Fish Trip Cafe

The person who discovered blue cheese was very brave.

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— Broccoli & Blue Cheese Soup (serves 4) —

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 onion, finely chopped

2 medium potatos, peeled and cut into cubes

1 little vegetable or chicken stock

300g broccoli, chopped

150g blue cheese (such as stilton), crumbled, plus extra for garnish

100ml single cream

Freshly ground black pepper

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Heat the olive oil in a large pan over medium heat, fry the onion until soft.

Add the potatoes and fry for 5 minutes.

Add the stock and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Add the broccoli and simmer for 8 minutes until just tender.

Transfer the soup to a blender and process until smooth.

Return the soup to the pan and place over a low heat. Add the blue cheese and single cream, stir well to combine. Season with freshly ground black pepper.

Garnish with crumbled blue cheese.

Cold, wet, foggy, sentimental and hungry. A Perfect day for soup.

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— Scotch Broth (serves 4) —

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

400g lamb shanks

1 onion, diced

2 carrots, sliced

2 leek, sliced

2 small turnips, chopped

1 little vegetable stock

1 bay leaves

30g peal barley

1/4 – 1/2 teaspoon salt

Black pepper to taste

2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley

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Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat.

Sauté the onion until they are lightly golden brown. Add the chopped lamb and brown. Add the carrots, leeks, turnips and sauté for about 3 minutes.

Add the vegetable stock, bay leaf, and peal barley in the saucepan, bring to boil and reduce the heat to low. Season with salt and black pepper, cover and simmer for 1 1/2 hours.

Stir through the chopped parsley.

I just thought, “maybe there is some nice buildings or pretty trees if I turn right on the street” when I was going back home from the local super market today.

Then I got lost in own neighborhood for 2 hours. Ah, I remember, I have a terrible sense of direction…

I heard that onions are a popular folk medicine to help in boosting memory. So, I had a big bowl of onion soup today for never get lost around my house again.

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— French Onion Soup (serves 4) —

1 tablespoon butter

1 tablespoon olive oil

3 medium size white onions, thinly sliced

1 cloves garlic, minced

1 teaspoon sugar

100ml white wine

1.5 little vegetable stock or beef stock

4 slices French baguette

100g Gruyère cheese, grated

Some fresh thyme for garnish, finely chopped

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Melt the butter with the olive oil in a large saucepan over low heat.

Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally for about 10 minuets. Stir in the minced garlic and sugar,   keep stirring for 30 minutes.

Add the white wine and stir in the stock and bring to boil. Simmer over low heat for about another 30 minutes. Season with salt and pepper if needed.

Toast the baguette slices.

Ladle the soup into 4 bowls, float a slice of toasted baguette in each bowl and sprinkle the grated cheese on the toast. Grill for 2-3 minutes.

Garnish with finely chopped thyme.

I had a beautiful mango soup at a Thai restaurant when I was having a short break in Berlin over the last weekend.

I made a similar soup today. I wanted to make it before I forget the flavour.

This soup is sweet and a bit sour, creamy and spicy, it has a subtle charm just like Berlin city.

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— Spicy Mango Soup (serves 2) —

1 ripe mango, chopped

1 small onion, chopped

1 carrot (about 150g), chopped

300ml vegetable stock

300ml coconut milk

2 tablespoons butter

1 teaspoon curry powder

Some dried mint leaves for garnish

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Melt the butter over medium heat and sauté the chopped onion for 3 minutes until slightly softened.

Add the chopped carrot and chopped mango and sauté for another 5 minutes.

Add the vegetable stock and bring to boil, reduce the heat to low, stir in the curry powder and simmer for about 30 minutes.

Remove from the heat and leave to cool for 10 minutes.

Transfer the soup to a blender and process until smooth.

Return the soup to the sauce pan, stir in the coconut milk and season with a little bit of salt and pepper, and warm through over low heat.

Sprinkle with dried mint leaves.

A massive hangover… I need to get rid of this headache from hell.

Gazpacho to the rescue!

This is the greatest natural remedy for hangover.

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— Gazpacho (serves 2) —

5 tomatoes, chopped

1/2 cucumber, peeled and deseeded

1 red pepper, seeded and chopped

1 clove garlic, peeled and crushed

1/2 small green chili, chopped (optional)

1 slice of white bread, crust removed

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon wine vinegar

A pinch of salt

*****

— for the garnish —

Red onions, finely chopped

Cucumbers, finely chopped

Red pepper, finely chopped

Green pepper, finely chopped

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Soak the bread in cold water for 5 minutes, squeeze out the water.

Place the bread, tomatoes, cucumber, red pepper, garlic and chili in a blender and process until combined and smooth.

Add the olive oil and wine vinegar, season with a pinch of salt and mix everything.

Refrigerate until cold.

Serve with the finely chopped vegetables.