Soups are a great way of getting your veggies in. But you knew that already. But some soups, especially like this one here, can really pack it away. I make this at least once a week—albeit with different variations of vegetables and spices— bung them all on a tray, roast, blend, soup for days.
I had odd bits of pumpkin, carrot, sweet potato and cauliflower languishing in the fridge from last week that needed using up. Since this vegetable medley had a Moroccan theme going for it, I used whole spices this time around – coriander and cumin, and couldn’t resist the littlest smidgen of harissa to amp it up (this stuff is hot, so use with caution). I prefer using whole spices wherever possible but especially while roasting, since the ground powders have the tendency to catch and burn. Also, the flavour of whole spices is infinitely greater.
I can sometimes be a little heavy-handed with the harissa paste. I don’t know if the brand that I use is extra potent or not, but adding a dash of milk or coconut milk to temper the heat is a neat trick in case of such an emergency. Use judiciously lest it overpower everything else.
| Servings |
3-4
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- 200 grams pumpkin, cubed
- 200 grams sweet potato, cubed
- 200 grams carrots, cubed
- 200 grams cauliflower, cut into florets
- 1 medium onion, cubed
- 3 cloves of garlic
- 2 stalks of fresh thyme
- 1/2 tsp harissa paste*
- 1 tsp coriander seeds
- 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
- 2 tbsp oil
- 2 cups vegetable stock or water
- Freshly ground black pepper
- Salt, to taste
Ingredients
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- Preheat oven to 160 C (320 F). Line a baking tray with aluminium foil and tip the vegetables, onion, garlic, and thyme leaves onto it. Mix together the harissa paste, oil, salt, pepper, coriander seeds and cumin seeds in a small bowl. Pour over the vegetables and toss to coat all the pieces evenly. Roast for 55-60 minutes and set aside to cool slightly.
- Once cool enough to handle, blend the vegetables with stock or water in a blender in batches. Check seasoning and adjust. Reheat gently with more stock or water to get the right consistency before serving.
*Some harissa brands might be more potent than others, so use accordingly.
-If the soup gets a little too spicy, stir in a dash of milk or coconut milk in the end to temper the heat.
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