Celina's Lamb Shank Soup

My friend Celina invited me over to her place for a "Craft" day yesterday, and I emphasise the craft because we never get to do any craft when we get together. It's like a ruse to get each other out of the house which suits me fine LOL.

 A packet of the soup mix to the left, because it was half empty I added some pearl barley and yellow and green split peas or lentils (that was a mistake adding the split peas) to make up a bag full.

 1 packet of smoked pork bones, it makes the soup so yummy, plus 2 lamb shanks (I dont see how this packet of pork bones will last until Feb next year lol

 

 There are 5 sachets of this soup base which I added in the end because my soup blew out to double the amount due to the split peas. Otherwise 2-3 sachets will be enough, because I added vegeta as well, about 1 tbsp.

So my soup started out in the left pot which is about 5 litres. It ended up in the pot on the right which is about 20 litres lol.

2 onions diced                        1 leek cut in half then sliced

1 bag of soup mix   

1 packet of vegetable soup mix, usually contains 1 onion, 1 potato, 1 swede, 1 parsnip, 1 carrot

Roast the onions and vegetable and lamb shanks in the oven at 170C for 40 mins. I did mine in the electric frypan.

Fry up leeks in pot that you are going to use to make the soup that will go in the oven. Add rest of ingredients including the roasted vegetables and 2 litres of cold water, bring to boil. Put pot of soup in oven at 150C and don't do what I did, went and had a nap and slept for 3 hours, this is the result of the pot of soup hahahaha, it was as thick as a cake. So I had to transfer it to the larger pot and add more water. I added fresh chilli to it as well because I love it and know its good for me. Notice how little soup there is in the small pot below?

My first home grown leek, I almost gave up harvesting it, I grabbed the top of it and pulled, the leaves up top came away in my hand and I landed on my bottom so I left the leek in the ground, but I'm not quitter so I went back with a hand fork and tried again and bent the fork. Cursing, I went back out 30 mins later and yanked the sucker out of the ground only to see how small it was compared to a store bought one 

EEEK, it looks like I chopped my thumb off here lol, don't worry I have very flexible bones so its tucked under my palm safely