What with it getting cold. those dark evenings and gloomy mornings and facebook messages about snow and sleet, thoughts turn to thicker, pulse packed soups that stick to your ribs and fill you for ages.
I had a packet of country soup mix in the cupboard - not the fresh veg kind I go on about but the dried pulse kind that has a range of stuff - pearl barley, lentils, dried peas, kidney beans, chick peas - you get the idea.
So I did the usual: sauteed that fresh veg soup mix (about 200-ish g) in butter for ten minutes, added some crushed garlic, two stock pots, about a third of the packed of dried soup mix which I had soaked overnight, a good pinch of mixed herbs, a good pinch of mustard powder and a squidge of chilli puree from a tube. Oh, and a good grinding of pepper.
I then topped it up to the 2 l mark with boiling water, brought it to a good boil for 30 mins and then let it simmer for an hour or so until all the pulses were soft.
Without zizzing, I ended up with a thick soup with sort of soft lumps. I added a little bit more water but you could add milk instead. I gave it just a short zizz because I wanted a bit of texture.
I did it in Thermione but you don't have to and I ought to have used my pressure cooker to save on cooking time. Next time I will although I can just leave Thermione and get on with other stuff whereas I don't feel I can just leave the pressure cooker.
I now need to experiment with different stocks and seasonings. I think gammon stock would be scrummy if it wasn't too salty, and I could add shreds of ham too. Or turkey stock, of which I will have gallons after Christmas.
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