Cream of Celery Soup

The clocks have turned back, signifying the beginning of winter and the end of summer! I quite like winter! Because with winter comes soups, roasts, casseroles, anything slow-cooked to keep the chill at bay! I created this hearty soup because...

1. although I like winter, the fact that it gets dark so early depresses me slightly, and a bowl of hearty soup really cheers me up (that and a huge slice of cake!)
2. Celery was on reduce and it was super cheap!

It's perfect to curl up with in front of the TV during those cold dark winter months. I'm not a fan of celery but because it was so cheap I couldn't resist! Nevertheless this soup is really delicious! Boil the celery first to reduce the pungent taste

Cream of Celery Soup
Serves 2

• 150ml of stock (I used homemade pork stock)
• 3 stalks of celery, chopped
• 3 carrots, chopped
• quarter of an onion, chopped
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon all purpose flour
• 160ml hot milk
• pinch of salt
• pinch of pepper
• 1 tablespoon butter
• Croutons (optional)
• Parsley (optional)

1. Boil the celery for 3 minutes. Drain.
2. Pour the stock into a large pot, and bring to a boil. Add the celery, carrots, garlic and onion to the pot.
3. Whisk together flour and milk, slowly pour milk mixture into the pot. Add the butter to the soup. Season with salt and pepper.
4. Simmer for 10minutes. Transfer to a blender and blend to a puree, then pour into pot to reheat.
5. Top with croutons and parsley and serve with crusty bread!

Enjoy!

Mine all mine =)

Living with flatmates with clashing schedules tends to lead to a 'cook for yourself' system we have established. Truth be told, as much as I enjoy cooking with/ for friends, I honestly love and prefer cooking for and by myself, I find it harder to make dishes for many people than I do for just one. You can afford to be decadent, and as selfish as it sounds, when cooking for one, the only person you have to please is..well...yourself!

Beef Stroganoff for One
Serves 1

• 120g Beef stewing steak, cut into chunks
• 15g butter
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• half an onion sliced
• 1 very large button mushroom
• 1 tbsp flour
• 1 tsp paprika
• 2 tsp white wine vinegar
• 3/4 cup beef stock
• 1 tbsp cornflour
• 1 tsp mustard
• 1 tbsp white wine
• 2 tbsp sour cream
• salt and black pepper to taste

1. In a pan, heat oil and melt the butter. fry beef chunks till brown. Season with salt, pepper and paprika
2. Push the beef to one side and stir in the flour with the beef juices. Add the onions and mushrooms and cook for 3 to 5 minutes, then push to the side with the beef chunks.
3. Pour in the beef stock and vinegar, stirring constantly. Bring to the boil then lower the heat, stir in mustard. Then cover and simmer gently for about 30minutes or until meat is tender. If sauce is too thin, stir in cornflour.
4. Five minutes before serving, stir in the sour cream, and white wine. Add salt and pepper to taste.
   
   
   Serve with rice or noodles.
   ..enjoy =)