450g of carrots, peeled and slice250g Jerusalem artichokes, peeled or scrubbed and sliced2 sticks of celery, washed and sliced120g of peeled and sliced shallots or 1 medium onion or leek1 red Sandia chilli, deseeded and slice (or red capsicum, or red chilli or ALL!)1.25 litres of Chicken or Vegetable Stock3 tablespoons of virgin olive oilSeason to taste
In a large saucepan heat the olive oil over a moderate heat and add all the vegetables ingredients at once. Stir well through the oil and sweat over a gentle heat either by placing a lid on the saucepan or placing some baking paper closely fitting on top of the vegetables. Sweat for 20/30 minutes to really extract the flavours ~ checking from time to time that the heat is not too fierce and they are not burning!
Add the stock and bring to a rolling simmer for about 15minutes until vegetables are soft.Puree in a blender or for a more coarse soup with a stick blender to retain some of the vegetables characteristics.
Serve topped with coriander or parsley.
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