Displaying items by tag: soup

I planted out twelve pumpkin plants this year to grow up my hedge. Half were Crown Prince and half were Black Futsu. I got a lot of foliage and flowers but only three pumpkins made it to maturity. They made lovely soup. (note to self - must try harder next year)

• the pumpkins climbed over the hedge
• just three made it
• roasting in the oven makes it easier to scoop the flesh rather than peel
• I added grated ginger, garlic and curry powder to spice it up
•  

This is the bowl of soup that I bought for my lunch at Morrisons cafe in Beccles yesterday. Presentation is obviously not high on the list!

A favourite Winter soup which is vegetarian.  Serves 6 - 8 people

Ingredients

• 1kg g (2 lb) Jerusalem Artichokes
• 3 celery stalks, chopped
• 450 g (1 lb) carrots ( peeled and sliced)
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 75 g (3 oz) butter
• 1.5 L (3 pints) vegetable stock
• salt and freshly ground pepper
• Method

Peel and slice artichokes then put them into a bowl of cold water to prevent them from discolouring. ( add a slice of lemon)

Melt the butter in a cooking pot and soften the onion, celery, carrots and artichokes.

Put the lid on the pan and let the vegetables sweat for 5 minutes on a low heat.

Stir from time to time.

Pour in the stock, stir well, put the lid back on and simmer for a further 20 minutes or until the vegetables are soft. Liquidise the soup and season to taste.

Jerusalem Artichokes are a member of the sunflower family and originate in North America, not Jerusalem.  They are also known as Sunchokes in the USA.  They are easy to grow and are very knobbly, potato-like tubers, with the nickname "fartichoke" for a good reason!They are delicious at this time of year and make a wonderful winter soup.  Here is a recipe for Jerusalem Artichoke and Carrot Soup