Chilled Melon and Ginger Soup

Chilled Melon and Ginger Soup 

Chilled soup hesitators, look away now! I was chatting to "J-Zo" (a sibling) about the soup I made yesterday, but once I said the word chilled, she pursed her lips and said, "Urrgh." (By the way, has anyone noticed that no one writes "urrgh" or ""ugh" any more? It's all "ee-uu" with an upward inflection now.) So, anyway, chilled soups are not to everyone's liking. But if you can cope, read on.

Ginger is the spiciest ingredient in this soup. Unusually for a recipe by Roopa Gulati, it's the only spice.  Fennel seeds are also used but I'm not sure if they count as a spice - fennel is a herb, isn't it? The other ingredients are a ripe Galia melon, fresh root ginger, white seedless grapes (white? I used good old-fashioned green grapes), the juice and grated zest of a lime, dried mint, Greek yoghurt and a garnish consisting of fresh mint and crystallised ginger. There's no cooking required, the exception being the toasting of the fennel seeds; just peeling, chopping, grating, grinding, whizzing in the blended and sieving. Oh yes, and chilling. All very simple and very tasty. The spouse, older offspring and I had the soup for lunch and we decided that it was very good. Sometimes I don't bother with the garnish on soups, but I'm glad I did on this occasion. The fresh mint and crystallised ginger added substance to this soup and gave it an extra kick. It also felt very healthy.

Lovage, the sweetest thing!

Speaking of being healthy, the older offspring and spouse had been at the gym just before lunch. The son was helping his father to counteract the effects of years of rich food and sedentary activities. The spouse was not the better of it but still made our dinner - courgette and lovage pasta from a recipe by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall. I was delighted that our lovage is being put to good use.

What Hive I Done for You Lately? 

While I don't usually advertise in this blog or do product placement or monetise, I come across items that fit in with the bee and honey themes. So I am mentioning this hotel in Rome because it's called The Beehive and the owners' story is interesting. 

Listening to the radio during the week I heard someone talking about The Hive of Knowledge, which is the theme of the Monaghan International Forge-In (24th to 2th June). Nothing to do with counterfeit money - it's an event for blacksmiths as part of Ireland's Year of Craft.

The spouse sent me this link to a story entitled The Beekeepers: Artful Documentary about Colony Collapse Disorder.

And finally, here's a link to a short video about making a traditional Japanese beehive.