There’s no need to add a whole heap of spices or herbs to this soup as the veggies do all the talking.
ingredients
—4 large kumara (sweet potato) 4 large carrots 4 Tbsp + 3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil 2 medium brown (regular) onions, peeled and chopped 2 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed 1.5 litres (about UK 2½ pints/ US 2 pints) boiled water 2 Tbsp vegetables bouillon/stock powder 1 butternut squash pumpkin
Method
—Roasting kumara and carrot, along with slowly softening onions, makes this Burnt Orange Soup super sweet. A generous blob of unsweetened yoghurt cuts through the soup making it the perfect little addition. You also can’t go wrong with a generous portion of fresh coriander, too. Duh. I can’t decide whether I like it on the thinner side or so chunky that the spoon nearly stands up in it!
Ilaria’s burnt orange soup
1 Preheat oven to 190°C (375°F). Peel and chop kumara and carrots, then add to a large baking tray with 4 tablespoons o oil and a generous sprinkle of salt and pepper. Get your hands in there, give them a solid tossing, then bang ‘em in the oven for about an hour, until tender and lightly golden.
2 Heat the rest of the oil in the biggest pot you have and cook onions on a medium-ish heat for 10 minutes or so. You want to soften them slowly, sizzling them gently so they don’t catch on the bottom of the pot– this will bring out their sweetness and we’re all about the sweetness with this. Stir regularly to keep them from catching.
3 At this point you’ve probably almost developed a mild form of RSI from all the chopping and peeling, so pour yourself a glass of wine and contemplate what you’ve done for a second or two …
4 Back to the pot … Add the garlic and stir for a couple of minutes. Carefully add the water and the vegetable stock. Bring to a boil, lower heat, and simmer while you prepare the pumpkin.
5 Chop pumpkin into manageable pieces, gouge out the seedy bits, and cut off the skin, then chop into smaller pieces, like an inch (2.5cm) in size, and add them to the Big Soup Pot; bring contents to a gentle boil.
6 Check the kumara and carrots and give them a bit of a prod. When they are tender and cooked through bring them out and add them straight to the pot along with any left over olive oil in the tray.
7 Give it all a really good stir, mashing as you go. Grab your stick blender, or throw it into a food processor, and whizz away until smooth. Check seasoning and consistency – if it’s all a bit thick, just add some more hot water. Serve immediately with a blob of yoghurt and fresh coriander.
Ilaria’s burnt orange soup chunky style
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