Basic Vegetable Soup
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 30 minutes depending on ingredients (4-5 hours if using slow cooker)
Serves 4
Ingredients
1 x onion, peeled and diced
1 x clove garlic, peeled and finely chopped
1 x stick celery, sliced
1 x carrot, peeled and sliced
4 x new potatoes, diced
Any green vegetable, sliced or chopped
1 x pint/560ml vegetable stock
Good pinch of chilli flakes
Bay leaf, good pinch of dried herbs or bouquet garni (fresh mixed herbs e.g. bay leaf, thyme, parsley tied up with string)
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Olive oil for frying
Garnish – Chopped parsley (if suitable for the dysphagic patient)
Method
- Sauté the onion and garlic in the oil for a few minutes.
- Add carrot, potato and chilli and cook for further 2-3 minutes to start the vegetables caramelising to give a good flavour.
- Add the celery and green vegetable and stir.
- Add stock and herbs, bring to boil and simmer for 15-20 minutes until vegetables are soft.
- Stir occasionally and add more boiling water as necessary.
- Check seasoning.
- Remove bouquet garni or bay leaf if used.
- If necessary for a severely dysphagic patient, purée the soup with a hand blender or in a liquidiser.
- Check seasoning.
- Serve with fresh chopped parsley, if used
Variations
- The above recipe can form the basis of any soup – use any vegetables you have available, but always include carrot, garlic and onion (or leek).
- If you are going to purée the soup, include things like broccoli and cauliflower stalks, left-over cooked meat (especially gammon) – don''t waste them. Also there is no need to peel washed vegetables (except onion and garlic) or be too neat when chopping the vegetables.
- Try adding other vegetables such as peas, sweetcorn, parsnip, cauliflower, ripe tomatoes.
- Experiment by adding quinoa, pearl barley, pulses, crème fraîche, dried milk or parmesan rind for enrichment. (You will need to cook for longer when adding grains or pulses)
- Add broken up dried spaghetti or rice if suitable or if you are going to purée the soup.
- Exchange the vegetable stock for chicken stock or other variants.
- Try different spices.
- Instead of the hob method, use your slow cooker, especially if you are adding pearl barley which froths.