Garden soup..

Weather: Mild and dull - nearly 12C while I was working in the garden today.

There is one weekend in the year that I look forward to. It is the start of the gardening year for me and it is often this last one in February. So....I was out digging today and sorting out in my head where I'll place all the vegetables in the plot this year.

This also means clearing the last of many of last year's crops so the ingredients for the lunchtime soup this year were:



4 Red Giant carrots (not exactly giants).
3 small potatoes - thrown up during the digging process
3 straggly leeks
A small handful of purple sprouting
A few spinach leaves
A small Mizuna plant
A small Japanese greens plant...
1 Bay leaf
1 of last year's chilies.
3oz pancetta (not home grown!)
Small knob of butter
Stock - including tomatoes from last night's dinner
1tbps Creme Fraiche

Method:

Chop the potatoes,carrots and leeks and gently heat with with the pancetta and butter. Add the chili chopped (without its seeds as I grew a very hot variety last year). Add a little water and the bay leaf and simmer until tender. Then chop the spinach and add to the mixture and last night's stock. Finally add the purple sprouting and chopped Mizuna and japanese greens and simmer for another minute or two until the purple sprouting is just tender. Stir in the creme fraiche and heat through. Serve immediately.

There is nothing more satisfying than a meal that is nearly all gleaned from the garden in February.

Big attack of smugness! And it was delicious, though I say it as shouldn't...