Minnie's Soup Kitchen

A Sliver of Silvia Silvia cake My first bake of February was the Silvia cake from Hygge and Fika . Buttery batter and coconut topping: it had to be good. I was rather disappointed by the cake's blandness. I've checked a couple of other recipes for this cake, none of which stand out as making it more interesting or flavoursome. Spinach and Spice Loaf Spinach and spice loaf This is more like it. Spinach, chilli, cumin, garlic and pinenuts provide rich flavours and texture. Definitely to be made again.  Rabbitting On A new recipe from an old book was Dorset rabbit from Doreen Fulleylove's Country Fare . Our butcher had a couple of rabbits for less than €10, so why not have a go? Jointed and covered with a layer of breadcrumbs and suet, this was a tasty meal.  All Square  Hazelnut squares One weekend I made raspberry squares from Hygge and Fika and hazelnut squares from Martha Day's Baking . I've had my eye on the hazelnut s...

Swiss Chard and Coconut Soup  Today's recipe from The Soup Book is by Sarah Raven , who was involved in a BBC documentary called Bees, Butterflies and Blooms . So there you have it! This entry has already mentioned bees! Back to the business in hand. The ingredients for this soup include Swiss chard (or spinach), Red Giant mustard (or kale or more chard), onions, garlic, vegetable stock and coconut milk. I bought the chard and spinach yesterday at Meeting House Square, having decided to substitute the latter for Red Giant mustard. The younger offspring gave me a hand to prepare the chard and spinach by shredding the leaves once I'd pulled them off the stalks. The rest of the prep work and cooking was straightforward: peeling and chopping the onion and garlic, sweating them, adding the leaves, stock and coconut milk, and pureeing the lot before serving. The spouse wasn't too keen on the soup but preferred the thin texture to that of yesterday's nettle soup: ...

Chinese Egg Drop Soup Yesterday I made my one hundred and first soup from The Soup Book and my first in 2012. I had originally intended to make one of the three clam soup recipes but the spouse and I were unable to find any clams. The spouse's favourite fishmonger told him that clams aren't usually available after Christmas. Another fishmonger that I tried said there wasn't much call for them in his locality, but he could order them. You never know - I might get to make another soup during the week. Anyway, back to the Chinese egg drop soup. The recipe is by Carolyn Humphreys, who suggests that the soup could be a simple chicken broth, but is made tasty and filling with the addition of vegetables and Chinese seasonings. The ingredients include chicken stock, garlic, fresh ginger root, spring onions, soy sauce, Chinese five-spice powder, corn on the cob or canned sweetcorn, baby leaf spinach, cornflour and eggs. The first stage involved cooking the crushed garlic, gin...

Spinach and Parmesan Soup with Creme Fraiche As I may have mentioned before, this September is a very busy month for me. Since coming home from my holiday last month, I have changed jobs more suddenly and with a greater degree of finality than I would have anticipated. The older offspring will be leaving home in a matter of days and I don't know whether to be upset at his departure or to relish the opportunity to tidy out his bedroom. The younger offspring is having extended birthday celebrations this weekend. I am finishing off one project before commencing a new course of study. The spouse and the younger offspring will be going to an international sporting event later this month, after which those of us still living in this house in Dublin will be hosting visitors from the far east. Roll on October, I say. I digress. Back to the soup. This weekend I chose spinach and Parmesan soup on the basis that it's supposed to be quick to make. Skye Gyngell's recipe gives the...

Spicy Spinach Soup There are three spinach recipes in The Soup Book and Darina Allen 's spinach and rosemary soup was the first soup I made at the commencement of this project (see my first blog of 28th December, 2009).Today's soup was appetisingly alliterative and as spicy as its name suggests. At this stage in my project, I have come to expect spiciness from the author Roopa Gulati. Skinned and boned chicken thighs are left to marinate for an hour or two in a mix of finely chopped garlic and root ginger, garam masala, lime juice, yoghurt and salt. The meat is then cooked on a griddle pan and left to cool before being chopped up (it's added to the soup later).  The ingredients for the next stage are onion, green chillies, garlic, ground almonds, chicken stock, a piece of root ginger, baby spinach, and coriander and mint leaves. Before adding the chicken pieces, the cooked mixture is liquidised and the soup turns a vivid shade of green that I would hardly believe was natu...

Well, this is it - my first blog. I'm paying homage to the film Julie and Julia , but going for a lower level of achievement than Julie. My chosen recipe book is The Soup Book published by Dorling Kindersley in 2009 and I hope to try out at least one soup recipe a month in 2010. I bought the book from a book seller who occasionally drops sample books into my office, leaves an order form and comes back a fortnight later to fill the orders. At each sample drop-off, my colleagues and I paw the books. The childless ones complain about the number of children's books and everyone swears they're never buying another cookery book, but we always renege. The Soup Book contains over 200 recipes so I'll have plenty of choice. There is a handy table showing when "British-grown" vegetables are in season (I live in Ireland but am happy enough to go along with this term). My husband and I are old enough to remember when vegetables were available only in season but are wel...