To think that Soup is a meal?

[StrawberryTraveller]

As in a decent, homemade Minestone soup we are planning to eat tonight

I was merrily chopping ingredients for dinner tonight, when my mother facetime called us.

Mother: oh sorry, didn't mean to disturb you
Me: thats fine, im only chopping ingredients for dinner tonight
Mother: ooh what are you having?
Me: Minestone soup
Mother: what? soup? for dinner?
Me: erm yep, why not? we like Minestone soup
Mother: (still gobsmacked) what, all of you?

And so on and so on for about 5 minutes. Its a Jamie Oliver recipe, with lots of vegetables in, bacon, harricot beans, and pasta. Hearty, and filling after a day of diy and walking.

If I had called it Minestrone casserole, containing the same ingredients, im sure she would have declared in a marvellous idea. Its just because it contained the word 'soup'

So, is 'soup' dinner for you also?

It’s differentiating between sliced bread which makes fine toast or sandwiches or something more akin to a French stick or soda bread, a very different beast indeed.

Of course it's a meal. Some people in the UK are so weird about what they believe to be a 'proper' meal.

It’s not a U.K. thing at all. You would find the same attitude (and often life extreme) in many, many countries

Well, I've been in 48 different countries and lived in 9 and never encountered so much hand-wringing over an everyday meal not being 'proper' because it doesn't contain certain elements.

Soup is definitely a proper meal! I can’t remember the name of the show but it was presented by Dr Michael Mosley and he did an experiment where two different groups were served the exact same meal; chicken, veg, potatoes and a glass of water. One group ate it plated just as above, the other had it turned into a soup.
They then monitored how quickly their stomachs emptied over a period of time doing active stuff, and the soup people stayed fuller for longer. FACT.

I remember that program and thinking it utter rubbish (as did my friends). Plus who wants to eat a pulverised roast dinner?

(bold fail)

Oh well then Aridane, must be utter rubbish then seeing as you and your friends think so
The scientists know nothing, again!

Just speaking from our shared experience

I’m very interested that some people think there’s a snobbery element because soup is associated with poverty. Personally, I go the other way and think a lot of this soup for dinner business reeks of middle class stuff (which is great - I am delighted to be middle class, myself). You’re not popping open a tin of value pea and ham and stretching it out to feed four people with some damp slices of Hovis, you are performance cooking a nutritionally marvellous meal using a celebrity chef’s recipe and serving it with posh, artisan bread.

Having said that, it’s lunch in my house. And I pop open a can.

God I love soup. I get cheap Danish blue and a bag of frozen sprouts to turn into the best soup ever. Chuck in a bit of cream cheese, an onion, 2 stock cubes and some nutmeg. Best autumn/winter fodder ever for literally pennies.

I get cheap Danish blue and a bag of frozen sprouts to turn into the best soup ever. Chuck in a bit of cream cheese, an onion, 2 stock cubes and some nutmeg. Best autumn/winter fodder ever for literally pennies.

That sounds utterly disgusting, sorry.

I don't understand people who say if they had soup they'd be hungry again.

Sure, if I had a starter bowl size of soup I'd understand people being hungry, but surely there must be an amount of soup at which you would be full?

Unless soup has magical properties that mean people can eat infinite calories and still have room for more??

It is in our house but like others, served with bread/sandwiches/cheese on toast.

I remember the programme Aridane mentioned. The two groups of “guineapigs” were opposing rugby teams, who ate a riadt dinner, or the same ingredients/portions as soup, before they played each other, then afterwards. I forget how they measured hunger, as this is surely subjective, but ido remover thst the soup eaters felt fuller for longer. I often have thick soup as s light meal.

A good portion of Minestrone or a thinner soup with bread and butter wouldn’t definitely be dinner here. Thin soup on its own If consider a light lunch/snack though I’m sure some people with small appetites would have it for dinner.

Heron I am now seeing the Russian hat too. 😱 I thought initially Micromanaged had made some posh MN soup with gold leaf but now I'm veering to Micromanaged being a former Russian spy whose soup has been poisoned.

@DaysofWineandNeurosis and @PickAChew would you mind sharing your soup recipes please? Those sound tasty.

It’s basically cubes of lean pork fried off with potatoes, onions, celery, peppers, mushrooms, carrot and sweetcorn and put in the slow cooker with water, passata or tomato purée, herbs, garlic, stock cubes and sriracha to taste. Cook until the meat is falling apart. Check the seasonings and serve with grated cheese on top.

@DaysofWineandNeurosis thank you. I have thick fatty pork ribs/belly with bone lurking in the freezer that would be perfect for souping and stewing.

Soup is an ok meal with a sandwich or salad.

The beauty of soup is that it can be whatever you need it to be.

Bimbop5

^^

FINALLY!

Thank you.

Wanna go to Mendys?

8 think it sounds alright, dame doom

penguinsetpandas and micromanaged I wonder if we have stumbled upon a mn spy ring sharing coded messages via images of stew (I refuse to consider that a soup I think).

However that would have to include op as the creator the thread (it would be too obvious if an image of stew were suddenly posted in a thread eg about trans issues (?).)

I also wonder if the clear Russian theme is designed to put us off track. I think we can be confident that we are in the company of agents from other countries ?

It could all be coded - ‘crusty bread’ ‘ham’ ‘lunch’ ‘potage’ are all loaded with potential intrigue now !!