I normally rigidly divide my blogging into two sections, one a sort of diary, “Words” as I imagine a web log is intended to be, the other half is my weekly recipes, usually two of three, which I put out on WLR, Waterford Local Radio on which I do a slot on Tuesdays.

Every so often I have a couple of good ones that I stick out on my blog also, this week I am doing just that.

The Three Onion soup came together, like most of my recipes, because I went looking in the cupboard, in this case the vegetable one, and this was all that I could find.
It is a catchy title I know but each onion (and the garlic) does add a little to the finished product. It is quite deliberately thin so make sure you have a good flavoured stock to add to it. This is a soup in which packet stock would be inappropiate.

The Green Tomato soup is another instance of necessity being the mother of invention.
This is an altogether heartier soup, don’t forget to add the sugar and the vinegar as they do bring out the sharp sweetness of the green tomatoes.

Three Onion Soup
(for 4)

2 Medium Onions
6 Shallots
1 Bunch Scallions
3 Cloves garlic
60g (2 oz.) Butter
450ml (1 Pint) Chicken Stock

Peel and slice the onions and shallots.
Cut the roots off the scallions and slice the white bulbs.
(slice the green of the scallions but put to one side)
Peel and slice the garlic cloves.

Melt the butter in a pot with a lid and sweat the onions, shallots, garlic and white of scallions together on a very low heat until they are soft.

Add the pint of stock, bring to the boil and add the chopped green of the scallions.
Boil for about five minutes.
Liquidise this soup and then, if you have time push it through a sieve.
This is a delicate thin flavoursome soup and should be served hot but without cream, just a sprinkle of chopped chives if you have them.

Green Tomato Soup
(for 4/6)

2 tablespoons olive oil
4 smoked streaky rashers
1 Bunch Scallions
2 cloves garlic
1 kg (2 lb) green tomatoes
300ml (½ pt.) Chicken Stock
300ml (½ pt.) Water
1 Tablespoon White wine vinegar
2 teaspoons sugar
Salt and pepper

Chop the rashers finely and fry in the olive oil until crisp, remove these from the oil with a slotted spoon and set to one side.
Chop well the scallions, garlic and tomatoes and put these into the pan with the olive oil.
Cook these slowly in their own juices for about 20 mts until the scallion is soft.
Add the stock, the vinegar and sugar and the salt and pepper and the cooked bacon and simmer for another five minutes.
Serve this with crusty bread it makes a good light lunch.