Unilever marketing-speak about it, which tells me that in China it is called 'dense soup treasure'.

[mraltariel]

Oh, I do like "dense soup treasure".

That looks quite good if, as they suggest, it is not salty! I'll give them a try.

[toft_froggy]

The sad thing for me about your recipes is that they always involve things I don't have and would never have. I keep tagging them in hopes that one day I will live in a wonderful world where I will have madeira/sherry and marmite lying around the place. This one looks pretty doable, though, and if marmite is a thing I can put in soup, I could probably get a jar from somewhere. I was going to make soup today, though, so maybe I shall make this without the sherry/madeira. Any alternative suggestions? Could I put in a bit of old red wine and honey instead? Or is that an abomination?

[mraltariel]

It is well worth investing in a tiny "alcholic granny" bottle of sherry or madeira for such things as soups and stews. It is dirt cheap, and lasts for ever.

I wouldn't use red wine with this soup, it'd go a funny colour. White would be better if you have it? Or a splash of white wine vinegar or similar? I'd definitely try a teaspoon of honey in it; that'd be delicious.

[sugoll]

Doesn't Marmite have a half-life equivalent to uranium? I'm sure if you got a small jar, you'd find a few occasions to employ it. Especially if Mr A keeps giving you excuses.

[vilakins]

Oh, thank you! I often make soup like that, but your ideas for flavouring (the garam masala, marmite, sherry) sound wonderful. [mems]