I hate to waste food, so often as not I tend to make a soup with vegetables that are getting a bit long in the tooth in the bottom of the fridge. This soup was made with the remains of a pack of multi-coloured carrots I had picked up locally, a couple of parsnips and a sad and lonely leek.
The secret to a good soup is to use a quality stock, I either make my own (if I have time) mostly though I use a quality stock powder such as Essential Cuisine, I find their stocks are really tasty but light at the same time and not over salted.
This is a wholesome soup rich in vegetables and is ideal to serve to vegetarian guests and it complements homemade crusty bread perfectly.
Ingredients
- Carrots - peeled and finely diced
- Parsnips - peeled and finely diced
- 1 large leeks, washed and sliced into rings
- A little vegetable oil
- Vegetable stock or butter
- Salt and Pepper
Method
- Warm a little vegetable oil in a large saucepan
- Fry the chopped vegetables very gently (sweat) without colouring
- Stir frequently to make sure no vegetables catch
- Add enough stock to cover the vegetables, bring to a gentle simmer
- Simmer, covered until the vegetable are softened.
- Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly
- Blend with a hand blender to your desired consistency
- Add a little more stock to thin and taste for seasoning
- Bring back to a gentle simmer, serve in attractive soup bowls
