more soup please. . .

I combined a couple of recipes and came up with a soup that is so delicious...But first I must say I was completely inspired to make this soup after reading about the adventures of little Lulu on a perfect Autumn day in New England.  I can't wait for this book to come out!  I must admit that not only was I inspired, but a little jealous...Lulu is just darling and seems to have quite a sophisticated palate.  And I'm pretty sure when she asks for more soup she says, "plus de la soupe, s'il vous plaît."  It took a while for my children to love food the way Lulu does.

 Roasted Root Vegetable Soup

You will need to gather:

olive oil

1 red onion, diced

1 leek, white and light green part only, sliced thin

2 to 3 shallots, diced

3 cloves garlic, small dice

2 -3 sprigs of fresh Thyme, leaves removed from stem and chopped

1 teaspoon ground coriander seed

1 tablespoon chili powder

salt and pepper

Saute the vegetables in olive oil for about 7 minutes or until soft.  Add about a tablespoon of flour and stir to combine, be careful not to scorch and cook for another minute or two, then remove from heat until you are ready to add the roasted vegetables.

The roasted vegetable:

3 carrots, peeled and diced

1 parsnip, peeled and diced

1 large sweet potato, peeled and diced

2 small turnips, peeled and diced

1 medium butternut squash, peeled, seeded and diced

Toss vegetables with olive oil and salt and pepper and place on a baking sheet with sides in a single layer.  Roast for 30 to 40 minutes or until tender with a fork, turning once.

you will also need:

Crème fraîche

 goat cheese

fresh parsley

Light Muscovado sugar

Vegetable stock (1 qt. + 10 oz.)

white truffle oil

Next:

Add the roasted vegetables to the pot with the onion mixture and return to the heat.  Add one quart, plus one can of vegetable broth.  Add 1 tablespoon of tomato paste and 1 tablespoon light Muscovado  sugar or light brown sugar.  Bring to a boil and then simmer on low for 45 minutes.   Once the vegetables are very soft, use an immersion blender to blend until smooth. (It took quite a while for everything to blend to a smooth consistency, but it did blend together well and a food processor was not needed).  I use an immersion blender that I purchased at Sur la Table for about $30 and it works very well.

At this point the soup has been cooking for 45 minutes and it is ready to be blended. 

I served it as suggested by La Tartine Gourmande and garnished it with fresh parsley, goat cheese crumbled and a drizzle of white truffle oil over the top.  We also stirred in about a tablespoon of Crème fraîche in each bowl and shared a braeburn apple, cheddar cheese and a glass of white table wine.  Enjoy!