The fuel shortages carry on here in France but at least it has for now stopped raining and it has started raining again but at least our colds are on the mend. However, we are keenly focussed on getting the bedroom ready for its new carpet so still keen desperate not to have to spend time food shopping if at all possible. Therefore, when looking for something we could have for lunch yesterday I put together an extreme version of "fridge bottom soup". In the fridge there was one portion of blanquette de veau (made the night before from a pack of stewing veal found in the freezer) and a few veg oddments.
It made an interestingly delicious soup and just goes to show how a bit of lateral thinking can produce a nice meal. I'm so glad I bought the soup maker - if I'd had to get the blender out we might have had beans on toast instead!
Speaking of toast, with it we had a "pain de campagne". I sacrificed five minutes and some of our precious petrol to nip to the village for a baguette from the village "shop". This is in the former bar café and consists of racks of vending machines and a baguette machine. You pop your euro coin in the slot and a beautiful baguette from the boulangerie in Ligueil pops out. They fill it up twice a day so timing can be crucial and I knew I was in trouble as soon as I pulled up outside.
The very large gite in the village was clearly occupied and this usually means that the shop has been cleared out of baguettes and croissants by mid morning. Sure enough the machine displayed the word "vide" above the coin slot. I perused the racks of display cabinets to find all those normally containing bread and pastries of any kind empty. The locusts from the gite had obviously got there before me. Then I spotted a single loaf lurking in the depths of one cabinet, its pointy end only just visible. Thinking to myself "ha, you missed this one!" I nabbed it. It was a tasty brown loaf, moist and delicious and we will have one again, a great discovery. Every cloud and all that!
Ingredients
About a pint of leftover casserole of any kind
4 medium carrots
1 small turnip
Half a punnet of mushrooms
1 large onion
Home made stock or a stock pot of some kind
Splash of sherry and a swirl of cream (optional)
Method
Tip the casserole into the machine then prepare enough veg to fill the machine to the bottom line.
Give it all a stir.
Add the stock or stock pot and enough water to fill to the top line and cook on smooth.
Stir in the sherry when cooked and serve with the swirl of cream.
Makes 4 generous portions.
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