celery soup

thick, creamy celery soup of celery, parsnip, potato, onion and fresh coriander

 

plenty of vegetables were used in this recipe. that's why i cooked in two saucepans. the cooked contents of both saucepans were decanted into the large preserving pan, mixed together and ladled into the boxes to freeze. much of what i buy is from the markets. yesterday at whitechapel market a bowl of 3 bunches of coriander was £1

 

celery and parsnip cooked in a large saucepan, then blended

potato and onion cooked in a large saucepan, then blended

both pans of vegetables including the cooking water decanted into large preserving pan

a chopped bunch of fresh coriander added

(season during this stage or season just before being plated to eat)

stirred to mix all the ingredients

finally celery soup ladled into the boxes ready for the freezer, to be eaten as and when

 

i add milk and/or extra virgin olive oil either in the preliminary cooking (not this time) or later when each portion is reheated ready to eat, just to keep upping the flavour :)

when reheating i add more cooked potato and blend. this restores the creamy consistency of the soup which can be lost once frozen

 

all cooking was done on the hob on a low heat, 2 and less, from beginning to end.

i'd heard an energy saving tip from a bbc radio 2 listener who had phoned in to a programme on rising energy costs. he had noticed it was cheaper if he cooked on the hob throughout on low rather than medium or high, making sure the lid is on the pan, apart from the occasional stir.

now i've a smart meter installed www.britishgas.co.uk/smart-home/smart-meters.html monitoring energy use i thought i'd give it a go and found it to be a good tip.

(i suppose it's a bit like driving a car: driving fast burns up the fuel, driving slow lessens fuel consumption but we reach the destination)

if i have the hob on high, the smart meter dial shoots up to the orange/red and stays there - expensive - but on low the dial remains in the green - low cost - only occasionally for a few seconds each time, going to the orange/red

it does mean i have to plan ahead to give myself time to cook in this way but i'm managing and enjoying the challenge :)

 

ps i'm not recommending any of these cookery adventures. they suit my taste. photographing to encourage myself to eat more healthily

 

www.flickr.com/groups/cooking_is_my_hobby/ helps to gather ideas and encourages me to continue with healthy eating by learning from others if you're interested in cooking, sometimes or a lot, or enjoy the cooking of others, you're always welcome ...

 

 

Done