Minnie's Soup Kitchen

Butternut squash and shallots roasted with smoked paprika and caraway seeds Puffed Up with Pride My first new recipe of 2017 was from Norfolk's Own Cookbook: Everything Stops for Tea . The book practically fell open at "Sausage rolls with roasted vegetables." There were some unused shallots and carrots in the fridge, smoked paprika, and a few of the other listed ingredients in our cupboard. At the butcher's I asked for sausagemeat and was given the choice of having the meat removed from prepared sausages or a lump of frozen meat. I chose the former but not happily.  Sausage and roasted vegetable rolls Butternut squash - the tough nut of vegetables. You have to batter through the skin with a sharp knife. Then the dicing begins. Carrots are grated. Oh, the anxiety! Will I sever a finger or break a nail? Phew! I got through the prep work with no mishaps.  I can't remember when I last used puff pastry. I thawed out a packet for the sausage rolls - ...

Cotriade From my "make again" list Last Saturday I made cotriade again. I first followed this recipe by Marie-Pierre Moine in July 2011 and put it on my list of soups to make again. I went about it in a labour- and time-saving way, buying frozen pieces of cod and haddock rather than fresh fish, and using fish stock cubes. The spouse and I enjoyed the soup, but the younger offspring struggled to get through his portion. He eventually admitted he didn't really like fish, only shellfish. I can understand that. Cherry tomatoes ready for roasting Today I made Eric Treuille's sausage and bean soup for the second time (see 10th October 2010 ). The weather wasn't really suited to a spicy soup, but I went ahead anyway, only to be told by the younger offspring that he was going to his friend G-Banger's house when there was only twenty minutes' cooking time left. Grumpy face. Well, let him go off to the cinema with his friend. All the more for the...

Pea and Sausage Soup  Yesterday (Saturday 27th November) I made pea and sausage soup for our dinner. The spouse was in a hurry to get out early to do the shopping because we needed to be in Dublin city centre on time for the protest march against the forthcoming austerity measures (figures for the numbers attending vary from 50,000 to 100,000 ). I had to think quickly: we would want something substantial and warming. One of the handy features of The Soup Book is the recipe chooser section which lists the recipes under these headings: Vegetarian , Chilled , Hearty , Healthy , Spicy , Main Meals , and Quick . Pea and sausage soup is listed under Hearty , Main Meals and Quick , so it seemed like an apt choice for three people who would return home cold (and one of whom would be cooking) and for a fourth who would be returning from a rugby match. The ingredients for pea and sausage soup include carrot, leek, celery, potato, parsley, dry white wine, chicken stock, Toulouse sausage...

Sausage and Bean Soup I started writing this entry yesterday evening (Saturday 9th October) after I finished making sausage and bean soup from the Poultry, Game and Meat section of The Soup Book . It was for the two sons' dinner - the spouse and I were going out to dine.  The recipe is suggested by Eric Treuille of Books for Cooks (I have to admit I haven't heard of him before). The main ingredient is, of course, sausage meat. The other ingredients are cherry tomatoes, garlic, chilli flakes, cannellini beans, stock, balsamic vinegar and parsley or basil.  It didn't take too long, but it did involve roasting the tomatoes before starting the saucepan work, and liquidising a cupful of the beans and tomatoes for the final stage of cooking. There were a number of options for this sausage and bean soup. In his introduction, Eric Treuille writes, "We use chicken, honey and herb sausages in this dish, but other types work just as well." Then the ingredients state: ...