Sunday 12 August 2012

(Lazy) Recipe: Cream of Whatever Soup

My father likes to make something he calls "Stone Soup." Much like the story, it consists of "whatever we found in our refrigerator/storeroom". (Unless it's largely potatoes, then it's Irish Stew.) Although he did take exception once when I poured in a quarter-cupful of grated parmesan.

Anyway, this recipe is largely to get rid of sour cream leftover from making other stuff, since I hate it and never know how to deal with it. Also, this should show you what kind of ingredients I routinely keep in my kitchen.

Cream of Whatever Soup
I made this up myself.

Ingredients
1 potato
1 small onion, chopped
Chicken, bacon or any other meat, cut into small pieces
Broccoli or cauliflower (or both), cut into small florets
1/2 cup hot water
Chicken stock cube
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 tsp mustard powder
1/2 tsp chilli powder
Salt and pepper, to taste
Cornflakes

Prick the potato with a fork. Place on a plate, cover with a sheet of paper towel and microwave on medium-high for 5 minutes. Turn over and microwave on medium-low for another five minutes. Allow to cool, then peel and mash.

In a medium saucepan, heat up a little oil or butter over moderate heat. Fry onions until lightly browned. Add meat and fry until just cooked, about five to ten minutes. Lower heat and add potato mash and vegetables. Stir around for a bit for about two minutes.

Separately, dissolve the stock cube in the hot water. Mix in the sour cream. Pour mixture into the saucepan. Add mustard powder, chilli powder, salt and pepper; cover and simmer over low heat for about 15 min, or until the vegetables are soft. Stir occasionally.

Take soup off the heat. Crush the cornflakes with the back of a spoon and sprinkle on top. Serve warm.