As we enter December it is the time of year that we start enjoying the wonderful winter food. First on our agenda is always a lovely hearty soup. So for the first course this month I have gone with broccoli soup to warm you up during this cold time of year.

For the main course I have settled with Shepherds Pie that is beautiful british dish that is well loved throughout the world. You could either have it with beef for cottage pie or lamb to make a traditional shepherds pie.

The choice is entirely yours.

Broccoli Soup:

Ingredients:

8 Strips Bacon
1/4 Cup Flour
4 Cup Milk
20 oz Mixed vegetables
10 oz Broccoli, Chopped
Fine Onion (Chopped)
Garlic (Optional)

Method:

1. Boil mixed vegetables and broccoli (chopped fine). Set aside to drain. Fry bacon until crispy. Set aside bacon.

2. Pour enough bacon grease in soup pan to cover bottom of pan. Simmer onions until clear. Mix 1/4 cup flour. Then add 4 cups milk. Stir well.

3. Add vegetables and bacon. Simmer until soup is thickened. Salt and pepper to taste. This soup could be saved for the next day when the flavours will be better.

Shepherds Pie:

Ingredients:

1 Large Onion, Chopped
2 Medium Carrots, Chopped
2-3 Cloves Garlic, Minced
1 (14 1/2 oz) Can Beef Broth
1 1/2 lbs Ground Lamb/beef
1 (8 oz) Can Tomato Sauce
1 tsp Salt
1/2 tsp Pepper
1/2 tsp Dried Oregano
1/2 tsp Dried Thyme
1/2 tsp Parsley Flakes
1/2 tsp Dried Rosemary
1/2 tsp Rubbed Sage
2 Cups Hot Mashed Potatoes

Method:

1. In a saucepan, combine onion, carrots, garlic and broth. Bring to the boil; reduce heat; cover and simmer for 20 minutes or until the vegetables are tender.

2. Drain, reserving liquid to make gravy, if desired. In a skillet, cook the lamb until browned; drain. Add tomato sauce and seasonings; bring to a boil.

3. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 15 minutes. Add reserved vegetables and mix well. Transfer to a greased 2-quart baking dish.

4. Top with mashed potatoes. Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until potatoes are lightly browned.

5. If desired, make gravy with reserved vegetable liquid; serve with the pie.

Thanks for reading my blog post and in the meantime if you would like to read more of my fantastic healthy eating tips and food recipes you can subscribe to my RSS feed or join my free online Ezine.

To your food heaven

Dominic

One of my favourite starters is classic french onion soup and as a result here is my favourite recipe:

Ingredient:

4 Tablespoons butter
2 pounds onions, thinly sliced
4 cups vegetable or chicken stock
3 cups whipping cream
salt and white pepper

Stilton Toast:

French bread, 2 ounces Stilton cheese,
2 ounces Cheddar cheese, and butter.

Method:

Toast 6 thick slices of French bread in a 300 degree oven until crisp. Blend the Stilton with a couple Tablespoons of butter, then spread on the toast.

When ready to serve the soup, pop one of these on top of each serving bowl and sprinkle with lots of cheddar cheese.

Melt butter in a large saucepan over low heat. Add onions, cover, and cook until translucent–stirring occasionally–for about 30 minutes.

Add the stock and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Add cream and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer to thicken slightly–about 15 minutes.

Season generously with salt and pepper. Ladle into bowls, top with Stilton Toast, and run under the broiler until the cheese is melted and brown.

Serve immediately.

TIP: I love to add cream to this recipe, but you don t have to if you don t want.

Let me know how you get on with your classic french onion soup by commenting below. We also have a wide range of free cooking recipes on our website at:

http://www.dsmfoodlimited.com/recipes

Thanks for reading my blog post and in the meantime if you would like to read more of my fantastic cooking tips and food recipes you can subscribe to my RSS feed or join my free online Ezine.

To your food heaven

Dominic

We all love a traditional bowl of soup with warm crusty bread and tomato soup is no different. It is also very filling and good for you without breaking the bank.

Ingredients:

30ml Olive Oil

900g Fresh Medium Tomatoes halved

2 Medium Garlic Cloves

1 Small Potato peeled and sliced

300ml Water

Vegetable Stock

5ml Sugar

Instructions:

You need to lightly oil a roasting tin and arrange the tomatoes with cut part facing up. Add the garlic cloves and season then drizzle with the remaining oil. Once you have done this leave it to roast in the oven for 30 minutes on 190c/gas mark 5.

Boil the potatoes until tender but do not drain the water. Skin the tomatoes and the garlic and once you have removed the skin place the remainder into a food processor or blender. Also place the potatoes and potato stock into the machine and blend until smooth.

Once you have your smooth mixture place it into a saucepan, add a little extra vegetable stock if it is too thick and finally add the sugar. It is now ready to serve along with crusty bread if you wish.

Thanks for reading my blog post and in the meantime if you would like to read more of my fantastic cooking tips and food recipes you can subscribe to my RSS feed or join my free online Ezine.

To your food heaven

Dominic