This is a classic vegetable soup. It does have 5 plus vegetables but it doesn’t have a distinct taste of any particular vegetable. However it is very soothing and sometimes this is all you need on a cold winter’s day. I make my soup with some butter and once blitzed, it just looks so luscious and appetizing.
2 x large carrots washed, peeled and diced
4 x large celery stalks, peeled and sliced 1 centimetre wide
1 x large leek, washed and sliced into half moons
1 x onion chopped
2 x small potatoes, peeled and diced
3 x plump cloves of garlic crushed
25 grams of butter cut into cubes
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1 litre vegetable stock (recipe below)
METHOD
Melt butter in a deep saucepan. Add the garlic and when they turn light brown, add the onions and the leeks. Fry to mix and allow to sizzle in the pan for 4 -5 minutes. Add the carrot, celery, potato pieces along with the vegetable stock. Mix to combine and bring the dish to the boil and allow to simmer for 20 minutes. Stir in salt and grind pepper generously. Cover and allow to rest ten minutes before blitzing to a creamy soup. Serve hot with toasted bread. Serves 4.
VEGETABLE STOCK
I like to make a batch of vegetable stock and keep in the freezer to use as needed. Once you see the taste difference, you’d never want to use store bought stock.
1 x large carrot diced
2 x large celery stalks chopped
½ fennel bulb chopped
2 onions peeled and quartered
A handful of tender celery leaves
2 cloves garlic
1 teaspoon pepper corns
1 teaspoon dark soy sauce
Handful of parsley or coriander stalks and roots
1 tablespoon of butter
METHOD for VEGETABLE STOCK
Melt the butter in a deep (3 litre capacity) saucepan. Once hot enough, add the onion, garlic, fennel and celery pieces. Fry for a five minutes, then add the remaining ingredients. Pour in 2 litres of water. Bring it to the boil and allow to simmer gently with the lid off for half an hour stirring once in a while. When cool enough, strain and store in freezer proof containers for future use.