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Music cannot be fully appreciated on an empty stomach. The same can be said for a full stomach, as much of the oxygen in your blood, essential for the full invigoration of the music follicles, is diverted to the digestive system. The trick is to feel nourished but not pigged-out. What better than a bowl of home-made soup and crusty wholemeal bread taken 20 minutes before music?
Q&A
A That's true but you can make the soup in advance and freeze it. Try to collect the scooped-out flesh from other people's pumpkins as they're prepared for Halloween parties. That way you could make gallons of soup.
Q In the summer, I prefer nettle soup. Have you a good recipe?
A Yes. We've experimented with nettles, ground elder and even wild mushrooms and will be publishing a recipe for nettle soup very soon. What's more, it's food-for-free!
Q Is it true that the more I eat fresh home-made soups and broths, the less I will feel bloated and flatulant?
A Yes. Our systems have grown accustomed to junk food and we 'appear' to feel better on it, because of the blood sugar 'hit' that results from eating complex carbohydrates. The reality is that, once we start eating more healthily, we feel brighter and more alert and our digestive systems settle down.
INGREDIENTS
x1 pumpkin, any size but the larger the better (but not an old tough one!)
x3 carrots chopped
x4 medium sized potatoes chopped
garlic (1-6 cloves depending on your love for it) chopped
x1 large onion chopped
x1 tsp fresh mixed herbs
salt and pepper to taste
Diced cheese to be added just before serving
METHOD
01) Scrape out the seeds and stringy bits of the pumpkin and put them in a saucepan, add just enough water to cover the contents and boil for 15 minutes. This will be your stock.
03) Strain your stock and make it up to one and a half litres with boiling water. Put it in a good sized saucepan.
04) Scrape the rest of the flesh from the pumpkin and put in the saucepan.
05) Add the rest of the ingredients, except the cheese and seasoning.
06) Bring to the boil and simmer for 30 mins
07) Put through a sieve or blender, the consistency should be the same as porridge
08) Taste and add additional salt or pepper if required.
09) Put into bowls and add diced cheese just before serving.
For that little bit of luxury add a dash of double cream and a few spring onions at the same time as the cheese.
