Slapdash Vegetable Soup (Soups)

Member Name: jesperado

Product:	Soups
Date:	10/03/09 (35 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Tasty, healthy, cheap

Disadvantages: Can take a while to make

I very much subscribe to the idea that measures and quantities are not very important in most recipes unless you are baking a cake or something like that. I also think that cooking is much more enjoyable when you experiment with ingredients and that people who follow recipes to the letter often forget to taste their food as they make it so it either ends up under seasoned or over seasoned. To make a good soup you need to keep tasting it and checking its consistency as you go along and adding things accordingly. So in the spirit of laidback cooking here is my soup recipe:

Jesperado's Slapdash Vegetable Soup

Chop a large onion and gently fry it in some butter and a little oil in the bottom of a large saucepan

Whilst the onion is softening chop up some leeks, carrots and celery. I tend not to use too much carrot as I have found it makes the soup too sweet for my liking. I usually use 2 trimmed leeks and 3 or 4 sticks of celery

Add the chopped veg to the pan with the onion and allow it all to soften. Finely chop a clove of garlic and add to the vegetables. Season with pepper. I usually add a little Maggi concentrated liquid stock at this point as well as some dried thyme

Boil a couple of pints of vegetable stock and add to the pan. I usually use Bouillon

Chop 3 or 4 potatoes - it doesn't really matter which ones but I usually have Maris Pipers - into 2 cm (ish) cubes and add to the pan

I usually add some country soup mix or some lentils to thicken the soup up but if you prefer it to be thinner, you can leave these out

Keep the soup boiling for around 20 minutes then turn down to a simmer

I've found that the longer you leave the soup cooking, the more flavour it gets so I try to leave it for as long as possible, stirring frequently to stop it sticking before serving with some crusty bread

I really love vegetable soup, it's just so warm and comforting especially when it's cold outside. It's a really cheap meal and lasts for ages and can be a snack or a main meal. It's also pretty healthy and very cheap to make.

Summary: Give it a go!