Wednesday 6 May 2015

Spring greens fair and Puy Lentil Coconut Milk Soup




 "Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May..." 18th Sonnet, William Shakespeare

May rushed in and the weather changed bringing March winds, April showers and a visiting friend. It was bank holiday weekend, the River festival in Hereford and the Spring Greens Fair at the Court of Noke. Cold rain couldn't quell a cheeky Charleston down the hidden fairy paths as the band played. Soup cooked in smoky cauldrons warmed us up as we huddled by the fire-pit making new friends and spooning up scrumptious mouthfuls from enamel bowls. Then the sun came out, we climbed up to the ancient Shobdon arches and surveyed the countryside and listened to light aircraft and bees buzzing in true magical May fashion. That was until we ran back home for supper and to watch a million old episodes of the Darling Bud's of May, that I'm sure was the prod that induced me to buy a vintage 1940's skirt next day. (I'll show you later) I learned to follow a crochet pattern thanks to my sweet friend/sister-in-law as she crocheted a basket for me from twine that we bought here. I'll tell you about there later too. You may not believe this reading my blog but there are a million things I would rather do than go shopping, unless it happens to be to that amazing shop

Here's my version of the soup that we ate at the spring green fair:

Puy lentil and coconut milk 
  • One white onion peeled and finely chopped
  • A cup of washed Puy lentils
  • Two crushed garlic cloves
  • Two finely sliced sticks of celery
  • Three of four mushrooms, finely chopped
  • One peeled and grated carrot
  • A small piece of ginger root, grated finely
  • A little ground cumin, coriander, turmeric
  • A teaspoon of tomato puree
  • A can of coconut milk
  • Vegetable stock. 
  • Sea salt
method:
  1. Warm a tablespoon of coconut oil or alternative in a heavy bottomed saucepan, add the onions and cook until caremelised. 
  2. Add the garlic and spices and cook out for a few minutes, stirring to ensure that they don't burn.
  3. Add the vegetables and a teaspoon of tomato puree, stir well, cook for a few minutes stirring all the time.
  4. Add hot stock or water and the lentils, bring to the boil then reduce the heat. Cover and cook for about twenty minutes or so until the lentils and vegetables are tender.
  5. Add the coconut milk in the last ten minutes. I like to use one that has coconut cream at the top to add extra creaminess to the soup.  
  6. Check the seasoning and then serve with a sprinkle of fresh coriander.
I love this creamy mellow soup but if you like a little more heat you could always spice it up with a good hit of chilli. 

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hope your weekend was just as good...
debx


9 comments:

  1. what FUN!!! you do the best stuff!!

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    1. It was fun Steph...we saw the sign just a six minute drive away from home and couldn't resist going to explore.
      Dx

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  2. Hi Debby! I want to buy The Darling Buds of May, but it's so expensive! It's on my Amazon Wish List. I rented some episodes through Netflix and I loved it!
    I LOVE your photos! So intriguing!
    Thank you for visiting my blog. I'm so happy to "meet" you! I'll be back!

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    1. Hi there, Thanks for coming over. I know I love it too. I found the series was re-running on Sky one night when I couldn't sleep. I crept downstairs at about 3 or 4 am and curled up on the sofa with a rug and the remote control to try and find something cosy to watch. Success, I decided to record the whole series to watch at a more reasonable hour.
      I don't know what your budget is but I just googled a CD set of the complete series and found there some from £6.59, not new but cheaper less than half the price of the new ones. I'm not sure how much the postage would be though. I tried to post the link here for you...but it wouldn't work.
      Have a lovely weekend,
      debx

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    2. It's me again...I just realised that you aren't in the UK so probably it will be much more expensive for you. You may find some more episodes on Youtube...good luck with your search.
      dx

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  3. Hello Debby, how nice to have a new visitor, I'm glad you came by (I see above that pompom visits you so maybe you know about badger coming to stay with various bloggers, I really must do a post that includes him having some fun). I enjoyed browsing through your blog too and will pop in again. I love the day out you had and the soup looks yummy, we love curry flavoured anything so I am thinking of giving it a try. Betty

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    1. Hi Betty, the same to you. I saw the badger...what a fun project. I look forward to seeing his adventures.
      Have a lovely weekend,
      debx

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  4. my husband would love that soup and so would I. We have a similar version but without coconut milk which would be delicious! What fun you had at that fair and I love the sign for "healing arts" .

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    1. Thanks Karen, his food always sounds so good. I hope that you share some of his recipes one day...Unless they are secret ones. It was fun...such a lovely calm vibe.
      Have an amazing weekend.
      debx

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