Simple winter vegetable soup

Taken from "VEG: simple, stylish and seasonal vegetarian cooking" by Catherine Mason (Pauntley Press, 2001, ISBN: 0-9534879-2-8, price £12.99)
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In this recipe, some of the soup is puréed after cooking to thicken the base liquid, and then stirred back into the pan, giving a hearty soup with plenty of texture. I like to be able to see and taste the separate ingredients; however, if you prefer a smooth soup, simply purée the whole lot in batches.

Note: when preparing celeriac, put the pieces into cold water immediately, as the cut surfaces discolour if exposed to air.

Another note: I almost always use Marigold Swiss Vegetable Bouillon Powder to make the stock for this and other soups. It actually tastes of vegetables, unlike much of the competition!

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 2 onions, peeled and chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped
  • ½ medium celeriac root, peeled and diced
  • 1 leek, cleaned and sliced
  • 2 stalks celery, cleaned and sliced
  • 3 medium carrots, peeled and sliced
  • 1 parsnip, peeled and diced
  • 1 potato, peeled and diced
  • 1 litre (2 pints) vegetable stock
  • 2 or 3 stalks of fresh parsley
  • 150 ml (5 fl oz) single cream (vegans substitute 60 g (2 oz) creamed coconut)
  • salt and freshly ground black pepper

Warm the olive oil in a large, heavy pan. Fry all the vegetables (onions, garlic, celeriac, leeks, celery, carrots, parsnip and potato) in the olive oil for a few minutes. Add the stock, bring the soup to the boil, put a lid on the pan, and simmer for 20-25 minutes, until the vegetables are very tender.

Put the parsley leaves in the food processor bowl, add a generous ladle of the soup mixture, and process until smooth. Stir this mixture back into the soup. Add the cream or creamed coconut, and re-heat. If the soup seems too thick, add a little more hot water or vegetable stock. Taste, and add salt and pepper if necessary.

SERVES 4 FOR LUNCH, 6 AS A STARTER

Recipe copyright © 2001 Catherine Mason | other sample recipes