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Snacks

Spiced Tomato Soup

There is only one Tomato Soup and that is made by a firm that is not British (surprise!) but from Pittsburgh and comes in an Andy Warhol tin.  But with a surfeit of sun dried tomatoes one night I made this.  Pretty darn good we thought.  Very, very rich but based on what might be found in most store cupboards.

Paula from Pitt

Ingredients (Imperial as I now live in the Glorious Homeland - as an "alien")

• 3-4oz sun dried tomatoes soaked in 2 cups (= 16floz) hot water for about 1/2 hour, chopped
• 2 tbspn vegetable oil (or 1 each of veg & olive oil), chopped onion, 1-2 bay leaves, chopped celery stick (don't worry it will be blended later for those that avoid celery), 1/2 tspn chili powder, 1/2 tspn cinnamon (trust me I'm a doctor), 2 cardamom pods cracked
• 14oz(ish) tin tomatoes chopped plus juice
• 1 cup(ish) water, 1 tbsn shredded basil, salt to taste, good grind black pepper, yoghurt or sour cream

How to: put oil in medium sized, heavy based pan with lid, with chili powder, cinnamon, cardamom and medium heat for 2-3 mins til spices give off aroma and start to crack.

Add bay leaves, onion, celery, turn down heat very low and put lid on and soften for 20 mins or so till onion goes clear but not brown.

Add tinned tomatoes & juice and sun dried tomatoes & juice. Simmer for 20 mins or so.

Remove bay leaves & cardamom, liquidise soup (this really is better smooth). Add basil, salt, pepper and a cup or so of water to get to a thick but still soupish consistency (your choice).  Warm through.  Serve into warm bowls and add a dollop of sour cream or yoghurt if you like.  I'd suggest not cream as you need something sharp to cut through the rich sweetness of the soup.

NB if you want to make this ahead of time (soups are often better the next day) then stop before you remove the spices and liquidise.  Let it cool. Store for a day and then remove spices etc.

Guacamole Zinger

Guacamole, pretty simple, right? Erm, well yes it is but this recipe adds lime to create a serious zing and let's face it who hasn't eaten guacamole and wished it could live up better to its lively Latin reputation?

Veggie Sausage Sandwich (with Green Pesto)

In my opinion, vegetarian Lincolnshire style sausages work best with the green pesto.

And for added effect, once the sausages are cooked, pop the whole sandwich into a sandwich toaster or George Forman grill for a couple of mins to brown the outside of the bread before eating.

Voila! A quick and tasty supper.

Yvonne

PS: You could be really experimental and try adding fried onion too.

Witte Rijst met Krenten

This recipe may well make you believe that Dutch cuisine deserves the reputation that British cuisine has, but if you, like me, love rice and, like me, love currants, and, like me, have a sweet tooth, you might think this is the best dish in the world.

The other day I had eaten a big bowl of soup earlier on and neither fancied eating a complete meal, nor going out to the shops to buy a snack. Looking in our cupboards, I noticed all the ready-made snacks had already disappeared in our stomachs. My wife, who as always shared my predicament, decided to just boil some rice and snack on that. I would have gone along with that, had it not reminded me of one of the greatest dishes I had as a child.

Halloumi dressing

Finally the secret of the halloumi dressing of bbq & dinner party fame...

For 1 pack of halloumi: Juice of 1 lime, a teaspoon or two of red pesto.

Doubting Bro wrote "where is the rest of the recipe?"

OK so a grind of black pepper to taste.  Slap it on griddled/bbq'd/fried/raw... halloumi.

Sometimes the best things are simple.  Trust me I'm a doctor!

Paula

Paté de Trucha (Trout Paté)

Second in our series of recipes from Bogotá, courtesy of Paola.

Dip de Alcachofas y Espinacas (spinach and artichoke dip)

First in a series of lovely recipes from Colombian foodsteros. Paola shares her recipe and i try and translate it:-)

Tortilla de Potata

This is my favourite recipe for entertaining and perfect for enjoying with friends over a glass of wine on my lovely new decking that Mike and Paul helped me build.

You can make it carnivorous but the classic recipe just has eggs, potatoes, garlic and onions.