Description
A hearty and comforting Country Harvest Root Vegetable Soup featuring a blend of potatoes, sweet potatoes, carrots, parsnip, and celeriac, enriched with curry powder and cream for a smooth, flavorful finish. Perfectly blended and served with a garnish of cream, parsley, and crusty bread.
Ingredients
Scale
Fats & Oils
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tbsp unsalted butter (15g)
Vegetables
- 1 onion, chopped into large dice
- 3 garlic cloves, chopped
- 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)
Spices & Herbs
- 1 tbsp curry powder
- 1 tsp dried thyme leaves
- 2 tsp cooking salt/kosher salt (halve if using table salt)
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- Pinch extra curry powder (for garnish)
- Pinch black pepper (for garnish)
- Parsley, finely chopped (for garnish)
Liquids & Dairy
- 1 1/2 litre (6 cups) water
- 1/2 cup thickened cream (heavy cream or regular), plus extra for garnish
Accompaniments
- Warm crusty bread
Instructions
- Sauté: Put the olive oil and butter in a large heavy-based pot over medium-high heat. Once the butter has melted, add the chopped onion and garlic. Cook for about 2 minutes until the onion softens and becomes translucent, stirring occasionally to prevent burning.
- Add Vegetables and Spices: Incorporate the diced root vegetables (potato, sweet potato, carrots, parsnip, celeriac), dried thyme, and curry powder into the pot. Cook for approximately 3 minutes, stirring regularly to let the vegetables begin to soften and the spices to release their flavors.
- Simmer: Increase the heat to high and pour in the water, then add the salt and black pepper. Stir well, and once the liquid reaches a simmer, reduce the heat to medium-high. Let the soup simmer rapidly without a lid for 15 minutes, or until all the vegetables are tender when pierced with a knife.
- Add Cream: Stir in the thickened cream to the soup and allow it to simmer gently for 1 minute to meld the flavors and add richness.
- Blend: Remove the pot from heat. Using a stick (immersion) blender, carefully blitz the soup until it becomes smooth and creamy. Taste and adjust the consistency by adding water if too thick, and season with additional salt and pepper as needed. Add extra cream for a richer flavor if desired.
- Serve: Ladle the soup into bowls. Drizzle with a little cream, sprinkle a pinch of curry powder, freshly chopped parsley, and black pepper on top. Serve immediately with warm crusty bread on the side for dipping.
Notes
- Use any good quality curry powder; Clive’s curry powder is recommended but any brand will work well.
- Dried thyme adds an earthy flavor that complements the root vegetables perfectly, but it’s optional if unavailable.
- For a lighter soup, use regular cream or reduce cream quantity; for a richer, indulgent texture, use heavy cream and add extra for garnish.
- When peeling and chopping root vegetables, try to keep the pieces uniform in size to ensure even cooking.
- If you don’t have an immersion blender, transfer soup in batches to a standard blender to puree, but be careful with hot liquids.
