Stirred (and whisked and baked)

I don't use this community enough. These days I'm lazy about cooking. When I lost the girlfriend, I also lost the house and all those cookbooks. Eventually I gained a boyfriend who takes me out more often than not, or cooks for me so I don't have to.

Today I miss the cookbooks - we had hundreds and before I moved, I photographed all the dear favourites I had bookmarked, all the things I'd made multiple times, because I knew one day I'd want to make them again. Winter is here for the second time, and I finally do want to make that wonderful pumpkin soup I perfected. Navigating a thousand photos requires rather too much effort to track down a recipe though, so here's my deal to myself: every time I make one of those old beloveds, it goes here. Tagged, so that I can find it easily next time the urge comes on. One day I will write these down, in a thick-sheeted, brown-leaved book, with a fountain pen. Today is not the day to morph into Nigel Slater, however.

( Soup. D'jour. :D )

Heavily adapted from one of Donna Hay's ideas, this is perfect for very hot days when you cannot be bothered cooking, and is equally delicious with chicken, beef, or on its own.

YOU WILL NEED

2 lebanese cucumbers
1/2 red onion
1 red chilli
1 carrot
2 celery stalks
1 cup sprouts (your choice; we used snow-pea)

2 tbsp lime juice
1 tbsp fish sauce
1 tbsp caster sugar
1 tbsp shredded kaffir lime leaves
1/2 tsp soy sauce (optional)

( Directions )