Helen from Falmouth said:
I love the challenge of finding uses for left overs even though the children might not enjoy the results! I love... More
My 'Use up' soup
Ingredients
Serves 2
- 1 sliced garlic clove
- 4 over ripe tomatoes, roughly chopped
- A handful of runner beans chopped up
- A drained tin of mixed beans
- French bread stick
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Virgin Olive oil
Olive oil
Usually the darker green the oil, the richer the flavour.
- Extra virgin olive oil is good for drizzling on salads and should never be heated as this destroys the fine properties
- Lighter olive oil is good for adding to bread, or to flavour a salad or marinade for chicken, meat, fish or vegetables. Lighter olive oil can be gently heated and added to marinades and baking.
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570ml chicken Stock cubes
Stock cubes
Invest in a variety. Use powered or cubes which are both widely available.
Consider making your own stock. Check out our recipes to find out how.
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Leftover soft Cheese
Cheese
Add to eggs for omelettes, grate onto soups or salads.
- Parmesan often goes rock hard or becomes horribly sweaty. Ideally, all cheese should be stored in a cool, airy place at a temperature of 46-50F/8-10C. However, most of us put it straight into the fridge. This is fine providing the cheese is kept loosely wrapped in its own airtight container so it isn’t tainted by other foods.
- Store it in the salad drawer, which is not quite as cold as the rest of the fridge and use a micro plane for grating.
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A spoonful of homemade tomato ketchup or 1 tablespoon Tomato paste
Tomato paste
Concentrate made from paste type tomatoes that have high pectin content.
When they’re cooked down, they’re put through a strainer to remove skins and seeds, and reduced further until almost all of the moisture has evaporated. Usually a recipe will call for a tablespoon or two, just enough to enrich a beef stew, for instance, or to deepen the flavour of a sauce made with fresh tomatoes.
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Black peppercorns
Black peppercorns
Best used as a condiment.
They can be lightly crushed and used to spice up a creamy sauce or to coat fillet steak or chicken breasts.- Although it might seem odd, grinding black pepper over a bowl of strawberries enhances the flavour of the fruit.
- Pepper that is pre-ground is not fresh tasting and often has other ingredients mixed in.
- Choose the type of mill that suits you, and if you want coarser pepper you can loosen the screw on the top of the mill or crush the seeds in a pestle and mortar
Instructions
- Heat the chicken stock in a saucepan and add sliced garlic clove, chopped tomatoes, chopped runner beans, homemade tomato ketchup or tomato puree.
- Then add mixed beans and let the soup bubble for about 4-5 minutes.
- For the bread croutes, cut slices, not too thick, from a stale French bread stick and toast them under the grill (or you can use a toaster if you have a cage).
- Then sprinkle a mixture of leftover soft cheese into the soup bowls. Ladle the bubbling soup over the cheese and top it with the toasts, a good drizzle of virgin olive oil and a generous grating of black pepper.
Comments on this recipe
Perfect - there's always some "less than fresh" veggies waiting in the fridge which would work equally well in this recipe.
The easy way to cook
Your blender stick comes in handy here - making thick, comforting purees for a base. Remember to have some fresh herbs on your windowsill - parsley, coriander or basil to add a touch of fresh flavours before you serve your "Use Up" soup. I also like to have a selection of toasted seeds (pumpkin, sesame and sunflower) on the dining table for each to add their own vitamin-and-mineral packed "sprinkle".
Comments on this recipe