I currently have a refrigerator overflowing with so many glorious root vegetables and soup is one of my favourite ways to use them when I find myself in this state. Plus after a long day soup is both an easy and nutritious meal which can be prepared easily while planning a holiday on the phone with my mother.
People underestimate soup. Too many people think of it as a tinned (canned) emergency food, the sort of thing you plop into the microwave and give your kids as an easy afterschool snack or chuck into food drive boxes at the supermarket. This is soup that's often heavy in salt, sugar, and who knows what other preservatives and colourings. Not that I'm completely against this (confession time: tinned tomato soup + grilled cheese (non-dairy of course) is a junk snack craving I get about once a year that must be filled).
What I'm saying is I don't really get the idea of tinned soup for ease of preparation, because there aren't many things you can do in the kitchen easier than making soup from fresh ingredients. Sure you have to wait a little while longer past the simple process of using a tin opener and pressing some buttons on the microwave, but it's worth it in the end. I promise.
Did I mention we got rid of our microwave?
Recipe notes
This is, like most soups, a recipe easily prepared by even the greatest kitchen novice. I usually use my pressure cooker for soups, but if you don't have one that's okay too; it will just take a bit longer to prepare. If you aren't using a pressure cooker simply follow the same instructions, only in a large pot, cooking the vegetables until tender.
Celeriac, Fennel, and Roasted Garlic Soup
- Directions/Method
- Heat the oven to 200 C (400 F) and roast the garlic for around 20 minutes. To do this simply peel as much paper away from the bulb as possible. Cut a tiny portion of the top of the bulb away if desired (makes it easier to squeeze garlic out when done) and drizzle with some olive oil before popping on a tray in the oven.
- Meanwhile peel and quarter the apple and halve the shallots. Chop the other vegetables into chunks and add along with all other ingredients (except the coriander and soy milk) to your pressure cooker. Cook as per your pressure cooker's instructions for 15 minutes.
- Set aside and allow to cool a little before blending (this is just a precaution, but one I rarely follow despite the huge crack now ascending the walls of my lovely glass blender). Blend until very smooth, adding the soy milk as you do so. Throw in the fresh coriander last, giving it one or two last whizzes 'round to chop it finely. Return and keep heated on the hob/stove until ready to serve.
- If using, stir in a dollop of cream or soy cream, along with some spare coriander or fresh parsley to garnish.
Best Pressure Cooker
That soup looks really great, I will try it one of these days in my stove top pressure cooker....I really love this piece of kitchen gadget as it can reduce your cooking time without sacrificing the flavor and nutrients of the food.
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