Slow-cooked Root Vegetable Soup

Something happens to vegetables when they're cooked very slowly for a long time: their flavour becomes mellow but at the same time more intense, and your kitchen is filled with aromas of goodness. This soup is also completely fat-free.

Serves 6

This recipe is taken from How to Cook Book Two and The Delia Collection: Soup.

Slow-cooked Root Vegetable Soup

Ingredients
8 oz (225 g) peeled carrots, cut into 2 inch (5 cm) lengths
8 oz (225 g) peeled celeriac, cut into 2 inch (5 cm) pieces
8 oz (225 g) trimmed and washed leeks, halved and cut into 2 inch (5 cm) lengths
8 oz (225 g) peeled swede, cut into 2 inch (5 cm) pieces
1 small onion, peeled and roughly chopped
2½ pints (1.5 litres) stock made with Marigold Swiss Bouillon vegetable powder
3 bay leaves
salt and freshly milled black pepper
To serve:
6 teaspoons fat-free Greek yoghurt
a few fresh chives, snipped
Pre-heat the oven to gas mark 1, 275F (140C)
Equipment
You will also need a lidded flameproof casserole with a capacity of 6 pints (3.5 litres).

Method

There's not much to do here once everything is peeled and chopped. All you do is place everything in the casserole and bring it up to a gentle simmer, then put the lid on, place it in the lowest part of the oven and leave it there for 3 hours, by which time the vegetables will be meltingly tender.

Next remove the bay leaves and process or liquidise the soup in several batches to a purée, then gently re-heat, and serve the soup in bowls with a teaspoon of Greek yoghurt swirled into each and garnished with the fresh chives.

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