This week I’ve cooked a fair bit, and have failed to write about it so apologies. Working from home should, in theory, give me more writing time but in fact it does the opposite, because I spend all day writing for work and then the almost scrivener brain gives up at the end of the work day and cries out for YouTube and Netflix.

Saturday night was a very rare takeaway which I enjoyed immensely whilst watching fillums. I love a good fillum, and we watched the most wonderful Clue, with the stupendous Tim Curry and the very different but also good Vampires vs The Bronx.

Regardless of going to bed very late I was wide awake again at 0630. I’d been to the market the day before so had bushels of herbs and didn’t need to go shopping but it was the most beautiful day so A Walk was had. I visited all three local parks, even though one is in the opposite direction to the other two. I hit very lucky with the buses!

Returning from my galumphing about, and having watched a Greek YouTube channel (It’s called Holy Cherry and she cooks some lovely things, plus you get to see Greece so…) I was very taken by a mushroom and tahini soup. Now. When I say taken, I mean my brain will literally not rest until I have made this recipe.

Off to the shops I went again to buy mushrooms and more tahini. I admit I cam back with more herbs because my brain had moved on and was now thinking ahead to another day’s menu. (All of this to and fro did at least result in 10,000 steps that day!)

The soup is very easy. Chop veg stuff, fry it in olive oil, add stock, add rice, mix tahini and lemon together and then mix that in.

I don’t have exact measurements, I’m sorry.

Chop:

Mushrooms of your choice – I used button and chestnut

1 small leek

4 spring onions

1 head romaine lettuce

Cook:

The mushrooms go in first, with lots of good olive oil. Season with a pinch of salt.

When starting to brown, add in the onions, leek and lettuce. Season again.

In goes 150g washed rice – Holy gave a measure for that! (I used brown)

Add hot water or stock until everything is submerged, and then let simmer until the rice is cooked.

Mix:

3 heaped tablespoons of tahini (this is a vegan version of egg and lemon sauce

Lemon! 🍋🍋 The amount of lemon is up to you really, I used the juice of 1 lemon but Greeks usually then add more later.

The mixture thickens a lot – do not panic!

Take 5-6 ladles of the soup and incorporate it in the sauce, stirring so it loosens up.

Add it into the soup.

Boil for two more minutes and the soup is ready to be served.

The next day I added in frozen spinach to up the veg count even more and added feta – because everything’s betta with feta. (I am not going vegan for Lent so don’t shout at me.)