A little soup is good for the soul

As Mike said to Bella in Twilight:

"Hey Arizona, how you likin' the rain, girl?"

The almost constant wet weather is now firmly rooted in the middle of its second week.

I could quote another Twilight gem here, I suppose, as a prelude to this post:

"...Under a near constant cover of clouds and rain..."

We have a high-energy Irish terrier/Irish wolfhound cross, whose wiry fur seems to absorb atmospheric water vapour like a sponge, who doesn't quite know what to do with herself. 

There's been a lot of inside pillow lying with wistful stares towards the garden through the misted up windows interspersed with bouts of wild passage "fetch" sessions to release some of the pent-up energy.

Meego: "Le sigh."

This rather wet Autumnal weather has also led one of the bi-peds in the house to have cravings for soup at the oddest times of day, like, for instance, breakfast time.

Since I have never really been one to quarantine food stuffs to particular times of day (dessert makes a perfectly good breakfast on occasion), soup for breakfast really isn't half bad (at least its healthier than dessert for breakfast).

Enter the magic helping blades of the food processor.

Just bung whatever fresh vegetables and herbs you have in your fridge into the bowl; blitz to the desired consistency; throw in a soup pot; cover with boiled water; add seasoning and 30 - 40 mins later; you have a tasty wet weather cure for whatever grey-sky blahs ail you.

Carrot, green bean, red pepper, Swiss chard, basil, lemon thyme, bay leaf soup
(with a fried egg for Simmy)

Sweet potato, carrot, green bean soup
(with hidden shavings of pecorino cheese melting at the bottom of the bowl)

Tales of Gardens & Basil Pesto

The rather unseasonal rainfall in the usually dry-by-now Autumn Highveld of South Africa has had a lovely effect on the garden. Rare bits of sunshine and a proliferation of public holidays have added to the garden magic which has transpired.

A previously unused corner of the garden was transformed into a circular winter vegetable patch, with radish and turnip seeds germinating in a record four days from planting.

Our roses are looking ever-so-pretty.

As are the azaleas.

The basil plants, grown from seed last summer, have blossomed into deliciously useful plants, regularly culled for salads and pastas. Knowing, however, that the frost is approaching and with a few regular snail visitors (that I am loathe to kill) leaving their mark, I decided that the time had come to harvest the lot and enjoy the benefits of homemade pesto (of which I am a committed fan - think Adam Sandler as Zohan with his hummus...'nuff said).

Ingredients:

• a colander full of basil
• 100g raw cashews
• 1 very, very large tub of grated parmesan
• about 500ml of olive oil (not too peppery)
• salt and pepper
• lemon juice to cut the oiliness

Method:

1. Strip the leaves off the basil and add to a food processor or blender. Take a moment to lament the fact that fresh basil season is now over, and that a whole lot of basil + hard work is about to = a few tiny containers of pesto.
2. Add the raw cashews, and enough oil to get the "zhoeshing" started. A fruity olive oil is, in my opinion, going to serve you better than one with a peppery bite which clings to the back of your throat.
3. Pour more oil in a thin stream through the lid of the blender/food processor while it's running till the desired consistency is reached.
4. Stir through the parmesan and seasoning with a spatula, and then add sufficient lemon juice to supply the necessary "Nya!" factor...you know, the point that the tongue hits the top of your palate as your cheeks suck-in and your salivary glands do their thing...that's when it's ready.
5. Glass jars or stainless steel tubs work well as storage containers so that plastic doesn't become permanently infused with pesto green.
6. Proudly stand back and enjoy the fact that all the basil didn't go to waste by being frosted to death, or eaten by greedy snails, and then promptly make some pasta to eat your new stash with.

P.S. I've added a small write-up on Tina Fey's Bossypants to the Bookshelf tab if you're interested in buying the book.

P.P.S. Thank you for the comments I've been getting. I thoroughly enjoy reading them. Please don't hesitate, as every one is appreciated :-)