County Clare Irish Root Soup Recipes

IRISH ROOT SOUP

Steps:

• Heat oil and butter in large, heavy saucepan over medium heat.
• Add carrots, leeks, garlic and sweet potatoes and sauté until leeks are translucent, about 8 minutes.
• Add chicken stock and whipping cream.
• Cover and simmer until carrots and potatoes are very soft, stirring occasionally, about 30 minutes.
• Puree soup in blender and return to same saucepan.
• Add salt, pepper and sugar and taste and adjust seasonings.
• Stir soup over medium heat until heated through.
• Ladle into bowls and top with whipped cream, if desired.
• Note: Parboil potatoes, then oven-roast by placing potatoes on cookie sheet in 350°F oven for about 30 minutes, or until brown.

ROOT VEGETABLE SOUP

Steps:

• Melt butter in a large, heavy-bottomed pot. Stir in onion and celery. Cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are tender, about 10 minutes. Stir in garlic, rosemary and bay leaves; cook 1 minute more. Add root vegetables, 8 cups water, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil; reduce heat to medium and simmer, covered, until vegetables are tender, 30 to 40 minutes.
• Remove and discard rosemary branches and bay leaves. Using an immersion blender, purée soup until smooth. (Alternatively, you can purée the soup in batches in a blender or food processor.) If the soup is too thick, add a little water. Season with lemon juice and more salt to taste.
• To serve, ladle soup into bowls and top with a drizzle of olive oil, a few drops of lemon juice, flaky salt and crushed chile or grated cheese, if desired.

A+ ROOT SOUP

Steps:

• 1. Place sliced carrots in microwave safe container, add a splash of water, cover and microwave about 10 minutes. Or use any cooked carrots.
• 2. The sweet potatoes can also be microwaved. Place on a plate and cover with a paper towel. Microwave until soft - they will smell great - about 8 minutes. Or use leftover baked sweet potatoes. Feel free to add left over boiled or baked white potatoes too.
• 3. Saute onion in olive oil and butter in a large,heavy sauce pan until rich in color to develop flavor (just short of burning) add garlic near end of cooking, and pour in the six cups of chicken stock.
• 4. Add carrots and potatoes. Let everything simmer about 10 minutes and then use your immersion blender to create a puree. If you have a conventional blender,divide into batches and return puree to the same pan.
• 5. Salt and/or pepper to taste. Use white pepper if you are concerned about black specks in your beautiful orange soup. Let soup simmer 20 minutes or so.
• 6. Serve plain or add a dollop of sour cream to each serving. You might want to get fancy and apply sour cream (thinned with milk) with a squirt bottle to make designs on your soup. A sprinkle of parsley or pinch of herb de provence can top it all off.