Grocer and Grain rootsy vegetable soup

‘All my soup recipes are determined by what veg is in store at the time and after a year of getting to know good veg combos through lots of soup making – I go with instinct on amounts. but, basically if you soften an onion, have a couple of litres of good veg stock, and 2 or three types of complimenting veggies and some fresh herbs , that’s a good start – then experiment!’ — Hakan, Grocer and Grain

Ingredients

one onion
3 large parsnips
4 large carrots
1 celeriac
4 medium potatoes
2 cloves of garlic
2 teaspoons of garam masala (optional)
vegetable stock

Method

Saute onion, then chop up parsnips, carrots, celeriac, potatoes, cloves of garlic, and add to pot (to which you may like to add a little oil).

Stir and ‘sweat’ (until veg looks a bit ‘battered’ at the edges!).

Then add 2 teaspoons ( depending on taste preference) of garam masala and stir into all the veg so it all gets a coating.

Then add the veg stock and simmer until soft.

Then blend and season – inc a sprinkle of chilli flakes if you like, also chopped flat parsley works well.

Play around with veg amounts – this is quite a sweet soup.

Using fresh seasonal vegetables, the first soup of the autumn season at Grocer and Grain in Brighton. Many thanks to Hakan of Grocer and Grain for sharing the recipe.

Garam masala: An aromatic mixture of ground spices used as a base in many Indian dishes (‘masala’ means spice). The proportion of spices changes according to the dish being cooked (and the cook!) but typical ingredients are cumin, coriander, cardamom, cinnamon, cloves and black pepper, with substitutions or additions made depending on whether the dish includes meat, vegetables or fish. You make your own or buy from any good food store.

Also see

Sweet potato and butternut squash soup

Roasted parsnip and apple soup

Tags: Grocer and Grain, recipes, soup, vegetable soup