Recipe: Winter Vegetable Soup & Cheese & Rosemary Toasts
I love this soup! It’s incredibly simple, incredibly cheap and incredibly tasty. Picture a cold, winter’s day and you’ve just come inside after taking the kids to the park. Everyone’s noses are red and everyone’s tummies are rumbling.
Luckily, you have a few bits of old, rather sorry for itself veg that needs using up! Not very inspiring? …
…Ok, how about this? You have a rich, smooth winter vegetable soup. The vegetables themselves give it a beautiful sweetness, while the fennel seeds add a note of aniseed which compliments it perfectly. As if that wasn’t enough, you’ve whipped up some rather decadent cheese and rosemary toasts to go alongside. All in all, a deeply warming, healthy and oh-so-satisfying winter’s lunch.
Not bad popped in a travel mug and taken to work for lunch either!
Winter Vegetable Soup (Serves 4)
You will need:
1 oz unsalted butter
1/2 tbs olive oil
2 leeks, roughly chopped
1 clove garlic, crushed
2 carrots, roughly chopped (peeling optional!)
1 sweet potato, peeled and roughly chopped
1 tbs tomato purée
750 ml chicken (or vegetable) stock
1 tsp fennel seeds
2 heaped tbs Greek yoghurt
- Melt the butter in a large saucepan and add the olive oil (this stops the butter from burning)
- Add the leeks and sauté gently until they have softened
- Add the garlic and continue to cook for a minute longer
- Add the chopped carrot, sweet potato and tomato purée. Let the purée cook for a minute or so to take away some of the bitterness
- Add the fennel seeds and stock. Simmer, covered for 20 minutes
- Allow to cool slightly and then use a hand blender to blend until smooth
- Add the Greek yoghurt and mix in
Cheese & Rosemary Toasts
You will need:
1 part-baked white baguette
1 large handful of your favourite cheese, grated (I use a mix of Cheddar and Parmesan)
A sprinkle of dried rosemary (if you have fresh, then use that but don’t buy it especially!)
- Bake your baguette as per the packet instructions
- Cut in half horizontally
- Sprinkle over your cheese and rosemary and pop back in the oven for 2-3 minutes, until the cheese has melted
