Clean Out the Bin Vegetable Soup

I don't want to belabor the point, but as you know I haven't been too awfully well for about a week now. Cooking has been at a minimum really. ie. not a lot going on! I told my friend Julie today, I opened my kitchen drawer to get out the vegetable peeler and spied the pizza cutter and my tummy did flip flops all over again. Not kidding! I do think pizza is off the menu for a while. The Toddster doesn't mind a bit.

He hates Pizza.

I haven't been cooking which means that I haven't been using up the veg in the drawer which needs using up. We all have weeks like that sometimes. I hate waste. Don't you? So today I thought I would use up some of it and make a pot of soup. Something cosy and comforting, and filling . . . without going over the top.

Something mild enough so as not to upset the balance of things . . . but still tasty enough to be exciting. The Toddster loves thick vegetable soups . . . soups that are hearty. He often buys himself a bowl of soup and a roll at the market cafe in town. You and I both know it came from a packet . . . but Todd, he doesn't care. He just loves soup and the thicker the better.

Looking in my vegetable bin I found a rather tired looking potato, a sweet potato, a small white turnip, a large carrot and a wilting parsnip. I added an onion and a couple sticks of celery.

Did you know that sweating your vegetables in some butter and olive oil helps to bring out their natural sweetness and goodness? I'm not sure how it works, but it works . . . they always taste better when they sweat. Me, I don't like sweating much, but then again . . . I'm not a vegetable.

A bit of vegetable stock and a slow simmer later and I had lovely soft vegetables . . . just ready to blitz to a smooth velvety soup with my stick blender. I didn't even need a lot of seasoning really. I added cheese.

Some I grated and stirred in so that it melted smoothly into all of that velvet goodness . . . the rest I cut into small chunks and just threw in, leaving it as whole as I could.

That way anyone dipping their spoon into this soup would come up with a tasty little nugget of cheese. Qu'elle surprise! Delightful even! The croutons are it's crowning glory. We both loved. 'Nuff said.

*Clean out the Bin Vegetable Soup*

Serves 4

This

is a delicious way to use up root veg which is beginning to look a bit

tired and that last bit of cheese from the other night.

• 2 TBS butter
• 1 TBS olive oil
• 1 large onion, peeled and chopped
• 1 large potato, peeled and chopped
• 2 sticks of celery, washed and chopped
• a generous pound of mixed root vegetables, peeled, trimmed and chopped (about 20 ounces)
• (I used swede, turnip, carrot, parsnip and sweet potatoe)
• 1 litre of vegetable stock. ( use marigold powder about 5 cups liquid)
• 5 ounces of mature cheddar cheese
• 1 TBS whole grain mustard
• salt and pepper to taste
• Cheesy Croutons to serve:
• 2 cups of stale bread cubes
• olive oil
• salt and pepper
• finely grated Parmesan Cheese
• Heat
• the butter and oil in a large saucepan. Add the onion and cook until

softened and golden. Add the remaining vegetables. Stir to coat.

Season and then cover and allow to sweat for 10 to 15 minutes, stirring

occasionally. Add the stock and bring to the boil. Reduce to a simmer,

then cover and cook for a further half an hour or so, until the

vegetables are very tender. Whiz in a food processor, or blitz with a

stick blender until smooth.

Grate half of the cheddar and

cut the remainder into cubes. Return the soup to the pot and gently

reheat, stirring in most of the grated cheese and all of the cubes.

Cook and stir until the cheese begins to melt. Add the mustard. Taste

and adjust seasoning as desired. Spoon into heated bowls. Top with

the croutons and the remainder of the grated cheddar to serve.