Читать книгу Rose Elliot’s New Complete Vegetarian - Rose Elliot - Страница 24

The flavour of lovage is often likened to that of celery. It’s more pungent and aromatic, but goes well with celery and together they make a lovely soup. In a perfect world, where the seasons are observed in cooking, this would be made with the first of the English celery and the last of the lovage from the garden – it’s a perfect soup for a crisp autumn day. If you can’t get hold of any lovage, use some finely chopped celery leaves instead.

SERVES 4

2 tbsp olive oil

1 onion, chopped

outside stalks from 1 head of celery (about 450g (1 lb) in total), sliced

225g (8oz) potatoes, peeled and cut into even-sized chunks

1.2 litres (2 pints) light vegetable stock or water and 1 tsp vegetable bouillon powder

2 tbsp chopped fresh lovage

150ml (5fl oz) single cream (optional)

salt and freshly ground black pepper

Heat the oil in a large saucepan, add the onion and fry for 5–7 minutes until soft but not browned. Add the celery and potatoes and cook for a further 2–3 minutes, stirring often.

Pour in the stock or water and add the bouillon powder. Bring to the boil, cover and simmer for about 30 minutes until the vegetables are very soft.

Blend well, but stop when it’s the consistency you like. Stir in the lovage, cream (if using) and a good seasoning of salt and pepper. Reheat gently before serving.