BOF SOUP

Soup-making has never been easier now that there are these wonderful hand-held stick liquidizers which seem to have replaced the counter-top glass jug-type containers.  Today I thought of Louise as I stuck my head in the fridge to survey the leftovers from a dinner party on Saturday plus some week old vegetables that are in the crisper box in the bottom on the fridge.

And that is what gives this soup its name: BOF, i.e. "bottom of fridge" ... as passed on to me by Louise many years ago.

So ... today it was a lot of potatoes plus some celery and one rubbery looking red pepper.  After browning an ordinary onion the coursely chopped veg are added, then the stock from the leg of lamb at the weekend.  Once that is cooked in the pressure cooker (as is my habit) a good zap with the blender being careful not to over-do it finishes the basic soup.  (The idea is that you take the implement to the soup pot rather than the other way around; that to me is real progress in the kitchen.)

However, as it was a really dreach West of Scotland day today, I threw in a handful of barley and cooked the whole thing a bit longer. Done ... chunky, thick and delicious!