Cauliflower, Bacon & Potato Soup

Cauliflower soup??? Sounds disgusting, but has been my best soup in the past few weeks.
You can tell it is now winter with all the pots of soup on the stove.

Ingredients
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 large or 2 small onions, chopped
8 rindless streaky bacon rashers
2 potatoes, chopped (I used one large)
1 small cauliflower, cut in florets, leaves sliced (I thin I used just 1/2 a caulifower)
570ml/1 pint vegetable stock
290ml/½ pint milk

Method
1. Heat the oil in a large pan, add the onion and fry for 5 minutes until softened. Chop bacon rashers, add to the pan and fry for a further 2 minutes.
2. Stir in the potatoes and cauliflower and mix well. Add the stock and bring to the boil. Cover and simmer for 15 minutes until the vegetables are tender.
3. Purée the soup in a blender or food processor, then return to the pan and stir in the milk. Reheat gently, taste and add salt and pepper.

I think this was from the good food magazine

Mike's Double Up Salad

Spectacular salad for those who like to eat raw meat:

This salad has a basic base of ingredients and then you have the option of fruiting it up or meating it up. Although this may seem very similar to a famous Jamie recipe, the subtle difference is the amount of wine I drink whilst making it.

Ingredients – Serves 4:

The Base Ingredients
Bag of Rocket from Tescos (enough to cover each plate you are serving it on).
Red Chili
Buffalo Mozzarella - One ball
Olive Oil
One Half Lemon

Option One
Tin of Peaches (in juice not syrup)
4 slices of Parma Ham

Option Two
Joint of Beef (the perfect size is one you can fit your two hands around if you are making a circle with your thumbs and forefingers)
Pepper (Black and Red if you can get it)


Preparation:

Lay the rocket out on the base of a large silver-serving tray. Deseed the chilies and cut into very thin slivers. Sprinkle over the rocket.

Rip the mozzarella up into small bits and sprinkle them over the rocket as well.

Option One

Drain the tin of peaches, drink the juice, and spread the peaches over the salad. Cut long strips of Parma ham and delicately place over the salad as well. Drizzle over the olive oil and squeeze half a lemon on top.

Option Two

Take the beef joint and roll it in a tray of black and red pepper. Get a frying pan (ideally a griddle) very very hot and pour a thin layer of olive oil in. Place the joint in the pan and leave till the side is well done. Then turn until all the sides are well done. Take the pan of the heat and leave to rest for 5-10 minutes.

Cut the very rare beef into very thin slices and place over the salad. Drizzle over the olive oil and squeeze half a lemon on top.

Warren's Butternut Soup

The only word to sum this soup up is Yum! I have made it about 15 times.
(it can get a little hot so be careful on the chillies).

Ingredients to serve 4:

2 x Butternut
Handful of fresh Coriander
Stub of Ginger
2 cloves of garlic
Orange Juice from 2 oranges
1/2 red chili
1/2 green chili

Chicken stock (made from stock cube or left over Sunday roast)
Single Cream


To Prepare:

Remove the skin from the Butternut and chop into 5cm cubes.

Add all the ingredients, with the exception of the chicken stock and cream, into a roasting tray and cook on a high heat until the butternut is soft.

Remove from oven and empty into a "wizzer". Wizz until smooth (unless you like the lumpy bits then wizz a little less.

Add salt and pepper to taste.

Finally add the chicken stock to get the require texture and when serving drizzle with a little cream. Alternatively you can "cream it up" and add a whole pot of single cream.



The other day I made a curry sauce out of the leftover soup, I will try and find my notes and add this to the blog.

Uncle Hans - Prawn & Cucumber Soup

Our Sunday evenings used not to be complete without Uncle's company at The Barn.
Starters and a nice bottle of wine are supplied by Hans. One such starter that also appears in our Perk Bartrum Family Cookbook is this soup to be served cold. I do not like prawns, but just to have the soup and pick out the prawns - I remember it tasting good.

"Some 7 years ago we were for a few days in Bangkok. We had dinner at the Oriental hotel and the soup was fantastic. Applying my charm I managed to get the recipe which follows below.

It is particularly suitable for the summer as it is served cold.

It is gorgeous and serving it to a lady on a balmy night guarantees a most pleasant evening."

1 cucumber
300 cc chicken stock ( 1 cube)
150 cc tomato juice
150 gram low fat yoghurt
150 cc single cream
125 gr cut up prawns
few drops of tabasco or something hot
1 tablespoon of chopped mint
1 large clove of garlic
salt and pepper to taste.

Hans also once made a great cold veg and peanut sauce meal, I must try and get the recipe, some did not like, but I really liked.