Now that the guerrilla recipe contributors have established a level of quality on this blog Lord Round never managed to achieve in his time in power, I feel it is about time that I, Leiden Rock Company's number one bass player, show you some of my skillz in the kitchen.
This one's all about garlic, I mean seriously. I ain't mincing my words here, and before you ask we're not doing mince tonight, only garlic. It's one of my favourite recipes, mainly because it's really cheap and simple - there's plenty of opportunities during the cooking of this dish to sit down and y'know, have a beer or something.
Ok let's begin. Here's what you need:
Olive oil
1 whole clove of garlic
8 big tomatos
1 bay leaf
1 vegetable stock cube
1 can of beans - cannellini is cool, so is haricot. You decide!
Bread
Salt and pepper
Serves about 4 (I think)
And this is what you do:
1. Once you've returned from the shops whack the oven on to 180 degrees and crack open one of those beers you've just bought. Have a sit down. In your own time, roughly cut up the clove of garlic into smallish chunks and sit them on an oven tray with a nice bit of olive oil dribbled on them. Cool we're doing well. Roast them for 15 minutes.
2. Cut the tomatos up roughly some time in that 15 minute period. Chuck the tomatos in with the garlic on the dot of 15, and mix it all up. The baking tray has to have sides, because the tomatos are gonna create some liquid. Put the tray (or should I say tin?) back in the oven for another 15. Don't burn it man, that ain't cool.
3. Do another beer and enjoy those nice smells coming from your oven.
4. Get the kettle boiled cos it's time to make some stock up. Make quite a lot of stock, the more the merrier I say. Chuck the tomato-garlic gunk you've just taken out the oven into a pan on the hob and bring to the boil and simmer for half an hour. Whack a bay leaf in too.
5. Go on, you've earned yourself another lager. Relax son.
6. After 15 minutes of simmering, put the beans in. Give the beans a rinse after you've taken them out of the tin. Can you smell the garlic?
7. In an ideal world the soup should be blended at this point. If you haven't got a blender then not to worry. If you have, bring it back to the boil. Season with salt and pepper.
8. Gather the boyz (and maybe a girl or two) around the table, grub's up. Get them to call off any prearranged evening liaisons with the
laydeez they might have, we're getting seriously garlicky - better make it a lads night in. Serve with bread, maybe some of that french junk or some of that brown-like-poo Dutch crap. Whatever.
So that's it, wasn't so hard was it? Beat that Lord Round!