Soup on Sunday

I had great plans for today. The sun was up early, it was cool but not raining & I thought about going to Rotten Ronny's for a coffee, an Egg Mcmuffin & a free Sunday paper. I did get as far as the shower etc but never got out the door. I spotted that smoked salmon in the fridge - yeah it was raining when I bought it - and I decided to make fish soup instead.

I have this great Healthtec pot with a close fitting lid from the 60s. Apparently it came with two or three pots of different sizes, this big pot or Dutch Oven & a three inch deep pan. The only part of the set I've ever seen has been the pan, the Dutch Oven & the lid. But I think Healthtec was the original "waterless" cooking system & was extremely expensive when it came out. Let me tell you, this pot can be warmed up, turned on the lowest setting on the stove & left for days. I've even greased it & shoved it into the hot coals of a campfire & left it to cook dinner all day - which is why the green color on one side is a little blackened. It's my all purpose pot.

So, this morning, I made fish soup. I started with a litre of chicken broth, broke up the smoked salmon & tossed in the skin too. A little fresh ground pepper & a touch of granulated garlic. And I put on the lid, turned it on high until the element turned cherry red & then turned it down to a smidge above OFF so that it was as low & I could turn it & still be on. A couple of hours later I had fragrant orange broth that I filled with chopped red & yellow spuds & a little dried onion. Eventually I took out the skin & added some cut up frozen Basa - any white fish will do. Just before dinner I added a little fresh dill, a teaspoon of margerine, some milk, a handful of cooked prawns & a cup of instant mashed potatoes to thicken it a bit. And ate a big bowl. Wonderful stuff.