Minnie's Soup Kitchen

Fig and apricot scones  First off, let me say I pronounce the word scone to rhyme with don and upon. It's not an affectation. It wouldn't occur to me to pronounce it the other way. End of. Now, moving on. Last Saturday (30th January) I made fig and apricot scones using the recipe in Norfolk's Own Cookbook . I had an open packet of dried apricots and I wanted to use it. The ingredients include self-raising flour, caster sugar, dried figs and apricots, butter, ground cinnamon, baking powder and milk. I put everything into a bowl and brought them together with a knife. Then I tipped out the dough on to a work surface and kneaded it for the final binding. Now, for some unknown reason, I misread the instruction to roll out the dough to a 4cm thickness: I rolled it out to 4mm and then wondered why I ended up with twenty rather than ten scones. They were somewhat biscuity but very tasty. I will try them again - not sure when though, as I have prepared a list of recipes I ...

Miso Soup with Tuna This weekend I made a soup from the soup and shellfish section of The Soup Book , mainly because I'm aware this is the section through which I have made least progress. Leafing through the fish soup recipes, miso soup with tuna was the first one I came across that I hadn't made (the last fish soup was the creamy scallop bisque in December 2012). I read through the ingredients listed by Carolyn Humphries : what is wakame ? where do I get it and dried shitake mushrooms and miso paste? Apart from those three items, it was easy enough to obtain a carrot, spring onions, ginger, fresh tuna and chives. The spouse made a detour from the usual shopping route to his f avourite fishmonger's shop  then went into town for dried wakame. So, at about 5.30pm yesterday evening, I set about making the soup. I made up chicken stock from a cube and left the shitake mushrooms and wakame soaking in cold water while I prepared the vegetables and diced the tuna. Next, I ...

Cucumber and Walnut Soup  Looking east from the northside quays  on the first glorious  day of  2012 Yesterday was that one glorious Irish summer day and it was by chance that my decision to make a chilled soup fell on that day. The recipe for cucumber and walnut soup is by Celia Brooks Brown . Aside from the obvious ingredients, it calls for Greek or thick and creamy yogurt, a clove of garlic, walnuts, mint leaves and lemon juice. It was perfect for the day as I had marched the younger offspring from O'Connell St, down Sean McDermott St to North Strand Rd, then along Ossory Road, around the East Wall area and along the quays in the hot sunshine. So when we arrived home, I was glad there was no cooking involved. All I had to do was peel, dice, stir, pound and chop. Then everything was left in the fridge to chill. Cucumber chopped and ready to be souped up We had the soup for dinner. It doesn't sound like a substantial meal but the younger offspring and ...

Wild Salmon Chowder Chowder is one of my favourite things to eat. Whenever I see chowder on a menu I choose it. In anticipation of its arrival at my table, I wonder what will be swimming about in the bowl: will there be a variety of fish?, will there be mussels?, will the stock be thick or thin? To eat chowder in different places is to take part in a big adventure. So, it was with some trepidation that I undertook Angela Nilsen 's recipe in The Soup Book . Wild salmon chowder: starring the spouse's new saute pan. The finished chowder absorbs the flavours of the dill and grated lemon zest. Among the ingredients are streaky bacon, spring onions, thyme, bay leaves, small waxy potatoes, fish or chicken stock, salmon fillets, cream, dill and lemon zest. You need a wide, deep saute pan (I wish I could insert diacritics!), and serendipitously the spouse had bought one during the week - a big beast of a pan! I started by crisping up the chopped bacon, then removed it and...