Bottom of the Fridge Soup

There are days when you have no choice, you have to clean out the fridge and get rid of all the unappetising things that have been languishing inside it for much too long! You know what I'm talking about.

This is a great opportunity to make soup out of all the sad looking drooping vegetables that are wilting away in the vegetable drawer. Don't throw them out unless they are really festering, they actually contain lots of flavour if you cut off the bad bits!

When I cleaned out my fridge this afternoon I found 4 carrots, half a celery, 2 leeks, 2 soft tomatos and a red and yellow pepper. I also threw out some potato salad which was definitely questionable (never eat after best by date!) and some suspect cheese.

In my kitchen cupboard I found some red lentils, some marmite and vegetable stock paste and there was an onion knocking around. This is how I made the soup, but you can make it with any combination of these types of ingredients.

A glug of light oil and a generous knob of butter or sunflower margarine
1 onion diced
4 carrots, diced (you could use any root veg for this)
4-5 sticks celery,finely sliced
2 finely chopped leeks
2 diced tomatos (large ones, not little piddly cherry ones)
1 chopped red pepper
1 chopped yellow pepper (don't use green)
A couple of handfuls of red lentils (rinse before use, you could also use split peas)
Approx 2 litres hot water, or vegetable stock. (you will need extra seasoning if you just use water)

Heat oil and butter in a large soup pot but don't allow to burn.
Add onions, celery , carrot and leeks and saute on a gentle heat till soft and just turning golden.
Add lentils and turn in the vegetables until glistening
Add tomatos and peppers, and cook for a couple of minutes.
Add hot stock or water, bring to boil and season with salt and pepper.
Simmer for at least 45 mins , the longer the better.

If you want you can use an immersion blender to liquidize the soup either partially or totally, it all depends on if you like your soup chunky or smooth.

Serve with croutons and grated cheese.