Soup and Still Life

It was a very wet, stormy weekend. I trekked down the garden this morning, taking care on the slippy paths, for some vegs to make chicken soup.

I like to make soup in my thermal cooker. It’s a favourite bit of equipment. Really, all it is is a large vacuum flask with a pan inside. You put the ingredients into the pan and start cooking on the stove, then after the chosen time (just minutes) you place the pan inside the thermal flask, snap the lid shut and leave it to continue cooking without any need for electricity.

It’s a great energy saver and means you can leave the food for hours without worrying about checking it, knowing that it will be perfectly cooked when you’re ready for it.

I use it for soups, stews, rice puddings and joints of meat. Instead of hours in the oven or on the hob it cooks thoroughly after a short preparatory simmer in the pan. Meat is tender and moist and I have lots of tasty stock for making soup.

It was quite expensive but must have saved me lots of money since I had it. Wouldn’t be without it now.

As you may have gathered by now I’m very happy in my kitchen. I love cooking, baking and preserving and I even love the equipment I use. There is something very pleasing about dishes, wooden spoons and preserving jars.

I have even painted kitchen things. Here’s a Still Life I did a while ago, painted with gouache.

I have been busy baking again. If you like ginger why not try my Ginger Sponge. It’s so easy to mix all the ingredients together in a bowl or food processor with some chopped stem ginger added at the last minute. Light and delicious, it also makes a lovely pudding with some greek yoghurt.

I use one layer and freeze the other but if you want a big cake you can sandwich them together with buttercream.

200g Caster Sugar 200g Self-raising Flour 2 heaped teaspoons of Baking Powder 4 large Eggs 200g Sunflower Oil 1 tablespoon of Ginger Syrup 2 or 3 knobs of Stem Ginger

Put all ingredients except the stem ginger into the food processor. Whizz for a minute to combine well. Chop the stem ginger and add to the mixture. Very briefly whizz to combine but not to chop.

Put the mixture into two greased 8″ cake tins and bake for 23 – 25 minutes at 180C/ fan oven 160C. Test with a skewer. If you haven’t got a skewer press the cake and it should spring back if cooked.

I’ve knitted two of the Christmas crackers from the pattern in Landscape magazine and decorated them with felt holly leaves and berries. They have a toilet roll tube inside them so I can add a small gift.

Stay safe everyone and fill your time with satisfying home crafts.