Kitchen Soup

Ingredients

Basic Soup Vegetables :

2 sticks celery, chopped; 2 onions, chopped; 2 carrots, sliced; 2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 tbsp vegetable oil
2/4 rashers bacon, cut into small pieces
1 tin chopped tomatoes (with /without herbs)
2 pints chicken or vegetable stock
1 can cannalini/kidney/butter beans
2 handfulls small pasta
Other assorted green vegetables available –
Chopped spinach, cabbage, broccoli, courgettes, green beans, peas
Handful of grated hard cheese

Method

1. Saute basic soup vegetables in oil until softened along with the bacon pieces 2. Add chopped tomatoes and stock.  Cover and simmer for 20 minutes
3. Add can of beans and pasta and cook for further five minutes
4. Add prepared green vegetables for last five minutes or until pasta is soft
5. Puree if for young children
6. Serve with grated cheese on top and wholemeal bread

Pancakes

4 ozs plain flour (110 g)
2 large eggs
7 fl oz milk (200 ml) mixed with 3 fl oz water (75 ml)
2 tbsps melted butter (optional)
Oil for cooking

1. Sift flour holding well above bowl to aerate
2. Make well in centre and crack in eggs
3. Begin to stir flour into eggs using any whisk or fork
4. Then start to add small quantities of the milk and water mixture, gradually incorporating the flour from the sides.  Ignore the lumps, they will all get mixed in
5. When the fluid has been added, use a pliable spatula to scoop in any remaining flour from around the edges of the bowl and thoroughly whisk once more until the mixture resembles thin cream
6. When you are about cook the pancakes, you can add the 2 tbsps of melted butter and stir in (optional)
7. To cook the pancakes – pour a little oil into the pan and keep over heat until hot.  Tip out into small bowl leaving light coating of oil around the pan.
8. Pour about 2 tbsps of mixture into hot pan, tipping the pan to swirl the mixture across the base evenly.  It will only take about 30 seconds to cook.  Use a spatula to lift the edge to see if it is tinged golden.  If the pancake is thin, it will not need to be turned over, if you are making thicker pancakes, this is where the fun starts …. !
9. Turn the pancake out onto greaseproof paper or foil, golden side down.

Pancakes are delicious when served with either sweet or savoury fillings, or just in the traditional manner with a squeeze of orange or lemon.

Dried fruit (figs, prunes, apricots etc) stewed with a little water over a low heat for around 10 mins and then pureed, make a delicious filling especially when served with Greek yoghurt or fromage frais.