Hale and Hearty Roulette Soup

Name: Hale and Hearty Roulette Soup
Total time: 1800 s
Yield: 2-4 servings
Cuisine: British
Ingredients: 2 large spring onions or ½ onion; 3 celery stalks and leaves, chopped; 3 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped; 2 small potatoes, chopped; 4 radishes, chopped; 3 parsnips, chopped; 2 large carrots, chopped; 1/2 a celeriac, peeled and chopped; 2 tbps tagine paste; 25 g herbs such as coriander or parsley; Splash wine or wine vinegar (optional); 500 mls (1 pint) water; salt and pepper; 50 g leftover meat or fish (optional); 1 tbsp crème fraiche (optional); 1 tsp herb oil (optional); 1 tsp crispy onions (optional); 500 mls stock; Herb oil:; 25 g coriander or basil; 2 tbps extra virgin olive oil

Laura @FeelBetter

Milton Keynes, England

‘We are indeed much more than what we eat, but what we eat can nevertheless help us to be much more than what we are’ ~ Adelle Davis

With the continued increase in the cost of living, we are having to be more and more thrifty with the amount spent on food and reducing waste. At the end of the week it’s good to empty the fridge of leftover vege and either make stock to be used in other dishes or throw in a few herbs and spice paste and make a really thick and wholesome soup.

I had the pleasure of attending a lecture by Deanna Minich, the author of ‘The Rainbow Diet’. She advocates choosing a variety of different-coloured whole foods throughout the day and week and the more naturally occurring (not artificial) colours on one’s plate, the better. Plants contain different pigments or phytonutrients which give them their colour and the different colours are linked to higher levels of specific nutrients and health benefits.

Inspired by Cookpadder @JohnA I shall call this ‘Hale and Hearty Roulette Soup’ as ‘hale and hearty’ means to be healthy and strong and ‘roulette’ because I spin my fridge shelf to see where it lands and choose a homemade paste from the side facing me – today Tagine, last week Madras.

To make it even more 'hearty', I have stirred in a tin of mackerel which is a fatty fish and high in omega-3 fatty acids which helps reduce the risk of a heart attack. A swirl of crème fraiche and/or herb oil just adds a little elegance.

#WastenotWantnot

‘We are indeed much more than what we eat, but what we eat can nevertheless help us to be much more than what we are’ ~ Adelle Davis

#WastenotWantnot

Laura @FeelBetter

Milton Keynes, England

‘We are indeed much more than what we eat, but what we eat can nevertheless help us to be much more than what we are’ ~ Adelle Davis

#WastenotWantnot

‘We are indeed much more than what we eat, but what we eat can nevertheless help us to be much more than what we are’ ~ Adelle Davis

Saved

Ingredients

30 minutes

2-4 servings

2large spring onions or ½ onion
3celery stalks and leaves, chopped
3 clovesgarlic, peeled and chopped
2small potatoes, chopped
4radishes, chopped
3parsnips, chopped
2large carrots, chopped
1/2a celeriac, peeled and chopped
2tbps tagine paste
25 gherbs such as coriander or parsley
Splashwine or wine vinegar (optional)
500 mls (1 pint)water
salt and pepper
50 gleftover meat or fish (optional)
1 tbspcrème fraiche (optional)
1 tspherb oil (optional)
1 tspcrispy onions (optional)
500 mlsstock
Herb oil:
25 gcoriander or basil
2tbps extra virgin olive oil

Saved

Steps

30 minutes

1

Soup: Heat a glug of oil in a large pan. Add the onion, celery and garlic along with a good pinch of salt and sweat in the pan for five minutes. Add the remaining vegetables, water, paste and half the herbs and bring to the boil. Note: if using very sweet vegetables then it’s good to add a splash of wine or wine vinegar.
2

Herb oil: Blanch the herbs in boiling water for 10 seconds. Remove from the water and plunge into ice cold water for 5 minutes. Remove the herbs and pat dry to remove as much moisture as possible. Puree in a high-speed blender with the oil. Lining a sieve with a coffee filter or cheese cloth, pour the oil into the sieve and let it sit to drain. Do not press the oil through. Transfer to a bottle and store in the fridge for up to one week.
3

Soup: Simmer for around 20 minutes until the vege are soft. Add the stock, remaining herbs and a few grinds of pepper then puree. Check seasoning. Add the meat or fish pieces to a bowl. Ladle over the soup. Swirl a spoon of the oil and/or crème fraiche, top with crispy onions and serve with some crusty bread.