Hello again
and happy January the 43rd or something…
I don’t know what it’s like where you are, but it’s been brass monkeys here in Kent. So for this week’s lunch, I’ve got a big bowl of big flavours to warm your cockles.
We’re dusting off the slow cooker for some hands-off cooking, leaving you free to work for as long as you want during the morning safe in the knowledge that lunch will be ready when you are.
Once my soup was blended up and ready to go, I left it on “keep warm” (aren’t slow cookers great?) while I braved the icy chill for a lunchtime jog. It was a very warm welcome on my return.
Cook while you work…
Sweet potato soup with ginger & chilli
A little bit of early prep and it can be left to do its own thing until lunchtime
If you can summon up the motivation to get organised first thing, a little bit of chopping and peeling puts you in good stead come lunchtime.
Sweet potato makes the most delicious soup. So smooth and comforting, like liquid velvet when it’s blended up. Add to that the warmth of ginger and chilli, a little hum of garlic, and it’s a perfect lunch for this cold snap.
No frying, no separate pans. Simply pop everything into the slow cooker and let it work its magic. Trust the process; this soup looks lacking until it’s whipped into shape with a few furious thrusts of the stick blender.
Ingredients:
6 small sweet potatoes, peeled and diced
2 small onions, peeled and diced
Thumb-sized piece of root ginger, peeled and chopped
Small red chilli, deseeded
2 cloves of garlic, peeled and sliced
Vegetable stock
To make:
Warm up the slow cooker while you’re doing all the peeling and chopping.
Put all the vegetables into the slow cooker.
Add enough stock to cover the ingredients. You can always add a little more water when you blend it if it’s too thick.
Cook on high for 3-4 hours.
Blend, season and serve.
Croutons are optional but they do add a little crunchy interest. Coriander leaves and drizzle of cold-pressed rapeseed oil are purely for presentational purposes! 🤦♀️
Simple swaps:
Carrot or butternut if you’re not a fan of sweet spuds.
Want it creamy? Add coconut milk.
Use dried chilli flakes and dried ginger if you don’t have fresh.
Stock cubes, stock pots or fresh stock — any of those will be fine.
Don’t have a slow cooker? Pop it all in a large saucepan and simmer until the vegetables are tender.
Lunch chat
On the other four days last week, there wasn’t anything too adventurous on my plate. A cheddar & pickle baguette; scrambled egg on toast; corned beef, cheese & piccalilli sandwich; and some leftover lentil & mushroom ragu (because leftovers make the best lunches).
If you’re not feeling the lunchtime love with this week’s idea, don’t forget that you can tuck into the archives at any time.
Type an ingredient, meal or edition number in the ‘search box 🔍’