Every few weeks, I fill up a Le Creuset Dutch oven with fresh vegetables and make a big batch of soup. I basically redo the same soup except that I change the vegetables. I usually mix vegetables that inspire me at the store with what is in my fridge. Being French means that my soup always starts with a roughly chopped mirepoix (celery, onions and carrots). Since I will puree my vegetable soup, I don’t need to be fancy on my cutting board.
This week, my soup took shape from a big pack of leeks and 3 turnips that I bought a few days before. Here is this week recipe.
Ingredients for my Leek, Carrot, Turnip and Celery Soup:
- 2 Tbsp butter
- 3 to 4 Tbsp olive oil
- 3 large leeks, cut
- 3 turnips, pealed and coarsely chopped
- 6-7 large carrots, pealed and coarsely chopped
- 3 crisp, leafy stalks of celery, coarsely chopped
- optional (I put it because I had one in my fridge): 1 orange pepper, coarsely chopped
- 3 cups chicken stock
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 handful of minced parsley
- 1 teaspoon of origano or thym
- 1 teaspoon of savory (my favorite herb)
Step by step instructions:
- On low to medium heat (2 on my gas stove), heat the butter and 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a Dutch oven or a large soup pot.
- Add the leeks, carrots and celery to pot. Cook for 5 minutes with the cover. Stir from time to time
- Add the turnips and orange pepper. Season the vegetables with the herbs, salt and pepper.
- Stir. Add more olive oil. Continue to cook for 12 minutes with the cover. You want the vegetables to sweat.
- Add the chicken stock. I want the flavour to mix together, which takes about 15 minutes of cooking.
- Puree the soup directly from the pot with an immersion blender.
- Enjoy now and later!
In My Freezer
I let the soup cool for 30 minutes and divide it into 12 single and double portion containers. I always store the soup in the freezer. As a mom with a young child, having a homemade soup ready to serve brings me peace of mind. I reheat it on the stove or the microwave and serve it to my hungry toddler boy while I cook dinner. Some nights, I eat a bowl of soup with him.
Feel free to experiment with my soup recipe. Possible variations would be to switch the herbs for ground ginger or ground fennel. I prefer to use fat-free chicken stock but you could use water or a vegetable stock instead. Like I said at the beginning, get inspired by what is in your pantry and your fridge.