Soup Making

1 : 2 : 3 For Soups

Use this ratio and you can make any soup you want

The numbers refer to your container size. It can be any container e.g. a mug / cup. But you keep using the same one to measure each different ingredient.

1 = The amount of onions – this is your base flavor.

2 = The amount of potatoes – this is your thickener.

3 = The main flavor – e.g. courgettes – for courgette soup.

Also need enough stock to cover all veg, cook until soft, then you may liquidize.

Examples of soups you can make using this ratio method

Mixed veg soup – onion (1 cup) + potatoes (2 cups) + carrot, parsnip, leek, celery, broccoli (3 cups altogether)

Cauliflower and cheese soup – onion (1 cup) + potatoes (2 cups) + cauliflower (3 cups) + cheese (a handful grated)

Courgette and mint soup – onion (1 cup) + potatoes (2 cups) + courgettes (3 cups) + fresh mint to your taste

But really you can make any at all perhaps using up veg that would otherwise go off – leftover soup is easily frozen in little bags when cold.

Roux method of thickening soups

Mushroom and chicken soups do not have enough bulk to use potatoes as a thickener so a roux is better. A roux is made using equal parts marg/butter with flour. For example melt 25g of marg and then add 25g of flour (you may need more than 25g but if you increase it always keep it equal quantities) and cook on a low heat for a minute. This can then be whisked into a hot liquid – stock in the case of soup.

Carrot and Tomato soups have enough bulk and do not need thickeners. Just use 1 : 3 above for them.

GINGER CAKE

• 8oz white flour
• ½ tspn salt
• ½ tspn baking powder
• 2 tspns ground ginger
• 3oz butter/marg
• 1 egg
• 3oz dark muscovada sugar
• 1 tablespoon of golden syrup
• 1 tablespoon of treacle
• a little milk OR tablespoon of rum
• teaspoon vanilla

METHOD

1. Put the flour, salt, ginger and baking soda into a bowl.
2. Melt the butter, sugar, treacle and golden syrup over a low heat. Do not allow become hot.
3. Add this mixture to the dry ingredients.
4. Add the beaten egg, vanilla and enough milk to make a dropping consistency.
5. Grease a loaf tin. Put the mixture into the tin.
6. Cook in a pre-heated oven for 20-30mins. At 180o.

Beef & Guinness Stew

Ingredients

• 10 Shallots
• 3 cloves of garlic
• 2 carrots
• 4 sticks of celery
• 300g lean diced beef
• 1 beef stock cube
• 1/2 teaspoon of wholegrain mustard
• 50ml of white wine vinegar
• 1 can Guinness
• 1/2 tablespoon of dark brown sugar
• tablespoon olive oil
• 2 tablespoons of tomato puree
• Salt, pepper and mixed herbs
• tablespn corn flour

Method

1. You can marinade the beef in the Guinness overnight.
2. Wash, peel and cut the shallots  into quarters
3. Peel and crush the garlic
4. Wash, peel and cut the carrots into thin slices
5. Wash and cut the celery into thin slices.
6. Heat the oil in a saucepan, then add the onions, garlic, salt, pepper and herbs, saute until soft.
7. Add the carrots & celery saute until soft.
8. Take the beef out of the Guinness (keeping the liquid for later). Add the beef to the veg in the saucepan, stir until it's browned.
9. Add the guinness and stock cube, bring to the boil without a lid, then lower to a simmer for 20mins.
10. Add mustard, vinegar and sugar and puree, simmer with a lid until the meat is soft
11. If not thick enough add a little corn flour
12. Serve with mashed potato and green veg
13. Say it's soooo difficult to make & ENJOY!!!!!!

Quick Seafood Pasta

Ingredients

• 100g fresh egg tagliatelle pasta (or any pasta will do but dried pasta takes longer to cook)
• 1 onion, 1 clove of garlic
• teaspoon of smoked paprika (optional)
• juice of 1 lemon
• handful of fresh corriander
• 100g of mixed chopped fish (most fish shops do a chowder mix eg. salmon, cod, prawns, squid, etc.)
•  2 table spoonful olive oil and 1table spoonful flour, salt & pepper to your own taste
• 100ml cream OR milk OR tomato 
• 50g grated Parmesan cheese (optional)

Method

1. Chop onion, heat the oil add onion, salt and pepper saute until soft
2. Crush the garlic and add, stir well.
3. Put some water, a little oil and salt into a saucepan and bring to the boil add the pasta when boiling
4. Coat the fish with the flour and paprika (if using),and add fish to the onion & garlic.
5. Add the milk or cream or tomato (which ever you prefer) & lemon juice & chopped coriander (you can chop the stalks and add them too - but only with coriander) heat but do not boil
6. Drain the pasta when soft, grate the cheese and add them both to the sauce, if the sauce is too thick add a little water or if it's too thin add some more cheese or a little tomato puree
7. serve with a fresh green leaf salad or some mixed vegetables eg. carrot, broccoli, green beans.

Safe Food Research

This was a very interesting event in Belfast during the week.


A summary report was launched on a research project that was funded by Safe Food it's called 'Food on a low income: four households tell their story'
The households that took part were; (1) Two parent two children; (2) single male living alone; (3) single older person living alone; and (4) lone parent with 1/2 children. It was found that all households lacked variety and many diets were restricted to food that are known and favorites; they preferred not to experiment with new types of food as this helped  to avoid wastage. The people interviewed said they knew about healthy eating but saw the things that got in the way of this - such as cost, convenience and taste as insurmountable. It is also possible that many people may lack the skills needed to have a healthy diet. The summary report is quite easy to read and you can find it at this link http://www.safefood.eu/Publications/Research-reports/Food-on-a-low-income-%E2%80%93-Four-households-tell-their.aspx

Fish Stew (White sauce)

This is an option for the fish stew if you want to add calcium into the diet

Ingredients

• 1 onion
• 1 clove garlic
• 2 carrots
• 4 sticks celery
• red pepper (optional)
• mixed herbs (or dill instead)
• 2 med pieces of haddock/other fish (tail end has less bones)
• fish stock cube
• 50g plain flour
• 50g margarine/butter
• 300mls milk
• sml amt olive oil, salt & pepper

Method

1. Peel and cut onion into small dice, heat oil in a saucepan (4) and add onion, salt & pepper saute on med heat (2) until onion is soft. 
2. Crush garlic, add this and the herbs to the pot, stir well.
3. Peel and cut carrots into thin slices add to the pot and stir well
4. Cut the celery into thin slices and add.
5. If using cut the red pepper in half length-ways then remove the pips and throw away, cut the pepper into small dice and add.
6. Add the marg/butter into the saucepan and allow to melt
7. Add the flour and mix well for 2 mins - don't let it stick
8. Add a third of the milk, crumble the stock cube into the pot and mix well until disolved, then  keep stirring until it becomes thick.
9. Gradually add the milk in the same way until all the milk is added. 
10. Cut the fish into bite size pieces and add to the sauce simmer for 10 minutes.
11. If it's too thick add more milk.
12. Serve with mashed/baked potato, rice or pasta.

Fish Stew (tomato sauce)

Ingredients 

• 1 onion
• 1 clove garlic
• 2 carrots
• 4 sticks celery
• red pepper (optional)
• mixed herbs (or dill instead)
• 4 med potatoes
• 2 med pieces of haddock (tail end has less bones)
• fish stock cube
• tin of tomatoes
• tomato puree
• sml amt olive oil, salt & pepper

Method

1. Peel and cut onion into small dice, heat oil in a saucepan (4) and add onion, salt & pepper saute on med heat (2) 
2. Crush garlic, add this and the herbs to the pot, stir well
3. Peel and cut the potatoes into chunks, add to the pot 
4. Peel and cut carrots into thin slices add to the pot and stir well
5. Cut the celery into thin slices and add.
6. If using cut the red pepper in half length-ways then remove the pips and throw away, cut the pepper into small dice and add.
7. Add the tin of tomatoes, crumbled stock cube and the puree, stir well and bring to the boil.
8. Lower the heat to simmer (2)
9. Cut the fish into bite size pieces and add to the stew (you can use more fish if you like) simmer for approx 10minutes.