Muuuuum...What's For Tea?

When I was wee (I mean young, I'm still wee!) me and my wee (I mean younger, cos I'm still the wee-est) sister would scream from our bedroom (yes we shared a room until I was about 16, unheard of today, apparently), "Muuuuum, what's fir tea"?  The Muuuuum would be sung on a 3 syllable, 2 note sliding scale 'Muu-uu-um'.  You know what I mean?


Anyway, the answer was usually one of the following:


a) "wait and see"
b) "mish mash"
c) "shit with sugar on"
d) "bread and water like the kids in the children's home - by the way you're being sent to live there next week..."


So, it is with great joy that I continue the 'mish-mash' tradition.


My mum, however, managed to do it with much more grace and style and made it look as though it was always intentional.  You would never see my Mum raiding the fridge and the cupboards looking for out of date food to chuck in a pan.  I, on the other hand...


Mum would always manage to make something really quite tasty and pleasant to look at from leftovers and random stuff.  I, on the other hand, make shit coloured soup that often has Mandarin Muller Light infused through it.  I'm not sure infused is the right word.  What is the right word for 'dolloping a spoonful in and hoping for the best'?


My mum used to make this amazing thing with leftover spaghetti if we'd had 'spaghetti bollocknaked' (this is what my Dad referred to it as, I have no idea why but I do know that I got in trouble for asking for it once at school dinners) the night before.  This recipe is now in a cookbook that is winging its way around America (so is my recipe for Marmalade Mince!).


It's basically day old cooked spaghetti with peppers, onions, bacon, mushrooms and eggs 'mish-mashed' together in a wok/frying pan.  It tastes amazing.  I don't make this with leftovers, I actually go out and specifically buy the ingredients!  I've made it for friends in Florida (Becky & James) when I was travelling with my pal Faith and I've made it for random folk that have ended up at my house for dinner!  I make it for myself when I fancy it because I can only make it in quantities to feed 10 people so I need to really want it as I will need to eat it for about 5 days!


Most people really like it when they try it.  Except 'he who should not be named' (ex-husband) who thought it was bland and tasteless.  Bland and tasteless??  High praise indeed coming from an insipid amoeba!


Anyway, I thought I would share with you my latest culinary 'mish-mash'.  This time it's soup.  I had a shed load of veg past its sell by date and I don't like waste so...

...everything in my fridge got chucked in a pan.  Carrots, celery, ham, half an old onion, an oxo cube, a bit of ginger, a quarter of a Wispa, a bit of Mandarin Muller Light, a bit of brown sugar, a couple of twigs of basil and sage and a couple of tomatoes.


There were no crisps in this soup purely because there were none in the cupboard but I have been known...




I boiled the shit out of it, then cleaned the hob where all the water bubbled out over the side of the pan and then mashed the shit out of it...

This is the finished product...

To be fair, it does look and smell a little bit like vomit, however, it is very tasty.  I am, however,  going to be eating this soup until at least Christmas Eve!

So, with all the style and grace of a pygmy elephant, The Raw triumphs in the kitchen once more.

Mama Raw is so proud!

Mish-mash?  Too bloody right it is :-)