lentil soup

broth

onions
shallots
spring onions
chives*
coriander
peppercorns
salt
thyme
garlic
celery
carrots
water
~ 3 hours

not usually, but sometimes

* whatever we have, not always all these oniony veg. Is that even a word?
bell pepper — if it needs to go, it’ll do more in the broth than in the compost, the same with a potato or two
any green in the fridge we want to add (aka get rid of), such as spinach, lettuce, etc.
any herbs (or most. I don’t add basil no matter how much we have in the garden)

we call it clean-the-fridge broth

And we make enough to freeze ~4 cups in storage bags — store in smaller amounts for when we need a little bit only. Use mainly for soups, but it could be for anything, really, especially risotto. I make vegetable broth much more often than chicken broth.

salt pork
garlic
celery stalks — whole, discard after
tomatoes

Could be cooked sauce, canned tomatoes, or even paste in a pinch — which we also save in a baggie when we open a can and don’t use it all. I have two small, clear plastic containers in the freezer with items like these — so they’re easy to find. Otherwise, they’d get lost in the jungle.

cheese rind — keep a baggie of these in the freezer also
salt + pepper as needed, depending on the broth
broth
lentils — prefer French (Puy) lentils because they seem hardier
~ 1 hour, more or less

i asked Santa for

a bread machine years ago, and he said: Uh, no. Appliances are forbidden presents. To which I responded: Ok, I’ll get it myself after Christmas, but it is the only thing I want. THAT WAS EASY!

bread flour
yeast
salt
water
~ 3 hours

We do make bread by hand (use ‘we’ lightly): Soda Bread (needs no rising time) and Gros Pain — they are simple and super crusty. Must have a photograph somewhere …