Soup

I've had a cold over the past week or so and cooking went out the window. I've even ordered takeaway three times in the last ten days, something that is highly unusual behaviour these days. The forced inactivity over the weekend was what needed to happen though. Having struggled through the first few days of the bad stage of the cold because I had things to do that couldn't be put off, it was time to just take to bed and stay put. I should be seeing my friend who is going through chemo in three weeks and I don't want to risk still being sick then.

4 carrots, 2 onions, a small head of garlic and half a celeriac

All of the not cooking, however, means that I've developed a bit of a backlog of vegetables. I thought about cancelling my box for this week but in the end decided one good big session of soup-making might be what was called for. So, taking a leaf out of Sue's book, I've just put the following into the oven to roast. I've used sesame oil, just a small amount, and sprinkled a teaspoon of cumin seeds over it all.



I liked the idea of roasting the veg first to intensify the flavours. It's not a new idea to me but just seemed to somehow hit the spot for me when I read it yesterday. I've often found that in various aspects of life. You can be aware of something, you can even have heard of something often but it's not until you happen across it at the right time/right place/right frame of mind that it clicks and you take the idea on board.

So, the first soup will be a mixed vegetable soup. As well as the roasted stuff, I'll add some cabbage, a leek and a few potatoes. I might also throw in a couple of small Jerusalem artichokes, which arrived in my box this morning.

I still have two small pumpkins to use as well and another larger one arrived this morning, so pumpkin soup is definitely on the cards. And I have lots of carrots so I'm going to make some spicy carrot and lentil soup. Need to buy more garlic but Karneval started about half-an-hour ago so most shops will be closed for the rest of the day. Since it's raining and grey and miserable, I'm just not that bothered about trying to get out. I might fish some of the roasted garlic out of the pan above when it's done and put that to one side to use. I ended up roasting the entire head of garlic I had as it was very soft and starting to mold on one side. I really should get in a couple of jars of the minced stuff, it really is one of those things that is just so convenient.

Most of that soup will have to go into the freezer, obviously, but that does give me a good basis for future quick meals. I'm kind of feeling like a soup month wouldn't be a bad idea anyway. I'm not interested in too much effort at the moment but am desperately craving lots of vegetables and soup's a good way to take care of that.

And then I'll just have some Jerusalem artichokes left, some carrots, a couple of leeks, plenty of potatoes, a red cabbage, a white cabbage, half a Savoy cabbage, onions and half a celeriac. I see a lot of soup in there. And colcannon. Yum.