Minestrone and cockatoos

So I made a big pot of Minestrone soup last night for the AF girls, and was knocked flat by their reaction. I had to have a bowl this morning to see if it really was as unutterably fabulous as they seemed to think. I've never had anyone enthuse that much about my cooking before. They sounded like a cooking-show, waxing lyrical about the subtle depths of flavour etc. It was very nice soup. I'm not sure that it evidence of true culinary genius, but it was very nice.

For those who are inclined, here's the recipe. It looks complex, but really apart from browning onions and cooking off the tomato paste first thing, you bung everything else in the pot, bring to the boil and then simmer for a couple of hours. That's the true genius of soup:-)

MINESTRONE SOUP

1 large brown onion finely chopped

2 or three celery stalks and leaves finely chopped

1 ear of corn kernels

2 medium carrots, grated

1 red capsicum finely chopped

1 cup soup mix (lentils/beans/barley etc)

1/2 cup small pasta shapes

2 tins No Frills tomato soup

1 tbsp Massel chicken stock

1 Green Gourmet vegan sausage finely diced

2 tsp vegeta seasoning

2 tsp italian mixed herbs

2 tbsp tomato paste

1/3 cup tomato ketchup

1 tsp chilli flakes

2 tsp ground black pepper

1/2 cup Nutritional Yeast Flakes

3-4 L purified water

Heady stuff. Serve with hot bread. Oh, and I brown the onions in Nuttelex.

My bird feeder continues to delight and amuse me, but I had rather a sad visitor today. A very very old and scabby cockie. He wasn't managing very well so I popped some seeds on the back balcony just for him (yeah...that worked!). He obliged me by posing for a photo with a couple of his younger and more handsome buddies. Poor bugger, I will now do everything I can to look after him, but I doubt he's got a great deal of time left on this planet....sniffle.

I am going to name him Bert. Bert is a good name for old male individuals. Mr is reading one of my old childbirth textbooks as I write. I think I'm supposed to get the hint. I'm also ravenous today for some odd reason. Already consumed 2 big bowls of chunky soup and some noodles. Mr suggested that I may be 'eating for two'. Yes, he is obsessed and very very clucky. I think if he could have the baby, he would. Lord, can you imagine if men did have the babies? There'd be well-paid pre and post natal packages, astonishing resources available and women giggling in the waiting rooms. Liquor and tobacco sales would almost disappear and war would become a very strange thing indeed. One can dream:-)