Potage. Update

[Workingman]

I have just started one today to see how it goes. It is basically a meat and veg stew to which other ingredients are added daily as portions are taken out to eat. It has to be brought to the boil for at least five minutes every day to kill any bacteria, but apart from that it needs nothing else but seasoning.

When I was very young we had a York range in the living room. It used coal or wood as fuel and had a hot-box (oven) with griddle (hot-plate), and a grill to the side. On the grill sat a huge double-handled pan into which any leftovers were placed after every meal. The pan was often topped up with water and regularly sieved to remove solid bits. The 'juice' was used as the base for broths and stocks for pies and other stews/casseroles.

I just wondered if it would work in the modern world.

[Kaz]

It does sound tasty, keep us informed

[Diflower]

So what have you put in it to start with??

[Workingman]

Minced beef, potato chunks, celery, carrots, onion, mushrooms, peas, sweetcorn (not too much), chopped peppers, green beans, a tin of mixed beans, stock cubes, pepper.

The bowl I took out this evening to have with fresh bread and butter was amazing.

[Kaz]

Mmmmm I like that kind of thing, it's the sort of thing my mum would throw together sometimes - chuck it all in and 9 times out of 10 it would taste great

[debih]

It sounds lovely.

I wonder how long you can keep it going for?

[Workingman]

Apparently in the olden days a potage could be kept going over winter so long as fresh ingredients were regularly added to it.

I am not keeping it that long - a week maybe.

[Kaz]

Just remembered that my aunty does this with her home-made soups Frank, makes a ginormous pot that she adds to and boils to make sure it's safe. Hers can last a good week she tells me

[Workingman]

It is odd how these things go Kaz.

I went to pick up my prescription this morning and met a couple of neighbours who offered me a lift back, but first they were going for a coffee. Potage got into the conversation, as tends to happen, when she pipes up, "Oh we do it all the time with soup. Just throw in another carcass or bones and more veg and it'll last forever."

[Workingman]

Well...... it was OK but boring.

The flavours developed over the week and it stayed fresh, but I had to add curry paste to two meals and chilli con carne paste to another to survive. I think it is best done for soups rather than main meals.