Marrowbone Soup

One of those accidental recipes I need to archive here because it was too delicious not to attempt to repeat. 

Soak a good handful of soup mix (assorted lentils, barley, marrow fat peas, etc.) overnight. 

In the morning, roast two marrow bones (beef) very hot for around 15 minutes in a large casserole dish. 

Meanwhile, chop 4 elderly carrots, two celery stalks, 1.5 marginally dodgy red onions, one very bitter green pepper, and one much sweeter red pepper. 

Remove casserole dish from oven, scrape marrow off bones, drop diced veg into dish and fry in marrow fat. Yum. 

Add a kettleful of hot water and a good slug of bouillon powder. Or add your own best stock, if you're that way inclined. 

Stir about a bit and simmer gently for half an hour or so whilst getting your daughter ready for school. Add in the remainder of yesterday's vegetable soup (puréed carrot, swede, celery and onion). If no leftover soup, either skip this step completely or else remove a handful of the cooked veg, blitz them with a hand blender, and put them back in. 

As the bus reverses up the drive, add the soaked (and rinsed) soup mix, then remember you need to be somewhere else, so bring up to the boil, then cover, switch off, hunt for your keys and fly out of the door. 

Return home four hours later, taste, dribble because it smells so good, turn the heat back on and simmer gently until the lentils have vanished and the marrowfat peas have finally softened. 

Fish out the bones and scrape off the last of the good stuff. Sop up the frothy bits with kitchen roll and bin it. Then ladle into a bowl, butter some fresh crusty bread, dunk, and decide this might just be how heaven taste. Realise your grandmother was right when she complained there was no flavour in vegetable soups without a bit of meaty bone stock. 

Repeat bowl and bread until far too full. Selflessly blend remainder to make rather spectacular meal for Mog, reserving just one small bowlful for lunch tomorrow. Mmm ymmmm.