Apparently yesterday was Wellington's last hurrah for summer. It was a glorious Sunday: buttery sunshine and nary a breeze. I skipped about in jandals and a summer dress and suspect I even pinkened a tiny bit from reading in the sun.
Today could not have been more different. I swathed myself in my rain jacket but my unhappy legs peeked out and a single minute into my walk to uni they were saturated. The wind has been busy all day whipping away any warmth and now my window is rattling ominously.
It was a real comfort food day. Carbs are a wintery day's nemesis. These pictures might show a rather beige meal but it was anything but boring!
This year my flat is doing all the cooking separately. It is a bit of a change and I've taken to cooking big portions and saving the spares to avoid cooking every night. This soup ended up being big enough for three portions, while the bread was big enough for two.
Potato Soup
Melt a knob of butter in a large pot. Fry 2 finely chopped cloves of garlic and half a diced onion until juuust starting to brown. Splash a little dry white wine in and cook until its all evaporated. Add four finely chopped potatoes, one cup of chicken stock and a glass of the same wine. Have a sip yourself, since its bloody cold outside. Add a little water if the potatoes are looking bare.
Sidenote: A wee while ago I bought a roast chicken for dinner. Once I'd finally eaten the chicken, I made stock out of the carcass (the vegan flatmate was out that morning, phew). Next time I'll take some bony photos and share.
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| Lashings of pepper! |
Add some pepper and boil them spuds! When the potatoes are fully cooked, give them a thorough smashing. Add a splash of milk and season as you like. I added a lot of paprika. If you want a smoother soup, blend. Serve topped with cheese and chorizo and dipped with hot bread.
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| I thought it looked like the bread soldiers were in a spa |
Now onto the bread:
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| Drown the bread in butter |
Combine 1/4 warm water with 1/2tsp yeast and 3/4 tsp sugar. Stick it somewhere warm until frothy. I usually turn the oven when I feel like making bread and muck around for a little, before turning off the oven and incubating the yeast in there.
Add 2 Tbsp milk, 1 Tbsp oil, a cup of wholemeal flour and salt. Put the mix back into its warm space for half an hour ish. Knead and shape. Sprinkle with paprika, rosemary, sea salt and a knob of butter and whack it in the oven.
Slather with butter and serve hot.
Disclaimer: My oven is fierce. Dragon fierce. I've found that changing someone else's recipe by decreasing the temperature a bit and halving the cooking time is about right. I cooked this bread for 15 minutes at 150°C. In conclusion, cook this bread according to the mood of your own oven until it sounds hollow when you tap its bottom.
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| The scar running down the face of this bread is a tear drop of butter |
