Roasted Root Vegetable Soup

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There is nothing like a warming soup on a cold day. I love to make soup this time of the year when the weather is unpleasantly raw and damp. There is something very soothing about putting a spoon full of warm soup into your mouth. This recipe is for Roasted Root Vegetable Soup and it is divine. What makes this soup different, from other root vegetable soups, is that it is made from oven roasted root vegetables.

If I could eat only one soup for the rest of the season it would be this one. That´s how tasty it is. Another plus is that it is easy to find locally grown root vegetables now and that might be hard with other vegetables at this season. To give it a deeper more interesting flavour I have added a mix of sesame seeds and cumin roasted in oil. This truly takes the soup to the next level and makes your taste buds completely satisfied.

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Roasted Root Vegetable Soup

Ingredients:

  • 600 g celeriac
  • 400 g potatoes
  • 150 g carrot
  • 150 g parsnip
  • 2 onion
  • 4 cloves of garlic
  • 1 1/2 tbsp vegetable oil ( for the oven roasting )
  • 1 1/2 – 2 l water
  • a big pinch of salt ( for the oven roasting )
  • 1 tsp cider vinegar / white wine vinegar
  • 1 1/2 tsp salt

For the spice mix

  • 2 tsp black or white sesame seeds ( I used black )
  • 1 tsp whole cumin seeds
  • 4 tbsp vegetable oil

Method:

1. Heat the oven to 225C / 435F. Dice all the root vegetables (the potatoes in a little smaller pieces than the rest) and place them in a bowl. Cut the onion in bigger pieces and add to the bowl. Peel the garlic cloves and add to the bowl together with a pinch of salt and 1 1/2 tbsp of oil. Roast in the oven for approximately 30 minutes but remember to leave them until they have a nice golden roasted colour. This is important because there is a lot of flavour in the golden crispiness.

2. When the root vegetables are done you mix it in a blender or food processor, together with the water, until it is completely smooth.

3. Pour all of it in a big pan and add the salt and vinegar. Slowly heat it while stirring every once in a while.

4. Time to prepare the spice mix. Heat 4 tbsp of oil in a small pot or pan and fry the spices in it. Use medium to high heat and be careful not to burn the spices. When they are done you remove the pan from the heat but leave the spices in the oil.

5. Add a couple of spoons of oil, from the spice mix, to the soup. Use only oil (no seeds) and leave the rest of the spice mix in a small bowl that you serve together with the soup as a tasty and beautiful garnish. Enjoy!

Harira – A Moroccan Soup

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Harira is Morocco’s most famous soup. It is a wonderful soup full of different textures and spices. Harira will keep you warm in the cold weather with it’s flavour of cinnamon, smoked paprika and cumin. It is also a rich soup great on its own as a complete meal with its combination of vegetables, lentils, chickpeas and pasta. The original recipe for Harira contains dried ground ginger but I prefer it without. I also like to add some pumpkin in my Harira. As always I am looking for a way to sneak more veggies into my meals but pumpkin actually adds a lot to this dish. It gives a nice sweetness to it and I find that preferable. I hope you will try my slightly modified recipe for Harira because you will definitely not regret it!

Making this soup makes me think of Morocco. And Morocco makes me think of Casablanca. Not the city but the movie. You know the American classic where Ingrid Bergman and Humphrey Bogart are starring. Oh, how I love that movie! I am a huge fan of old classics and this one is there right in the top. If you haven’t seen it yet you simply must! The song below hasn’t got much to do with Moroccan Harira soup but a lot to do with Casablanca. See the connection, Harira – Morocco – Casablanca – great song from movie. It all comes together in the end. Why not make a whole evening out of it?  First you start with some Harira for dinner and then you continue with a Casablanca movie night. I don’t know about you but that sounds pretty good to me.

Harira

Ingredients:

2 onions, chopped
4 cloves of garlic, chopped
2 celery sticks, chopped
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground cumin ( spiskummin )
1/2 tsp ground smoked paprika
1 tsp ground regular paprika
1/2 tsp turmeric
4 tomatoes, chopped
250 g pumpkin, diced into small cubes
150 g green / black lentils
1 can ( 400 g )  chickpeas ( or the same amount cooked at home )
60 g vermicelli ( or another pasta fitted for soups )
1 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp tomato paste
two big handfuls each of chopped cilantro and parsley
1.5 l of water ( or more if you prefer a more liquid soup )
salt
3-4 tbsp olive oil for frying ( you could use less )

Method:

Fry the onion and celery in oil on medium to high heat. When it has started to get some colour add the garlic and soon after the tomato paste. Continue to fry now on medium heat until the onion is well cooked ( the onion, celery and tomato paste develop a lot of flavour during this process so don’t rush it ). Add the spices, fry them a little and follow with the tomatoes, pumpkin and lentils. Pour in the water, bring to a boil and let it simmer for about 30 minutes until the lentils are done. You then add a little salt, the chickpeas and the vermicelli and continue to cook until the vermicelli is cooked. Finally you stir in more salt, lemon and the chopped cilantro and parsley and your Harira is ready to be served. Enjoy!

Note: When you fry onion together with tomato paste and celery, the fifth basic taste ( umami ) will be developed. The umami flavour will be more intense the longer you cook it. That’s why you don’t want to rush the process. You can also find the taste of umami in a lot of fermented products like cheese, miso and soy sauce. Vegetables that are rich in umami are for example: ripe tomatoes, Chinese cabbage, spinach and celery. Other sources are, mushrooms, balsamic vinegar and green tea.