Description
A hearty and comforting Country Harvest Root Vegetable Soup featuring a blend of potatoes, sweet potatoes, carrots, parsnip, and celeriac, infused with warming curry powder and thyme, finished with creamy richness. Perfect for a wholesome meal served with warm crusty bread.
Ingredients
Scale
Fats and Aromatics
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tbsp (15g) unsalted butter
- 1 onion, chopped into large dice
- 3 garlic cloves, chopped
Spices and Herbs
- 1 tbsp curry powder
- 1 tsp dried thyme leaves
- 2 tsp cooking salt/kosher salt (halve for table salt)
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- Pinch extra curry powder (for garnish)
- Pinch black pepper (for garnish)
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)
Liquids and Dairy
- 1 1/2 litre (6 cups) water
- 1/2 cup thickened cream (heavy cream or regular), plus extra for garnish
Serving
- Warm crusty bread
- Parsley, finely chopped
Instructions
- Sauté Aromatics: Place 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, cooking for about 2 minutes until the onion softens and becomes fragrant.
- Add Vegetables and Spices: Stir in the chopped root vegetables (potato, sweet potato, carrots, parsnip, and celeriac), dried thyme, and curry powder. Cook for around 3 minutes, stirring regularly until the edges of the vegetables start to soften.
- Simmer Vegetables: Increase the heat to high and pour in the water along with salt and pepper. Stir well and bring to a simmer, then reduce heat to medium-high and let it simmer rapidly, uncovered, for 15 minutes or until all the vegetables are tender when pierced with a knife.
- Add Cream and Heat: Stir in the thickened cream and let the soup simmer gently for 1 more minute to blend the flavors and add creaminess.
- Blend Soup: Remove the pot from heat. Using a stick blender, blend the soup until smooth and creamy. Adjust the consistency with additional water if needed, and season to taste with extra salt, pepper, or cream for a richer flavor.
- Serve: Ladle the soup into bowls. Drizzle with a little extra cream, sprinkle with a pinch of curry powder, freshly chopped parsley, and black pepper. Serve immediately with warm crusty bread on the side.
Notes
- Note 1: Use any good quality curry powder you prefer; Clive’s curry powder is recommended but not essential.
- Note 2: Thyme adds a subtle earthy flavor balancing the curry spices; dried thyme is convenient and flavorful.
- Note 3: Thickened cream can be heavy or regular, use what you have for creaminess; reserve some cream for garnish to enhance presentation and taste.
- Note 5: A stick blender is ideal for blending directly in the pot, but a regular blender can be used in batches, taking care not to overfill and burn yourself.
- Halve salt quantity if using table salt instead of kosher or cooking salt for better seasoning balance.
