The Police ~ Greatest Hits Album
I enjoyed a very happy day yesterday as I had the company of all three of my sister's little ones for the day. I also had a surprise visit from an old friend with his two small children in tow so my house was filled with children's laughter and noise with a healthy dose of hugs and conversation from my friend. The little ones filled their morning painting and colouring and soon it was time for lunch...it was Myles' turn to choose the meal and he chose spaghetti and (un)meatballs which I was very happy to provide. Everyone squeezed themselves around my dining table and soon laughter was replaced by the sounds of spaghetti slurping. Heaven. I was a very proud auntie as they all tucked into the platter of raw veggies that I provided. However, as I couldn't eat the pasta or (un)meatballs I forgot to eat lunch myself. I was busy talking with them all and helping out the littlest ones. This often happens when I am cooking for others...lol. But after my friend and his little family left and the little ones were busy colouring, playing princesses and practising their writing skills by writing my 'fantasy food' shopping list...I sat down at the table with them with a bowl of my latest creation. Sprout Soup!
This soup came to be by my not being able to walk past the bargain bin in the supermarket. Once I spotted the large bag of sprouts marked down to 50p I grabbed them like the addict I am and stashed them in my trolley. The spices for this soup came from my recent bargain dried goods and spice blend shop over at theasiancookshop.co.uk. One of my favourite cookbook's author recently intrigued me with talk of a spice blend I had never heard of before. Dhana Jeera...it is a blend of cumin and coriander. Now at first sight I, like you no doubt unless you've heard of it, rolled my eyes and thought..."How hard is it to mix the two together yourself? Huh?..." But then Mridula Baljekar explained that this spice is different because the two spice seeds are roasted together so that the flavour is subtly different from just combining the two dried spices. And I have to admit when I opened the packet the aroma was beautiful and yes..different..I couldn't wait to use it.
I stood in my kitchen looking at my brussel sprout bargain then grabbed a couple of bowls, headed for my desk/dining table and sat and listened to a Podcast whilst I prepped the sprouts. Despite sprouts being one of my favourite veggies..prepping them isn't one of my favourite jobs and so I find distraction a help when doing this task. Soon I was back in my kitchen and chopping and sauteing. For some reason I knew that that moment was the right time for testing out my new spice blend. This soup is not hard to throw together once the sprouts are prepped and before long, say about 20 minutes, I had a steaming bowl of green goodness waiting to be tested. I intentionally used a potato to give this soup a silkiness and it worked perfectly. The spice was a deeper flavour than I expected..more intense and blended with the earthy flavours of the sprouts divinely.
Now I know that this soup will probably make a lot of you run away from your computer but I make no excuses..today is just not for you. But I am and always will be a sprout fan and therefore seek to find new ways to eat them. I really love this soup...even if Myles and Noo sat there staring at me as though I had lost my mind as I ate the bowlful I enjoyed for my late lunch. Ah well..give me time and I will convert them over to the sproutside...
 |
| Rocket & Roses Spiced Brussels Sprout Soup |
Rocket & Roses Spiced Brussels Sprout Soup Serves 4-6
(Original recipe from the Rocket & Roses Vegean Kitchen)
2 med onions, peeled, quartered and slice d
1" piece of fresh ginger, micro grated
1 tsp sunflower oil
1 med-large potato, peeled and small dice
700g brussels sprouts, trimmed and halved
1 1/2 tsp Dhana Jeera spice blend
1400ml veggie stock
Himalayan salt to taste
freshly ground black pepper to taste
Heat the oil in a soup pan and cook the onion and ginger until the onion has softened. If you need to add some water to the onions to avoid sticking. You don't want the onions to brown in any way.
Stir in the potatoes and stir well and leave to cook for 3 minutes. Sprinkle over the spice blend and stir well to evenly distribute them. Allow to become fragrant but do not allow it to burn. Add the sprouts and stir well to coat. Leave to cook for 5 minutes.
Add the stock and stir well. Bring the stock to a boil, reduce the heat to a simmer, cook for 15 minutes or until the potatoes are tender. Season with salt and pepper.
Remove a couple of drained spoonfuls of the sprouts and then place the remaining veggies and stock into a blender and blitz until silky smooth. Return to the pan with the drained veggies and reheat. Then serve...
Enjoy!
Thanks for stopping by and I hope your Wednesday is a splendid one....
~Red~
