A vegetarian root vegetable soup with a difference! This amazingly tasty dish is easy to make, economical and filling. Root vegetables are roasted with smoky spice, then blended into soup with creamy and tangy goat's cheese. The result is intensely flavorful, delicious and warming!
4jerusalem artichokes, or use 1 sweet potato, small squash or other roots
3garlic cloves
1tspsmoked paprika
1tspdried oregano
1small onion, shallot or leek
75g(2.5oz)soft goats cheese, crumbled
1litre(4.25cups)vegetable stock
Chives, for garnish
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 200C / 390F.
Wash, peel and chop your root vegetables into small chunks. Place on a roasting tray with the whole garlic cloves, and toss with olive oil, smoked paprika, oregano and a generous sprinkling of salt and pepper.
Roast for 30 minutes. Halfway through, take the pan out and use a spatula to flip and move the vegetables round to make sure they don't stick to the pan.
Meanwhile, chop and sautee your onion or leek in a little bit of olive oil in a large saucepan.
When the vegetables are finished roasting, add them to the saucepan and cover with the vegetable broth. Use an immersion/stick blender to puree the soup. Don't overblend - it's good to leave just a little bit of texture. (If you don't have an immersion blender, you can use a jug blender, but make sure your vegetable broth is not piping hot)
Heat the soup until bubbling. (You can simmer for a while now, if you have the time, to let the flavors settle, but it's not essential. You can move on to the next stage if you're ready to eat!)
When you're ready to serve, take the soup off the heat and mix in the goat's cheese until fully melted.