Five-root soup with bacon
The key to success with this soup is to cut the root vegetables small and keep the pieces all about the same size so they cook evenly. It helps to be in a chopping mood when you set about this one. If you don’t have any Cheddar to hand, or you want to go easy on the cheese, you can finish the soup with a trickle of rapeseed or olive oil instead. You could also leave out the bacon to make a vegetarian version.
Servs 4
Method
Heat the oil in a large saucepan, add the bacon or pancetta and cook
gently until the fat runs and the bacon starts to turn golden. Add the
onion and sweat for 10–15 minutes, until soft and golden. Add all the
diced root vegetables, cover the pan and let the whole mixture sweat
and soften for 10 minutes or so, stirring occasionally.
Pour in the stock and bring to a simmer. Cover and cook for about
15 minutes, until all the vegetables are tender.
Taste the soup and season accordingly. Ladle into warm bowls,
scatter over some chives and top with grated cheese. Serve straight
away, with some thick pieces of toast.
Serving suggestions
This soup is also very good whizzed up in a blender until smooth.
Then served topped with a dash of pesto.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon rapeseed or olive oil
- 100g unsmoked streaky bacon or pancetta, cut into small -dice
- 1 large onion, finely chopped
- 150g carrots, cut into small dice
- 150g swede, cut into small dice
- 150g not-too-floury potatoes, such as Wilja, peeled and cut into small dice
- 150g parsnip, cut into small dice
- 150g celeriac, cut into small dice
- 1 litre light vegetable or chicken stock
- Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
To serve:
- A few chives, snipped
- About 100g mature Cheddar cheese, grated
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