This soup may not seem "authentic" to someone from Spain, but like I have said before: sometimes its not necessarily where the dish may come from, but sometimes where you had it/ made it/ or where it reminds you of is where you personally associate a dish “from” or with. As I keep saying food is more than the ingredients and flavours that go in it that create the “taste”; the energy gone into making and growing all have a vital part to play, but also the full environment and encounter associated with it has a big influence on our experience of the meal. A meal time is not just re-fuelling the tank, it is their to be lived, enjoyed and reaped.


On that note let’s press on with this recipe, this came to be as a result of a terms worth of learning the fruit and veg. in Spanish. The class shared a delicious meal all prepared in Spanish, to mark the end of term. Below is the soup that took shape from all the veg that was brought in by the children. This was served with bread, butter, a salad and cheese cubes. All in all that's my kinda Spanish class!


So as you may have guess by now this is not a “traditional” soup from anywhere, but as it came to be in the Spanish Lesson, it is known in our home as “Spanish soup”, and it is ALWAYS prepared in Spanish!


CREMA DE SOPA DE VERDURAS

Ingredientes/ Ingredients:


1  ajo (garlic bulb)
2  chirivia (parsnips)
5  zanahorias (carrots)
3  calabacin (courgettes)
1  batatas (sweet potato)
3  patatas / papas (potatoes)
3  cebolla (onions)
1  judias verdes (pack of green beans)
2  puerro (leeks)
1  pimiento rojo (red pepper)
2  apio (sticks of celery)


3 tblspns  aceite de oliva/mantequilla (Oil/butter) (although I do not recommend cooking in olive oil, but it was part of their learning)


Metodo/ Method:
pelar le verdura, (peel the veg)
cortar la verdura, (chop the veg)
freir la verdura (fry the veg)
anadir agua (add water, enough to cover the veg)
cocinar hasta que la verdura sea suave (cook till the veg is soft).
Mezclar la verdura (blend the veg)
Ilevar a ebullicion ( put back on heat and bring to boil)
apagar y servir (switch off the heat and serve)


Disfrutar! (Enjoy!)

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Ginger and Garlic paste the two "G" must haves of sub-continental food

Homemade fresh ginger and garlic paste.

I normally make these two together. Always make garlic paste first and then ginger. Saves up on one washing up round.
Every dish that calls for ginger, also calls for garlic, but every dish that calls for garlic, does not call for ginger. Hence the order. Make garlic paste then without the need of even a rinse go straight on to ginger paste.



Garlic paste

INGREDIENTS:

Garlic- 5 pods
Salt about- ¾ tblspn
Oil about 1⁄3 cup
Water ¾ cup 


TOP TIP:
The oil and salt work as a preservative so do not skimp on them otherwise you end up with green garlic paste which although is not harmful, it's just not very appealing and most probably will not last as long in the fridge.


METHOD:

-Soak garlic cloves in a bowl with water, once the peel has soften you can quite easily and quickly remove all the peels.
-Peel and wash the garlic cloves.
-Pop them into your blender
-Usually it come to about 6-7 cm high in the blender
-Add oil so that you have about a cm of oil sitting at the bottom of your blender. (As blender sizes vary this is just a visual guide).
-Add the salt
-Add about ½ cup of water
-Start blending
-Add a further ¼ cup of water and then continue blending until you get to a smooth paste.

( If your blender is struggling to reach a smooth paste, add a touch more water, but refrain from being tempted to add too much water, as this will result in a very watery paste which:
a) will dilute you measurements of the paste plus
b) also will result in it going off more quickly due to the change in ratio.

-Using a spatula, or the likes, decant the paste to an airtight container and store in the fridge.

(Depending on how regular your consumption, if it is not too much, then it might be worth dividing it up into a few pots and keeping one in the fridge and others in the freezer. It lasts about 3-4 weeks in the fridge and can be kept up to a year in the freezer). 



If you are going on to make ginger paste you can continue on straight to make the ginger paste in the same jug without the need of washing the blender jug.




Ginger paste

INGREDIENTS:

Ginger 300g
Salt about- ¾ tblspn
Oil about 1⁄3 cup
Water 1 cup


METHOD:

-Peel and chop the ginger into small about 1 inch pieces.
-Wash the pieces, pop them into your blender.
Usually it come to about 6-7 cm high in the blender
-Add oil so that you have about a cm of oil sitting at the bottom of your blender. (As blender sizes vary this is just a visual guide).
-Add the salt
-Add about ¾ cup of water
-Start blending
-Add a further ¼ cup of water and then continue blending until you get to a smooth paste.

( If your blender is struggling to reach a smooth paste add a touch more water, but refrain from being tempted to add too much water as this will result in a very watery paste which:
a) will dilute you measurements of the paste plus
b) also will result in it going off more quickly due to the change in ratio.

-Using a spatula, or the likes, decant the paste to an airtight container and store in the fridge.

(Depending on how regular your consumption, if it is not too much, then it might be worth dividing it up into a few pots and keeping one in the fridge and others in the freezer. It lasts about 3-4 weeks in the fridge and can be kept up to a year in the freezer)

Ginger and Garlic paste are the bases of most sub-continental cuisine, but are also called for in other cuisines too, so it is quite a handy item to have in your fridge!
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