This is not so much a recipe as a way of thinking about cooking. Its called Friday soup becuase, when I worked in an office I would do my shopping on Saturday morning. So on Friday my fridge and cupboard would have a sort of strange collection of objects. But there would always be some onions and usually some bacon or spicy sausage. And, if I looked hard, some sad looking carrots or parsnips lurking at the bottom of the fridge. With this I would make my Friday soup. I still make it at least once a week but now usually on our ‘Workout Wednesday’ as it can be cooked and re-heated really easily. Although its called a soup its very hearty. A casserole pot is a meal for at least 3 people.
So, why now? Well, this morning I was in our local supermarket. No eggs, flour, frozen veg or potatoes! We live in strange times. All the more need for Friday Soup.
First things first. When do you start? It depends what goes in it. If you are using dried beans or a commercial ‘soup mix’ then you need to put this to soak in plenty of cold water about 12 hours before you start. Lentils and split peas do not need to be soaked but do need extra cooking so these need to start simmering about 2 hours before you want to eat. If you are not using dried pulses then you can start cooking about 45 minutes before your meal time.
Now the ingredients. This is a long list because these are all the things I can think of that could go into this soup. But you can put in whatever you have, as long as it fits into one of these categories. The only essential ingredients are a couple of onions and a stock cube. Changing the ingredients will change the flavour but that is part of the fun.
Soaked pulses
Dried beans of any sort, ‘Soup mix’. about 50g per person. Must be pre-soaked in cold water for at least 12 hours. Drain and use as no-soak pulses.
No soak pulses
Split peas (green or yellow). Lentils of any colour. about 50g per person
Cured Pork
Bacon, Lardons, any sort of spicy sausage, whole or sliced. If whole then chopped into 1/2 cm pieces. Some sausages such as chorizo need to be peeled first.
Frying Vegetables
Onions, shallots, Peppers, Chilli peppers (de-seeded), courgettes, leeks, fennel, mushrooms, garlic. Everything chopped into 1cm pieces except the chilli and garlic which needs to be chopped small. One or two of each is fine.
Root Vegetables
Potatoes, sweet potatoes, carrots, parsnips. (please note I wouldn’t use turnip or swede. These take a lot longer to cook). Peeled and chopped into 1cm pieces. 3 medium potatoes. 1 or 2 carrots. 1 big sweet potato.
Flavourings
1 Stock cube (I like beef best but it doesn’t matter). About 1/2 a teaspoon of 1 of the following: Paprika, Cumin seeds, fennels seeds (ground in a mortar and pestle if you have it). 1/2 teaspoon of dried herbs of any sort.
Tomatoes
A tin of chopped or plum tomatoes. 1 or two fresh tomatoes, skinned and chopped.
Last 10 minutes
Any sort of cooked cold meat, chopped small. Shredded cabbage or spring greens. Frozen spinach (this is a favourite of mine when having leftovers the next day). A tin of any sort of beans (not baked beans, the sauce is too strong), chickpeas or lentils.
Method
If you are using dried pulses put these in a saucepan with plenty of water (about a litre) and the stock cube. Simmer for 40 minutes before starting to cook the rest of the ingredients. Let it continue to cook while you are frying.
Put some oil in a large casserole dish or saucepan and fry the Cured Pork on a medium heat until crispy round the edges. Keep stirring.
Fry the chopped onion on a medium heat for 5 minutes. Stir every now and then.
Add the rest of the frying vegetables except the garlic. There should be a bit of a shine on them from the oil/fat. If they look ‘dry’ add some more oil. Stir every now and then and cook for 5 minutes more. Add the garlic and fry for another minute.
Add the pulses and water to the mixture. Watch out as the hot liquid will bubble. If you are not using pulses then add about 1/2 a litre of water and the stock cube. Add the tomatoes if using.
Add the root vegetables. If they come over the top of the liquid, add some more water. The vegetables should be just submerged. Bring to the boil and simmer for 10 minutes. Taste for seasoning. If you have used any cured pork then it will be salty enough (the stock cube is about 1/2 salt). If not you may need to add 1/2 a teaspoon at this stage.
Then add the ‘Last 10 minutes’ ingredients. Bring back to the boil and cook gently for another 10 minutes. Check its done by seeing if the carrots or potatoes are tender.
Enjoy on its own or with some bread or toast.
Leftovers
This soup re-heats without any problem for about 2 days. Just simmer well for 10 minutes. You can add any of the ‘Last 10 minutes’ ingredients to the soup the next day to make it go further.