And while we're on the subject of chillies, here's a reminder that an excellent supplier can provide you with all the dried spices and herbs you could want for food with a kick. Check out Spices of India: I have used them many times.
http://www.spicesofindia.co.uk/
If you read yesterday's post, you would have seen yet another roast chicken being served up. That chicken went on to do tea for hungry under 8s and now a rather hot soup for tonight, for which proceed as follows. This serves two. It makes me feel contented to have a pan of soup simmering away on the hob. The estimable and recently late Keith Floyd wrote in Floyd on France about how the soft scent of soup --with its aromas of lentils and ham bones-- filled your heart and later your tummy with joy. That the smell of soup meant home. How right he was. That'll be my hob above, by the way. Ignition on!
Take up your chicken carcass, which may have a lot of meat on it or, in our case, just (apparently) a few scraps. Put it in a big deep pan and cover it with water. Add four cloves of garlic, finely chopped, a dessertspoon of red chilli flakes (or a whole fresh chilli, finely chopped), a small handful of salt (well, say, two teaspoons, but I just put my hand in the big sea salt jar and chuck it in the pan), four medium potatoes cut into small chunks, peeled or not, a good handful of fresh or frozen spinach, chopped,and one can of peeled plum tomatoes which you have roughly chopped in the can. Then add about six tablespoons of red lentils, which have been picked over and rinsed...and bring the lot to the boil.
Yes, I know what you're thinking: why didn't she make chicken stock first and then peel away any meat? Well, this is just the lazy way for Sunday night and it works, all in. So, bring the soup to the boil and then simmer gently for half an hour, after which time, extract the chicken carefully and make sure you remove all bones from the soup. Take off any meat remaining on the carcass and put the meat into the soup. I also had a little rice, left over from lunch, so I added that.
Check for seasoning and serve piping hot with bread. A little feta cheese is a nice addition, too. As is a big swirl of some really good olive oil.
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