Leftovers #1 - Root Vegetable Soup and a Crispy White Loaf

Garnished with a knob of Dolcelatte

We had a lot of extra vegetables and meat once Christmas was over and I was adamant I wasn't going to waste any. What didn't go into the freezer was utilised for some quick and tasty meals. This thick, tasty soup is just the thing for when you need a bit of comfort or warmth, a little bit of warmth from the ginger and the hearty vegetables.

If you like blue cheese the tangy taste of the Dolcelatte works perfectly with the sweet parsnip and carrot. You could try a bit of grated cheese of your choice or yogurt, sour cream or even a dash of sweet chili sauce.

Root Vegetable Soup

In a pan melt a knob of butter with a teaspoon of olive oil. Add 560g of parsnips and 560g carrots, along with 4 peeled potatoes all cut into chunks, 2 sticks of celery sliced and 2 sliced onions, fry gently to soften. Grate in about an inch of fresh ginger. Sprinkle over 1 teaspoon of cumin and add a bay leaf. After 5 minutes add some stock (I used 2 chicken stock pots, but use fresh or cubes, chicken or vegetable) enough to just cover the vegetables and simmer until they are soft. Once they are, remove the bay leaf and either with a hand blender or in a food processor, season with salt and pepper and serve with fresh bread and the garnish of your choice, as above.

Medium White Loaf (from "Recipes for your Bread maker - Carol Palmer)

You can make this without a bread maker, obviously, it will just involve a lot more kneading!

Into your bread maker pan add 1 cup of milk (about 9fl oz), 1.5 tbsp sugar, 1 tsp salt, 2.5 tbsp vegetable or sunflower oil, 12 oz strong, white plain flour and 1 packet of active dried yeast. Put it on the large white setting and wait.

I've made the larger version of this lots of time, but using the medium recipe of the large setting makes a large loaf which is light and crispy, perfect for with a filling soup.