Garlic

Whilst the oven was on yesterday cooking my stuffed peppers ( which were yummy btw) I popped in 2 huge bulbs of garlic ( place on a bit of parchment and wrap all loosely in foil), I roasted these for 45 minutes. Once cooled i took off the foil and put them in a tub in the fridge. Why? I here you asking. Well today I wanted to make my 'garlic' soup, I have 2 versions both taste sublime. Our household love garlic in any way, shape or form. This soup made by using roasted garlic is amazingly subtle in flavour, and only 200kcals for the whole pan!

Squeeze your pre roasted garlic into a pan with a really tight fitting lid, add 400g roughly chopped leeks ( green parts inc.) and 100g peeled chopped potato. Pour 1 1/2 litres veg stock ( or 1 good stock cube and 1 1/2 litres hot water) over the veg, tight fit the lid and simmer away for about 25 minutes. ( I use a semi pressure cooker and once up to a bubble lower the heat to very low and cook for 15 minutes only, the average normal saucepan takes longer at a higher heat ). Once cooking time is up, leave in the pan for about 15 minutes with heat off, then blitz in a liquidiser until smooth. This is not a thick soup, if you want it thicker just reduce the amount of stock you use.

Serves 4-6 people depending how big a bowl you like, but still only 50kcals per bowl if serving 4.

This soup is to be my starter tonight for dinner with the 'girls'( served with homemade garlic bread which I won't have). Mains is kangaroo steaks, a huge mixed leaf salad with pomegranite seeds and homemade new potato salad ( I don't like potato salad, but apparently make a superb one). Dessert is greek yoghurt and berries, with a tiny drizzle of honey and a raspberry sauce ( sauce is 100g raspberries and 50g pineapple just blitzed until smooth then rubbed through a sieve to get rid of any seeds). All 3 courses for me comes to less than 400kcals, and I drink sparkling water from a champagne glass. I will have fed my eyes and tastebuds with delicious food and my soul with good company. Perfect.

The gazebo is up and table with benches under, all are decorated with strings of fairy lights and tiny hanging tealight holders. Wine and water are both chilling in the fridge. I am looking forward to this evening so much, my friends and I don't get together as often as we would like, even rarer on 'a school night'. To me this is what life is truly about, simple pleasures.

Before all this tonight though, I am off for my bike ride. Happily my wee pooch still fits in the basket and yesterdays test ride round the village went well. Today I am going a little further, not pushing it too much as I have aching muscles where I didn't know muscles existed, lol. Don't want to end up siezed, so easy goes.

Happy Thursday everyone, hope you enjoy your day.

[sueper]

That all sounds lovely. I love homemade soup and have a great soupmaker but just make it as often as I should. Garlic soup sounds lush

[Hidden in reply to sueper]

I love the subtle flavours of this soup. It is perfect as a cup soup too as it isn't too thick. A soup maker sounds good, I use my trusty old semi pressure cooker. 😀

[Hidden]

Just read this and so wish was invited. I am not much a cook am still struggling to spiral veg !! Do like the pud though and am go make that tomorrow.

Hope you had a really nice night.

😇

[Hidden in reply to Hidden]

I had a super night thanks, typically the temperatures dipped a little yesterday so had to add the curtains to the gazebo and popped the heater on low. It made it quite cosy though with all the tealights and fairylights.

You are probably a much better cook than you give yourself credit for. I taught myself to cook, with many disasters along the way. I collect cookery books and find the best and most economical are the ones from the 1920s-1950s. These are also easy to follow and foolproof on the whole, picked up cheaply from a good secondhand bookshop. I do experiment a lot too, sometimes successfully and sometimes spectacular failures. Give it a shot, the worst that can happen is it ends up in the bin and you have lost a couple of £ and an hour out of your time. Honestly, keep trying, you will find there is something you are fab at.

Happy cooking flossie358 😊

[Hidden]

If you just throw garlic cloves in to cook with roast veg (don't bother to peel beforehand) they go quite intense and sweet. Just remember to take the skins off as you come across them in the veg. I like roasting any veg whole - simply less effort! Also I have a friend who at the end of a barbecue puts whole garlic bulbs on the cooling coals to slow roast overnight - don't know what he uses them for afterwards though...

I also hope you had an excellent eve

[Hidden in reply to Hidden]

Fab time thanks Ruth. I will admit to a couple of glasses of Chablis, lol, but didn't eat any dessert so slightly redeemed myself. It was lovely to catch up on all the news and have a good moan and groan, which led to lots of ribbing and laughter. My ribs ache from laughing as much as other bits ache from my bike ride this morning. All good though.

[Hidden in reply to Hidden]

Previous comment should read that I ache this morning from yesterdays bike ride and laughter, not this mornings. I am a numpty sometimes, lol 😊😊

[Hidden in reply to Hidden]

That bbq garlic your friend does could be used for so many wonderful dishes. If you squeeze 2 heads of roasted garlic, 20g butter and 1 tsp dried parsley into a little dish, then warm it up and whisk. Pour over cooked spaghetti ( this coats enough spaghetti for 3-4 portions) and serve as is. Yummy. I have a big mixed leaf side salad with this, the kids big hunks of proper garlic bread ( another use for the garlic, lol). At one time I would have had the garlic bread too!!! ☺️