Chunky vegetable soup wannabe stew

Chunky vegetable soup wannabe stew

This is really one of those recipes that is not really a recipe but a combination of ingredients you have in your garden, fridge and pantry. I learnt this on a retreat a while ago and I simply adapt it  according to seasonality with the staple ingredients being onions, garlic, carrot, butternut and potatoes.

I have made this soup with broccoli (small pieces), courgette (roughly diced), green beans (as I did here), fennel, leeks (roughly chopped), sweet potato, peppers, celery and sweet corn (tip: frozen also works well). The size one cuts the vegetables depends on how long you have to cook and what you prefer. I try and keep my food as ‘free-from’ as possible.

This does mean a little more effort has to be made creating the foundations of a dish, however it hardly takes more than an extra 5 minutes. The simple act of caramelizing the onions and browning the other vegetables gives flavour without sacrificing much time. Seasoning properly with salt also assists in flavour without having to add a stock cube/ stock pot – however these are useful additions to this recipe if time is low and have one lurking in the cupboard. Chilli also acts as a quick flavour enhancer and can for sure be used in this soup to add a little spice. Caramelization = flavour and taste as you go – you can always add but can’t take away – have been my two live-by mottos for in the kitchen. I am working on the premise here of ‘roughly diced’ being about 1cm.

Personally, I like to cut the vegetables so that you can get a bit of everything on the spoon, however when I first used to make it the vegetables were cut into chunky pieces. The result either way is a soup come stew. The length of cooking time will depend on the size you cut the vegetables.

If you are going to be adding courgette, broccoli or green beans, I suggest adding them 15 minutes before the soup is done, or as the butternut and potatoes are becoming soft.

Ingredients

1/4 cup olive oil

2 onions, roughly diced

3 cloves garlic, finely grated/ chopped

2 carrots, peeled and roughly diced

2 bulbs fennel, roughly chopped

2 red / yellow peppers, roughly diced

1 small-medium butternut, peeled and roughly diced

2 medium potatoes, peeled and roughly diced

2 tsp salt, plus extra to taste

250g green beans, top-and-tailed and chopped into 1 cm long pieces

Method

1. On a medium heat, fry the onion in the olive oil until golden and beginning to caramelise (+-5 minutes) before adding the peppers, fennel, carrots and garlic (you would add leeks and celery here if you decide to use these). Continue to fry until all the vegetables are brown and caramelised (+-7minutes). You may need to add in a bit more olive oil. This step does take a little longer than you think but take your time and do it properly. It really does pay off.
2. Add 2 litres of boiling water followed by the potatoes and butternut (the sweet potatoes would also be added here). Add in the salt and boil until the vegetables are starting to soften but not breaking apart – about 30 minutes. At this point add in the beans (and the broccoli and courgette if you are using these). You may need to add more water to cover. Continue to boil for 15 minutes. If you are using frozen corn, add this in the last 5 minutes.
3. Season to taste and serve with fresh bread or make your own flat-bread (recipe below).

Yoghurt flat-bread

1 cup cake flour, plus extra for flattening, I use stone ground

1 tsp baking powder

½ cup yoghurt

¼ teaspoon salt

¼ cup water (or enough to bring together)

Butter to brush

1. Mix the dry ingredients together. Add the yoghurt and mix using a fork. At this point you will need to ditch the fork and use your hands. Add a tablespoon of water at a time until the dough comes together. If you are using stoneground flour, you may need more water than your normal ‘Snowflake’ flour.
2. Divide the dough into 4 pieces and leave it to sit for 15 minutes. Use your hands and a little flour to gently flatten it down to ½ cm.
3. Dry-fry these in a pan on a medium heat for about 1-2 minutes each side until golden brown. Once turned brush with butter. If you turn it over again after buttering for about 30 seconds you will get a shiny golden, crisp result.
4. Repeat with the other 3 pieces.