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Ah lentils… Hippy food, beloved of Neil from the Young Ones. But really, really good with lemon ‘n’ cumin, ya know? Vegetable rights and peace!

Ingredients

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2 Onions
1 Tablespoon olive oil or sesame oil
1 Teaspoon of salt
1 Teaspoon of ground cumin
1 Cup of dried lentils (soaked for 1-2 hours)
5 Cups of water
3 Thin slices of lemon
1 Tablespoon of fresh lemon juice
6 Thin slices of lemon for garnish

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1. Chop the onions into medium-sized pieces, meanwhile heat the oil on a medium heat (notice a pattern here?)
2. Sauté (that’s posh for ‘fry’) until golden.
3. Add cumin and salt – cook for 5 minutes.
4. Rinse the lentils in a sieve, then add to the pot with the water
5. Bring to the boil, add lemon slices.
6. Once boiling, reduce the heat & simmer for 25 minutes until the lentils are soft
7. Finally, add the lemon juice, and garnish with a slice of lemon.

Come to think of it, the ‘Cash‘ episode of the Young Ones has no doubt taken on masses of extra relevance now, given the straightened times we’re living through.

Just one more Young Ones Link (because I can’t resist it:) the infamous ‘mouse in a telescope’ embarrassing party scene – ah… Reminds me so much of my own student days…  “Does anyone here like the Human League?”

(1 votes, average: 3.00 out of 5)
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It was the best of peas, it was the worst of peas – the split pea is so revered in certain cultures that they even have a National Split Pea Soup Week (no joke – 12-18 Nov – missed it, darn!) But is not to be confused with the pigeon pea, often used to make dal.

You’ll need to start by soaking the peas for about 12 hours or so – try leaving them in a bowl of water before you leave for work in the morning – this’ll cut down their cooking time considerably. Just multiply the measures of pea/water if you want to make masses of soup.

Ingredients

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1 cup of yellow split peas, soaked
3 cups of water
1 stamp-size piece of kombu (seaweed) soaked for 15 min – this is a definite optional – if you can find/afford kombu or another type of seaweed available in health food shops, it’s said to make them ‘easier to digest’ – alternatively, just go ‘commando’, seaweed-less!
1 Sliced onion
2 carrots
1 cup of pumpkin (another optional – you could replace with mushroom, or a green vegetable like pointed cabbage – in season at the moment, if it’s easier)
Pinch of salt
Barley miso (paste) to taste OR marigold/any other type of soup stock

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1. Place the peas (and seaweed, if you’re using it) in a pot with water. Simmer for 30 minutes.
2. Add chopped onion, carrots,pumpkin and salt and cook until tender.
3. Add the stock powder, or miso.
4. cook for 5 more minutes (but don’t boil – this can denature the miso.)

And that’s that. I’ve also just discovered there’s also an interesting traditional Geordie/NW English pea recipe (no, not Cheezy Peaz) called pease pudding using split peas… will have to check this out in a future London Cooking recipe!

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Popular flavours of soup in London include: cream of mushroom, chicken and sweetcorn and Covent Garden.

Cauliflower soup isn’t at the top of the list – and why should it be when half the metropolitan population is still traumatised by their formative school dinner experiences (yes – it’s up there with sprouts, people.)

Having seen an abundance of the cauli around this month (in season? Apparently, the ‘flower thrives in -20 conditions!) I decided to give the albino broccoli another chance.

Ingredients

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1 cauliflower (flowerets separated and stem cut to pieces).
1 onion sliced
6 cups of water
Pinch of salt
1/2 cup of rolled oats (optional!)
2 tablespoons of tahini
6 teaspoons of white Miso paste (or Marigold veg soup powder/or other stock to taste)

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1. Put the cauliflower, onion,oats,salt with the water in a pot.
2. Cook for 15 minutes until the vegetables are tender but still firm.
3. Add the white miso or powder/stock and tahini and cook for 5 min.

There you go – another terrifying childhood memory banished, thanks to Londoncooking.

… At least until you watch Little Shop of Horrors again.

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Probably the easiest soup to make in the world. Ever. But no-one need ever know that, right?

Ingredients

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4 mushrooms (mother says ’shitake’, but any type will do!)
3 medium size onions
4 cups of water
Soya sauce (to taste)
Drop of sesame/olive oil

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1. Cut the onions and fry in a little oil until golden
2. Slice the mushrooms and add to the onions
3. Add the water and cook for 5 minutes, adding the soya sauce until the taste is right (“not too salty”!)

aaaaaaaaaaaand… You’re done.

(2 votes, average: 3.50 out of 5)
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