Lettuce soup with pepper

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Whilst I was checking out all that techie stuff in the blog below (which is now of record)
I was cooking my newly invetend dish - well strictly speaking it was cooking in my ARGOS cheap pressure cooke, which looks like the classic Pestige from the1950ies. RICE with LETTUCE

Anyway being strapped for cash I went by bus (free on and oldies buspass Pensionistkort AKA mimre-kort

Well being unusually strapped for cash I went past the cabbage king (see my blog snaps: cabbage king) and while he had no big white cabbages at this time of year,
his helper was busy unloading the fresh green stuff from the market - Grøntorvet in Valby.

So he was selling 3 big iceberg lettuces for 10kr - left overs at the wholesaler - and therefore cheap and beginning to go brown here and there. Well being a 1940ies child with food rationing and all that in England - the concept of the Curate's Egg is not new to me.

It annoys me to throw away food so I invented this recipe to use up old lettuce:-

Hugh's rice with lettuce - for one portion and I am on a diet too.

first put the ingredients in the cooker
one third to one quarter cup of dry rice
cover with water to a depth of about 1/4 inch (6mm)

Trim the lettuces of all discoloured leaves, and parto of the stalk,
(If earthy or insects wash off first)
and chop in tiny pieces, or tear them as I did
one medium size onion peeled and chopped
two medium size carrots washed and chopped
half a Nor stock cube crumbled
four small cloves of garlic peeled,crushed and chopped
and sprinkle with as much white pepper as you dare to.

(substitute curry powder, paprika or any tasty herb or spice you like)
I forgot the bay leaves so I wil try those another time.

Cover and with the full weight bring up to pressure and turn it off at once.
(about 120 celsius at 2 atmospheres ?) allow to cool naturally - saves energy too - until an eatable temerature.

You could add soy sauce or a dab of butter at this point
when you serve it into a large (chinese soup?) bowl
of fresh chopped parsley.

The trick with cheap food is to vary the taste with the herbs and spices.

A great ships cook was seen to come on board with a small suitecase for a 6 month jounrey.

When he was asked where was the rest of his stuff, clothes and books, (dvd would be usual too today I suppose) he replied "I work 12 hours a day in whites washed and provided for me and the company purchases and freezes the best ingredients, but they know nothing about cooking, and so this is all I need, to stop the ships company mutinying over my food."
He opened the case and it was full of parcels of the finest herbs and spices.

The recipe Hugh's rice with lettuce turned out very well with the pepper dominating
I scraped the slight browned burned rice off the bottom of the pan because I like that too.
To accompany it i drarnk a half pint glass chilled TAPA wate with a slice of lemon ... which I ate as a desert. NOW for coffee.

must have been too slow turning the heaqt off, and TAP water?
yes in any civilised country it is just as good
or better, even safer, than the fancy spring or mineral water.

I buy one bottle of Evian, or whatever, and refill it from the kitchen tap for the whole summer (beats beer or cola for people on a diet).
Any good dietician will ask "What about protein?
OK one protein meal a day and lots of skimmed milk
aiming for about 80 to 120 gram daily for a full grown adult - more for pregant women and growing children.

fatty fish is cheap and healthy too.

I never buy butter or magerine, when cooking I use olive oil instead, and only eat butter as a luxury on bread or potatoes when out with friends.

Salt is a preservative which we have aquired a habitual taste for - get used to doing with out it because there is enough for our bodies use in our natural food.

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