Feeding a man cold

It's been raining here for days. Apparently the wet season is a little late this year - by about six months! 

Because of this miserable weather, Hubby has a man cold (and a sprained ankle)so he is is very pathetic.  I am trying hard to be patient and understanding...but not always succeeding. I have done well with making soup though.

Even the kids love soup - and they get all their vegies without groans about capsicum in this or how they hate lettuce.

I bought two bags of vegies at the supermarket for $3 each - I love going early morning when they clean out the vegie bins! - so I have made asparagus, cauliflower and mixed vegie soups. All with home make chicken stock of course....

My version of soup is easy -

First the stock - simmer a chicken carcuss with ends of vegies, and bit of carrot, onion or whatever you have, covered in water, for about an hour. Let cool and strain (I blend it all up and add a bit of oil and flour and bake dog treats). Put in the fridge and when cold use a slotted spoon to get off the fat that forms on top.  This usually makes about 2 litres, and I freeze one litre for later.

Chopped asparagus and Potate ready for the pot

                           

Then the soup - sauté an onion or leek in a little butter or oil, add chopped veg of your choice (about 2 to 3 cups), and a teaspoon or two of curry powder or other spice. A spoon of flour or a potato adds a bit of thickness to any soup, as does a can of white beans, which also adds protein. If you are making carrot or pumpkin soup, add half a cup of dried red lentils instead. Stir all this and let get all pretty and shiny and smell nice, then add your stock to cover. Let simmer until soft, then blend. 

If you are transferring the mix to a blender rather than using a stick blender in the pot, make sure you cool it a bit first and do small amounts at a time. Otherwise the blender will explode hot soup all over you. Trust me, I have done this! Blending with a small amount of milk cools it down and make 'Cream of' soup.

asparagus soup

Alternatively serve with a dob of yoghurt. A a sprinkle of chopped herbs ads a nice touch. Add some fresh bread or a toasted cheese sandwich and you are set!

Mid-Century Recipe 2 - Braised Oxtail

I have made this dish twice now - the family demanded a repeat performance.  There is not much meat on an oxtail, but the flavor is delicious, and if your family enjoy chewing on bones, like mine do, they will love it. It's also cheap - about $5 per oxtail.  This quantity serves four - I double it for our family.

What you need

Some chopped parsley for colour would look nice if you have it. And don't worry if you don't have little onions, just add another large one sliced.

It takes about 15-20 minutes to put together and two to three hours to simmer.  You can transfer it to the oven, just keep it on low.  I put it in the oven last night at about 4.30, before a school concert, and when we returned (starving) at 7, it was ready to eat.

Yummy!

I had never heard of oxtail until I had dinner at my mother-in laws one night.  A girl of the 50s, her oxtail soup was a specialty of hers.  This recipe is similar - just add a bottle of red wine to the sauce if you want soup.

♥ Deb

Mid-Century Recipe 1 - Beef Stew

This is the first vintage recipe I have attempted with our new menu. I often make stew, usually a 'clean out the fridge' stew at the end of the week, with a tin of tomatoes or beans added.  This recipe looks very basic, but the flavor was quite surprising.  Everyone loved it, even the teenage daughter, and we turned the leftovers into pies (using frozen puff pastry and muffin pans) the following day, which were fantastic (much better than four'n'twenty but a similar flavor).

Beef Pies

So what you need is this:


Recipe - see below
Time - takes about 15 minutes to put together and two hours to simmer.

• Diced beef (stewing steak) about 700g (1 1/2 pounds)
• 2 onions
• Stock (beef, or I used Vegemite in water) 2 cups (1 pint)
• Fat (dripping, or I used coconut oil) about a tablespoon
• Flour about 1/2 cup (1 1/2 ounces)
• Vinegar, 1 teaspoon
• Salt and pepper
• Herbs (bunch of mixed fresh or spoon of dried, I used a stick of 'mother of herbs')

Serve with mashed potatoes and a green veg medley.