Talking Of Making Soup......

[Tilly2]

On Thursday, I made some Carrot and Coriander soup. I overdid it with the ground coriander as there was a lot of it after I had finished grinding the seeds.

It made my eyeballs sweat!

[Obiter]

I was never keen on broad beans when I was a kid but now I love them, ditto butter beans.

[pastafreak]

You may have been better off with already ground coriander which would be much finer than seeds bashed in a mortar and pestle. I find the seeds have a stronger flavour...almost lemony. I'm still not sure why it would make you sweat...

[Tilly2]

Well, it did. Hey ho, no matter. It was lovely, but I did fear for my blood pressure. My face was beetroot red!

[tamborine]

Coriander pods only need a finger nail prod to release their flavour. I dont eat them when served. Fresh is for colour or dressing.

[Tilly2]

I spent ages bashing them, tambo. Too much then?

[RATTER15]

I think my soup recipes usually work best.

Empty all the leftovers of everything you have into a pot and bring to boil, add chicken for chicken soup, beef for beef soup and so on, it also adds a bit of flavour if you chuck some herbs in, it doesn't really matter which ones but the green ones are best!

Oh and a bit of salt and pepper!

[tamborine]

Yes tilly, they only need piercing to release flavour....then remove before serving.

[Tilly2]

How do you remove ground coriander from a soup before serving, Tambo? Not possible, surely!

[tamborine]

In my curry using a whole chicken, I add 6 whole pierced corianders but leave them uneaten

[tamborine]

Ground is by tspoon measure.

[Tilly2]

Are you mixing coriander seeds with cardamon pods, tambo?

[Tilly2]

Cardamom!

[tamborine]

Oh yes, I am....best cut down on wine - lol

[Tilly2]

Ha! Jeez!

[jourdain2]

Don't cut down on the wine! You can buy jars of coriander in oil in most supermarkets, it's safer - also goes great in a prawn curry!. I used to grind it and get it wrong.

[pastafreak]

Coriander in oil? What's that???

[jourdain2]

Just been to fetch a jar from the cupboard, pastafreak. This one is made by BART infusions (90g) and is called Coriander Paste, it is made of chopped coriander leaves, sunflower oil and water (mainly). It reads: 1 tsp = 1 tsp of chopped, fresh coriander (not sure that's right, I think it equals a bit more). This brand came with my Ocado order, so is probably Waitrose, but I've also bought the same from Tesco.

[guilliebrougues]

Hi jourdain 2 just seen your posting. If you do make the soup, make sure that you skin the beans before you start to add to the mix otherwise they skins do not break down when you liquidise them.

[jourdain2]

Thanks guillie - floated the idea past the OH and got a 'tongue-hanging-out' enthusiastic response! Still on salads here at present, but will give it a go in a month (have frozen said beans). Do you use smoked or plain bacon and do you fry it in advance?

[guilliebrougues]

FAO Jpourdain2 In answer to you posting on 14th September. You can use either smoked or plain. I used frozen beans as well but, defrosted them first then peeled off the skins..Here is the recipe.
100g bacon, chopped, 2 tabs olive oil. 1 onion peeled and chopped. 3 cloves of garlic crushed and chopped. 700g broad beans skins removed. 1 large potato, peeled and chopped. 1 chicken stock cube, dissolved in 1 litre of water. salt and pepper to taste. grated parmesan .
Preparation method,
In a large pan sauté the bacon in the oil until lightly browned. Add the garlic and sauté until soft then add the potato and beans and sauté until soft. (about three mins) Add the chicken stock , taste and salt and pepper if necessary. Bring it all to the boil then turn the heat down to simmer on low heat for about 20 mins until the potato is very tender . Using a hand blender, blend the soup until smooth, simmer for one more minute. If I appears to thick , usually add some milk to thin it out. Sprinkle with grated parmesan Enjoy.