Winter things

It's properly winter today: frosty morning, a bit of sunshine then the clouds built up and it rained for most of the afternoon.  The jonquils are out..

and the hellebores are starting to flower...

It really is the time of year to light the fires and get thyself in front of some good telly with a bowl of soup.  Is anyone else loving Broadchurch?  No-one can do a murder story like the British.  Well, with the possible exception of the Danes.  I have just finished the marathon that is The Killing.  The Danish really know how to do gritty, dark thrillers that just keep you glued.  They're not bad at  political drama either, I loved Borgen and can't wait for the next series.

My soup of choice last week was Celeriac and Apple.  I am growing celeriac in the veggie garden but it seems to be taking forever..

Yes, it looks impressive but there is not much action down below.  

What I love about soup is that there are really no rules, you just go with what you have.  To make this I softened a chopped onion in butter and added a peeled and chopped celeriac, some chunks of chopped apple and a peeled and chopped potato.  Then I tipped in chicken stock to cover and simmered it gently until the veg was soft.  I used a stick blender to puree the soup and seasoned well with salt and pepper.

To finish I quickly fried some sage leaves in a little olive oil which adds a nice crunch.  So easy, and a beautifully warming soup.

Within this jar is the beginnings of bay leaf liqueur, which I read about in a Sicilian cookbook.  It could be disgusting, but I did think it was worth a try.  I'll let you know how it turns out.

Lots of lemons on the tree