Recipe: Country Vegetable Soup

Country Vegetable Soup

Serves 4

Nourishing vegetable soup is tucked away under a crisp, golden pastry lid. If short of time, serve the soup without the puff pastry and with crusty bread instead.

3 tablespoons canola oil
2 celery stalks, thinly sliced
4 carrots, thinly sliced
3 leeks, thickly sliced
3/4 pound rutabaga or turnip, diced
Salt and freshly ground pepper
2 tablespoons whole wheat flour
3-1/2 cups hot vegetable stock
6 ounces mushrooms, thinly sliced
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
1/2 pound frozen puff pastry, thawed
Beaten egg for glazing

Seasonal choice
In summer, use squash instead of the rutabaga or turnip.

Step One 1. Heat the oil in a large pan and add the vegetables, except the mushrooms, and salt and pepper to taste. Cover and cook gently, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes. Sprinkle in the flour and stir for 1-2 minutes, then pour in the stock and bring to a boil.

Step Two 2. Add the mushrooms, cover, and simmer for 10 minutes. Pour into 4 soup bowls, stir the parsley, and leave until cold. Meanwhile, roll out the pastry on a floured surface and cut out 4 lids for the bowls and 4 strips long enough to fit around the rims.

Step Three 3. Stick the pastry strips onto the rims of the bowls with water. Brush the strips with water and press the lids on top. Decorate with pastry trimmings and brush with beaten egg to glaze, then bake in a preheated 400 degree F. oven for 30 minutes.

Puff Pastry

Making puff pastry at home takes time because the dough and the butter need to be folded, turned, and chilled many times for the pastry to rise in separate layers. Frozen puff pastry is very quick and easy to use, and an excellent substitute for homemade.

When rolling the pastry out, gently press the rolling pin from the center of the pastry to the edge while moving the pastry around, and try not to stretch the pastry or it will shrink during baking. If uncooked puff pastry is placed over a hot mixture the butter will melt and the pastry will not rise properly—this is the reason why the soup is cooled before the pastry lid is placed on top.