The weather here in the UK has been somewhat rubbish recently. This generally happens every time the kids are off school and there is a bank holiday looming; this of course meant that the weather over the Easter weekend was dank, dismal and all round disappointing.
When it is cold and gloomy outside, I love nothing more than a nice bowl of steaming hot soup to warm me up so on bank holiday Monday, I got to work! I like to experiment with soup and chuck any veg that needs using up, and is a bit past its best, in a stock pot and see how it tastes. I have had some disasters but the below recipe is definitely one of my successes and a dish that I return to time and time again.
Memoirs of an Amateur Cook’s Root Vegetable Soup
Onion, diced
5 medium sized parsnips, diced
4 carrots, diced
Small butternut squash, peeled and diced
2 sweet potatoes, diced
Chicken stock
2 tbsp smoked paprika
Salt and pepper
To serve:
Half fat creme fraiche
Basil leaves
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In a large stock pot, spray some frylight and heat.
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Over a medium heat, fry the onion. After a few minutes, add the smoked paprika.
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Add the carrots, parsnips, butternut squash and sweet potato and cook for a few minutes. Season.
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Add the chicken stock and allow to simmer for 40 minutes.
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Using a hand blender or food processor, blend in batches. Return to the stock pot and heat through.
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To serve, put in bowl and swirl through some creme fraiche. Top with a few basil leaves and a sprinkling of paprika.
The measurements above are very approximate. To be honest, I just make soup up as I go along most of the time however, the above ingredients work really well together. Often, I like to add more paprika to give the soup a nice smokey flavour however, you don’t want it to be overpowering.
This dish is also an excellent source of veg and is very good for you! It is Sliming World friendly and is syn free on the extra easy plan.
This soup is really thick and nice and filling for a big lunch or a light dinner, perfect on those rainy Spring days when it is just too horrible to venture outside.
