Monday 27 October 2014

Soup of the day

Hello. I've never really liked tinned soup. Occasionally I've had tomato or mushroom, as a quick snack, but not been overly keen on it. There are so many different kinds now, but somehow I can't bring myself to try any. There are too many ingredients listed on the label, it puts me off buying it. I imagine huge vats of gunge bubbling away in the factory, yuk, I don't fancy that at all. 
I've checked out the price of tinned soup, Baxters is £1.15 and £1.49. Campbells is £1. Heinz is 74p and 89p. Tesco is 49p and 89p. Tesco Value is 25p. 
So this week I'm having a home made soup extravaganza. A different one every day. There won't be any spending on ingredients, it will be all about using what I already have. I am sure you could make soup out of almost anything, all you need is a stick blender, and a bit of imagination.
Today's soup is potato and runner bean, home grown from the garden. Into the steamer goes two potatoes, and a portion of frozen beans. Steam for seven minutes, then transfer it to a smaller non stick pan, with the water. 
Next I added a shake of pepper, a shake of garlic powder, and a level teaspoon of whole grain mustard. Zap it all together, and return to the heat for a couple of minutes. Served with a slice of wholemeal bread. Very comforting on a blustery day, and tasty too, at very little cost. Please excuse poor photo's, flash needed now we don't have many daylight hours. The soup was a pale green colour, eaten straight out of the pan I may add, to save on washing up. More soup tomorrow.

Heidi has found a new favourite place, on top of the fridge freezer. She can view the whole kitchen from this vantage point, and can be ready to receive any tasty morsel that might be offered. I've brought the money plants inside now, I have three of these, still haven't found a place for the other two.

Mayze has decided she quite likes to sleep in my box of crafting bits and bobs, now I have stolen all the fabric that was lying around on the table. The cats were inside by 5.30pm tonight, I try and get them in as soon as it gets dark.

While I think of it, Beverley, please go back to your comment yesterday, someone has asked about your recipe for apple sauce. Feel free to explain what it is in another comment.

I'm a bit busy this week, things to do. Going to help Helen tidy the garden at one of her rental houses. Apparently the previous tenants have moved and left the house and garden in a terrible state. Lots of work to do. Also helping a friend with a couple of dog walks, and trying to get the picture finished. I like being busy.

Feel free to add your favourite soup recipes, let's make it a souper dooper soup week.
Toodle pip.

21 comments:

  1. I can't believe how much a tin of soup costs!! I can make a week's worth of soup for pennies. As you say, you can make soup out of any left over veg, including broccoli stalks. Adding potatoes really thickens it up and a stick blender whizzes it smooth. I often also add any left over passata and that really adds flavour.

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  2. Applesauce is so easy! Core and peel apples. Quarter them. Put in a pan with a small bit of water and simmer gently til apples are very soft. Put through a food mill or mash by hand. Can add sugar and or cinnamon (I don't) . Can or freeze (I freeze). Eat up what you want if you want it fresh! Keeps beautifully in freezer.

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  3. I made tomato, chilli & red pepper soup, the veg were home grown, I added a sprinkle of sugar & a shake of pepper. Delicious & very cheap.

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  4. I like having homemade soup on hand. Good any time of day. In fact on the days when I'm starting morning chores in the dark and cold (or rainy) mornings, it's quite pleasant to come back inside and bundle up under the covers again (the only warm place in the house these mornings) for a breakfast mug of hot soup! Question: can you still call it "having breakfast in bed" when you've already fed the livestock and mucked out the barn? ;)

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    1. Answer: after all that hard labor, you're entitled to call it whatever you like! and enjoy it, too.

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  5. I haven't eaten tinned soup in over 24 yrs...I could live on soup,it's so cheap and nutritious.
    Jane x

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  6. I am going to start having soup a couple times a week , to save money and because its very healthy.

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  7. MMMM Potato soup is one of my favorites. I love to make vegetable soup, just adding as many veggies as I can find in a wonderful broth.

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  8. We had red bean soup tonight, although it wasn't quite cold enough for it here (New Orleans). Some leftover red beans and ham pieces, add a can of cooked red beans (emergency stores), some chopped onion, parsley and garlic. Add a bit of water and a some tomato (emergency stores) soup. Served with biscuits. Food for 3 for super cheap.

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  9. From Margie in Toronto - I love HM soup and make a pot of something almost every week. Just finished putting half of this weekend's creation into the freezer - all the bits of veg that were about to go off, plus some frozen veg, chicken stock that I had on hand (or veggie stock or cube) along with some rice and some bits of turkey leftover from Cdn. Thanksgiving. Made a lovely squash and sweet potato soup with leeks and onions last week - it was so sweet - just gorgeous. As some said above, a potato or two helps to bulk things out - another favourite is potato with a bit of onion, lots of carrots and red lentils with ground cumin and ground coriander - so tasty.

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  10. I made a big pot of vegetarian chili today. Sautéed up onions, red &yellow peppers,garlic and jalapeños. Then added diced tomatoes, broth, chili powder and cumin. The beans I used were black beans and cannellini but any kind would work. I also added some roasted butternut squash and a bag of baby spinach.
    Super tasty with a loaf of homemade bread.
    :)
    Debra.

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  11. retıred and lıvıng ın turkey we eat a lot of turkısh veggy stew.Take some tomatoes,chopped onıon,garlıc and cook, then eıther blend or use a tater masher to smooth ıt then add slıced aubergınes and slıced courgettes and sımmer tıll tender serve wıth a blob of yoghurt turkısh style and crusty bread to mop up the juıces.Ive used all kınds of veg wıth thıs and usually add 3 chıcken stock cubes--nıce every tıme.

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  12. Looks and sounds lovely I make the trusty old veggie soup ! I can't eat tin soup all the salt burns my gums yuck!

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  13. Our winter favourite is leek and potato - 2 leeks, 2 potatoes, 2 onions, 2 cloves of garlic. sweat veggies in an ounce of butter for 5 mins, then cover with water and simmer for 30 mins. Blitz in blender and season with salt and pepper. Serve with grated cheese on top...mmmm!
    Better make sure there are no pins in your bits and bobs!

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    1. Hi, thanks for the reminder. I am very meticulous about picking up dropped pins and needles.

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  14. I love thrifty Lesley,s tomato soup. I've adapted a little, throw in leftover veg and zap the lot. Smuggles extra veg into my husband without him knowing lol. Really gone off canned soups in favour of freshly cooked ones. Glad you enjoyed yours :)

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  15. I have to say I do like some ham, chicken or beef in many of my soups. Does not have to be a lot, but it does add a lot to the flavor....

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  16. I found a recipe recently that I had shoved into a book and it was called "Tuscan Tomato/Butternut Squash soup". I made it and it was delicious! So easy and satisfying. I gave up canned soups years ago because of the high salt and all the extra ingredients they put into them. The only soup I will occasionally eat is one of the organic soups but they are expensive (for me) and not anywhere as good as homemade soup. Ilona, loved your soup recipes. It's getting colder here by the day and a good time for making and eating soup. It warms me up and the kitchen!

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  17. Must be something in the air! Although its spring here in Western Australia I have just started a 'soup phase'. My favourite at the moment is.......... it hasn't got a name - like Ilona I just make it up as I go along!

    1 large onion
    1/2 a bunch of celery
    2 large potatoes
    2 medium orange sweet potatoes (Kumara)
    A few teaspoons of chicken stock powder (Vegeta)
    Sweat finely chopped onion in butter until translucent, add rest of chopped veg and top up with stock. I add herbs sometimes but no salt as the stock is salty enough. I make this in a 8-9 inch saucepan. Simmer until everything is soft and just squash roughly with a potato masher - I prefer a lumpy to a smooth texture!

    Makes enough for 3 - 5 days for one person.

    Regards
    Jo

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  18. I make soup out of practically any veggie combination. Plenty of spices. It's such good food, as well as cheering in wet and cold weather. Ad since I bake my own bread, I make lovely crouton cubes, sauteed in olive oil with black pepper, little shake of salt, and put them, sizzling, right onto the soup in the bowl. It's great for working up your appetite if it wasn't already worked up.

    I haven't eaten bought bread nor most canned soups and vegs. for many many years. They're just too salty for my taste, and I don't need to eat the preservatives. They won't preserve me, just the soup on the shelf in the warehouse then the store!

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  19. I've come to the point in my life where I can't bear the "canned" taste of canned soup. I'm not a veggie, so I usually start homemade soup with stock. About a week ago, I rounded up all of the beef bones lurking in my freezer and made beef stock. Later I turned it into beef barley soup, with bits of beef, barley, potato, carrot and canned tomatoes. Really de-lish. I made a huge amount and froze 4 quarts. I've got some homemade chicken broth in the freezer and will probably use it for butternut squash soup. No recipe--just stock, squash, evaporated milk, onion and some seasonings. I also have some leftover mashed potatoes to bulk it out. I add mashed potatoes to bean and ham soup, too. They disappear in the soup.

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