Roasted Orange Roots Soup (V)

This week has turned colder and the leaves are starting to turn. Autumn is setting in here in South Iceland. As soon as the weather starts to turn I start to crave soup. It's what I live on during the colder months, and there's nothing I love more than a roasted vegetable soup.

My Viking has been feeling ill for over a week now, suspected throat infection. He's been drinking lots of herbal tea with honey but I wanted to get a good dose of vitamins into him.

We had a large sweet potato in the fridge that needed to be used up and some onions and garlic. This would've been enough for a basic soup but I wanted to add a couple of other vegetables so I bought a butternut squash and a small bag of carrots (the only veg that I'm absolutely sure go well with sweet potato). And the result was Roasted Orange Root Soup.

Serves 4-6

Ingredients:

• 1 Large sweet potato
• 1 Medium butternut squash
• 5 Medium carrots
• 1 Medium onion
• 3 Cloves garlic
• 2 Tablespoons dried rosemary or 3 sprigs of fresh
• 1 Tablespoon dried Thyme or 1 sprig fresh
• Salt
• Pepper
• Oil
• Vegetable Stock
• Chili (optional)

Method:

Chop the vegetables including the onion into small bite sized pieces. Spread over a baking tray with the whole cloves of garlic and drizzle oil over. Shake over the Rosemary and Thyme and a little salt and pepper. Toss the vegetables until they are evenly covered with herbs and oil. Roast for 40 minutes at 200°C/Gas mark 6.

Test that the vegetables are mashable with the back of a fork and remove from the oven. When cooled slightly, tip the veg into a blender with about ½ litre of stock and blend until smooth. If you prefer a chunky soup, just blend half of the veg.

Tip the soup into a pot and warm through, adding more water/stock if necessary and salt and pepper to taste.

*Optional* This soup works really well with a bit of spice, just add some dried or fresh chili to the blender for a fiery kick! Or for some added sweetness, roast an orange bell pepper with the other vegetables.

Serve with a chunky bread roll and enjoy!

Three cloves of garlic may seem excessive but it really adds a boost to your immune system and it possesses anti-inflammatory properties. Rosemary is also anti-inflammatory and can even help to relieve pain! Thyme can help you to recover from a cold and is great at relieving a sore throat. This soup is packed full of goodness to aid you through the winter. I hope you enjoy it!

Loppy x