I have recently been undertaking a series of new beginnings.
1. I have deicide to expand the little literary knowledge that I have by exploring the works of Jane Austin and similar authors. There is something about the innocence and melodramatic notion of these novels that engages me often so deeply that I am now finding it quite difficult to converse with other people without talking at an exceedingly hurried pace and with heightened emotional references.
2. Sewing has become my new avocation of choice. I guess with a nana that made all of her own clothes, a mum who is an exceptional seamstress and a sister with an over – locker, It’s in my blood.
I am now single handedly trying to cover ever bare corner of our cottage in some sort of handmade upholstery garment or another even though our living room is starting to resemble that of the inside of an elaborate circus tent.
3. Possibly down to the amount of sewing I have been doing, the radio has become my best friend.
Whether it’s on the digital Roberts in the kitchen or on listen again on my laptop, I can most often be found contemplating the discussions on Woman’s Hour (radio 4 10am) quite thoughtfully. Though their strong feministic approach and harsh view on woman’s rights leaves me wondering that if they could see me listening whilst I am sewing, cooking or cleaning they would hang their heads in despair.
4. I am trying and I mean really trying to alter the way that I eat. We might grow as many vegetables as we possibly can, but when it comes to the way in which we cook them we always find we pathetically go back to the same usual methods – boiled new potatoes with mint, roasted courgettes, blanched peas, raw lettuce. I could go on, but while these ways can’t possibly be beaten when you’re eagerly anticipating the taste of the year’s first crop, these tastes soon become all too similar and dare I say it a little boring?
Before all the vegetable growing lovers start to cast horticultural curses on me for branding the humble potato a tad mundane, it is not the taste that I wish to replace, that exceptional flavour from your own grown veg could never be recreated or enhanced by any number of artificial flavourings, I am only trying to change the way in which I prepare these tender vegetables as to give them as much justification as possible.
With a couple of unknowing volunteer’s due to come round for dinner we spied the chance to harvest the hundreds of pea and broad bean pods that had been secretly flourishing in this abysmal weather we have been having. Whilst podding peas no doubt brings back cheerful childhood memories, half an hour of peas flicking across the table and no sign of the green mountain going down these joyful feelings start to wane ( hence the harvesting taking place when we had guests arriving ).
Given my pledge to try to cook things differently, I took some of the sweetest peas and hefty broad beans, cooked them briefly with a softened shallot and a knob of butter, added some vegetable stock then whizzed them up into a bright green soup. Much to my husband’s grimaces’ the soup was not meant to be enjoyed there and then. Given that the humidity of late has causing us all much distress, I intended the soup to be served cold. This frightened me a little, it’s a bit like the time I was about to try a duck egg for the first time, it just doesn’t seem right.
Eggs come from chickens - not ducks, soup comes hot – not cold, but I am glad to say as with the duck egg I have been pleasantly surprised. Refreshing and bursting with goodness, this soup is far too easy to make not to enjoy, and given (fingers crossed) that the weather is apparently making a turn for the better, this cold soup could be coming in handy.
Pea and broad bean soup
A small knob of butter
1 small shallot – peeled and chopped
2 large handfuls of peas – frozen or fresh
1 large handful of broad beans – frozen or fresh
Up to 450ml of good quality vegetable or chicken stock
Mint and basil leaves – optional
Melt the butter in a medium sized pan, add the chopped shallot and soften on a low heat for about five minutes.
Add the peas and beans and stir well to coat the vegetables in the melted butter and shallot then add enough stock to just cover, bring to the boil and simmer just until the vegetables are cooked.
If you are adding the herbs do so now then either place in a blender or use a hand held stick blender to puree the soup until smooth and depending on the weather, eat straight away whilst warm or place in the fridge for a few hours until suitably chilled enough to cool you down on a humid day.
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