What to do – take two!

Having been given one invention test I was not expecting another – that'll teach me. The previous test used cooked veggies. This time were were given a bowlful of raw ingredients. The only other rule was that it had to have a different texture and appearance.

You could include a potato, so I did, hence my title :

Soup de Ssoise (not quite Vichy!)

2 medium leeks, top, tail and finely sliced

3 sticks of celery, top, tail and finely sliced

1 medium onion, peeled and chopped finely

Glug of Rapeseed/Canola oil

1 medium sized old potato, cubed

pinch of Marjoram

pinch of Fines Herbes

salt and black pepper

1 litre/1¾ pints of veggie stock

Heat the rapeseed oil, in a large saucepan. Add the veggies and sweat for 5 minutes. Add the Marjoram and Fines Herbes and cook through so that their flavours are released into the veggies. Add the stock and potato then simmer until the potato is cooked.

This soup is meant to be smooth – blend two ladles to begin. Do the spoon test as mentioned in Soup de Loop and decant into a large jug or bowl until you've achieved a smooth consistency. Taste your soup – add more herbs if desired together with black pepper. Finally add salt to taste.

Once I'd got over the shock of having to work without any recipe – it was good fun creating something from nothing.

I suppose what I'm trying to show is that you can create something from nothing - go fridge foraging and use up either cooked leftovers or stray raw ingredients. You never know you may cook extra veggies deliberately!

A herb note or two.

Marjoram is delicate and sweet in flavour – the French sometimes add it to Fines Herbes. Fines Herbes are French and a classic combination of herbs – parsley, chives, tarragon and chervil. Just thought you'd like to know.

P.s. I should explain the “not quite Vichy” quote in the title. Vichyssoise is a French soup traditionally made with leeks, onions, potatoes, cream and chicken stock. It is usually served cold but can be hot. The ingredients we were given just reminded me of the soup but since I had no cream and it was to be served hot it wasn't quite Vichy!