A Quick Look in the Garden

Sunny and warm today--almost warm enough to eat lunch outside. I was curious to see what's still growing on this third day of the New Year. Here's what I found. A scattering of pale yellow and purple primroses are in bloom but that's about it for flowers. The parsley is thick and lush, ditto the mint so I'm thinking lamb tagine and tabouleh sometime soon. 

The hollyhocks are well established. The forsythia bush is in bud. A few rain-sodden rosebuds are still on the bushes (I've noticed our neighbours have pruned theirs to knee-high).

The new crop of nettles is, excuse the accidental poetry, in fine fettle. This year, I plan to make nettle soup, nettle quiches and nettle soufflés until we run out of nettles--unlikely. Our neighbour has an enviable patch of chickweed for salads. None in our garden but there is a small rosette-like plant that looks edible. I tasted a leaf and it has a peppery flavour.

How to Make the Simplest Soup Imaginable

Here's a soup I make often in France. Doesn't look very impressive, does it? Just roughly chopped vegetables, a sprig of thyme and water. But give it 30 or 40 minutes, and a buzz with a hand-held blender and you have delicious, home-made soup. 

I start by melting a knob of butter in a medium-sized saucepan. An onion and a clove of garlic, both chopped, go in next. Toss them around so they take on a buttery sheen. Then add cubed, unpeeled potatoes, one of medium size per person and one for the pot should do it. Using a wooden spoon, toss those around too. Next, into the mix goes the featured vegetable (courgettes in this case; carrots are good and leeks are excellent). Finally, throw in the thyme. Add water to cover, bring to a simmer, put the lid on the pot, the timer on for a half-hour and go sit somewhere and read.

When the timer pings, return to the kitchen and stick a sharp knife down through the vegetables to check that everything's cooked. Then whizz with a hand-held blender until the mixture is smooth. 

Here's where you start tinkering. Salt and pepper of course. Maybe more water to thin the mixture. A little cream never hurts. 

If you have stock on hand, you can of course use that. But, quite honestly, plain tap water is fine. Water, vegetables, herbs, salt and pepper. A lovely, comforting soup that warms you down to your toes is really no more complicated than that.