Wednesday 28 December 2011

Rocket and Roses Super Rooty Soup

Kitchen Play List:  Nickelback ~ The State Album

Some of my best creations come from me just grabbing ingredients and winging it. That is true for this soup recipe. I needed to prove to myself more than anything that I could create a Salicylate Low or Free recipe and it would be tasty and a recipe I would want to make again. I am slowly..very slowly getting my head around this new necessary food change in our lives. I am still going to cooking a dual menu come the New Year but it would also be great if I could make some recipes that were good for both of us. 

For the last couple of years we have following the Eat to Live eating plan in which starches are very restricted..1 cup a day. And it worked for me..I quickly felt better and so did for My Love it seemed. But not on the inside apparently as all the fruits and vegetables we were eating in great quantities each day were slowly doing My Love's system a lot of damage. So now pretty much the only veggies that are 'Sally' Low or Free are roots. Getting used to cooking with root veggies (These are starches on the E2L Plan) has been a shock to the system and although they are great for My Love...they are not so good for me. *sighs* lol. 

Here's the rub though..I do love root veggies and all the different ways of cooking them. So constantly cooking them for My Love and not partaking should be interesting in the New Year..lol. 

This soup came to be after I was given 2 small Swedes to use up. My Love had picked them up from a Reduced Bin for 2p each. And although they weren't the prettiest specimens they were still in a good state. I decided to go all out and come up with a soup that was packed with veggies and flavour. As I can't use any spices, most herbs, stock or black pepper anymore...it felt like a huge challenge. 

I was soon in chopping nirvana..I know..but I find chopping veggies very relaxing..lol. And I was pulling root veggies from every corner of my kitchen and throwing them in the pot. I had the strangest reaction to cooking this soup..I found I was grinning from ear to ear. Why? Well the sensory memories had kicked in big time. I had forgotten just how truly pleasing the smell of cooking roots could be. It sent me straight back to my childhood and the veggie stews that my Nan and my Mum had cooked for me. All that was missing was some little dumplings and some sprinkled on curry powder at the end. lol. At the end of the cooking time I must confess that I pulled out one piece of each root I had used and stood in the kitchen blowing on them to cool them..and I devoured each cube and felt like a small child again. lol. Ah memories,eh? lol It was almost heartbreaking to blitz it smooth. After all, this was a soup for My Love's lunches this week and it would've been considered way too chunky! lol I reluctantly got my stick blender out and got blitzing. 

The soup tasted divine and was packed with flavour. The smell in the kitchen was quite heady and my windows were steamed up as they should be when cooking roots in winter. lol. It made 7 good servings and it could've been thinned a little more and it could easily serve 8-9 people. It's a great recipe for the deep freeze. 

It's also given me a little more confidence that I can come up with some 'Sally' Low or Free Recipes for My Love. After all what is a cook without her muse to create for...Yikes does that sound as soppy as it reads?? lol. Anyway......lol..better get on with the recipe...Ahem..lol 

Rocket and Roses Super Rooty Soup ~ Delicious!
Rocket and Roses Super Rooty Soup Serves 7-9 
(Original recipe from the Rocket and Roses Vegan Kitchen)

1/2 tbsp rapeseed oil
2 large onions, roughly chopped
2 stick of celery, roughly chopped
4 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
2 sm swedes, peeled and small dice
4 lg potatoes, peeled and small dice 
4 lg carrots, peeled and small dice
4 lg parsnips, peeled and small dice
1/2 cup of loosely packed flat leaf parsley, roughly chopped
1600ml/7cups of boiling water
low sodium salt to season to taste

Heat the oil in a large soup pan and add the onion and celery and stir well. Cook for 5 minutes or until beginning to soften. Add the garlic and cook for a further 3 minutes. 


Add the roots and stir to coat in the onion mix. Add the parsley and stir once again. Then pour over the boiling water and stir well to combine. Turn the heat up to high and cover the pan with a lid and bring to the boil. Once boiling, reduce the heat to a simmer, recover and then cook until the roots are tender. Season with salt to your own personal taste. 


Using a stick blender blitz the soup until smooth. 


Enjoy! 
~R~