SOUP
In February, this most dreary of months, what we need is lovely, hot, filling, wholesome soups.
There are two ways to go about this. Buy ready-made, or make it yourself.
If you are going to make the soup yourself, a very easy - and cheap! - way is just to keep all your meal’s leftovers, veg, meat, potatoes, pasta; throw them in a pan with water or (homemade?) stock, add herbs and spices, let cook for a while, mash or whisk, and Bob’s your uncle. Personally I also always keep any cooking water for this, instead of a stock cube [1].
If you have the time, you could first sauté some onion or anything else sauté-able for flavour, and then add the liquid and everything else.
Stock cubes have no benefit for your health: home made stock has [2]. Since I’ve acquired a slow-cooker, I always make my own, once every few months, with all the bones which I’ve been saving up in the freezer. Dead easy.
Cover the bones/veg with water and two tablespoons of vinegar per liter, to draw out the minerals. Let them sit (and thaw) in that for a few hours before starting to heat; the bones leach their minerals best when cold.
The cooker must be 1/2 - 3/4 full. Add dried herbs: bay, rosemary, thyme etc., maybe some onion and/or garlic peel.
Once it’s just boiling, turn it down and let it simmer very slowly for 6 to 48 hours.
I also save fish bones. Like chicken or beef stock, fish stock is a rich source of gelatin, and of minerals such as calcium, manganese, phosphorus, silicon and sulphur. Fish heads also contain the thyroid with iodine, thyroid hormone, and other substances that nourish and strengthen our thyroid gland. These bones need far less time: 1 to 4 hours at the most. But don’t use the bones of oily fish like salmon or mackerel, as the oil will get rancid [3].
And then there is the chicken soup - for body, mind, soul etc. See [4].
For veg(etari)an options, look at [4a].
For veg(etari)an options, look at [4a].
Once I’ve made stock, I usually cook it in for a while, so it won’t take up too much space in the freezer. Then I add salt, divide it over several tubs, defrost one every so often and add a few spoonfuls to my daily soup. That way I only have to do it once every few months - by which time I’ve collected enough bones for the next lot.
For more general simple how-to, see [5].
NB:
- Did you know that to have the full, health-giving, effect of garlic and onion, you cut them up, leave for resp. 5-10 minutes, and then cook them, for not longer than 15 minutes? That way allicin gets formed, which is the reason why garlic and onions are so good for you [6].
- And beware the glyphosate. See [7], which, I hope, mainly holds for America???
- Slow cookers are very easy to get in charity shops.
And, for those still not willing to cook:
“we all need healthy fast food, and The Naughty Nutritionist has the answer— brothels in every town! Yes, brothels, meaning establishments that make genuine bone broth from scratch and serve up satisfying soups, sauces and stews” [8].
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It’s cold. Snowy even. Looking forward to the warmer months? To hayfever and the like? Now is the time to start preparing: there are other things you can take than the steroids or antihistamine tablets. But it’s best to start now.
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TO EAT:
Veg: beet, purple sprouting broccoli, brussels, (savoy) cabbage, carrots, winter (=black) radish, chard, celeriac, kale, cavolo nero, leek, parsnip, potato, pumpkin, rocket, spinach, swede, turnip, Jerusalem artichoke, chicory, corn salad, endive, kohlrabi, salsify, winter purslane.
Meat: goose, mallard, partridge, pheasant, venison.
Fish: bib, cockles, hake, crab, dab, flounder, lobster, mackerel, oysters, pollack, scallops, seabass, whiting.
TO SOW/PLANT (outdoors):
If the weather is suitable: garlic, broad beans, spring onions, shallots, early peas, carrots, parsnips, green/red cabbage, onion sets. And apple trees, if the weather isn't too severe and the ground not waterlogged or frozen.
RECIPES
POTATO LEEK SOUP
3 tablespoons butter, 4 large leeks, roughly chopped, 3 cloves garlic, mashed; 950g potatoes, roughly chopped into 1-2 cm pieces, 1.6ml chicken/vegetable stock, 2 bay leaves, 3 sprigs thyme, 1 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp ground black pepper, 1 cup heavy cream [9], chopped chives for serving.
Melt the butter, add leeks and garlic. Cook, stirring regularly, until soft and wilted, about 10 mins. Don’t let it brown. Add potatoes, stock, bay, thyme, salt and pepper; bring to the boil. Simmer for 15 mins, or until the potatoes are very soft. Fish out thyme and bay, then purée the soup with a blender. Add the cream and bring to a simmer. Taste and adjust seasoning. If the soup is too thin, simmer until thickened. If it's too thick, add water or stock. Garnish with fresh herbs if you have them.
CARROT and SWEDE SOUP for 6.
1 large swede, peeled and chopped; 12 chopped carrots, 1 chopped onion, 2 chopped garlic cloves, 1l stock, butter or fat.
Sauté the onion for 5 mins in the oil, add the garlic for another 2 mins. Add swede and carrots and cook for 10 mins stirring frequently, so they don’t burn. Add liquid to cover, bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and cook for 30 more mins or until everything is soft. Blend or mash, season and eat.
It’s nice to put in bay leaves when you add the liquid, and later parsley, coriander, chives - anything you like really. Just make sure to take out the bay before you start blending!
CALDO VERDE for 6.
2 fat chopped onions, 4 crushed garlic cloves, olive oil, ab. 450g chorizo or really good pork sausages, 6 large potatoes, 1.5 litre stock, salt, freshly ground pepper, 2 bay leaves, ab. 450g cleaned cabbage/kale, (smoked) paprika.
Sauté onions and garlic in the oil until soft. Chop the chorizo into small chunks, add to pan. Fry all this for a few more mins and then add the diced potatoes. Add stock, seasoning, bay, and when it boils, the finely shredded cabbage. Cook until the potatoes are soft. Mix the paprika with some olive oil to make a dressing, and swirl this into the soup. Serve with good bread.
LENTIL and PUMPKIN SOUP for 6.
240ml lentils, 450g squash, 1-2 onions, 1 tomato, 1 carrot, 1 celery, 60ml dry white wine, 2tbsp lemon juice, 1tbsp curry powder, 1 garlic clove (minced), 1 bay leaf, 1.3l water, parsley.
You can add any herbs or spices at the beginning, and/or some lemon juice or grated cheese at the end if you like.
Chop vegetables and simmer everything together until it's tender, stirring occasionally, 45 mins. Thin with more water if necessary. Season, add parsley.
For more February recipes, see other years (click on 2019 on the right hand side, and then on February). Or go to https://thoughtforfoodaw.wordpress.com, which still has eight recipes for this year.
Next month: headache.
[2] http://www.eatnakednow.com/healing-foods-101-seven-reasons-to-add-bone-broth-to-your-daily-diet/
[7] https://blog.bulletproof.com/glyphosate-in-food-bone-broth/
[9] Yes ‘heavy cream’, don’t stint on it! It’s much better for you than half-half or worse. This fat is good for you and helps absorb the other nutrients. See the issue of November 2018.
