You can make this dish very versatile. You can pretty much use any winter root vegetable you have, or whatever’s in season if you’re cooking it for a rainy summer’s evening instead. This is a good idea because it can keep well in the refrigerator and can also be cooked on the stove.
Serves 4 as the main
CHOWDER
Olive oil
1 large white onion cut into small cubes
One leek cut into small dice (white or light green only).
Five stalks of celery with leaves, chopped fine
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped or crushed
5-6 thyme leaves, removed and chopped
4 teaspoons dried oregano
1 large chopped parsnip.
½ a small butternut squash, peeled and cubed
Cubed 1 medium to small sweet potato
1 small cauliflower chopped fine
Salt and pepper
2-3 heaped tbsp dijon mustard
2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
4 tbsp oat milk
Juice 1 lemon
800ml-1 litre vegetable stock
Butter beans 400g, drain and rinse well
OPTIONAL SIDES
Sourdough with toasted nuts and seed, or coconut yogurt
- Pre-heat the oven at 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Place baking paper on a baking sheet and place in the oven. Heat a drizzle of olive oil in a medium to large pot, and sauté your onion over a medium heat until soft and translucent. Add your leek, celery and celery leaves and continue to sauté until soft. You might add water to help it from drying out. Mix in the oregano, garlic and thyme.
- After the garlic has been fragrant, stir in the sweet potato, parsnip and cauliflower. Mix well. Season with nutritional yeast and lemon juice. Bring to a boil the vegetable stock.
- After the vegetables have been boiled, mix them and then reduce heat to a simmer. Let the vegetables cook until tender – usually 15 minutes or so. Remove the potatoes, parsnips and squash from the heat once they are tender. Set aside half of the chowder in a bowl. Blend the remainder of the chowder with a handheld blender until it becomes smooth.
- Add the unblended portion of the chowder to the pot along with the butter beans, drained, and rinsed. If necessary, season the dish. Allow the chowder to return to a boil, so that it can heat through. Ladle the soup into bowls. Top with any garnishes you like and a slice of sourdough.