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Winter is just around the corner, the nights are closing in now the clocks have gone back and its getting chillier out there here in the UK. On cold days a pan of homemade soup can be just the thing to warm us inside and out and making use of kitchen herbs and spices for their added health benefits is a real bonus. This recipe is one of my favourite soups to serve as the temperature drops, as it stands its a tasty, warming and filling veggie soup which can be made vegan if you substitute plant based butter.
Ingredients: Serves 2
1 Tsp Butter
2 Medium Sweet Potatoes
1 Stick Celery
2 Small Carrots
1 Medium Onion, chopped
1 Tsp Cumin Seeds
½ Tsp Ground Coriander
2 Cloves Garlic (Crushed)
½ Fresh Red Chilli
1 inch Fresh Ginger Root, peeled and grated
1 Pint (565ml) Vegetable Stock (or Chicken Stock)
Salt & Freshly Ground Black Pepper to season
Method: Peel the sweet potatoes and carrots and chop into small chunks, peel the onions and chop them along with the celery. Melt the butter in a heavy based pan and add the garlic and cumin seeds and gently fry for 2 minutes. Next add the celery, chilli, carrot, ginger and onions and stir for a further 5 minutes until the onions are softened and translucent, finally add the sweet potatoes, coriander and stock and bring to the boil.
Once boiling, turn down the heat and allow the soup to simmer, when the vegetables are tender and the soup is cooked to your liking remove from the heat, add salt and pepper to season then carefully pour the soup into a blender and blitz until smooth and creamy.
Pop the soup back in the pan, add a little stock or water if you think it’s too thick and adjust the seasoning, once the soup is warmed through pour into bowls and serve as is, or add a swirl of plain yogurt to the top and some toasted cumin seeds or garlic and herb croutons. The addition of some chopped smoky bacon, or diced chicken also tastes wonderful for the non-veggies out there.
