Monday 26 November 2012

Random Recipes - Spinach and lentil soup

It's still very much soup weather, isn't it. The grey skies, the rain...

Today is a strange day. Now that the kids are at school (breakfasted and with their packed lunches, I only have to feed myself because the Husband is away and it's my turn NOT to have the kids after school. An ideal day, then to throw myself into the Random Recipe challenge for the first time. This challenge is hosted by Dom at Belleau Kitchen .

 


I've had my eye on this for a few months. Choose a random recipe book, let it fall open and then cook what ever is on that page. A great way to cook a bit more broadly than I might otherwise, even if it's just once a month. Being as it's just me, I was slightly concerned that I might end up having to cook something extravagant, or scaling down some dinner party extravaganza, but I needn't have worried.



My cook books are scattered round various shelves, and rotate between them, and along them - if you see what I mean - depending on who's in favour at any one time. I chose the shelf that features in the backdrop to my blog, and the book that ended up being the chosen volume based on the 'birthday number selector' set for this month's challenge (use the date of your birthday and count that number of books along from right to left) was my well thumbed copy of Veg Everyday. Surprisingly, it didn't fall open at Macaroni Peas or his magic bread dough, but a soup that I haven't cooked of his yet - Spinach and Lentil.




 






Amazingly, I had everything I needed in the kitchen, onion, carrot and thyme, garlic and tomates, puy lentils and spinach... actually, I didn't have the spinach but as luck would have it, one of the only things that's looking good in the veg patch at the moment is our little crop of spinach, so I squelched off down the garden to pick. I didn't have baby leaves as recommended in the recipe, but I just ripped the leaves off from the stalks of the big leafed stuff I had to hand, and used that instead.





It's what I'd call a very worthy soup. It's tasty without being too tasty - you know it's good for you. Turns out it was a little too worthy for me today. Much as I thought it tasted good, it tasted better with some shredded ham that I had left over in the fridge from a brilliant slow cooker experiment last week (not yet blogged) and some grano padano grated on top...


11 comments:

  1. I love your additions - definitely makes it look better! And perfect weather for soup just now. Glad you have joined us Randomers. :)

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    1. It was fun. Next time I'll have to brave it on one of the less popular shelves and see what I come up with then!

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  2. I didn't get off to a good start with reading this as I read it "as the kids are at school (breastfed and "
    but once I got over the shock andread on, I saw that you picked one of my all time favourite books. I'm not a great fan of spinach but I lovelentil soups of all kinds. And I'm with you on the toppings, they would be just right with the soup.

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    1. LOL! I had to re-read and check that I hadn't made a terrible typo. For the record, they had Kellogs multigrain shapes. I love Veg Everyday too - I think it's a great book. Felt a bit of a betrayal shoving a load of ham in it but really, I think Hugh would probably approve

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  3. oh man it just looks bloody gorgeous! I was just saying to The Viking that I could really do with a big bowl of fabulous hearty soup right now to stave off this horrid weather... please tell me you secretly live next door and you'll deliver this in 10 minutes!... fab entry to random recipes... so happy to have you on board... welcome to the party x

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    1. Hmmm. I don't think I do. I'm afraid - you'll just have to make your own ;-). I've enjoyed reading this challenge from afar, so I'm glad i took the plunge to join in. Looking forward to the round up and also to the next one.

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  4. Replies
    1. The weather is so foul in teh UK at the moment, it really hits the spot

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  5. Hehe - I totally know what you mean about some things tasting a bit too 'healthy'. But you found the perfect fix - a good dose of cheese and ham!

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  6. So hearty and warming on a rotten day. That looks like perpetual spinach - I'm a big fan of that plant. It seems to keep going whatever happens.

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    1. Doesn't it just - it's brilliant - shame the kids aren't so keen

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