White Vegetable Soup

It’s the first day of spring, and I am celebrating with this wonderful white vegetable soup. It’s made with a few of my favorite things – celeriac, cauliflower, cumin and roasted garlic.

 I am a big fan of celeriac, but strangely I have a complete aversion to celery as a vegetable. I think my main problem with celery is not the flavor but that strange stringy texture. Celeriac tastes much richer to me, and has a great texture when cooked.  I particularly love it in a mashed potato dish.

For this soup I use home-made chicken stock, which I think makes a big difference to the flavor. There is a huge trend at the moment for ‘bone broth’, and it’s good to hear that people are realizing that there so much goodness and nutrients in home-made stocks. I try to make a chicken stock every time we have chicken, and when I do, I always have the best soups. Another key part of this soup is the roasted garlic. The roasted garlic is combined with the vegetables and also served with the soup in the form of roasted garlic oil. I love the contrast of the bright yellow garlic oil, and the simple white soup. The garlic oil also gives the soup a lovely silky texture. This soup is a perfect lunch served with some crusty bread, or would also work as a delightful amuse bouche served in a small cup.

Ingredients

Serves 4

Roasted Garlic

• 1 head of garlic
• 1 teaspoon of olive oil

Soup

• 1 tablespoon of butter
• 1 teaspoon of olive oil
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 350g of potatoes ( about 2 small potatoes ) – peeled and diced
• 350g of celeriac, peeled and diced
• 350g of cauliflower (about a ¼ a head) chopped into small florets
• 1 liter of chicken stock
• 50mls of cream
• 1 teaspoon of ground cumin
• 1 tablespoon of olive oil
• Chopped flat leaf parsley
• Salt and pepper to taste

 Method

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F / 180 C
2. Slit the top off the head of garlic.
3. Drizzle with the olive oil and wrap in foil.
4. Cook in the oven for 30-35 minutes.
5. Meanwhile heat the butter and olive oil in a large saucepan over a medium heat.
6. Add the onions and saute for 5-8 minutes until soft and translucent.
7. Next, add the diced potatoes and celeriac, and stir.
8. Place a circle of parchment paper over the vegetables and cook for 8-10 minutes.
9. Remove the parchment, and add the stock and season with salt and pepper.
10. Bring to the boil and simmer gently for a further 10 minutes.
11. Add the cauliflower and simmer for a further 15 minutes.
12. Once the garlic is cooked, remove the cloves and discard the papery skin.
13. Place half of the cloves in the soup.
14. Using a  food processer or an immersion blender  puree the soup until smooth.
15. Taste and season with salt and pepper.
16. Add the cream and cumin.
17. Taste again and season if necessary.
18. Mix the remaining garlic with a tablespoon of olive oil, and smash together with a spoon.
19. Serve the soup with the garlic oil, and some freshly chopped parsley.