My cooking career (such as it is) is littered with the remains of those poor roasting pans and saucepans that have been thoughtlessly forgotten about. So when the chicken stock that had been simmering away nicely in the afternoon was forgotten when I popped out to meet friends for dinner, the poor unfortunate saucepan that met me on my return was a charred mess. This not the first time I've abused a saucepan. In fact, under the kitchen sink I have some dishwasher powder for just such occasions, sometimes the cremated pan can be recovered by soaking in a hot water and dishwasher powder. Time will tell if the latest cremation can be recovered.
Luckily, I have some stock already in the freezer to make some soup. Its the best insurance against the colds and bugs that seem to be going around at this time of year. I usually grab the seconds from my local fruit and vege shop to make this tomato and capsicum soup. The stock is made from the chicken carcass from a sunday roast, boiled with some parsnip, carrots, celery, onion, peppercorns and a bay leaf.
2kg tomatoes
2 capsicums, chopped
1 red onion
4 cloves garlic
2 tablespoons virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon oregano leaves, chopped
500ml chicken stock
Put the tomatoes, capsicum, onion and garlic in a roasting tray and sprinkle with the salt and oregano. Roast in a moderate oven, 180˚ or approximately 40 minutes.
Process the roasted vegetables with all the juices from the pan. Process until smooth and then push through a sieve to create a smooth tomato soup. Add the chicken stock and simmer for 30 minutes.
This is delicious in front of an old movie, I suggest Roman Holiday, sprinkled with ground pepper and some freshly buttered toast on the side.
