Plum Soup

Prunes vermelles is red plums in Catalan, the dialect in Barcelona

For those who are living in foreign land, do you miss your home even more after coming back from home?

I have been back to Barcelona for a week. Feeling odd. The same old things, same old places, same old routine, they all suddenly look strange to me. My mind always thinks about Hong Kong.

Fortunately eating in local places can help me getting out of this disorientation. I just went to my favorite restaurant, enveloped with the comfort of its friendly surrounding, great wine and tortilla de la casa (similar to potato omelette). And yestersday in a bar I devoured some gorgoeus salchicha (flavorful sauage). All my cloth and hair are still heavily scented with Malboro, not by me, los chicos en Barcelona fuman mucho!

So glad that my palate doesn't linger the residual flavor of Hong Kong, otherwise I would have missed the opporturnity to try out this plum soup. Fruit as the main ingredient in soup, and uncook, doesn't exist in Hong Kong crusine.

I have no doubt about the delightful taste from fruit, only slightly hesitate, if it tastes more like smoothie instead of soup. The recipe is from Descobrir Cuina (a local food magazine written in Catalan, the dialect in Barcelona), simply requires to puree the pulp of red plum with a little bit of country bread crumb, white onion and olive oil. Great S.O.U.P.! It is the impression came to my mind after the first taste. Originally it calls for melon balls and red pepper as well, but personally I want the flavor perking up without any noticable sweetness, so I replace with kiwi and rose petals.

The soup won't cure my home-sickness, but will make me love this foreign land deeper.

Recipe of plum soup - for one single serving

(the idea is from sopa de prunes, melo i pernil iberic, published in Descobrir CUINA, numero 85)

• 2 ripped red plumps (each weight about 120 g)
• about 2 tablespoons of white country bread crumb
• about a finger-tip-size of white onion
• 1 teaspoon of extra virgin olive oil
• a very small pinch of sea salt
• chunks (or by melon spoon) from 2 kiwi fruit
• 1 organic rose petal, finely sliced

Puree the plumps, bread crumb, onion and olive oil. Taste and season. Pour the soup in serving glass, keep it chill at the lower shelf of refigerator.

Right before you serve, place the kiwi in soup, garnish with rose

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