Mmm good.

I am feeling both pleasantly full and quite accomplished at the moment.

A few years ago, early in my marriage, I came across a recipe for Carrot and Apple soup. Mmm, thought I. A delicious, cheap veggie soup. This must be tried.

Accordingly I tried it. I even served it to my family along with a roast beef dinner. My father was thenceforth convinced that his daughter was forever lost to him. Whoever heard of serving soup with roast beef? I had transgressed the unwritten code of Page family gatherings. Carrots were not to come in soup - for that matter, in any form other than roasted alongside the meat, lending their flavour and juices to it.

But the clincher for this soup, and the main reason I have rarely made it since discovering it, was the Piet didn't care for it. It was too sharp, too flavourful, for his palate. So, annoyed by his running off to make a sandwich after valiantly attempting to swallow a small bowlful, I desisted.

Well, our family is fast approaching a time when frugality will cross the line from virtue to necessity. Carrots are cheap. But Piet doesn't like my soup recipe. So I decided to modify it. Instead of apples (Macintosh is best, if anyone wants to try the original) I used potatoes. The recipe is otherwise very similar, and very, very good. It's got just the right amount of bite to it.

( Carrot and Potato Soup )