BBC Radio4 Desert Island Disc Podcast ~ Sir Ian McKellan
Bags of spring greens are in abundance right now. They are cheap and once cooked they are delicious. I'm afraid I haven't joined the raw spring greens pack as yet although they aren't too shabby in a green smoothie..lol. However, this being said if I have a choice of spring greens and kale, savoy, red cabbage or sweetheart leafy I would go for any of those every time. Why? Simply and quite superficially they always look nicer. Spring greens or collards as they are also known, come in bags and are still covered in soil from the fields. Yep I can be that person. But sometimes I grab a bag of them and toss them in my basket and tell myself to get over it...lol. Stupid really because I greatly enjoy them once they are steamed or cooked in something.
Chipotle chilli..have you tried it? It is something I haven't had properly since I was last in the US. Over in England it's quite tricky to purchase, an expensive supermarket sells dried chipotle chillies but buying any other variety simply isn't an easy thing here. More often than not I have to buy them online which means in bulk so it happens rarely. I was recently reading through an online recipe that called for chipotle chilli powder and I sat back in disbelief...you can buy a chilli powder? Goodness me, why hadn't it occurred to me before? lol. Sadly my local area didn't stock any so I asked ML to venture into Ebayland and try and find some. Three days later a package arrived with a bag of chipotle chilli inside and for a bargain price of £1.95!!! Now I have a kilner jar of the red stuff sat on my kitchen side. I couldn't wait to use it. I have to confess I took a rather deep breath as I was decanting it into the said jar and spent the next 10 minutes sneezing and trying to catch my breath. It's potent stuff, let me tell ya. lol.
So armed with my bag of spring greens, my smokey chipotle powder and a face mask I started the process of making a soup. I also had a gorgeous sweet potato and grabbed that on my way past the basket on route to the kitchen. I like a soup that is straightforward and easy to make and I was pushed for time. I prepped veggies and heated stock and got out my large soup pot and threw everything in and left it to cook. And 20 minutes later I was blitzing the soup into a silky green lake and taste testing.
Holy moly did my chipotle pack some heat! After two spoonfuls I was heading for my box of tissues because it was making my nose run. lol. Hey I nothing if not honest. By the fourth mouthful my senses had adjusted and I was enjoying the heady aroma and glorious spiciness. Please don't misunderstand, it wasn't painfully hot as I don't roll that way but my lips were sensitive after eating it. I felt like I'd eaten something special with the smokey warmth radiating through my every cell. lol. I most definitely had a chilli high.
Now it may not look like that attractive but what it lacked in appearance it more than made up for it in flavours. The lush spring greens, the smokey heat and wholesome sweet potato making it a silky soup. To quote the littlest niece...Yummy!
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| Rocket & Roses Firey Chipotle Spring Greens Soup |
Rocket & Roses Firey Chipotle Spring Greens Soup Serves 4
(Original recipe from the Rocket & Roses Vegan Kitchen)
240g spring greens, washed well and sliced
2 onions, peeled and chopped
1 med-large sweet potato, peeled and chopped
1 garlic clove, micro grated
1 1/2 litre hot veggie stock
1/2 tsp chipotle chilli powder (Yep..just 1/2 tsp packs a punch folks)
In a soup pan add all the ingredients and bring the stock to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cover, cook for 15 minutes until the onions are tender. Then remove from the heat and blitz until smooth. Serve...
Enjoy the glow!
Thanks for stopping by and I hope your Thursday is a peaceful one...
~Red~
