Fully immersed

The blender was successfully test-driven by Hockeyman last night, who declared it "a bit anticlimactic." Perhaps because it turned a laborious operation into a ten-second run through the pot, topped off with an additional ten-second rinse in the sink. What a relief after the blender.

We did indeed make lentil soup:

A ham hock

Chicken broth

Three stalks of young garlic, green parts included

One and one-half cups boring brown lentils (Le Puys, touted by cookbook writers everywhere, are a fortune)

Potatoes

Carrots

Onion

Salt

Amounts...well, I didn't measure anything save the lentils. I tossed the onion, garlic, and carrot into the soup pot with some butter, let it brown, then dumped in everything else. It seemed a bit dry, so I added white wine and a little water. The soup took about nintety minutes to cook, and was a bit bland. I attribute this to the ham hock, which had spent considerable time in the freezer. So I added a shot of hot sauce, which picked the soup up nicely without being overwhelming. I made sourdough scones and that was that.

But new soupy vistas beckon....today in the supermarket I bought some Straus cream, and am thinking seriously about the broccoli in the crisper. Hmm.....