Description
A comforting and creamy country harvest root vegetable soup featuring a blend of potatoes, carrots, parsnip, and celeriac, seasoned with curry powder and thyme, finished with cream and served with warm crusty bread for a hearty meal.
Ingredients
Scale
Base
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tbsp (15g) unsalted butter
- 1 onion, chopped into large dice
- 3 garlic cloves, chopped
- 1 tbsp curry powder
- 1 tsp dried thyme leaves
- 1 1/2 litre (6 cups) water
- 2 tsp cooking salt/kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1/2 cup thickened cream (heavy cream, or regular), plus extra for garnish
Root Vegetables
- 1 large potato (~300g/10oz), peeled, cut into 2.5cm/1" cubes
- 1 medium sweet potato (350g/12oz), peeled, cut into 2.5cm/1" cubes
- 2 medium carrots, peeled, cut into 1.5cm/0.5" pieces
- 1 small/medium parsnip (150g/5oz), peeled, cut into 1.5cm/0.5" pieces
- 1 small celeriac (600g/1.2 lb), peeled, cut into 1.5cm/0.5" pieces (~2 heaped cups)
Serving/Garnish (optional)
- Warm crusty bread
- Parsley, finely chopped
- Pinch extra curry powder
- Pinch black pepper
Instructions
- Sauté: Put the olive oil and butter in a large heavy-based pot over medium-high heat. Once the butter is melted, cook the onion and garlic for 2 minutes until the onion is softened.
- Add vegetables and spices: Add root vegetables, thyme, and curry powder. Cook for three minutes stirring regularly, until the outside of the vegetables starts to soften.
- Simmer: Turn stove to high. Add water, salt, and pepper. Stir, then once it comes to a simmer, lower heat to medium-high and simmer rapidly for 15 minutes uncovered until all vegetables are soft when tested with a knife.
- Add cream: Stir in cream and simmer for 1 minute to incorporate flavors.
- Blend: Remove from heat and use a stick blender to blitz the soup until smooth. Adjust consistency by adding water if needed and season with extra salt, pepper, or cream to taste.
- Serve: Pour into bowls and garnish with a drizzle of cream, a pinch of curry powder, freshly chopped parsley, and black pepper. Serve with warm crusty bread.
Notes
- Use regular grocery store Western curry powder for a mild flavor that adds interest without overpowering the vegetables.
- Fresh thyme, dried oregano, Italian herb mix, or herbes de Provence can be substituted for dried thyme.
- For a lighter option, substitute cream with 1/3 cup milk plus 2 tbsp (30g) unsalted butter.
- Root vegetables can be varied; pumpkin can substitute any root veg, but beware that parsnip and celeriac have strong flavors and can dominate if increased.
- Use any all-purpose or starchy potatoes such as Sebago for best results.
- Non-root vegetables can be used but will result in a thinner soup due to higher water content.
- When blending, do so in batches and cover the blender lid hole with a folded tea towel to avoid splashing.
- Leftovers keep for 4 days in the fridge or up to 3 months in the freezer.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 bowl (approx. 300ml)
- Calories: 220 kcal
- Sugar: 6 g
- Sodium: 600 mg
- Fat: 12 g
- Saturated Fat: 5 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 6 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 25 g
- Fiber: 5 g
- Protein: 4 g
- Cholesterol: 25 mg
