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Vegetable Soup

1 Onion, thinly sliced
3 Celery sticks, chopped
1 Carrots, chopped
1 Parsnip, chopped
4 oz Swede, diced
1 Potato, diced
1 Crushed garlic clove
1/½ pint Chicken stock
2 oz Sweetcorn kernels
Salt
Pepper

Put all of the vegetables (except for the sweetcorn) and the garlic into a large saucepan with the stock and bring to the boil. Bring down the heat and simmer until the vegetables are tender (around 25 minutes)
Using a slotted spoon, remove half of the vegetables and place to one side.
With the remaining vegetables and stock, place into a blender and puree until smooth.
Place the puree into a new pan and add the rest of the vegetables, sweetcorn and salt and pepper.
Heat through and then serve with hot, crusty bread.

The basic recipe was swiped from the net and altered by me to my taste.

This is my favorite soup.

Mushroom Soup

1lb mushrooms
3oz butter
2 medium onions chopped
1 clove garlic
2 tbsp plain flour
1 ½ pints chicken stock
1 sprig of thyme
1 bay leaf
4 oz cream
salt and pepper

Wipe the mushrooms clean and chop them into rough dice. Chop the onions and crush the garlic. Put the chicken stock to heat in a separate pan.

Cook the onions, thyme and garlic in the butter over a medium heat, until they are soft and translucent but not browned.

Add the mushrooms, raise the heat and cook, stirring frequently, for about 3 minutes.

Sprinkle the flour over the mushrooms and stir it in so that it coats the mushrooms, then and cook, stirring constantly, for another minute.
Pour the hot chicken stock over the mushrooms and bring back to the boil. Add the bay leaf and reduce the heat to a simmer. Cook for 10 minutes.

Remove the bay leaf and thyme and use either a hand held blender or a food processor to process the soup until smooth.

Return the soup to the pan, season with salt and pepper to taste and reheat. When it is simmering stir in the cream. Allow to warm through.

Serve with garlic croutons or fresh bread.

Davred wrote:[---]
4 oz Swede, diced
[---]

I'm taking that personally!

grisell wrote:

Davred wrote:[---]
4 oz Swede, diced
[---]

I'm taking that personally!

The 4oz or the diced part???

BriCan wrote:

grisell wrote:

Davred wrote:[---]
4 oz Swede, diced
[---]

I'm taking that personally!

The 4oz or the diced part???

Both!

I do a similar soup with mushrooms, but just add a thinly sliced potato, rather than flour to thicken it. It's also nice without cream.

Most of the soups I do just work on a base on potato, onion and sometimes garlic, maybe also a bit of celery (if there's some about), with the main ingredient.

Have you tried lettuce? The outer leaves of lettuce like little gem make a great soup, as do the hard stems that you cut off asparagus (but make sure you sieve it before use).

Phil

Do you prefer cards?

grisell wrote:

Davred wrote:[---]
4 oz Swede, diced
[---]

I'm taking that personally!

I personally like taragon in my mushroomsoup. It gives it à Nice french taste.