Potato, Bacon and Onion Soup

Winter is long gone here, but I still enjoy a warm bowl of soup. Readers in the Northern Hemisphere will appreciate this recipe that I created today:

Potato, Bacon and Onion Soup

Ingredients:

4-6 large potatoes, quartered
1 large onion, sliced or diced
125g bacon, diced
up to 500mL milk
salt and pepper to taste

Procedure:

In a large saucepan, boil potatoes in water until tender (about 30mins).

During this time, fry bacon in a small frying pan until cooked through. Fry onion until clear (I used sliced onion to make the soup more interesting; you could dice the onion if desired).

When potatoes are cooked, drain well and return to pot. Mash potatoes thoroughly, or blend in a food processor if you want a smoother consistency.

Gradually add milk until you have the desired consistency. Turn on the heat, add bacon and onion, and stir until heated through. Add salt and pepper to taste, if desired.

Enjoy!

Mix it up!

This is ironic considering what I wrote in the last post, but I'd like to share a recipe for a fabulous dessert with you. It's called halo-halo, and it comes from the Philippines. Halo-halo means 'mix-mix', and this is a mix of all kinds of ingredients, which can be varied according to what fruit is available seasonally (and what you have in your cupboard). Here is my version, which I made the other day.

Rachel's Little Halo-Halo - Australian Version

Serves 4.

Ingredients:

4 cups ice shavings
1/2 cup three bean mix
1/4 cup corn kernels
2 tablespoons shredded coconut
2 cups diced fruit (pears, peaches, pineapple)
1 tablespoon sugar
1 diced kiwi fruit
1/2 banana, sliced
4 scoops strawberry ice cream
2 tablespoons cornflakes, for garnish
1 tablespoon crushed peanuts, for garnish

Preparation

Fill a big glass bowl with the ice shavings. Mix all other ingredients in a bowl, apart from the garnish, and ice cream, and spread over the top of the ice. Put four scoops of ice cream on top, and sprinkle ice cream with cornflakes and crushed peanuts.

The great thing about this recipe is you can vary it according to your taste. The best way to eat halo-halo (in my opinion) is to put your serve into a separate bowl, and mix the ice in with the rest. The ice cream tends to melt and go all through it, as does the ice, and the result is a wonderfully cool, fruity mixture. Go and try it - you'll be an instant fan!