Yet another stormy morning with winds gusting up to 70 miles an hour. As I sit here typing the wind is buffeting the whole place and sounding like the boom of the sea on rocks. The tree-tops are dancing to and fro occasionally casting a brittle branch to the ground.
I don’t know if it was sensible to go out this morning, by the time I’d got up to the level of the moors the wind was roaring and moaning and when it rained the force was so violent you had to face the other way.
Still, I soldiered on and at times the wind was so strong that I felt as though I was running on the spot. I didn’t bother trying to reach the highest point of the hill, it’s too exposed. If I’d been able to get up there I may have been stuck, sheltering behind the folly on top, waiting for the wind to drop. I’ve done that before and had to wait for the wind to fall or risk being bowled over the edge and tumbled down the hillside, only having my momentum stopped by the fence at the bottom of the slope.
I saw another sheep with a deficit of wool today, its pink skin showing through. Most of the sheep were sheltering in the lee of a stone wall that ripples and folds over the moorland, they lay down grey and bedraggled against the jewel green of the ground that is more moss than grass at the moment with the amount of rain we’ve had.
On return home I finished off preparing a soup for lunch which is welcome food for anybody outside on a day like today. It can be prepared in advanced and heated through when needed.
Tomato and Pepper Soup
A simple recipe with a warming chilli kick. Suitable for vegetarians.
Serves 2
- 2 red peppers
- 1 medium onion
- 1 medium can of chopped tomatoes
- 1 tsp vegetable stock
- 1/2 – 1 tsp dried crushed chilli flakes
- olive oil
- Heat oven to gas mark 7 (220C or 425F).
- Cut peppers in half, remove seeds, place on oiled baking tray.
- Cut onion in half, peel, place on baking tray with peppers.
- Brush peppers and onion all over with olive oil.
- Place in oven and roast for 1/2 an hour. The onion should be soft and the peppers beginning to brown.
- Remove vegetables from tray put on a plate and leave to cool.
- Roughly chop the cold vegetables and place in a blender.
- Add tin of tomatoes, stock and chilli to blender then whizz for a few seconds.
- The soup can now be left in the fridge until required.
- Add up to a cupful of water to the soup to get the desired consistency. Heat soup to boiling then allow to simmer for 20 minutes to bring the flavours together.
- Serve with decent bread or crusty rolls.
Garlic can be roasted along with the peppers and onion to add further flavour. This soup can be frozen after it has been allowed to simmer for 20 minutes then left to cool.
