It’s not often you have to wash up your bananas.  Or your clementines for that matter, but most are probably a bit better at making soup than me…

I have come up with a recipe (by accident more than design) which I thought I’d share with you, (pitfalls and all) as it is cheap, tasty and filling (and might be more useful that my usual blogs).  So:

just thought I'd add a random happy picture to make it a bit more interesting...

Tomato and Chilli Beef Soup:

• 2 chopped carrots
• 1 chopped onion     
• 1 chopped leek                  
• 1 small swede / turnipy thing      
• 2 tins tomatoes
• Tomato puree
• Drained tin of chickpeas
• Pack of Tesco’s chilli beef (found near the cold meat / pate)

• Throw the veggies into a saucepan containing a litre of boiling water and vegetable stock.

 (Use a large saucepan or get ready to do some juggling shortly). 

• Boil till the veggies are soft, add the tins of tomatoes and puree and throw in the chickpeas. 

(If your saucepan is not big enough this is the point where juggling becomes a skill you wish you’d taken more seriously up until now)

• Boil again for a few minutes, then blend in a food processor.   

(Should your food processor break half way through the blending, I strongly suggest popping to the lovely neighbours house to borrow hers straight away rather than trying to puree with a small electric cake mixer first.  That’s how you end up having to wash up your bananas, clementines, kittens, walls, cupboards and trousers.  In short, it looks a little like you are responsible for the gruesome deaths of at least 5 people…)

• When it’s all mixed up, pop into individual serving bags, cut up and add 1.5 pieces of chilli beef per serving and throw the bags in the freezer.

(Note: if like me you sweat in the presence of a korma you might want some yoghurt handy when you eat the soup as it has a bit of a kick).

presentation was never my strong point, but trust me, it tastes better than it looks!

Happy soup day!