Cooking and Craft!

It's still raining on and off here in Queensland at the moment and so the weather is just miserable. On days like today I really enjoy eating things warm and hearty and although it's not cold, the autumn weather is a good excuse to get out the slow cooker. Tonight I made a really simple recipe called Tomato, Spinach and Risoni Soup. The recipe caters for those who want the soup to be strictly vegetarian as well as those who prefer to add some meat. I thought I would share the recipe with you, it's handy to have dishes that you can make easily and leave to cook themselves.

Tomato, Spinach and Risoni Soup (serves 4)
Ingredients
1 leek, white part only, thinly sliced
1 garlic clove, crushed
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
500g (2 cups) tomato passata
750ml (3 cups) chicken or vegetable stock
2oog (1 cup) risoni
200g smoked ham, chopped (optional)
500g English spinach, trimmed, leaves sliced
1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice

Method
1. Put the leek, garlic, cumin, passata, stock and 500ml water in the slow cooker. Cook on low for 3 hours.

2. Place the risoni in a heatproof bowl and cover with boiling water. Set aside for 10 minutes, then drain. Add to the slow cooker along with the ham (if using). Cook for a further 30 minutes, or until the risoni is tender.

3. Stir through the spinach and lemon juice and cook, stirring, until the spinach is wilted. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Serve with crusty bread.

On to crafty things, I finished the bag so everything will be ready to give to my friend for her birthday on the weekend, it's amazing how much you can achieve when you are motivated, I was.;)

Thanks for stopping by, see you again soon.

Catherine xo