Domestic Science

My kitchen is a war zone

The other half has started the new year by declaring war on mice.  We live in a Victorian terrace, and mice are as inevitable as cracks in the plaster.  You just make sure your food is inaccessible, and live with the wee furry critters.  However, the dratted beasts have been more active than usual in recent weeks, making a complete mess in the under-sink cupboard, and running around the kitchen in full view of dinner guests. 

Which is why, whenever I’ve gone into the kitchen today, I’ve found the other half stalking them under the units with a Maglite, mixing up ever more enticing baits from peanut butter and chocolate, and constantly moving the trap to new locations.  His currently favoured spot is just in front of the bin, where I run the risk of treading on it whenever I put any rubbish out.

Work tomorrow, so I’m brewing up some soup.  New year, resumed healthy eating regime.  We failed to eat up all the root vegetables over Christmas, so it’s curried parsnip on the menu, with some of that bread I made yesterday that somehow failed to rise.  At least, it rose before I put it in the oven but then sort of deflated in the oven.  It tastes fine, but just looks a bit flat. 

Almost instant soup

This week I am making soup for work lunches.  I suddenly remembered that soup doesn’t have to be a  big palaver involving my largest pan and hours of chopping.

Last night I got in from choir practice at 10pm and by 10.30 I had a pot of Tomato Rassam soup (okay spicy tomato and lentil then) ready to reheat for work this morning.  All I did was fry an onion in some oil until nice and soft, add about 2 tsp curry powder and some shredded ginger from a jar, chuck in 1/2 cup of red lentils, a tin of chopped tomatoes, 2 tsp Marigold veg powder, and then 2 tinfuls (the empty tomato tin) of hot water.  Turn up the gas, and 15 minutes later you have spicy lentil soup.  Yum!

Tonight’s soup was even easier.  Fry a small pack of ready chopped pancetta in some olive oil till the fat runs.  Add a chopped onion and fry that till soft and a bit brown.  Add 1/2 cup red lentils, 500ml boiling water, and 2 tsp Marigold powder.  Boil for 10-15 minutes and you have kind of daal (watch you don’t boil the pan dry - it’s really quick to get from lentils in water to lentil mash).  Beat your lentils soundly with a wooden spoon and then add more hot water until its more soup than mash.

Okay I guess you have to like lentils to get into this.  But I’m not a big lentil fan really, and I still like these soups.  Trust me.  They aren’t worthy, knit your own beard, macrobiotic health food kind of soups.  They are dee-lish.