Creamy Smoked Mackerel Soup

Creamy Smoked Mackerel Soup

This soup should have been creamy smoked trout soup, but having decided upon it last Friday evening, the spouse and I were unable to locate any smoked trout in local speciality shops and in town. Eventually I substituted smoked mackerel for the trout. The other ingredients listed the The Soup Book include fish stock (I used cubes), cream, white wine and Worcestershire sauce, with parsley to garnish. The editor's note pertaining to trout advises the reader to use whole moist fillets rather than pre-flaked fish as the latter can be dry. The note also refers the reader to the Marine Conservation Society's website (www.mcsuk.org) for guidelines on fish sustainability. Irish readers might be interested in the marine section of the National Parks and Wildlife Service (www.npws.ie).

It didn't take long to make the soup - the most labour intensive part was skinning and flaking the fish. I'm never too keen on making a roux (see blog of 8th May) but today's experience went smoothly (no pun intended). The older offspring and I had the soup for lunch a little while ago - the others are out a sporting event. It was delicious! I like creamy soups and this was certainly creamy - I'd used thick single cream (not sure how thick single cream differs from double cream!). I also liked the combined tang of the white wine, Worcestershire sauce and lemon juice which counteracted the cream and mackerel oil.

Bees' Nests and Notes

During the week the spouse sent me this link (www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=126556246) to a story by Kathleen Masterson entitled Busy bees use flower petals for nest wallpaper. It concerns the Osmia avoseta bee which lays her eggs in tiny nests (one egg in each half-inch nest) made from petals and lined with mud. Fascinating.

"Beekeeping, that's what I'd do." This is the opening line of Victoria Coren's article The curious case of uppity Uppingham which appeared in The Guardian on 9th May (www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2010/may/09/victoria-coren-education). In this article she compares and contrasts the ways in which episodes of challenging behaviour by students were handled in two schools. Thought provoking.

Does anyone remember Nut Rocker by B Bumble and the Stingers? First released in 1962 and then again ten years later, it's a rock arrangement of March of the Wooden Soldiers from Tchaikowsky's ballet The Nutcracker. Strictly speaking, there's no honey bee connection, but sometimes you just have to have fun. Listen to it here -
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Op2U-qGUDkg

Tuscan Bean Soup

Tuscan Bean Soup This recipe calls for canned beans (borlotti, flageolet or cannellini) and as I have been tidying and cleaning out our cupboards I've used cannellini beans. I have to mention that the younger offspring has done an impressive job on the cupboards. That's enough about him. Back to me and my soup! Other ingredients include onion, carrots, leek, garlic, tomatoes, tomato puree (I substituted sun-dried tomato paste as there was an open jar of it in the fridge), chicken stock (I had to use a cube as my home-made reserves have been used up) and spinach.When ready it's served with ciabatta bread, grated Parmesan and a drizzle of olive oil. So it's quite a rich soup. We've just had the Tuscan bean soup for lunch. All enjoyed it. The adult males were particularly forthcoming in their praise. The spouse liked the "tomato-ey sharpness" and mused that ham stock should be considered as an alternative to chicken stock. Bees' Cheese and other recipes H...

Lovage Soup

Lovage Soup Today I made lovage soup, the second recipe by Sophie Grigson in The Soup Book that I have used in the last four days. She introduces the recipe with these remarks: "If you don't grow this old-fashioned herb yourself, ask around among your gardening friends or head down to the nearest garden centre to see if they sell it. " As I mentioned in my last blog entry (18th May), lovage now features among the herbs in my front garden. As the spouse left the camera at home, I took some photographs. Parsley, sorrel and lovage in Minnie's garden. Rosemary, parsley and lovage in Minnie's garden. I had hoped to add chervil to my collection of herbs - there's a recipe for vegetable and chervil soup in The Soup Book - but "Young Stephen" wasn't able to source any for me. At least he tried. Just while I'm mentioning Stephen, I have to reveal that the spouse and the older offspring claim that he has been mention...

A Sting in the Tale

Nettle Soup I have hesitated to make nettle soup from The Soup Book but last weekend I decided to overcome my doubts. The spouse and I were having a leisurely, offspring-free day in town and I spotted bagged nettles on a vegetable stall in Meeting House Square . I checked with the stall-holders that they would have nettles again this weekend and determined to go back. The next day I was at a friend's and her husband was about to make nettle soup. My fate was sealed. I had to bring the younger offspring into town this morning and once I had completed various other errands I made my way to Meeting House Square. I bought the nettles and some chard and spinach for my next soup-making stint. Yesterday the younger offspring and I could have picked all the free nettles I could ever have wanted down by the local river, but I wondered if they'd been sprayed with anything or by any beast. On arriving home from town this afternoon I put on my rubber gloves and washed the nett...

Minnie's Soup Kitchen

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