leon + stroganoff

Leon saved the day with its ham, lentil and chunky vegetable soup. I had a flat bread to dip in, too, and somehow it felt completely different to the soup-and-bread I can get so bored of. Top marks, too, for making swede, celery and lentils into something so very tasty: to me the epitome of skilled cooking is to take something wholesome (and perhaps somewhat boring) and make you want seconds! My grumpy mood lifted like a sea mist in the sun.

Last night I dashed together a mushroom stroganoff to use up left-overs, which turned out better than expected. Shallot, garlic, celery softened in a pan, then I added a sliced brown cup mushrooms and a field mushroom or two and a teaspoon and a half of spicy smoked paprika. We really must get some sweet paprika in! After it had cooked a bit, I added just a little vegetable stock (about 100ml) and let it bubble away. Lastly in went some double cream, a squeeze of lemon and some seasoning... and we had it over rice.

Actually the 'proper' or classic recipe escapes me: I have made or eaten so many variations that I am only certain that it is supposed to contain beef and sour cream! In my top three remains the delightful kidney and mushroom, from Delia's 'Frugal Food'. I must re-visit that before I even pick up Larousse to find out how a proper cook would create it...