Recipe: Roasted Root Vegetable Soup
Roasted Root Vegetable Soup
To make roasted root vegetables:
1 lb. rutabagas, 3 cups diced (450 g.)
1 lb. turnips, 3 cups diced (450 g.)
1 lb. sweet yams, 3 cups diced (450 g.)
1 lb. fennel (450 gr., 3 cups diced)
12 oz. carrots, 1 2/3 cups diced (350 g.)
2 lbs. onions, 6 cups large pieces (900 g.)
4 Tbs. olive oil
2 tsp. sea salt
pepper to taste
1 tsp. dried thyme leaves
1 tsp. crumbled dried sage leaves
3 Tbs. dry sherry
For the soup:
1/3 cup pearl barley (70 g.)
1 tsp. salt
5-7 cups home-made vegetable broth, light or dark
4 cups roasted root vegetables (570 g. cooked)
½ cup flat leaf parsley, whole leaves (25 g.)
2-3 tsp. sherry vinegar
optional garnish: additional green olive oil, or fresh, creamy goat cheese
First, roast your vegetables:
Peel and dice all the vegetables to a fairly uniform size, about 1 inch. The onions and fennel can be left in slightly larger pieces, as they are less dense. Mix the vegetables together in a large bowl with the olive oil, salt, pepper, thyme, sage and sherry. You can vary the amounts of herbs to your taste; the amounts given here will add a subtle flavor to the vegetables but won’t dominate.
Spread the vegetables over two shallow baking pans and roast them at 375˚ for an hour or a little longer, until they are tender and flecked with dark brown spots. Mix and turn the vegetables a few times during the roasting, and reverse the position of the pans in the oven midway. The vegetables will reduce in volume as they roast, and you should have about 8 cups when they are done.
To make the soup:
Combine the barley in a soup pot with 1½ cups water, a dash of salt and 5 cups of vegetable broth. Simmer the barley, covered, for 35 minutes. Add 4 cups of the mixed roasted vegetables – you can coarsely chop them first if the pieces look large to you - and simmer the soup for about 15 minutes to marry the flavors. Add the chopped parsley and sherry vinegar during the last few minutes. If the soup seems too thick, add another cup or so of vegetable broth.
I like to finish this soup with my favorite garnish, a swirl of fruity olive oil, but if you’re in the mood for a richer soup drop a spoonful of soft, fresh goat cheese in each steaming bowl as you serve it - delicious.
Serves 6.
Some other ways…
This a soup that can be easily varied. Add sautéed mushrooms, use orzo or fideo noodles instead of the barley, add cilantro or dill instead of the parsley, add a dash of cream if you like. As long as your broth is delicate and savory, you can’t go wrong.
Want another recipe? Click here for Stewed Root Vegetables with Moroccan Spices...
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