I had not deemed the following soup worthy of publication, until someone else tried some and said ‘put it on the blog’. It’s a doddle to make and I think it will make several repeat appearances on the Tea House menu.
Take things that are green and white and boil them. Not just any things, food things preferably. Today I used a celeriac (white), some broccoli (green) and a courgette (a bonus both!). Add some stock powder to the water or, if you live in the 18th century or are self-sufficient, boil in stock that you’ve made yourself by boiling vegetables to mush.
When your green and white things are cooked, blend them with some of the water or stock. Then add cheese. I’d love to say there’s a nice vegan option for this soup but if so then I have yet to discover it. I used manchego (sheep cheese) and feta (sheep and goat) – enough so the soup tastes cheesy, not so much that you get cheese sauce instead of soup. Just chop or grate and chuck it in then keep stirring over a low heat till it melts.
Add some more things to get the taste right – e.g. anything you like and think will taste nice. I added agave nectar and a bit of salt (my stock powder is low salt) also a pinch of mustard. A cooking secret – I never know why I add a pinch of mustard to anything, it just seems like a good idea when I’m cooking some things; I say “and a pinch of mustard” and in it goes like I know what I’m doing.
Soup was served with chopped spring onions floating on top. Verdict on the soup? “Scouped up the last of it after it was cold, that’s saying something!”