beef mince soup

yesterday was a very short (and last for a very long time) day at the office. have some days of leave before the operation next week. as i know that my chopping and flipping will come to a halt for approx 8 to 10 weeks, i had to make another soup that required some chopping. oh boy, did i enjoy and need it! (chopping is my zen...)

here's what got chopped: 15 cm leek (the tough dark green parts), 1 big parsnip, 4 medium size carrots, 1/4 of medium size celeriac, not pictured 4 medium size potatoes







400 gr lean beef mince







browned the beef on it's own on a very hot non-stick pot, mine is from hackman. once the mince was getting dark brown, added the leeks to wilt them, stirred for a minute before adding parsnip, carrots, celeriac and boiling water to barely cover mince and veggies, brought to a good boil before turning the heat to medium...







took out dried lovage and dried chillies, ½ tsp of lovage and the 7 chillies. crushed the chillies before adding to pot...







...a bunch of frozen parsley stalks...







...dropped them in and let the mixture cook with the lid on for 15 mins before...







...adding the potatoes and some water to submerge everything. cooked for another 20 mins because i wanted to potatoes to break a little







took out some more of the frozen parsley to garnish the soup







no salt, no stock or buillion was needed. the chilli was quite potent when i first tasted the soup yesterday. reheated some for lunch today, the chilli had mellowed down to a nice heat







as with any soup, rye bread with cheese







the next picture falls more to the "curiosities" department. the winter has been so cold this year that the dog's paws have become very hairy. he's been with us for 4 years and this hasn't happened before







the dog is still blissfully unaware that his paws will be barbered once the weather starts warming up a bit. don't even want to think about the amount of dirt those paws would drag indoors once the snow on the yard starts melting...







...which, it seems, won't be any time soon because the plough-guy still has to come almost every day