SOUP FOR THE SOUL…Roasted vegetable soup with toasted croutons.

Deeba @ PAB

16 years ago

“Good soup is one of the prime ingredients of good living. For soup can do more to lift the spirits and stimulate the appetite than any other one dish.”

Louis P. De Gouy, The Soup Book (1949)

SOUP FOR THE SOUL…Roasted Veggie Soup!

Its been a chilly winter so far, with winds threatening to sweep you off your feet. I read about a roasted vegetable soup eons ago, & its always been at the back of my mind to make it someday. A trip to the market tempted me to buy an array of fresh veggies…& then I trotted back home to set to work. Roasting these vegetables enhances flavours & makes the soup taste quite different. The result was a nice, full-bodied & wholesome soup, which I served with oven-toasted croutons made out of wholewheat bread. Healthy, warming & sumptuous all the way!

A drizzle of light cream, a throw of croutons & a leaf to top it off!

Its fun to garnish & add to visual appeal. I enjoy garnishing everything & anything…even if it means just topping it with a leaf! The contrast in colours make it such a joy; not just for the ‘eater‘ but for the ‘maker‘ too!

Oven toasted croutons…

I have always found fried croutons very oily. Toast them in the oven, & you have healthy, crisp & wholesome croutons in next to no time. They can be stored in an airtight box for a couple of weeks. What could be better!

What I did…

Ingredients:

Tomatoes – 1 kg
Zucchinis – 3 small

Bell Peppers – 2 (1 each yellow & red)
Spring Onions – 4 ( with some greens)

Garlic – 6-8 cloves (adjust according to personal taste)

Butter – 1 tbsp

Onion – 1 small/ chopped

White pepper

Salt to taste

Light cream – 1 tsp

Method:

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C.
Cut all the vegetables up roughly. Not too small because they shrink as they roast. You can toss them in olive oil & seasonings if you like. I didn’t, because I used a little butter later.
Put onto a foil lined baking sheet & roast for 15 minutes, turn/stir on sheet, & roast for a further 15 minutes, till the edges start getting done.
Heat the butter in a deep pan.
Add the chopped onion & white pepper; saute till onions are light pink.
Transfer the vegetables into the pan, give a good stir, top with about 1 1/2 cups of water & simmer for about 30 minutes.
Cool, blend & pass through a soup strainer.
Heat & serve in bowls with a drizzle of cream & croutons.

For the croutons:

Wholewheat bread – 3 slices / cubed
Olive oil- 1 tbsps

Oregano -1 tsp

Salt & pepper to taste

Method:

Toss the bread cubes with everything.
Spread evenly over a baking sheet & toast at 180 degrees for 10 minutes, stirring through once.
Keep a close eye on them as they tend to over brown suddenly.
Switch off the oven & leave in there to cool.
Store in an airtight box.

“Soup is the song of the hearth… and the home.”

Louis P. De Gouy, The Soup Book (1949)

Here’s an event that’s gonna warm all of us! Have just found ‘Comfort Food Cook-Off’ at Eve’s “Garden of Eating“…what an absolutely delicious sounding name! As she so aptly says, “Here in the northern hemisphere, we’re about to enter the bleakest stretch of winter so it’s time to cook up some serious comfort food.”

Warm up to winter with this hearty soup!

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