Roasted Vegetable Soup

Winter Sundays are always good soup days. For this Italian-inspired soup, I roasted a bunch of vegetables (mostly root vegetables) with fresh rosemary, chopped fennel seeds, and red pepper flakes. You can use whatever vegetables you want or can find, just be sure to have some starchier veggies in there like potatoes/turnips/parsnips. Using a food mill instead of a blender means that you don't have to peel the vegetables or fish out the rosemary, and it gives the soup a more rustic texture. I drizzled the top with reduced balsamic vinegar and some good extra virgin olive oil.

Ingredients:

1 red potato

2 small turnips (I did peel these because they put wax on them)

2 leeks, rinsed

3 garlic cloves

1 small floret broccoli, halved

2 parsnips, roughly chopped

3 carrots, roughly chopped

1/2 big yellow onion, peeled and halved

2-3 sprigs fresh rosemary

1/2 tsp kosher salt

1/4 tsp ground pepper

3 tbsp olive oil

1 tsp balsamic vinegar

1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

1/4 tsp oregano

1/4 tsp thyme

1/2 tsp roughly chopped fennel seeds

4 cups chicken broth

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 375. Put all of the vegetables on a foil-lined baking sheet, nestle in the rosemary, and drizzle with olive oil, balsamic, and spices.

Roast for 30 minutes or so, until caramelized and brown, turning once in between.

Put the vegetables in a heavy bottomed pot or dutch oven and cover with the broth. Add a little water if you need.

Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer. Partially cover the pot and simmer for 30 minutes until the vegetables are very tender.

Transfer the vegetables and broth into a food mill with the smallest disc setting. Grind out as much as you can and discard anything that doesn't go through. 

Return the soup to the pot and season with salt and pepper.

Serve with a drizzle of good extra virgin olive oil and a balsamic reduction.