Leftover soup

Most Sundays I have some friends over to mine for a roast. Last Sunday, it was lamb with roast potatoes and onions, peas, and mint sauce while we watched England loose painfully to Germany. Almost every week I used to make the same soup from the leftover vegetables and roast carcass - it was a tangy, creamy, Middle-eastern number with rice - truly delicious. Now, however, this soup reminds me of my life with the ex and the trauma of the break-up, so I needed to find another way to utilize the leftovers. One day, I will make the Middle-eastern soup once again, and blog about it here, and then I will know that I am really and truly over it all. I look forward to that day, but until then I must make a different leftover soup. And it is in these circumstances that I have stumbled across a little gem

I covered the carcass, leftover potatoes, rosemary, onions, peas and mint sauce with cold water and brought it to the boil. I let this simmer for a couple of hours and then left to cool. While it was simmering, I soaked some green lentils. When it was back to room temperature, I took the carcass out and pulled all the meaty bits off, putting them back in the pan, and discarding the bones. I added the lentils and cooked the soup once again, until they softened, seasoned it, and ate it for supper with some fresh crusty bread

I ate this for dinner the next day in exactly the same way, adding just a bit more water when cooking. The final day, however, I added a bowl of water to make it the right consistency for a soup, and also a handful of quinoa and some spicy pepper sauce, and created another soup altogether. I can't wait to try making this soup with other leftover roast meats and vegetables, as I have a feeling it will taste completely different every time - a great discovery!

The Giant Robot, Clerkenwell

I almost didn't come here, as I couldn't get through to anyone to book a table. In the end, I called another Rushmore group restaurant and booked a table through them - so that's a good tip if they forget to turn their answering machine off again. Once we got there, the staff were incredibly friendly and relaxed, so all was forgiven

It was a hot day, so we drank Mimosa cocktails, which were lovely and refreshing, and actually felt quite healthy. But perhaps that's just by my standards! We ate asparagus with salsa, a breakfast salad, with delicious black pudding bits in it, and eggs benedict. I can't fault any of it. The vibe was very New York, laid-back and cool. It made me feel cool too, so I will be back for sure!

"Pets du nonne" without pastry

How can you not want to make cakes with a name like "nun's farts"? Well, actually I imagine some people might not find the name that appealing, but for me, along with the simplest recipe in the world, it was a "fait accompli", or something like that. Now, "pets du nonne" often come in pastry, but this recipe I found in the Green'n'Blacks cookbook, is a much lighter version. I adapted it slightly - firstly I didn't use angelica, as I couldn't find any anywhere. Then, I substituted walnut bits for almond flakes, which worked fabulously well, even if I do say so myself

Ingredients

50g dark chocolate (chilled)

2 egg whites

pinch of salt

75g caster sugar

75g flaked almonds

(1 teaspoon dark rum optional)

You simply beat the egg whites and salt until they form stiff peaks, as when making meringue. Then start whisking in the sugar a bit at a time. Finally, fold in the almonds, chocolate which has been broken up into little bits, and the rum if you are using it (I used Morgan's Spiced). Line a baking tray with foil or baking paper and grease slightly - this is something I didn't do and I ended up with a few broken cakes, they are so incredibly delicate that you don't want to be prising them off at the end. Put little blobs of the mixture onto the tray, making sure that they don't touch. Then bake in a pre-heated oven at 180 degrees for about 8 minutes. Turn the oven off and leave them in there for at least an hour, I left them for two

That's a broken nun's fart up there. This photo shows much more about these cakes then the ones that look whole and pretty, as they are no different to meringues on the outside. Yet on the inside the melted chocolate, delicate almonds and creamy meringue have a right old party. I am no baking queen but these will definitely become part of my repertoire - I love simple recipes and that taste amazing, and these fit the bill perfectly

Brick Lane Farmers market and broad beans with bacon

I have decided to start following the Fife Diet. Luckily for me, this doesn't actually mean any form of dieting, but simply eating as much local produce as possible. I haven't ordered a veggie box just yet, but started off by going to a local farmers' market. Brick Lane farmers market opened just this month, so I decided to go check it out, and stock up. It's very small, though no doubt it will expand in time, but I managed to get a good supply of fruit and vegetables for the week, as well as a lovely organic burger for lunch, some jersey milk (Ok, so that's not very local, but it is incredibly delicious), and an earful from the Polish man who could not believe that I did not want to buy some pierogi and bigos for later, since I am Polish and everything...

When I got home, I made the rustic broad bean dish that you can see up there. It was dead simple, I just cooked the broad beans, and fried the bacon and onion separately. Then, I added some oregano to the crispy bacon and onion bits, and combined with the cooked broad beans. If you would like more precise instructions, you can see me making it here. Tomorrow, I will take the leftovers to work, and eat them cold on top of a bed of mixed salad leaves - can't wait!