Live Below the Line: Spicy Carrot & Dal Soup with Toasty Triangles

Onwards with the challenge, and now for lunch. I have made a soup and divvied out some portions to take to work. I used yellow split peas for this as they seemed to be the cheapest pulse on the supermarket shelf, at 53p for 500g. So here goes:

Oil: 10ml vegetable oil = 1p
Onions: 18 little ones for 63p from Aldi = 3½p each.
I used 2 = 7p
Carrots: 16 for 49p from Aldi = 3p each
I used 8 = 24p
250g dal = 26½p
2 veg stock cubes = 6p
1 tin tomatoes = 31p
A few pinches of cheap salt - a twentieth of a penny!
2 grams (1 tsp) chilli powder = 3.4p
2 grams (1 tsp) cumin powder = 4p
Total cost: £1.03p
Per portion: 21p

The bread came from a loaf which cost 40p. I counted 22 slices, which makes a slice cost 1.8p

My lunch therefore reached a grand total of 22.8p

Spicy Parsnip & Apple Soup, with Onion Bhaji Onions

A very simple soup, with a special garnish.

The soup was made by chopping, peeling and softening 2 onions, 3 apples and about 4 parsnips in a nob of butter. Then I added a spoonful of curry paste (I like Mr Hudas) and then about a litre and a half of vegetable stock. It then simmered until everything was very soft, then I whizzed it with a whizz stick.

The onion bhaji onions were made as follows: Slice 2 onions thinly. You want to get them as dry as possible, so dab them with kitchen paper. Sprinkle on salt, leave them a bit, then dab them very well again. Then sprinkle on (and don't be shy) turmeric, chilli powder, any other kind of spicy powder you are interested in, black pepper, then a generous tablespoon of gram flour. Shake the onions and toss them around with your hand to distribute everything evenly. Heat up  some oil, about 1cm deep, in a frying pan. When its really hot, in with the onions. I did them in two batches so as not to overcrowd the pan. Just make sure they are nicely spread out so they don't clump together. Keep an eye on them and when they are golden, scoop them out with a strainer.

Minestrone (with Spinach & Ricotta Tortelloni)

Simple and very very quick (chopped onions and carrots, tinned toms, stock, peas, blah blah) and then, much nicer than using plain old pasta, bung in some tortelloni, and a few minutes later its ready. Drizzle with olive oil if you like, add some parmesan and nice bread to dunk. The bread in the pic is cheese & onion bread.

Creamy Tomato and Lentil Soup

This'll smooth you right over..

Fishcakes with Pea Soup

Is this a bit weird? Oh well sod it, it was lovely.

The soup was made by softening onion and garlic in a little olive oil, then adding quite a big bag of frozen peas. In went boiling water from the kettle, and some vegetable stock powder (the kind in the green tubs). I blitzed it with a stick blender and stirred in a noggin of cream cheese. Finally, just after plonking the fishcakes in, it was drizzled with drops of oil from a jar of pesto sauce.

Pie & Soup Part 2: Steak & Kidney + Tomato Soup

Compiled and consumed by Freddie. Thanks again Linda!!!!!!!

Linda's Cornish Pasty with Soup Poured Over It

This was a giant (and cheap) pasty, cut in half. Linda has hers with oxtail soup but I prefer tomato.

This was definitely one of those occasions where, a dish becomes, more than the sum of its parts ...... cookery alchemy!!

Homemade Soups

Clockwise, from top left: beetroot, with sour cream and a noggin of cheese on toast. Cauliflower, brocolli & stilton. Another, perhaps thicker and much cheesier cauliflower, brocolli & stilton. Lentil, bacon & vegetable.

Alice's Garlic Soup

Roast onions (3) and garlic (a bulb) with thyme until caramelised, blitz with stock and cream. Obviously just for those nights when you are alone, or perhaps those awkward times where you have to entertain someone you are concerned might try to snog you.