What’s in the Fridge Soup

One of my most used gadgets is my Aldi Soup-maker. I’ve had it for a number of years and, bearing in mind that it only cost around thirty quid, I’ve had my money’s worth and more. It’s basically a kettle with a few presets and a couple of blades in the centre. On average I use it to make soup twice a week and do other things like hard boil eggs from time to time. So it’s cost me around five pence per soup which can’t be bad!

Although I do set out to create specific soups from time to time, watch out for my ‘Fruit and Root Soup’ which I’ll put on the site sometime. Mostly its a case of opening the fridge door picking out a tasty mix, slicing, dicing and adding herbs and stock.

One of the real benefits is in using items which might otherwise not make it onto the table. This morning I noticed that I’ve got some rather sad looking spring greens and half a can of mushy peas (for the benefit of those who’s civilisation has not advanced to the stage where these are part of their diet, just take it from me that they are a north of England delicacy often associated with fish and chips and only slightly less mysterious than peas pudding). So it looks like I’ll be making some ‘Green Soup’ as soon as I’ve completed this post.

I took to making soups on a regular basis some years back when I realised that I simply wasn’t getting enough veg in my diet. I had tried using a centrifugal juice maker (you’ve just got to love the colours of things like beetroots), to make sure I got enough fruit and veg. To be honest I loved the juices but from the get go was astonished at just how much ‘waste’ fibre was being produced. I just knew it wasn’t the way forward for me. I’ve always loved having a lot of ‘body’ in my diet.

So there I was in Aldi when this little red soup-maker caught my eye. You know when you’re hooked! So now I enjoy soup most days and my innards are content.

The machine takes about twenty minutes to complete a cycle so in reality, it’s a couple of minutes prep and a twenty minute wait. I live alone and there is enough soup for three or four days. An added benefit it that it came with a long handled brush (keeps the fingers and blades at a safe distance) so cleaning is a doddle, especially when compared to the palaver needed for my juice machine (now working in a neighbour’s kitchen helping ensure that the kids get more veg than they might otherwise).

Typical Recipe for What’s in The Fridge Soup

Ingredients

Large Carrot

Medium Parsnip or chunk of Turnip

One large or two slender Leeks or Onions

Handful of Curly Kale or other greens

Stalk of Broccoli or Stick of Celery

Left Overs e.g. remnants of Baked Beans; scrapings of Pesto; tail end of Bolognese

Chilli Pepper – enough to give it a lift but not hide the flavours (taste it before adding and wash hands before touching more delicate areas)

Yellow, Red, Green or other Pepper

Any other veg that is in or around at the time and is still identifiable.

Salt and Pepper to taste

Maggi Vegetable Stock Cube (other, lesser, cubes and stock are available)

Method

Slice and dice into small chunks, add to machine to just beyond the maximum mark, top with water to fractionally below the mark and press the buttons. Now that was easy!

Serve with Croutons and / or Yogurt, Milk, Cream or simply nothing. Enjoy!

Croutons

Why buy a pack when you can simply fry a slice of bread. To save a few calories and pennies, simply take a thick slice of bread, using a pastry brush just paint it with oil and pop it into a hot clean frying pan (no oil or fat). When it’s suitably brown turn the slice over.

When done pop it onto the breadboard and sprinkle with salt and pepper. With a nice sharp chef’s knife cut it up. Listen to it crunch as you cube it. Drop it into the soup and, with an almost guilt free calm, enjoy the texture and taste.

If you want garlic flavour, and if you don’t have any prepared garlic flavoured olive oil, rub the bread with sliced garlic before painting it with oil. If you use unsliced bread then rub the garlic on the exposed bread before you slice it as there is less chance of tearing the bread.

For a real treat, just put a garlic bread into the oven before you start the soup. Be not afraid to dunk the finished article into the hot soup, just be prepared to deal with the drips!