I have been feeling a bit under the weather this week and wanted some comfort. I have been snuggled up under my super warm throw, made by my sister as an anniversary present for me and Keith. It seems the weather for getting cozy, my pets have also been seeking warmth and comfort.
(click on images to enlarge)
I needed something restorative to perk me up and soup is just the thing. Here’s my recipe for comfort soup. I usually use whatever veggies I have around. This year it’s been slim pickings from my allotment so I have been supplementing my harvest with orders from The Bearwood Pantry. You could include any root and winter vegetables you might have.
Comfort Soup
Ingredients
1 large onion
1 large carrot
1 sweede
2 sticks of celery
1/2 a butternut squash
1 large parsnip
2 cloves of garlic, roughly chopped
5-6 tablespoons of passata
1 veg stock cube
sprig of rosemary/sage, chopped
sprinkle of piri-piri seasoning
generous drizzle of sunflower/veg oil
water to fill large saucepan
Method
Roughly chop all the vegetables. In a large saucepan gently heat the oil and add the onions. Cook these until translucent. Add the remaining vegetables and cook in the oil for about 5 minutes.
Add the garlic, piri-piri and herbs and stir. The piri-piri seasoning adds a warm spiciness to the soup, add as much or as little as you like depending on how hot you like it.
Next add the passata and enough water to almost fill the saucepan. Bring to the boil and crumble in the veggie stock cube, I like to use organic stock cubes. You don’t have to use a stock cube but I think it gives added depth to the flavour. I don’t add salt and pepper at this point as my family likes different amounts of seasoning, I add it when I serve. Cover and gently simmer for about 45 minutes.
If you like a chunky soup you can serve it as is. My kids like smooth soup, they don’t worry what vegetables are in the soup if they can’t see them, so I blend the soup with a hand blender. I like to add a spoon of creme fraiche and some grated cheese and serve with crusty bread.
