Dinner thread - inspire me

I made the Tuscan bean soup from the New Covent Garden Soup Book. Dead easy, healthy and veggie-friendly. Can share if you like?

I'm having bulgar wheat with aubergine - v quick, super delish.

Fry onion, garlic, diced aubergine until soft, add bulgar & stock, simmer til absorbed (10 mins), add tomatoes, toasted pine nuts, mint. It's kind of pilaf styleee - rather virtuous and REALLY yum.

Ooooh both sound lovely. Foo, do you use fresh or tinned toms?

I heart the Covent Garden tuscan bean soup fliss, would very much appreciate the recipe ?

We had venison stew, made with my FIL's home grown veg

i'm reasonably confident you won't want the recipe for that though ?

We had thai green chicken in pitta with salad, we're off for a walk on the beach so we might get some chips while we're there!

We had chicken curry, it was home-made and using up some fridge leftovers but was something along the lines of a rogan josh. Oh, and some naan breads which I bought in Asda on my way home.

? you're right on that one ktc.

The home grown veg sounds good though. I have the fabbest baby tomatoes on my vines and really cute cucumbers, chillies, peppers and aubergines growing fantastically well. ? Who'd have thought an inner city windowsill could be so productive? Tis all down to Hitched inspiring me.

this was the veg

check out the size of that courgette ?

We had a mixed grill - again, I suspect that isn't much use for you! ? However, just wanted to say that I am very envious of your veg - my tomatoes haven't done anything much and we have just one token chilli growing, so I'll be going out to have stern words with the plants about their progress!

Fresh toms, tinned would be too wet I think. I use normal sized chopped into 4 or 6, or whole cherry toms. You put the toms in 5 mins before the bulgar is done and they cook down to make a kind of sticky sauce.

? There is a Covent Garden Soup Book?! How did I not know this!? I want to make the chilli bean one!

We had cod with parsley sauce made from granules and allotment potatoes and green beans from my Mum. I'm still starving ? H also had a small cheesecake I bought him from a cake sale at work.

This is my simplified version (tinned beans, not dried). It makes 4 huge bowls, or six more sensible portions. It keeps well in the fridge for a few days and improves its flavour.

1. Dice a large white onion, slice a leek and dice a carrot.

2. Saute gently in a pan in 1 tablespoon of olive oil with the lid on until soft (around 15 minutes).

3. Add your beans. Whatever you fancy. I usually add one 290g tin of borlotti (drained) and one 290g tin of black eyed peas (drained). Canellini and kidney also work well. Add to this one pint of veg stock (one cube of Oxo!).

4. Simmer with lid on for 15 minutes.

5. Add one tin of chopped tomatoes, a good handful of sliced mushrooms and a couple of tablespoons of frozen peas. Then stir in a teaspoon of dried oregano. I add a splash of tomato sauce at this point, but you don't have to!

6. If there is enough room in your pan, also add a pint of boiled water (if not - don't worry! There isn't in mine!).

7. Simmer for fifteen minutes.

8. Divide soup in two and puree half until smooth. Combine.

9. Split your soup back between the two pans (or a casserole, whatever you have), half for now and half for the fridge. At this point, add your boiled water from stage 6 if you haven't already.

10. Simmer the portion you're going to eat now for ten minutes and leave the other portion to cool for the fridge.

11. Taste for seasoning and serve. Eat with lashings of bread until you're rolling around like a stuffed pig!

I have the green one - it's ace!

http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_ss_w_h__0_14?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=covent+garden+soup+book&x=0&y=0&sprefix=covent+garden+

KTC - that is a roose picture!

Duffnut - I have two CG soup cookbooks, bloody lovely!

I've just had Thai chicken noodle salad made by Mr W. Yum.

? at KtC's pic.

Thanks for the recipes Foo & Flissy.

MS - yep, they're doing really well, despite regular neglect and me having no idea what 'pinching' things off meant until last week ? Beginner's luck!

After all the yummy inspiration on this thread, I am ashamed to say that Mr R-A is currently in the kitchen cooking...

..scrambled egg on toast ? Common as muck, we are.